Saturday, September 16, 2017

Saturday, September 16, 2017 — Cox & Rathvon (Preliminary Post)

Introduction

Here is today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon. I will return later -- much later -- with the solution.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Signing off for the moment — Falcon

10 comments:

  1. Enjoyable puzzle today. Favourites were 1A, 11A, 2D (where it took me quite a while to parse the clue properly).

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  2. Hello, everyone! I went off to the Home Show today, so started late, and picked up a copy of the Post along the way, as the puzzle still hadn't appeared on the blog. Didn't help as I pretty much figured out the solutions only after I got home.
    Lot's of misleading clues today - as @Anon has noted - 1a, 11a, 19a, 2d, 3d, well the list goes on. Some of the parsing still to be worked out as I am not sure how to handle it - 3d, 26a. As a photographer, really liked 24d.
    Henry

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  3. Hello Falcon et al,

    Enjoyed today's puzzle - I almost felt spritely when I finished! Last one in was 18d. 2d made me LOL and also liked the head case clue, 21d.

    Thank you for posting Falcon. Are you away camping again?

    Cheers,
    MG

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  4. Nice puzzle. Found this one took a bit longer than average.

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  5. Good morning,

    Got home late yesterday from Manitoulin Island. We spent a week at the cottage (called 'camp' up there). Answers to this puzzle went in fairly quickly. But, as noted by Anon and Henry, parsing was another matter.

    Re 1a: I have 'so up' for 'very elevated' but can't see how 'bowl' equates to front length.

    Re 13a: is 'c' an abbreviation for 'cup'?

    Re 26a: my answer is a major world religion associated with Mecca but I can't parse the poetry contest.

    Re 3d: I have 'but' for 'on the other hand' and 'tin' for 'can', but don't see how 'trap' gets 'gin'.

    Re 15d: I have 'mania' for enthusiasm but I can't see how 'tas' is derived from 'met, turning to the West'.

    Maybe a week away dulled my wits.

    Peter

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    Replies
    1. Hi Peter,
      Yes, there are definitely some tricks to parsing the clues but once you see them, you will say "aha".

      1a) think front of a ship for the first part. Common measurements are usually specified as l x w (length by width).

      13a) yes definitely in recipes

      26a) last four letters of solution is a poetry contest

      3d) suggest you google a gin trap

      15d) tas is the reversal (turning to the West) of "sat" - for example, the ad hoc committee sat last week.

      Hope this helps. Great weekend to get away.
      Cheers,
      MG

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    2. Hi MG,

      Thanks! 1a and 13a are obvious now that you explained them. 26a is new to me and 3d only vaguely familiar. 15d seems a bit of a stretch. It is indeed a great weekend to get away. Thanks again!

      Peter

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  6. It seems MG beat me to it, as I had crafted the solutions to the puzzle to give Falcon a break, and to show how the parsing worked. And this time I managed not to confuse acronym with anagram!

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  7. Sprites do not compute!
    ACROSS
    1 Vessel /with/ very elevated front length (4,4)
    SO|UP BOW|L (SO UP = very elevated, BOW = front, L = short form for Length)
    5 Comment // Seinfeld’s neighbour retracted (6)
    REMARK< (KRAMER = Seinfeld’s neighbour backwards (retracted))
    10 Clear // trees out (5)
    RESET* (anagram (out) on TREES)
    11 Large computer // below interrupting musical (9)
    MA(INFRA)ME (INFRA = below or under contained in (interrupting) MAME = musical)
    12 I link novel set in Kentucky /with/ a twisted character (7)
    K(INKIL*)Y (anagram (novel) on I LINK contained in (set in) KY = postal reference for Kentucky)
    13 Victory cup he had // hoisted
    WIN|C|HED (WIN = victory, C = short form for Cup in measurements, HE’D = abbreviation of HE HAD)
    14 Urchin // put integers in a new order (11)
    GUTTERSNIPE* (anagram (in a new order) on PUT INTEGERS)
    19 Bit of Breyers and a plantain’s fixed /for/ desert (6,5)
    B(ANANA SPLIT)* (B = starting letter of BREYERS (a bit of) and an anagram (fixed) on A PLANTAIN’S)
    Breyers is a brand of frozen desserts sold in the United States and Canada and owned by Unilever. The company was first founded in 1866 by William A. Breyer who sold his ice cream on his horse and wagon in the streets of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
    22 With company, register a // flower part (7)
    CO|ROLL|A (CO = short form for company, ROLL = a register, A from the clue)
    Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. They are often brightly colored, scented or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals, that collectively form the calyx and lie just beneath the corolla.
    24 Revised a linear // path for flying (3,4)
    (AIR LANE)* (anagram (revised) on A LINEAR)
    An air lane is a path followed by airplanes.
    25 Members of the family receiving kitchen utensil for // some meat (9)
    S(PARER)IBS (SIBS = short form for siblings, or family members, containing (receiving) PARER = a kitchen utensil)
    26 Faith /in/ one poetry contest (5)
    I|SLAM (I = roman numeral for one, SLAM = reference to a poetry SLAM or a poetry reading contest)
    27 In vehicle used on snow, we //skidded out of control (6)
    SLE(WE)D (SLED = vehicle used on snow, containing (in) WE, from clue)
    28 Catching cold, yell at a random // stray (5,3)
    (ALLEY (C)AT)* (anagram (random) on YELL AT A, containing (catching) C = short form for COLD, on faucets)

