Solution to 26A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.
Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.
ACROSS
5 Animal carried on vehicle leads to quarrel... (4-2) BUST-UP {TUP}<=>{BUS}
10 ...also add farm machinery (7) COMBINE [DD]
11 Optician's circle, group is inside (7) OCULIST {O}{CUL{IS}T}
12 Writing song only to entertain a cowboy (5) RODEO {R}{ODE}{O}
13 Moisturizer - let oilmen prepare it (9) EMOLLIENT*
21 Laver say, withdrew before finals - perhaps it was something 'fishy' (6,3) DORSAL FIN {ROD<=}{FINALS*}
26 7 from left to right only, still no good (4,2) E?E? S? (Addendum - EVEN SO {(-s)EVEN(+s)S}{O} - See comments)
27 Study article inside on what the shoe is usually made out of (8) LEATHERN {LEA{THE}RN}
DOWN
1 Watchdog allowed in firm (6) SECURE {SE{CUR}E}
2 Revolutionary drama about a naval force (6) ARMADA {DRAMA*} over {A}
3 Election in Ohio, maybe I'll support the masses (3,6) HOI POLLOI {HOI{POLL}O*}{I}
4 Sort of tense, but for now, ideal (7,7) PRESENT PERFECT [DD]
6 Regular partner, becomes supernatural (5) USUAL {usual+partner=supernatural} [CA]
7 Work permit, no name for a toothpaste, perhaps (8) TOILETRY {TOIL}{EnTRY}
8 Alloy metal tip to get a fit? (5,3) PETIT MAL*
9 Ascending colon, one gets soft, legally it's no contest (4,10) NOLO CONTENDERE {COLON<=}{ON{TENDER}E}
15 Land insect, new entrant, is deadly (9) MALIGNANT {MALI}{GNA{N}T}
16 Used in a story, can be made compact (8) FOLDABLE {F{OLD}ABLE}
17 Accomplished embracing a girl, that's lovely (8) ADORABLE {A{DORA}BLE}
20 Air dash for practice exercise (3,3) DRY RUN {DRY}{RUN}
22 They're relatively used, initially to stop workers (5) AUNTS {A{Used}NTS}
Reference List
Writing = R, Only = O, Fellow = BUB, Intensive care = IC, Ease = E,E, Registered = R, Name = N, New = N
4d i thought simple charade.
ReplyDeleteNow: present
Ideal: perfect
Personally though Its not an ideal charade.
I agree that 4d is a charade, not DD. Also it has some redundant link words.
Delete4 Sort of tense, but for now, ideal (7,7) PRESENT PERFECT [DD]
"Sort of tense" is one definition.
"Now, ideal" is a charade.
"...but for..." appears to be redundant except to link the two on the surface.
Not redundant. Esential for this type of cluing. Think over what the setter is saying.
DeleteVladimir sitting on a FOLDABLE chair was enjoying the scenery around. He felt SECURE with a PRESENT PERFECT.
ReplyDeleteSoon he sights what he felt was a DORSAL FIN. Something not USUALLY seen. He was keen to view the ADORABLE creature.
He failed to take note of the drone above him which was not on a DRY RUN. He was blissfully ignorant...
What happened next?
Hope it wasnt the usual malignant gator.
ReplyDelete4A & 9D, both tough and running across the middle made it all the more difficult.
ReplyDeleteToday's split- Watch/dog
ReplyDeleteIs TT (abbreviation) for race fair?
ReplyDeleteIt's been used earlier
DeleteAs it goes, listed in Chambers.co.uk
DeleteLand for country to Mali seems stretched.
Also animal for tup when its colloq for sheep.
TT supposedly refers to the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) race. In my view it is a British regionalism that could be avoided in a post-colonial setting. Especially since we have T = model, or TT = teetotal.
DeleteLand for MALI is not precise enough of a definition.
Look up the link given by Col. in his blogging, taking us to Isle of Mann TT.
DeleteFirst ref should always be chambers.co.uk at the least.
