Introduction
Last in for me was the "'Explorer' consumers". I got a big laugh when I realized that they were not Ford drivers.
I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Signing off for the moment — Falcon
A forum for solvers of cryptic crossword puzzles published in the National Post
Email me at natpostcryptic@gmail.com
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteIt is 4:30 and no one has posted a note yet? I spent the day working on our street BBQ here at Tucana Ct in Mississauga. 4 condos on our crescent participated and we even had Mator Crombie show up.
Well I finished off the puzzle today (Thanks for posting, Falcon!). It wasn't easy, needed help. First 20 minutes I had maybe 3 or 4 words, so it took time. 5d don't quite have the parsing although only one word really fits the meaning and the cross letters. Maybe the consumer is interested in body English??
Henry
Henry,
DeleteI found your missing comment in the "Spam Folder".
Strange that Google cannot filter out all the crap from "Blogger" or this new Italian pest but trashes your contribution!
Maybe it knows something we don't?
DeleteOh - I was looking at Falcon's post time, it's actually later than that.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone - something is strange, I posted a note and it promptly disappeared when I added that addendum above (which you won't understand because the first note is gone.
ReplyDeleteI said:
Hello everyone!
It's so late and no one has posted a message yet?
I was tied up all day in a street BBQ we had here in Mississauga, all the condos on our street participated and even Mayor Crombie was there.
The puzzle was tough today (thanks for posting, Falcon!) maybe that is why we don't have any comments.
Needed lots of help. And I don't have 5d figured out yet. I have the only word that fits the meaning and the cross letters, but not the parsing. Maybe the consumers are interested in the body English??
Henry
OK, I got it now. The point is the nib.
ReplyDeleteHenry
Since it was a perfect day in SW Ontario, I finished the puzzle early.
ReplyDeleteNE corner was difficult with 16a, 5d, 6d and 7d presenting challenges with their different parsing. Last in was 16a which made me smile since I did some research on M-1's hoping to find a solution that way. Had to smile when I realized I had been tricked.
Hello Falcon and fellow puzzlers,
ReplyDeleteAgree with Carl on the NE corner being challenging - my last one in was 8d. Also needed help with the philosopher. Really liked 27a - made me chuckle.
Cheers to all - seems like summer is soon coming to an end. :(
Cheers,
MG
I also found the puzzle more difficult than usual. For me it was the SW that was toughest; last in were 15d and 17a (quite a groaner!). Were there more puns than usual? Hardest clue for me to parse: 12d. Thanks for posting, Falcon, and happy rest of the weekend to all.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone! As Falcon is on vacation and needs a break, here are the solutions for this weeks C&R offering:
ReplyDeleteAcross
1 Turn over//statistic for a baseball player? (7)
CAP|SIZE
5 Trained//fish bearing pain (7)
CO(ACHE)D
9 As you say, simple//way to travel (9)
PLANE (homophone on PLAIN - synonym for SIMPLE)
10 One of the French caught in our darn silly//evasion (9)
R(UN)AROUND* (anagram [silly] on OUR DARN) + UN (French for a or one)
11 Author//edited “Hymn to Fidelity” (7,7)
(TIMOTHY FINDLEY)* (anagram [edited] on HYMN TO FIDELITY) Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC, O.Ont (October 30, 1930 - June 21, 2002) was a Canadian novelist and playwright.
13 Arctic area//road map acquired by boy (7)
LA(PLAN)D
16 An M-1/is/something found in a bed (7)
AN|EM|ONE (homophone on AN M-1) The anemone could possibly be found in a (flower) bed.
17 Scottish clan/’s /skill at making goulash? (7)
STEW|ART
19 Broadcast//a jazz singer? (7)
SCATTER (a SCATTER could be a person that sings Scat)
21 On the air, reach a funny//SCTV comedian (9,5)
(CATHERINE O’HARA)* (anagram [funny] on ON THE AIR REACH A) Catherine Anne O'Hara OC (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian. She is known for her comedy work on Second City Television (1976–84).
