Introduction
10:04, with a full four minutes spent on 1 Across, 2 Down, and the first half of 8 Across. Could have been one of my best times, so I imagine many will find this one easy.
Solutions
Across
1 | Talk about a long story! (4) |
SAGA – GAS (talk) reversed (about) + A | |
3 | A female repeatedly publicises romantic liaisons (7) |
AFFAIRS – A + FF (female repeatedly) + AIRS | |
8 | Nasty old boy turning violent [in] old constituency (6,7) |
ROTTEN BOROUGH – ROTTEN (nasty) + O.B. (old boy) reversed (turning) + ROUGH (violent) A borough with a very small electorate, having dwindled from a larger one, which would therefore enable one person or family to gain influence in the House of Commons. |
|
9 | Speak rudely to / underworld god (3) |
DIS – double definition I thought it was ‘diss’. This is Pluto, by the way. |
|
10 | My American soldier[‘s] dog (5) |
CORGI – COR (my) + G.I. (American soldier) | |
12 | Comes forward [to show] what climber must face? (5,2) |
STEPS UP – double definition | |
14 | Illegal trader avoiding jail finally [becomes] more complacent (7) |
SMUGGER – SMUGGLER without last letter of JAIL | |
16 | Artist [offering] some modern stuff (5) |
ERNST – hidden in MODERN STUFF | |
17 | A Catholic circle needs more than one (3) |
ARC – A + R.C. It has infinitely many, in fact, unless I’m misunderstanding. |
|
20 | Comment from appreciative tenant / correctly expressed (6-7) |
LETTER-PERFECT – double definition | |
21 | First half of series about writers, one writer in particular (7) |
SPENSER – first half of the letters of SERIES around PENS (writers) | |
22 | Gee — ancient [and] precious stuff (4) |
GOLD – G (gee) + OLD (ancient) |
Down
1 | Saints admitting sin after hesitation [in] acts of worship (8) |
SERVICES – SS (saints) around VICE (sin) after ER (hesitation) This one threw me because I didn’t know S for ‘saint’, only ST. |
|
2 | Meet without hesitation [in] OT location (4) |
GATH – GATHER without ER (hesitation) Goliath’s hometown! |
|
3 | Holy woman, a Bishop Elizabeth (6) |
ABBESS – A + B (bishop) + BESS (Elizabeth) | |
4 | Supporting best performance, to be factually correct (3,3,6) |
FOR THE RECORD – FOR (supporting) + THE RECORD (best performance) | |
5 | One religious woman is performing harmoniously (2,6) |
IN UNISON – I + NUN (religious woman) + IS + ON (performing) | |
6 | Part of London oh so naughty! (4) |
SOHO – OH SO anagrammed | |
7 | Attire for important woman at the match (7,5) |
WEDDING DRESS – cryptic definition | |
11 | Way to get around hindrance [in] game (8) |
ROULETTE – ROUTE around LET (hindrance) | |
13 | Old man sheltered [and] legally protected (8) |
PATENTED – PA (old man) + TENTED (sheltered) | |
15 | Modern musician[‘s] back, turning up with two pianos included (6) |
RAPPER – REAR (back) reversed (turning up) with PP (two pianos) in | |
18 | Something advantageous [and] ritzy almost (4) |
PLUS – almost all letters in PLUSH | |
19 | Sign up [to be] sea captain (4) |
NEMO – OMEN (sign) reversed (up) |
FOI 22ac GOLD
LOI 2dn GATH
COD 8a ROTTEN BOROUGH – similar to DC
WOD 6dn SOHO
Edited at 2020-06-10 05:31 am (UTC)
COD letter perfect.
Edited at 2020-06-10 06:19 am (UTC)
FOI & COD SAGA (so, so neat), LOI GATH.
Many thanks Izetti and Jeremy. (Jeremy, in the blog you have “through me” when you mean “threw me” at 1dn.)
