(click on the clue number to see the hint)
Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
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The entire answer can be discovered by mixing up letters. An appropriate anagram indicator will be present.
The answer is found by using the sound of a word or phrase. Sounds-like indicators point the way.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
The answer is hidden inside the clue in reverse order. There are two indicators: one to signify that a hidden word is present; the other to reverse the letters.
The entire answer is found by reversing part of the clue, or a synonym for part of the clue. A suitable reversal indicator will be present.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
A word or series of words that signify the turning around (across & down clues), or overturning (down clues only) of letters.
Examples: upset, reversed, retired, in withdrawal, over etc.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
A type of clue where the WHOLE clue defines the answer, and the WHOLE clue also is the wordplay (a mechanism to derive the answer through various cryptic devices). "&lit" is short for "and literally".
To qualify as an &lit, a clue must have no unused components either in the definition or the wordplay - it must be readable one way as a definition, and another as the wordplay.
The answer is hidden among the words of the clue. No spare words should be present. A suitable hidden indicator will point to the buried text.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
Wow! Once I started I couldn’t stop. There were so many “ah ha!” moments. Thoroughly enjoyable and some amazing clues. I thought 22a , 24a, 5d and 18d brilliant. So disappointed I have to wait another week. Thanks David. A wonderful way to start my day.
Trickier and trickier! Well may you jump for joy, Joy!
Sometimes it feels like one is engaged in a battle of wits, but then that’s what it’s supposed to be, I suppose, and all the more fun for that.
This week I have ‘?’ (meaning it parses but could this really match the definition?) next to a few clues but no need to quibble about that as they all turned out right, though 20d did produce something of a wry smile in that regard! As for ‘!’ (meaning Wow! Ahah! Ha Ha!) however, there are so many here, notably 1a and 5a for the surprises, 2d and 5d for construction and 7d for that penny-dropping moment. 16d took the longest, mainly because I had ‘kow-tow’ for 24a (sloppily parsed as a hotchpotch of ‘ko’, ‘to’ and ‘ww’ for welterweight!), but of course it was much neater than that. Thanks again, David.
Oh, and in spite of the most determined resistance, I finally succumbed to the clue hint for 16d, so not what I would call an outright win!
Patrick, I too did the ahha and a smile with 1a and 5a. Neither what I was thinking as I first read the clue. I’m always amazed at David’s ingenuity. It keeps us on our toes. Looking forward to next week’s now.
Haven’t aha-ed 1a and 5a. All help welcome.
Hi Michael.
In 1a ” an attractive thing” is what you’re looking for.
In 5a it’s “green activists” …… maybe not the green that you first think of.
Hope this helps. Good luck
Thank you. So obvious once the penny drops. Never quite thought of rust that way but why not. And now I know that green doesn’t necessarily refer to ecology.
Yes I’m stuck 1a & 5a too (& therefore 5d as well) –
attributing it to the rare & unusual grid.
Also have a “Why So?” answer at 22a
Richard, for 5d, you’re looking for timely preparation, so start working from there. See if that helps.
Yes Thank You Joy, All Good, very clever.
Just needed a fresh look AND defining of the definition.
May assist now with 5a.
& so it does.
Helped once I got the correct end of the Stick. Very clever also.
1a to go.
& there’s 1a I believe. Had been tempted to go there
but would have thought “rust” to be found at rear of “vehicle”
Not?
Also, Richard, 22a – a drug and ‘a’ helping.
Seems a bit early to spoil the fun of 1a and 5a, nevertheless re. 1a, sometimes when something stubbornly refuses to move, all that’s needed is a little incentive (metaphorically speaking). 5a – if you’ve got the supplementary information, what’s in it (literally speaking)? Have fun!
Yes Patrick – Great elation with resolution of 1a & 5a (especially)
Still pondering 22a
& there it is even as we speak – it’s THAT “helping”. Brilliant.
I have had a spotty preparation this week – many stops and starts. Wonderful clues not yet mentioned.
However (there is always a however) I have not worked out 9a. I looked at David’s hints but the cells are not yet moving in the right direction. However Eureka as I started to write the blog, I understood 8d.
