Saturday, April 16, 2022 — Metamorphosis (NP 220416)

 Happy Easter

Introduction

Today's National Post Cryptic Crossword from Cox & Rathvon (NP 220416) represents an eclectic mix of writers and literary genres.

The puzzle will be posted on the blog next Saturday.

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

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

Symbols and Markup Conventions
"*" - anagram "~" - sounds like "<" - indicates the preceding letters are reversed "( )" - encloses contained letters "_" - replaces letters that have been deleted  "†" - indicates that the word is present in the clue	"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present "solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of the symbols and markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	Satan: // cruel, if funny (7)

LUCIFER* — anagram of (funny) CRUEL IF

5a	Enjoys the guy’s hot // cannabis product (7)

HAS|HIS|H — HAS (enjoys) + HIS (the guy's) + H(ot)

9a	Mother was introduced to // dramatist (5)

MA|MET — MA (mother) + MET (was introduced to)

David Mamet^[5] is a US playwright, director, and screenwriter. Notable plays: Glengarry Glen Ross (Pulitzer Prize, 1984) and Oleanna (1992).

10a	Left wearing more unusual // choker (9)

STRANG(L)ER — L(eft) contained in (wearing) STRANGER (more unusual)

11a	Western villain // measuring stick on either side of street (7)

RU(ST)LER — RULER (measuring stick) containing (on either side of) ST(reet)

12a	Very excited about true // sort of temple (7)

MA(SO)NIC — MANIC (very excited) containing (about) SO (true; I swear it's so.)

13a	Supply provisions for supporting upright // construction machine (11)

CATER|PILLAR — CATER (supply provisions for) + PILLAR (supporting upright)

18a	Self-tribute stirred up // a case of nerves (11)

BUTTERFLIES* — anagram of (stirred up) SELF TRIBUTE

21a	In psalm, an acknowledged // reference (7)

_ALM|AN|AC_ — hidden in (in) psALM AN ACknowledged

23a	Two tons kept in a pine // case for papers (7)

A(TT)ACHE — {T + T} (two tons) contained in (kept in) {A (†) + ACHE (pine)}

25a	Later, both put off // engagement (9)

BETROTHAL* — anagram of (put off) LATER BOTH

26a	Annoying person with orange // sauce (5)

PEST|O — PEST (annoying person) + (with) O(range)

27a	Loud noise east of coastal hill city in New Zealand (7)

DUNE|DIN — DIN (large noise) following (east of [in an across clue]) DUNE (coastal hill)

Dunedin^[5] is city and port in the South Island, New Zealand, founded in 1848 by Scottish settlers.

28a	Embracing one form of Buddhism, marry // like old folks (7)

W(I|ZEN)ED — WED (married) containing (embracing) {I ([Roman numeral] one + ZEN (form of Buddhism)}

Down

1d	Moranis going behind green // Irish place (8)

LIME|RICK — RICK (Moranis; Canadian comedian Rick Moranis^[7]) following (going behind) LIME ([shade of] green)

2d	Quote about a parliamentarian’s // place to pitch a tent (8)

C(A|MP|S}ITE — CITE (quote) containing (about) {A (†) + MP (parliamentarian) + S ('s)}

3d	“Fat Albert” // ending in disaster (5)

FAT|AL — FAT (†) + AL ([diminutive for] Albert)

Scratching the Surface
Fat Albert[7] is a character created by American comedian Bill Cosby.

4d	Check // entourage, among others (9)

RES(TRAIN)T — TRAIN (entourage) contained in (among) REST (others)

5d	Hopper next to married // female quarters (5)

HARE|M — HARE (hopper) + (next to) M(arried)

6d	Head of school, in fairness, revised writing style? (4,5)

{SAN(S) SERIF}* or {SANS (S)ERIF}* — S (head [initial letter] of School) contained in (in) anagram of (revised) FAIRNESS

7d	Kitchen unit // is large, also (6)

IS|L|AND — IS (†) + L(arge) + AND (also)

8d	Roman poet // butchered a chore (6)

HORACE* — anagram of (butchered) A CHORE

Horace^[5] (65-8 BC) was a Roman poet of the Augustan period; full name Quintus Horatius Flaccus. A notable satirist and literary critic, he is best known for his Odes, much imitated by later ages, especially by the poets of 17th-century England. His other works include Satires and Ars Poetica.

14d	Steal from popular neighbourhood // outlaw of legend (5,4)

ROB|IN| HOOD — ROB (steal from) + IN (popular) + HOOD (neighbourhood)

Robin Hood^[5] was a semi-legendary English medieval outlaw, reputed to have robbed the rich and helped the poor. Although he is generally associated with Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, it seems likely that the real Robin Hood operated in Yorkshire in the early 13th century.

15d	Willingly give permission // to be unproductive (3,6)

LIE F|ALLOW — LIEF (willingly) + ALLOW (give permission)

Lief^[5] (used in the phrase as lief) is an archaic term for happily or gladly ⇒ he would just as lief eat a pincushion.

16d	Deacon is playing // bishop (8)

DIOCESAN* — anagram of (playing) DEACON IS

17d	Body in a belt: // a body-builder? (8)

A|STEROID — A (†) + STEROID (body-builder)

19d	Pointy // rail in front of cot (6)

BAR|BED — BAR (rail) preceding (in front of) BED (cot)

20d	A legend cut short by an // author (3,3)

A|MY T||AN — A (†) + MYT[H] (legend) with the final letter removed (cut short) + (by) AN (†)

Amy Tan^[7] is an American author known for the 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club, which was adapted into a film of the same name in 1993.

22d	Company with brooding female // songwriter (5)

CO|HEN — CO(mpany) + (with) HEN (brooding female)

24d	Gem // in honour of poet Octavio (5)

TO|PAZ — TO (in honour of) + PAZ (poet Octavio; Mexican poet Octavio Paz)

Octavio Paz^[5] (1914–1998) was a Mexican poet and essayist. His poems reflect a preoccupation with Aztec mythology. He is also noted for his essays written in response to the brutal suppression of student demonstrations in 1968. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990.

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 13a and 18a. It's almost a shame we didn't have a different Greek poet to complement the theme. By the way, how many—like myself—presumed that Octavio must also be a Greek poet?

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References

Sources referenced in the blog are identified by the following symbols. The reference numbers themselves are hyperlinks to the entry in the source being referenced. Click on the number to view the source.

Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary)

  ^[7]   - Wikipedia

  ^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

  ^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)

^[10]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

^[11]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

^[12]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)

^[13]   - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

^[14]   - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

^[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )

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Signing off for today — Falcon