Templar
This was definitely not an easy Izetti unless you are a very experienced solver such as many of those who contribute here.You are always likely to learn something from Izetti’s puzzles. I have seen DIS before but hardly well known; and Gath.
It also helped that Spenser was in a puzzle recently, not the first writer people would think of.
I was pleased to finish in 12:54.Enjoyed it. David
Edited at 2020-06-10 10:20 am (UTC)
Cedric
“Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
I didn’t know the underworld god DIS and hadn’t heard of GATH. I had to biff ROULETTE as I don’t see the connection between ‘let’ and ‘hindrance’ unless it refers to a let in tennis perhaps. Nor do I see the link between ‘perfect’ and ‘appreciative’.
A MER at UNISON as this is when people all sing the same tune and wouldn’t be described as ‘harmoniously’ – ie when different parts are sung.
Otherwise some nice touches including SMUGGER and SERVICES which were fun to work out.
Thanks, Izetti and Jeremy.
Edited at 2020-06-10 10:22 am (UTC)
See responses to crispb above with regards to let, but also note that my Chambers app has “hindrance, obstruction” as a direct definition of LET (albeit noted as archaic).
I hadn’t thought about a non-musical connection between the words but, yes, I see your point.
Thanks also for the definition of LET. I’ll try to remember that in future.
Have a great evening.
Thanks to jeremy
No holdups, and only the most minor of MERs at 9A Dis – like others I had rather assumed that the word was Diss (like the town in Norfolk). But then I realised it is a modern creation and I may never have seen it written at all before.
13D “Old man sheltered” very appropriate for the last few months, and on my mind as we tend my 85-year-old father-in-law and do his shopping for him. I shall tell him he is patented!
Thank you Izetti for a nice puzzle and Jeremy for the blog.
Cedric
After my FOI, I couldn’t get going in the NW quadrant. SOI AFFAIRS got me started, and it was steady progress from there, although I don’t know what I couldn’t see about my LOI on my initial reading !
FOI SAGA
LOI SERVICES
COD STEPS UP
TIME 1.06K
Agree about mysterious happy tenant which I also guessed eventually.
A long slog today with interruptions.
Luckily I have been reading Trollope recently so was reminded of Rotten Borough.
But yes I struggled. Made one or two bad biffs which didn’t help. (‘Biff’ sounds like a 1950s word!)
Thanks Izetti and blogger
I also hadn’t heard of 8ac “Rotten Borough” (apart from Private Eye). However – it was stll enjoyable from Izetti.
FOI – 3ac “Affairs”
LOI – DNF
COD – 7dn “Wedding Dress” (been caught out by this before)
Thanks as usual.
I hope tomorrow’s easier.
Nho DIS – I thought it was spelled with two d’s.
Diana
I’m off to eat worms.
Plymouthian
Edited at 2020-06-10 12:15 pm (UTC)
FOI 3ac Affairs
LOI 2dn Gath
COD so many to choose from today but I’m going for 1ac.
FOI: Soho
LOI: services
COD: wedding dress
Thanks to Izetti and Jeremy. Going for a lie down now 🤪
Took 73 minutes, longer than yesterday, though I did get to the end with some help.
I hope no one gets put off by the talk of 2 minutes and easy! One a day since lockdown started and I am still very slow… One day I will get to 30 minutes or less, and perhaps even 2 minutes!
Thanks for the blog, the puzzle and the comments, always good to hear how easy/hard people found it.
FOI: 3A affairs
LOI: 2D gath
COD 3A: affairs and 3D abbess which went in so easily!
Edited at 2020-06-10 05:21 pm (UTC)
Many thanks to the Don and Jeremy.
Apart from vaguely hoping to achieve sub-10 minutes each day I don’t attempt high-speed solving and I set myself a handicap of parsing each clue as I go. There’s no great virtue in speed anyway as unless you’re a Verlaine or Magoo there’s always going to be someone faster. Might as well work at one’s own pace and enjoy the ride!
Graham
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