Print today's WEB puzzle (spoiler alert ... today's solution and clue explanations are included on a second page!)
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Today's puzzle is rated 4/5 in terms of difficulty, which is the hardest we will get to this month seeing as the onset of March tomorrow resets the "difficulty clock". I think this crossword is definitely tougher than last week's, so let's hope you agree with my 4/5 grade.
And a reminder ... the Sunday slot is still open for anyone who wants to post his or her own, original crossword. Just contact me and I will help you with the mechanics of compiling and posting.
Across
1 Active sprays that are arsenic-free (4)
4 A friend finishes off this morning's seaweed mix (10)
9 Quickly lowers oneself to stay overnight at seedy joints (5-5)
10 Jean tells me five went under (4)
11 501 German Street E. (it's by a river in Ireland) (8)
13 Victoria was not, this morning, employed (6)
14 Listen to your ex cheer! (7)
16 Influence a type of hearing for Polly's complaint (4,3)
18 They say that's God willing eight to go off the beaten path (7)
19 Frees something partially sunk, not submerged (7)
21 Europeans go to Ardee the wrong way, and this slows things down (6)
23 Five hundred, gone from Alfred's company, without a roof over their head (8)
25 In leiu of in lieu of in lieu of (4)
26 Being early, Doctor, I'd mine to go (2,4,4)
28 Advanced again, but not as much, showing no mercy (10)
29 CD choice for one of the strings (4)
Down
2 Carry on showing awkward reserve in gym class (9)
3 Agreed both of you should start (3)
4 Check for a uniform Detective Inspector shirt (5)
5 Maybe buy, call or save, slowly or quickly (6)
6 The maternity doctor's quick before ten, in general (9)
7 Miss, take that guy, you hear? And dance the wrong direction (11)
8 The XS at the end of the rig I.D. (5)
12 There, take care of the corrupt he's mourning (7,4)
15 Out of Italy's three thousand ones, the first of them is radical (9)
17 Doctors relocate about a thousand that recently arrived (9)
20 The confusion might be right after the tango (6)
22 It's about ... about not finishing that hymn like Anne and Fran (5)
24 Florence's saint used to take food away from the canine? Perhaps! (5)
27 The jerk sends me a tongue-in-cheek text (3)
Here is each clue alongside its answer, with an explanation of the link between clue and answer. I hope it all makes sense! As always, I welcome feedback via comment and/or email. I’m particularly interested in hearing about clues that were too obvious or easy, and clues that were annoying or perhaps caused frustration. But, I’ll listen to all suggestions on how to make my puzzles more challenging and more fun!
Across
1 Active sprays that are arsenic-free (4)
SPRY
There is no arsenic (AS) in the SPR-a-Y-s = SPRY: active.
4 A friend finishes off this morning's seaweed mix (10)
AM-ALGA-MATE
Morning's seaweed (AM-ALGA) a friend finishes off this (MATE) = AMALGAMATE: mix.
9 Quickly lowers oneself to stay overnight at seedy joints (5-5)
CRASH-DIVES
To stay overnight (CRASH) at seedy joints (DIVES) = CRASH-DIVES: quickly lowers oneself.
10 Jean tells me five went under (4)
SANK
Jean (from France) tells me five (CINQ) and I hear = SANK: went under.
11 501 German Street E. (it's by a river in Ireland) (8)
L-EIN-ST-E-R
50 (L) 1 German (EIN) Street (ST) E. (E) it's by a river (R) = LEINSTER: in Ireland.
13 Victoria was not, this morning, employed (6)
AM-USED
This morning (AM) employed (USED) = AMUSED: (Queen) Victoria was not AMUSED.
14 Listen to your ex cheer! (7)
HEAR-TEN
Listen to (HEAR) your ex, 'X' (TEN) = HEARTEN: cheer.
16 Influence a type of hearing for Polly's complaint (4,3)
BIRD FLU
Influenza type ("influence a type" of hearing) for = BIRD FLU: Polly's complaint.
18 They say that's God willing eight to go off the beaten path (7)
DEVIATE
That's "God Willing" (DV) eight (8) = DV8, they say, and I hear as = DEVIATE: to go off the beaten path.