DeleteIt clearly lists TT:tourist trophy
Typo in 3D Col.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paddy, corrected
Delete18Ac OLD WIVES TALE notTales. Needs correction
ReplyDeleteCorrected thanks
Delete26A 7 from left to right - (-s)even(+s)
ReplyDeleteOnly - o
Still no good - EVEN SO
👍👍
ReplyDeleteWhile yesterday's grid was easily like a walk in the gARDEN, today's was cruel like a prison wARDEN. Perhaps it is a warning to hARDEN our minds for what awaits us on Friday morning.
ReplyDeleteThere were few easy entry-points into the grid. After filling 2D ARMADA I was at a loss for some time. Like the Col, I had also filled in PHAETONS for 1A, noting that it was plural while the clue definition was singular.
TUP as "animal" and GAR as fish were new for me. On the subject of "fishy" things, DORSAL FIN became clear once I googled and found out "Laver say" refers to ROD (active before my time I'm afraid).
"...also" in 10A, "but for" in 9D and "be" in 23A seemed redundant.
EMOLLIENT was my least favorite word of the day after ALSTROEMERIA. Technically these were fair clues, but like NOLO CONTENDERE and PETIT MAL they were uncommonly used terms that interrupted the flow of solving the words around them.
11A OCULIST and 20D DRY RUN were fine clues, as were 18A OLD WIVES TALE and 27A LEATHERN. "Watchdog allowed in" for SECURE was rather clever in 1D, as was 7D TOILETRY ("Work permit, no name"). 16D FOLDABLE ("Used in a story") and 17D ADORABLE ("Accomplished embracing a girl") provided nice a-ha moments. But my favorite wordplay was for AUNTS ("They're relatively").
Rod Laver is timeless in tennis. Read Laver, the first word comes up in my mind is rod.
DeleteAunts is definitely a beauty.
I have two doubts which I hope others can enlighten me on.
ReplyDelete12A RODEO How does writing = R?
6D USUAL (supernatural - partner = usual) where is the CA indicator for this clue?
Th 3 R's- Reading, wRiting & aRithmatic.
ReplyDeleteNormal English usage and has come up before in CW's.
Thank you. That is a helpful explanation.
Delete6D- Partner with the solution word becomes supernatural.
ReplyDeleteDef. is Regular- as indicated.
I understand the math and the definition. But there should be some anagram indicator. What is it? "becoming"?
DeleteI think the intended reading is
DeleteUsual(regular) partner 'becomes' supernatural.
👍
DeleteHow can this indicator suffice? "Usual" is an anagram of that which is left over once "partner" is subtracted from "supernatural". In other words, {Usual + Partner}* = Supernatural, but the clue only tells us "{definition} partner becomes supernatural". I could accept something like "{definition} supernatural loses partner {anagrind}".
Delete@Economiser- You don't seem to give much importance to surface reading. The examples given by you for redundant words are all needed to make the surface reading correct. IMO, it is as important as cryptic reading- if not more.
ReplyDelete@Padmanabhan - I do care a lot about the surface reading, especially when writing clues.
DeleteI think a good clue has an interesting surface reading, and also a second, under-the-surface reading that breaks cleanly into an expression of definition + wordplay, or definition = wordplay.
The clues which I dislike are those that do not transition smoothly from surface to under-the-surface, usually by having some redundant link words.
It is more than an aesthetic preference. As a solver, one tries to dig beneath the surface by analyzing each word and asking "what role does this play? Is this an anagrind? Is it a fodder word? Is it a homophone indicator?..." and so on.
Many linkwords as they are used commonly serve as avoidable red-herrings for the solver by playing no role in the definition, in the wordplay, or in describing the directional relationship between the definition and the wordplay.
The art of the setter is to employ double-entendre so that the surface reading of a clue also has a clean cryptic reading without these superficial odds and ends attached.
You also need to read up on how to identify and solve Compound anagrams before finding fault with it
DeleteThank you sir for your suggestion. I shall do so.
DeleteCrosswordunclued is a good place for anyone to learn bibliography of crossies
DeletePresent perfect happens to be my entry into the core of the grid.
ReplyDelete