A Puzzle by Radler
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
We all know what to expect from a Radler crossword and this one was no different from his previous puzzles. Even after I spotted the properly ghostly theme, I still had to have two separate goes at this tricky crossword, finishing in a time almost equivalent to two Elgars!
1a Church charges floundering school for the blind? (5)
SOULS: A homophone (for the blind) of some fish (floundering school) I did check and although flounders and the fish required for the homophone are both flatfish, they are not related in any other way
4a Spot one running after South American shot (9)
SUSPICION: The Roman numeral for one and a proposition meaning running or working go after the abbreviations for South and American and an abbreviated photograph (shot)
9a Work is open! Decline work in secret (9)
ESPIONAGE: An anagram (work) of IS OPEN followed by a verb meaning to decline in the sense of get old
10a What gets clarinettist started? Perhaps his instrument teaching (5)
CREED: The letter that starts Clarinettist and the type of instrument that is a clarinet
11a Fancy gizmo reduced by £1000 (5)
THINK: A truncated gizmo followed by the abbreviation for £1000
12a Monarchist Russian bishop beset by spreading riot cost (9)
OCTOBRIST: The chess abbreviation for Bishop ‘beset’ by an anagram (spreading) of RIOT COST
13a 1000% ignoring time spent on opening clasps (7)
ENFOLDS: 1000% without (ignoring) the T for time followed by the opening letter of Spent
15a Friendly filmstar antics, revealing ending early (6)
CASPER: Move the letter at the end of some antics further up the word
17a Slug or snail? Less fat, less mass (6)
SLIMER: Less fat without one of the abbreviations for Mass
19a Student mail rejected delivery terms (7)
POSTDOC: Some post followed by a reversal (rejected) of some abbreviated terms of delivery
22a Flavouring tang lost aura unopened (9)
ANGOSTURA: The second, third and fourth letters of the clue without their first letters (unopened)
24a Radler’s plan to go round American city (5)
MIAMI: A reversal (to go round) of how Radler might say I am and a plan
25a First to back cold bathing accessory (5)
LOOFA: Cold or distant where the first letter is cycled to the back
26a How years become decades, I keep demanding (9)
INTENSIVE: How years become decades (2,4) and I have or I keep
27a Bit mother messed up (2,3,4)
TO THE BRIM: An anagram (messed) of BIT MOTHER
28a Letter T missing from Taint (5)
SIGMA: Omit the T from taint or disgrace
Down
1d Film to show consideration for cycling (7)
SPECTRE: Cycle the first two letters of a synonym for consideration to the end
2d Trouble-free United’s leading duo headed cup final thrashing (9)
UNPAINFUL: The first two letters of UNited and an anagram (thrashing) of cUP FINAL (headed telling you to remove the C)
3d Implement non-stop tail to back agent (5)
SPOOK: An implement without its final letter (non-stop) and the ‘tail’ to bacK
4d TV programme commercial breaks, second follows (7)
SHADOWS: An abbreviated commercial ‘breaks’ a TV programme, the abbreviation for Second follows at the end
5d Angry cops caught by questioner (7)
SCEPTIC: Angry or sore and infected ‘cops’ the cricket abbreviation for Caught
6d Home on public transport after shortcut nightmares (9)
INCUBUSES: At home, ‘short’ CUt and some public transport
7d Drug counter surrounded by old people (5)
ICENI: A slang word for a type of drug and a reversal (counter) of a synonym for surrounded by
8d Exposure recognised number of gossipers (6)
NUDITY: Homophones (of gossipers) of a synonym for recognised and a song (number)
14d Counterfeit sample packaging had light cover (9)
LAMPSHADE: An anagram (counterfeit) of SAMPLE into which is inserted (packaging) HAD (from the clue)
16d Sweet wrapper for cereal consumed by expiry (9)
ENDEARING: A wrapper for cereal seeds ‘consumed’ by expiry
18d Relatively hoarse dealer denied cocaine (7)
ROUPIER: A dealer in a casino without (denied) the abbreviation for Cocaine
19d Fictitious cool-sounding cat (7)
PHANTOM: A homophone (sounding) of a verb meaning to cool followed by a male cat
20d “Acht” times Frau undressed in this wild dream (7)
CHIMERA: The inside letters (undressed) of aCHt tIMEs fRAu
21d Rent cut needed before settlement (6)
HAMLET: A cut of meat goes before a synonym for rent
23d Close to getting present, write for another (5)
GHOST: The ‘close’ to gettinG and a verb meaning to present
24d A little woman escapes locks (5)
MANES: Hidden in woMAN EScapes
Blimey, that was a tough one, even for Radler. At one stage I had three-quarters of the grid almost filled but with a blank NW. With the help of a few letter reveals I managed to complete it and I think I can parse everything except 1a.
There is a nice 23d theme.
The clues I liked best were 11a, 25a, 8d and 21d.
Many thanks to Radler for the challenge.
It’s a great comfort to know that completion is actually possible, I was beginning to doubt it!
Battered, bruised and definitely discombobulated! I’ve crossed the finish line but not without a few reveals and am still shy of a couple of bits of parsing so it’s a win for the fiend yet again.
That was some challenge, Radler, which may haunt me for some time to come!
We were finally beaten by several answers in the NW corner. The rest all slowly emerged with a bit of concentrated effort and we really appreciated so much very clever wordplay.
Thanks Radler.
Thanks again to Radler for the brain-mangling and to CS for the review (especially for explaining 1a – I’d never have thought of ‘for the blind’ as a homophone indicator but it does work pretty well).
Many thanks for the review, CS, particularly the parsing of 1a where, like Gazza, I hadn’t considered ‘for the blind’ as an indicator. I suppose it should have been blindingly obvious!
Thanks again to the fiend for the mauling and to Sue for setting me straight where necessary – seasonal good wishes to both of you.
My thanks, as always, to crypticsue for the review, and to all who had a go at the puzzle.
I hesitated before using the homophone indicator in 1a, but it felt valid, and it made a change from the fairly limited standard selection.
CS is quite right that soles and flounders are strictly speaking different families of fish, but the lemon sole and Pacific Dover sole (as well as some other “soles”), are in fact flounders.
Seasonal Greetings to all
Finally made a start on this post-Christmas, and it was most certainly on the tricky side! I didn’t spot the theme, which might have helped me to get 15a as I have heard of the character, but I would have still needed to do some research to understand the ‘Friendly filmstar’ definition. My other question mark was on my ideas for 1a, because I was unsure about the homophone indicator and the ‘floundering school’, but Radler has indeed confirmed his intent with the clueing! So it was only 15a that defeated me, and I reckon I can be reasonably satisfied with that outcome… My favourite clues were 13a, 25a and 28a.
My thanks to Radler for engineering a proper head-scratcher. I’m sorry I failed to detect your theme! And thank you to CS for her customary astute clarifications.