19 Frees something partially sunk, not submerged (7)
UNKNOTS
Partially "s-UNK NOT S-ubmerged" = UNKNOTS: frees something.
21 Europeans go to Ardee the wrong way, and this slows things down (6)
DROGUE
Europeans (EU) go (GO) to Ardee (RD) = EUGORD, the wrong way = DROGUE: and this slows things down (a sea anchor).
23 Five hundred, gone from Alfred's company, without a roof over their head (8)
ALFRESCO
Alfred's company (alfre-D-s co) five hundred gone from (-D) = ALFRESCO: without a roof over their head.
25 In leiu of in lieu of in lieu of (4)
TYPO
Typing by mistake, "In leiu of" in lieu of "in lieu of" is a TYPO.
26 Being early, Doctor, I'd mine to go (2,4,4)
IN GOOD TIME
Doctor "I'd mine to go" = IN GOOD TIME: being early.
28 Advanced again, but not as much, showing no mercy (10)
RE-LENT-LESS
Again (RE-) advanced (LENT) but not as much (LESS) = RELENTLESS: showing no mercy.
29 CD choice for one of the strings (4)
C-OR-D
CD choice (C OR D) for = CORD: one of the strings.
Down
2 Carry on showing awkward reserve in gym class (9)
P(ERSEVER)E
In gym class (P-E) awkward "reserve" (ERSEVER) showing = PERSEVERE: carry on.
3 Agreed both of you should start (3)
YE-S
Both of you (YE) s-hould start (S) = YES: agreed.
4 Check for a uniform Detective Inspector shirt (5)
A-U-DI-T
A (A) uniform (U) Detective Inspector (DI) shirt (T) for = AUDIT: check.
5 Maybe buy, call or save, slowly or quickly (6)
AD-VERB
Maybe "buy", "call" or "save", a VERB used in an AD (AD VERB) = ADVERB: maybe "slowly" or "quickly".
6 The maternity doctor's quick before ten, in general (9)
GE(STAT-IO)N
In general (GE-N) doctor's quick before ten (STAT-IO) = GESTATION: the maternity.
7 Miss, take that guy, you hear? And dance the wrong direction (11)
MISGUI-DANCE
Miss, take that guy, 'miss-guy', you hear as (MIS-GUI) and dance (DANCE) = MISGUIDANCE: the wrong direction.
8 The XS at the end of the rig I.D. (5)
TENS-E
The XS (TENS) at the end of th-e (E) = TENSE: rig-id.
12 There, take care of the corrupt he's mourning (7,4)
NURSING HOME
Corrupt "he's mourning" = NURSING HOME: there, take care of.
15 Out of Italy's three thousand ones, the first of them is radical (9)
EX-TRE-M-IS-T
Out of (EX-) Italy's three (TRE) thousand (M) ones (IS) the first of t-hem (T) is = EXTREMIST: radical.
17 Doctors relocate about a thousand that recently arrived (9)
LATECO(M)ER
Doctors "relocate" (LATECO-ER) about a thousand (M) = LATECOMER: that recently arrived.
20 The confusion might be right after the tango (6)
T-ANGLE
After the tango (T) might be right (ANGLE) = TANGLE: the confusion.
22 It's about ... about not finishing that hymn like Anne and Fran (5)
R(HYM)E
It's about (R-E) about not finishing that hym-n (HYM) = RHYME: like "Anne" and "Fran".
24 Florence's saint used to take food away from the canine? Perhaps! (5)
FLO'S-S
Florence's (FLO'S) saint (S) = FLOSS: used to take food away from the canine (tooth) perhaps.
27 The jerk sends me a tongue-in-cheek text (3)
T-I-C
The phone-texting abbreviation for "tongue-in-cheek" is TIC: the jerk.
Reveal-An-Answer
Need just one answer to get things moving? Here is the solution to today's puzzle, in a hidden format. To reveal any particular answer, highlight the whole line under the relevant clue.