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  8. DOWN
    1 Small toddler’s vehicle // hit (6)
    S|TRIKE (S = short form for Small in size, TRIKE = short form for tricycle, a child’s toy vehicle)
    2 Bearish // territory marker containing salt (6)
    UR(S)INE (URINE = common territory marker used by a number of animals, containing S = Salt, as on a salt shaker)
    3 Meddling, // on the other hand, can trap (7,2)
    BUT|TIN|G IN (BUT = on the other hand, TIN = can made of tin, GIN = any of a variety of machines that trap, for example, rabbits, cotton seeds)
    There seems to be a number of possibilities for the source of the word Gin, in Hebrew a word used, mokesh , means a noose or "snare," or from geneva or from old French ‘engin,’ with meanings including a trap or snare, a machine for lifting or separating seeds. This of course in addition to the alcoholic beverage.
    4 Burger /and/ Sprite in Wyoming (5)
    W(IMP)Y (IMP = a sprite contained in (in) WY postal reference for Wyoming)
    A Wimpy burger can be had from Wimpy's Diner, a chain of 50's & 60's style family restaurants with a full serve menu. J. Wellington Wimpy, generally referred to as Wimpy, is a hamburger loving character in the long-running comic strip Popeye, created by E. C. Segar in 1934.
    6 Self-indulgent bears // like Sprites? (5)
    ELFIN (hidden in (bears or carries) the phrase sELF-INdulgent)
    7 A rich and eccentric, // much feared character (8)
    ARACHNID* (anagram (eccentric) on A RICH AND)
    Arachnids or spiders can cause panic with some people.
    8 Quite involved // demand in store (4-4)
    K(NEE-D)EEP (NEED = a demand or requirement, contained in (in) KEEP = to store)
    9 Spinner, // i.e. LP, when spinning (8)
    PINWHEEL* (anagram (spinning) on IE LP WHEN)
    15 Australian state // met, turning to the West with enthusiasm (8)
    (TAS<)MANIA (TAS or SAT reversed (turning to the West) as in a having a meeting, MANIA = with enthusiasm)
    It has been often pointed out by Falcon that C&R will use “to the west” to mean a reversal, even if the clue is a Down clue.
    16 Surrounded by stormy sea, go to bed // gloomy (9)
    [SA(TURN IN)E}* (TURN IN = to go to bed, contained in (surrounded by) an anagram (stormy) of SEA)
    17 One absorbed by fundamental elements employs // computers (8)
    AB(A)C|USES (A = indefinite article for one, in (absorbed by) ABC = fundamental elements, and USES = employs)
    18 Growth // in furrow (8)
    IN|CREASE (IN from the clue, CREASE = a furrow as in on the forehead)
    20 French // portion of legal license (6)
    GALLIC (hidden in (portion of) leGAL LICense)
    21 Tree hugged by the nutty // head case? (6)
    [H(ELM)ET]* (ELM a type of tree, contained in (hugged by) an anagram (nutty) of THE)
    23 Subject, // for example, in story (5)
    LI(EG)E (EG = e.g. short form for ‘for example’, contained in (in) LIE = a story (made up))
    A liege is a vassal or subject of a feudal lord.
    24 Wilderness photographer’s first name /for/ a broken lens (5)
    A(NSEL)* (A from the clue, with an anagram (broken) on LENS)
    Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black and white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, books, and the internet.

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