Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's my turn.
You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.
Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on TfTT
. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here.
Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.
Hints and tips...
Here are a few hints and tips.
- The clue that is the the title, "A Musical Game" is a double definition - Answer "Chess".
- There are 10 1/2 thematic answers in the grid.
- The capital in 9A is a capital city, not money.
- "Led by" in 14A is a juxtaposition indicator.
- The definition in 19A is "See leader", which is a bit cryptic/
- In 4D "essentially" means "take the middle letter".
- In 13D the "cardinal" is a cardinal number.
- You need to separate "energy drink" in 17D to get the definition.
And click on this label to get the solution.
Definitions
underlined in bold italics
, (
Abc
)* indicating anagram of Abc,{deletions} and [] other indicators.
Across
1 Man's personal assistant initially went North (4)
PAWN – PA (Personal Assistant) + first letter of Went + N (north). Have you spotted the theme yet?
3 Leave out sailor's fish (8)
SKIPJACK – SKIP (leave out) + JACK (sailor).
9 Robin inventively adopts artificial intelligence to generate capital in Africa (7)
NAIROBI – (Robin)* [inventively] about, [adopts], AI (artificial intelligence).
10 Question about maiden name of Camilla, perhaps? (5)
QUEEN – QU (question) + NEE (maiden name of) [about] -> EEN.
11 Oral Slav language examination (5)
CHECK – Sounds like [oral] CZECH (Slav language).
12 Paid attention to male bosses of Times and Sunday Times? (6)
HEEDED – HE (male) + ED + ED (bosses of two papers).
14 Heart led by East then North makes request to play it again (6)
ENCORE – E (East) + N (North) + CORE (heart).
16 Rest during the day in East is unusual (6)
SIESTA – (East is)* [unusual].
19 See leader regularly kiss during ball's first dance (6)
BISHOP – A bit of a cheeky definition… Alternate letters [regularly] of kIiS in first letter of Ball + HOP (dance).
21 Boycott's support inspired Lancashire opener (5)
BLACK – First letter [opener] of Lancashire in BACK (support).
24 Admit to clue for "now" (3,2)
OWN UP – A reverse cryptic. A clue for “now” could be the anagram “Own up”.
25 Johninterred retreated before pub game ban (7)
EMBARGO – ME (Johninterred) [retreated] -> EM + BAR (pub) + GO (board game).
26 Vital directors' IT equipment (8)
KEYBOARD - KEY (vital) + BOARD (directors).
27 End of game for team at sea (4)
MATE – (Team)* [at sea]. End of a Chess game, of course.
Down
1 Went to pieces when father arrested (8)
PANICKED – PA (father) + NICKED (arrested).
2 To begin with Whitney Houston is terribly excited being first to go on board (5)
WHITE – Initial letters, [to begin with], of Whitney Houston Is Terribly Excited.
4 Creatively think Megan essentially a member of the Round Table (6)
KNIGHT – [Creatively] (think + g)*, with the G from the middle letter [essentially], of MeGan.
5 Resentment arising from cop I questioned (5)
PIQUE – Hidden in, [arising from], coP I QUEstioned.
6 Everything's crammed by the night before exams (1,6)
A LEVELS – ALL’S (everything’s) including, [crammed by], EVE (the night before).
7 Maybe Charles's family hug eventually (4)
KING – KIN (family) + last letter, [eventually], of huG.
8 Comfy chair for old fan of popular music (6)
ROCKER – Double definition.
13 Resolution to promote British cardinal (8)
BACKBONE – BACK (promote) + B (British) + ONE (cardinal number).
15 Smoker of a sort of pot (7)
CHIMNEY – Double definition.
17 Setter's put on protective equipment before energy drink (6)
IMBIBE – I’M (setter’s) on top of [put on] BIB (protective equipment) + E (energy).
18 Edit a paper to be published (6)
APPEAR – [Edit] (a paper)*.
20 Glorious mud lover in Italian river (5)
HIPPO – HIP (in) + PO (Italian river).
22 Vessel from Gaza or Tabriz (5)
AORTA – Hidden in, [from], GazA OR TAbriz.
23 Man is run out all right (4)
ROOK – RO (run out) + OK (all right).
1 Man's personal assistant initially went North (4)
PAWN – PA (Personal Assistant) + first letter of Went + N (north). Have you spotted the theme yet?
3 Leave out sailor's fish (8)
SKIPJACK – SKIP (leave out) + JACK (sailor).
9 Robin inventively adopts artificial intelligence to generate capital in Africa (7)
NAIROBI – (Robin)* [inventively] about, [adopts], AI (artificial intelligence).
10 Question about maiden name of Camilla, perhaps? (5)
QUEEN – QU (question) + NEE (maiden name of) [about] -> EEN.
11 Oral Slav language examination (5)
CHECK – Sounds like [oral] CZECH (Slav language).
12 Paid attention to male bosses of Times and Sunday Times? (6)
HEEDED – HE (male) + ED + ED (bosses of two papers).
14 Heart led by East then North makes request to play it again (6)
ENCORE – E (East) + N (North) + CORE (heart).
16 Rest during the day in East is unusual (6)
SIESTA – (East is)* [unusual].