Across
1 Active sprays that are arsenic-free (4)
SPRY
4 A friend finishes off this morning's seaweed mix (10)
AM-ALGA-MATE
9 Quickly lowers oneself to stay overnight at seedy joints (5-5)
CRASH-DIVES
10 Jean tells me five went under (4)
SANK
11 501 German Street E. (it's by a river in Ireland) (8)
L-EIN-ST-E-R
13 Victoria was not, this morning, employed (6)
AM-USED
14 Listen to your ex cheer! (7)
HEAR-TEN
16 Influence a type of hearing for Polly's complaint (4,3)
BIRD FLU
18 They say that's God willing eight to go off the beaten path (7)
DEVIATE
19 Frees something partially sunk, not submerged (7)
UNKNOTS
21 Europeans go to Ardee the wrong way, and this slows things down (6)
DROGUE
23 Five hundred, gone from Alfred's company, without a roof over their head (8)
ALFRESCO
25 In leiu of in lieu of in lieu of (4)
TYPO
26 Being early, Doctor, I'd mine to go (2,4,4)
IN GOOD TIME
28 Advanced again, but not as much, showing no mercy (10)
RE-LENT-LESS
29 CD choice for one of the strings (4)
C-OR-D
Down
2 Carry on showing awkward reserve in gym class (9)
P(ERSEVER)E
3 Agreed both of you should start (3)
YE-S
4 Check for a uniform Detective Inspector shirt (5)
A-U-DI-T
5 Maybe buy, call or save, slowly or quickly (6)
AD-VERB
6 The maternity doctor's quick before ten, in general (9)
GE(STAT-IO)N
7 Miss, take that guy, you hear? And dance the wrong direction (11)
MISGUI-DANCE
8 The XS at the end of the rig I.D. (5)
TENS-E
12 There, take care of the corrupt he's mourning (7,4)
NURSING HOME
15 Out of Italy's three thousand ones, the first of them is radical (9)
EX-TRE-M-IS-T
17 Doctors relocate about a thousand that recently arrived (9)
LATECO(M)ER
20 The confusion might be right after the tango (6)
T-ANGLE
22 It's about ... about not finishing that hymn like Anne and Fran (5)
R(HYM)E
24 Florence's saint used to take food away from the canine? Perhaps! (5)
FLO'S-S
27 The jerk sends me a tongue-in-cheek text (3)
T-I-C
14 comments:
Hi Bill,
That was a great puzzle which had me coming and going at it all morning. I knew I was in for a challenge when I went all the way down to 23 across before I got my first answer!
My answering path was:
ALFRESCO
YES
TENSE
NURSING HOME
AMUSED
TIC
IN GOOD TIME
CORD
LATECOMER
SPRY
PERSEVERE
CRASH DIVES
HEARTEN
DEVIATE
RELENTLESS
EXTREMIST
UNKNOTS - saw it as an anagram of sunk knot and thought you were using 'submerged' as a new anagram indicator!
Left it for a while as I'd hit a wall.
ON return I got the brilliant
AUDIT which led to AMALGAMATE, which told me 6d didn't start with OB (for obstetrician!)and I got GESTATION - you'll have to explain the STAT further to me - I don't get it.
FLOSS came once I stopped thinking about dogs, then
SANK - thankfully I did french at school and LEINSTER which I really worked for as I didn't do German - although I am aware of 'EIN' - so no excuses!!
For some reason I got it into my head that 7 down was a 2 word answer 7,4 and had drawn a line in the grid accordingly. You can imagine my trouble trying to fit M-S-U-- -N-E. EVENTUALLY !!!! I twigged my mistake and MISGUIDANCE and BIRD FLU followed nicely. Gradually got ADVERB (another great clue) and TANGLE and that left me with 3 in the SW corner. I'd never heard of DROGUE but put it in tentatively. Completely missed the RHYME pointers - no idea why as you had it all there- and eventually gave up with it and TYPO still missing.I hadn't even spotted the typo in the clue. As usual I kicked myself for giving up but I just get impatient to know the answers.
Anyway, I think it was one of your best crosswords and I'm thankful it was a 4 week month if that is now the 4/5 standard!!
Martina
Hi Bill & Martina,
What a challenging puzzle!
Like you Martina, I gave up on it a few times but was drawn back again and again to try and finish it but finally conceded defeat with 3 to do.
If I'd spotted the typo in the TYPO I might have got RHYME but my ignorance of french SANK my chances in 10A.
Nevertheless I was thrilled to get so many. My favourites were DEVIATE, ADVERB, BIRD FLU & of course UNKNOTS.
