POTD: Crossword #1
| ^1 | ^2 | ^3 | . | ^4 | ^5 | ^6 | ^7 | ^8 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | |||||||
| ^9 | . | ^10 | ||||||||||||
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | |||||||
| ^11 | ^12 | . | ^13 | |||||||||||
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | |||||||
| ^14 | ^15 | . | . | . | . | |||||||||
| . | . | . | . | . | . | ^16 | . | ^17 | ||||||
| . | . | . | . | ^18 | ||||||||||
| ^19 | . | ^20 | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | |||||
| ^21 | . | ^22 | ^23 | |||||||||||
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | |||||||
| ^24 | . | ^25 | ||||||||||||
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | |||||||
| ^26 | . | ^27 |
Across
1. Convalesce nicely with surrounding picturesque views (6)
4. Jubilation right for new instruments (8)
9. After turning over pistol, receive lump of gold (6)
10. Not even soldiers at first took some bits of leftover cloth (8)
11. Moustache control by Blair, oddly (9)
13. The others returned around time for coffee (5)
14. A comedy turn edited into serious film (11)
18. Enlightenment encases Iran in revolution (11)
21. My Spanish friend in French city (5)
22. Troubled art genius makes mark (9)
24. Risk of one entering unfamiliar sly hips? (8)
25. Equip woman with fleet (6)
26. Edge back around ship, followed by another in shadow (8)
27. Stick notice in this spot (6)
Down
1. Uses hand cleverly to block out light (8)
2. Short man in charge of small controversial breeding programme (8)
3. Perfect thought left (5)
5. Endeavour to find the German in tank gun I exploded (11)
6. The man, back-to-front for example, in the style of the range (9)
7. Organised ten in unknown number (6)
8. Perhaps mathematicians were holding it? (6)
12. Mad families are potential obstacles (6,5)
15. Anti-micro solution for undertaker (9)
16. Cover up in Brunei, say, losing tan (8)
17. Be mean without a drink (8)
19. Absorbed inspiration in a dream initially (6)
20. Check box (6)
23. A heartless belief in owning land (5)
This is my first shot at a proper 15x15. Let me know what you think! First person to complete the grid wins... literally nothing. Any feedback much appreciated! I'll post the answers in a few days or so if no-one's cracked it.
Posted Aug 1, 2015, 8:40 AM UTC · edited
47
I made the mistake of thinking 'This feels easy' in the top left after getting a few there quickly.
I'm fairly sure that there are issues in 4a, 6d, 7d, 8d, 13a, and I think I might be wrong in 20d, 23d, and 16d.
(I did appreciate the cluing for 24 :D)
#ACROSS
1: SCENIC
4: EUPHORIA
9: NUGGET
10: ODDMENTS
11: HANDLEBAR
13: LATTE
14: DOCUMENTARY
18: RENAISSANCE
21: MIAMI
22: SIGNATURE
24: SYPHILIS
25: ARMADA
26: DARKNESS
27: ADHERE
#DOWN
1: SUNSHADE
2: EUGENICS
3: IDEAL
5: UNDERTAKING
6: HIMALAYAS
7: RENATE
8: ANSWER
12: BANANA SKINS
15: MORTICIAN
16: INSULATE
17: BEVERAGE
19: AMUSED
20: HAMPER
23: ACRED
Full marks apart from 7D, which I think might be my fault from some slightly unclear clueing in 4A... The answer was meant to be euphonia, but I'll try to think of a way to make the clue clearer!
Ah, I've never even heard on the word Euphonia. I got Euphoria purely from d=Jubilation and couldn't backtrack it at all.
One has to assume that 7D would be NINETY then?
As for the other words I struggled with and/or wasn't certain on...
6d:
HIM (The Man), YAS (Back-to-front 'SAY'), A LA (In the style of). Can't see the insertion thinjamajiig.
8d:
Was this a purely cryptic definition? Like, I'm 90% it is (A rather literal definition of answer)
13a:
ET AL reversed around T, basically?
20d:
Double def I was right on, but wasn't certain on xD
23d:
A CReED, right?
16d:
Nope, like 4a this I got from letter pattern and couldn't reverse at all.
This was certainly a nice puzzle to wake up to see (Although a little bit kinder than the Guardian... that's not exactly a huge statement is it).
6D is HIM + "SAY ALA" all reversed
8D is hidden inside mathematiciANS WERe
And 16D is IN SUL
tanATEAnd you're right with everything else. 4A is the plural of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphonium
Oh gott dammit 8D. Ah, I like the clue for 16 now that I know it - it works nicely. And thanks for the clarification on 6D.
As for 4A, the clue is solid and fair, it's my own general knowledge that isn't sound.
Thanks =)