19 See leader regularly kiss during ball's first dance (6)
BISHOP – A bit of a cheeky definition… Alternate letters [regularly] of kIiS in first letter of Ball + HOP (dance).
21 Boycott's support inspired Lancashire opener (5)
BLACK – First letter [opener] of Lancashire in BACK (support).
24 Admit to clue for "now" (3,2)
OWN UP – A reverse cryptic. A clue for “now” could be the anagram “Own up”.
25 Johninterred retreated before pub game ban (7)
EMBARGO – ME (Johninterred) [retreated] -> EM + BAR (pub) + GO (board game).
26 Vital directors' IT equipment (8)
KEYBOARD - KEY (vital) + BOARD (directors).
27 End of game for team at sea (4)
MATE – (Team)* [at sea]. End of a Chess game, of course.
1 Went to pieces when father arrested (8)
PANICKED – PA (father) + NICKED (arrested).
2 To begin with Whitney Houston is terribly excited being first to go on board (5)
WHITE – Initial letters, [to begin with], of Whitney Houston Is Terribly Excited.
4 Creatively think Megan essentially a member of the Round Table (6)
KNIGHT – [Creatively] (think + g)*, with the G from the middle letter [essentially], of MeGan.
5 Resentment arising from cop I questioned (5)
PIQUE – Hidden in, [arising from], coP I QUEstioned.
6 Everything's crammed by the night before exams (1,6)
A LEVELS – ALL’S (everything’s) including, [crammed by], EVE (the night before).
7 Maybe Charles's family hug eventually (4)
KING – KIN (family) + last letter, [eventually], of huG.
8 Comfy chair for old fan of popular music (6)
ROCKER – Double definition.
13 Resolution to promote British cardinal (8)
BACKBONE – BACK (promote) + B (British) + ONE (cardinal number).
15 Smoker of a sort of pot (7)
CHIMNEY – Double definition.
17 Setter's put on protective equipment before energy drink (6)
IMBIBE – I’M (setter’s) on top of [put on] BIB (protective equipment) + E (energy).
18 Edit a paper to be published (6)
APPEAR – [Edit] (a paper)*.
20 Glorious mud lover in Italian river (5)
HIPPO – HIP (in) + PO (Italian river).
22 Vessel from Gaza or Tabriz (5)
AORTA – Hidden in, [from], GazA OR TAbriz.
23 Man is run out all right (4)
ROOK – RO (run out) + OK (all right).
Thanks John, that was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteYour theme was a big help and all the pieces were there.
On 19a my brain went from HIPHOP to BISHOP and the penny dropped.
Needed all the checkers for BACKBONE which was probably the hardest clue.
Thanks Ian. I'm glad you like liked.
DeleteNice one thanks. Also needed crossers (and the hint) for Backbone which was also my LOI.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Curiously one of my test solvers said the clue for Backbone was his favourite. I did wonder if some might find it a bit tricky but none of my test solvers thought it so. Maybe they are getting too used to my style and tricks.
DeleteI thought it was a good clue, just very successful misdirection, I thought resolution was something a committee had passed.
DeleteYes. It means something a committee had passed in the surface reading, but the other meaning in the cryptic.
DeleteOne error - unusually for s Sunday Special - as I had BLAnK for BLACK. I saw Bank as the support and to Blank someone as to boycott them; it worked for me, and I confess I don't see black as a synonym for boycott. Otherwise the biggest challenge - and the biggest PDM - was to link Musical Game to what was obviously a chess theme! Many thanks John for the puzzle - the self-reference in 25A was very neat.
ReplyDeleteBad luck with that. Of course, with your background you would think of BANK first, and BLANK is a decent answer... but doesn't fit the theme. As for black = boycott, it is something from Trade union practices.
DeleteLike Cedric, I also put blank at first then corrected it because of the theme. BACKBONE LOI without figuring out the cardinal bit. Many thanks, John, for a Sunday equivalent of the Quickie. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThanks. The "cardinal" or a number trick is worth remembering as it comes up quite often.
DeleteGreat puzzle. I enjoyed the theme which helped with the clues. I needed the hint about Cardinal to solve POI BACKBONE, which gave me LOI BLACK, which I should have seen earlier since WHITE was 2d. COD ROCKER.
ReplyDelete(Thought you might like to know friends have inherited a tom cat named Geoffrey - as in Geoffrey boy cat).
Thanks again, from Countrywoman
Geoffrey boy cat. Lol. BTW my clue is perhaps a little controversial.... Boycott being a Yorkshireman would surely never be coaching a Lancashire batsman.
DeleteGood puzzle as usual and I agree that knowing the theme this time helped with a couple of clues - 21ac "Black" comes to mind. The main hesitation was knowing that "essentially" meant "g" for 4dn "Knight" - I had a feeling it did from previous puzzles, but wasn't totally sure.
ReplyDeleteJamesEd46
Thanks very much, quite chewy for us but we got there. Cods skipjack and Bishop. Did a week late because broadband down. Cheers Chris and Francesca
ReplyDeleteThanks. Glad you enjoyed it. The clue for Bishop was a favourite of mine. I did worry the definition might be a bit tricky, but the theme should have helped.
Delete