No clue came too easily and therefore I'm grateful I got so many
The difficulty rating was spot-on I felt.
Hats off to you on such a cleverly constructed puzzle.
Mike
Hi Martina,
You are so very kind to give such comprehensive feedback. Trust me, I listen to your every word, and it really helps me make progress I strive to learn this crossword setting game.
Most of all I am glad I hit the 4/5 difficulty level, but I would have been happier if the answers had revealed themselves in the end.
The answering path is very helpful, because it is almost identical to my own path (when I try to solve it myself ... it is a worthwhile exerice, I am finding!) I had ALFRESCO, YES, TIC and CORD down as today's "gimmes".
STAT is how doctor's say "ASAP" when giving verbal or written instructions. It is an abbreviation of the Latin "statim" meaning "immediately". You hear it on all the medical shows on the telly. I might have made a boo-boo though, and assumed it was used back in Ireland, and maybe it's an Americanism. Will have to check. That's the toughest thing for me setting these crosswords, ensuring I keep the Americanisms out of the mix.
Re EIN and "cinq", I do like to avail myself of a few words from our European friends, and based on my reading of books on crossword setting, I haven't broken the rules (yet!). The trick is to keep it to the simple numbers, indefinite and definite articles, and the truly obvious. Hope it doesn't put you off.
Re DROGUE
In order to differentiate more between 1/5 and 5/5 puzzles, I am toying with inclusion of less common answers in the 4/5 and 5/5 grids. I won't go as far as African spears and Amazonian footstools, but maybe a few words that are used less commonly. A DROGUE is used at sea and in the air. It's another word for a sea anchor, and it's also that small chute that pops out before the main parachute when you jump out of a plane (as one does!).
If I get into trouble with the less common words, I will drop the idea. I will make sure the cryptic part of the clue gets you to the answer though, so you're not left completely in the dark if the word is unfamiliar. So, this feedback is very, very helpful to me.
Re TYPO my original clue read "Four for for, for example". Maybe that would have been easier?
Thanks for awarding the high marks, Martina. I am beaming here!
Hi Mike,
I am thrilled you stuck at it! There's no doubt it's tough puzzle. Martina and Liz had the advantage, in that they have honored me by working on so many of my puzzles at this stage, so they know an awful lot of my tricks. You're new to the style, so as I say, I am very appreciative of you PERSEVERING with a 4/5 crossword.
Sorry you didn't finish it, but you did get close. As I said to Martina, the use of the French, Spanish, German (and the odd Irish word!) is something that's accepted in the crossword setting community, but I need to make sure I keep it to the obvious. "Cinq" might have been pushing it.
The TYPO seems to have been well disguised! I was afraid it might have been too obvious. Maybe the slips of late by the Irish Times have made us skip over them subconsciously!
I liked BIRD FLU too, and ADVERB might just have been the clue I got the biggest kick out of. Believe it or not, I thought UNKNOTS might have been too easy. Hidden words are used a lot in the Simplex puzzle, but I think they are unexpected for Crosaire solvers. Maybe I will have to throw in a few more in the future!
Thanks again for the kind words, and a special thanks for taking on these WEB crosswords so consistently, Mike. I love creating puzzles, but the feedback is what keeps me going.
Hi Bill
The weekend wouldn't be the same without the WEB.
It took me a long while to spot UNKNOTS. Like you said it's not expected in a cryptic puzzle. I had 'sunders' in there for a while but knew it wasnt right.
The 'easy' ones for me were SPRY, YES and ALFRESCO. After that it was a hard slog.
Needless to say I didnt really know DROGUE but slotted it in anyway.
Instead of TYPO I had 'Trio' for the 3 in lieu's.
That typo was well hidden but I should have read it carefully instead of skimming over it.
I'm glad next week will be a little easier (I hope)
Mike
Mike,
Nice of you to say so!
I guess DROGUE was more obscure than I thought. But as I said above, at least you could get there another way.
Yes, next week's puzzle should be a work in the park for you :)
Hi Bill, Martina and Mike
Looks like you're a winner all round with this one Bill...Liz CRASH DIVES on ADVERB...kicking myself over ADVERB cos it was a brilliant clue...if only I'd had that V from CRASH DIVES...but desperation eventually led me to put in DRESS DOWNS for that...don't ask!!