25 Sprayed oil as mist//very high (9)
ALTISSIMO* (anagram [sprayed] on OIL AS MIST) Altissimo (Italian for very high) is the uppermost register on woodwind instruments.
26 Postpone//story about Bishop (5)
TA(B)LE (B is a bishop in chess shorthand in TALE = story) As a verb, “to table [a topic]” means diametrically different things in Canada/England and the US.
US
postpone consideration of.
"I'd like the issue to be tabled for the next few months"
British/Canadian
present formally for discussion or consideration at a meeting.
"an MP tabled an amendment to the bill"
It seems our C&R friends chose the US meaning over the Canadian, although many Canadians also use the word to mean ‘postpone.’
27 Useless data/:/how old your clothes are? (7)
GARB|AGE
28 A high spot//most always? (7)
EVEREST (words ending in EST are often superlative adjectives e.g. greatest, fastest)
The file is too big to post all at once.
Down
ReplyDelete1 Claims a tip altered//entrepreneur’s belief (10)
CAPITALISM* (anagram [altered] on CLAIMS A TIP)
2 Sitting in tree, sparrow’s beginning//song (5)
P(S)ALM (S [beginning of Sparrow] in PALM tree)
3 Tendency to stay//loose in a rite (7)
INERTIA* (anagram [loose] on IN A RITE)
4 Ahead of time,//like a noble? (5)
EARLY (cryptic synonym of NOBLY [like a noble])
5 Point taken by channel’s//“Explorer” consumers? (9)
CAN(NIB)ALS (NIB [point (of a pen)] in CANALS [channels)
6 Shorten//a bird’s head crest (7)
A|B|RIDGE (A [from the clue] B [bird’s head – first letter of bird] RIDGE = crest)
7 Employ scarf in heated //dwelling by the shore (9)
HO(USE|BOA)T ([USE = employ, BOA = scarf] in HOT = heated)
8 Nincompoop/’s/ two parties (4)
DODO (DO = a party, twice [two])
12 Guys in back with pad//updating an arsenal (10)
REAR|MA(MEN)T (MEN = guys, in [REAR = back with MAT = pad])
14 Hack writer//botched operettas (9)
POETASTER* (anagram [botched] on OPERETTAS) The suffix -aster is a diminutive or pejorative suffix denoting something that imperfectly resembles or mimics the true thing: criticaster; poetaster, oleaster. Not, as some people might think, a person that has a taste for the works of Edgar Allen. (OK, so I’m a hack writer.)
15 Find//and check big hole in the ground (9)
DETER|MINE (DETER = check or stop, MINE = big hole in the ground)
18 Inability to understand//acidity in a land mass (7)
A(PH)ASIA (PH = [degree of} acidity, in {A [from the clue] + ASIA = land mass}) Aphasia is an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write. Aphasia is always due to injury to the brain-most commonly from a stroke, particularly in older individuals. But brain injuries resulting in aphasia may also arise from head trauma, from brain tumors, or from infections.
20 Job snared by brew//disciple (7)
A(POST)LE (POST = job, in [snared by] ALE = brew)
22 Loop in one’s loopy//loop (5)
N(O)OSE* or NO(O)SE* (O = a letter that looks like a loop or a circle, in NOSE [anagram {loopy} on ONES]) A noose is a hanging loop of rope. This was one of my favourites.
23 A large social assembly/for/playwright (5)
A|L|BEE (A [from the clue], + L = large as in size, + BEE = social assembly, like a knitting bee) Edward Franklin Albee (March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), and A Delicate Balance (1966). Three of his plays won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and two of his other works won the Tony Award for Best Play.
24 Light brown dog’s last//bite (4)
TAN|G (TAN = light brown, + G [the last letter in dog {dog’s last}])
Suggested title for the puzzle: Tweets about celebrities.