Fell into many of the same traps as Martina and Mike...got out of TRIO when I got RHYME...and then on reading the clue again spotted the TYPO! Didn't really know the meaning of DROGUE but the clue was so precise I knew it had to be right...thanks for the explanation Bill.
I got FLOSS by accident...hesitant to put it in cos I thought it was odd to use a dog's name as a solution...penny eventually dropped that we were talking DENTAL FLOSS!
ALFRESCO was the first 'useful' solution I got, opening things up a bit...followed that with odd solutions here and there til I got NURSING HOME and AMALGAMATE...that's when things speeded up.... slightly! I did have to work very hard to NOT finish!
AUDIT was my last correct entry!
My favourites were BIRD FLU, AMALGAMATE, SANK, TIC, RELENTLESS, MISGUIDANCE, EXTREMIST...and the two that evaded me....particularly ADVERB!!
Great puzzle Bill...tough puzzle Bill...glad there are only 4 weeks in March Bill...look forward to a dawdle next Sunday...I've jinxed myself already!!
Many thanks
Liz
Liz!
You win the award for the most perseverance, for sure. I am really gratified that you stuck with it. I was pulling for you with CRASH DIVES and ADVERB!
So, DROGUE was new to you as well. I will have to watch that in the future. At least it wasn't one of the answers that you missed. For me that would have been a disaster. In fact my lesson from today's puzzle is that it's OK to pop in a slightly more obscure word in a tougher puzzle, but the cryptic part of the clue should be easier to solve. A good lesson for me to learn!
So AUDIT was that third answer you were missing? I added in a couple of new abbreviations today from the phonetic alphabet, namely "tango" (in T-ANGLE) and "uniform" (in A-U-DI-T). Can't imagine why I had been ignoring 26 wonderful clue devices up till now. I'm sure you'll be seeing more Charlie's and Mike's as a result of my epiphany!
I started on next week's 1/5 puzzle while sitting in front of the box last night. Frankly, the easier puzzles aren't as much fun to set, mainly because I know you guys will romp home!
A big thank you for persisting, Liz, and giving the feedback. I wish you'd solved it in the end, but still hope you had fun.
Hi Bill
I forgot to mention that your new abbreviations had not escaped my attention!...the cryptic part of AUDIT caused me a wee bit of trouble...got it from CHECK and then vaguely figured the cryptic, though I'm still in the dark as to where you got 'T' from shirt? It's probably staring me in the face but tell me what I'm missing!
The other oddity(!) I noticed was FLORENCE'S (FLO'S) + SAINT (S) = FLOSS! SAINTS usually gives SS but a singular SAINT is usually ST!
I reckon we're all in for a really rough ride when the next five-week month comes round...oops I've just checked, we're safe awhile, that won't be til May!!
Liz
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the follow up! I appreciate the chance to explain my weird logic (and test it for veracity!)
As for "shirt" mapping to "T", it does so in a "t-shirt", so a "T" is a type of "shirt".
As for S, you make a good point. Whereas both SS and STS seem OK for saints, the singular saint seems to be limited to ST. The S abbreviation is commonly used in cryptics across the water in the UK, but I don't really see much use of the S in the real world. I think I need to drop that one from my arsenal of cluing weapons. Thank you for bringing it up!
You do keep me on my toes ...
Hi Bill
T-shirt...tee hee...how dopey am I....didn't see that at all!!
Incidentally, have you heard that 'FLORENCE and the SAINTS used to take food away from the canine'!!
Liz
Me again!
Just checked out that linked abbreviations list from across the water...they're all daft over there! In some cases, a single letter can mean one of up to 10 things...that's not cryptic, that's just lazy on the part of the setter...not to mention totally impossible for ageing brains like mine to remember!!
Liz
Liz,
I did not hear that Florence and the saints did that (you should be setting puzzles!).
I heard the saints it by themselves. "The first three of the Florentine saints took the food away from the canines".
I agree, the abbreviations used within "cryptic circles" have perhaps become out of touch with reality over the years. While a list like that is useful (I have an excel spreadsheet of my own that I add to all the time) it can be used too mechanically.
Yes, a good lesson for me!
Top marks to the first three of the Florentine saints...even if they sound like a cruel bunch!
Liz
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