Back tot he drawing board for the final run. I’ll be Internet-less for the next couple of days so I expect to report in on Monday with final cheers.
If I have them correct I thought
24a Really neat clue
26a left me stumbling in the dark for along time.
10d So simple, but it took a while for the brain cells to connect.
16d I had the wrong kind of bugs, and could not leave them alone.
Hi Arthur, 9a was one of my question marks re. correlation between definition and answer. It’s a bit like saying neighbours are people whereas not all people are neighbours owing to location, imo. In this case, the appellation is dependent on location in time. But hey, this is crosswordland where people frequently refers to men only!
‘Reformed’ is the obvious indicator and we know how many letters, so it’s a case of just grappling with the anagram to find something approximate to the definition.
Patrick,
What do you think the definition is in 9ac? It seems prefectly accurate to me. I think the “crosswordland” comment is rude when it comes to the precision that is a hallmark of The Stickler’s work.
Hi Viv, apologies for any offense taken over my comment, I assure you that none was intended. It is so easy for the ‘tone of voice’ in writing online to be misinterpreted. The intention was a light-hearted comment on the ‘stretch’ there sometimes seems to be between the definition in the clue and the answer. For example in this case, without the wordplay, one might never come up with this definition of ‘people’ at all. However no doubt I’m digging myself even deeper into this hole, so I’ll resolve to keep quiet on this point in future.
At least my comment appears to have inspired you to comment here, so welcome indeed.
Apologies to David if at all offended. My gratitude and admiration for his work remains undiminished.
Any reference to fifteensquared.com blogs re. most of the British crosswords, however, would not make my comment above seem so out of place, I believe.
PS. Viv, I see your point that ‘like’ is part of the definition, however my reservations remain as such people may not be ‘like’ each other at all other than ‘existing in the same time period’ (according to Chambers!).
If such comments are indeed deemed invalid or unwanted here, perhaps it is better if I hold my peace in future…
Chambers’ first definition of “like” is “identical, equal, or nearly equal in any respect”. So, in this clue’s definition, it means “equal in the chronological respect”.
Point taken, Greg. Red is like green because they are both colours and apples like oranges because they are both fruits but some indication of the similar aspect is required to make sense of this, imo. Eg. “Reformed prisoner came to people sharing time.”
Most distressed by the above & at a loss for a Response, other than to say – NO Patrick.
None of us would want that. Your significant contributions over an extended period, sharing thoughts, ideas & the occasional frustration, have helped make This the enjoyable, helpful & often amusing Place it has become.
PS>>>
For the Record – I needed Solver of Last Resort to unscramble the 9a Egg.
Thanks Richard for your words of comfort. I think for many of us the weekly Stickler is something of a highlight and sharing our thoughts about it with each other on this forum extends and expands on the enjoyment thereof. I am sure we are all very grateful to David, who out of the kindness of his heart gives his time and effort with little reward to produce a puzzle for us each week. At the same time, while providing a space to help each other and share insights, this forum also serves, I imagine, to give some feedback to David who might otherwise feel he was doing it all for nothing and perhaps like any artist, he might appreciate the occasional critique, or dare I say quibble, in addition to the thanks and praise. True, the quibbles may not always be justified and sometimes our apprehensions require correction, but I feel that advancing age for many of us tends to engender a certain empathy and friendly understanding of the occasional lapse or foible, especially among our contemporaries, and that, in my opinion, is something to be valued.
Well, that’s quite enough said for me this week, but a final word to Viv – the ‘crossword land’ comment was in no way directed at David, but at the world of cryptic crosswords in general. Some overseas puzzles in particular I find to be so cryptic as to be almost completely indecipherable – but the challenge, learning and enjoyment goes on.
“Like”
Well explained and agree with you on your ‘validation’ of your comment, Patrick.
Much gratitude, David, for your brilliant and challenging crossword setting which is a source of huge delight and sense of achievement, keeping my aged/grey braincells active in such a pleasurable way. The generosity of your time and skill and effort is very much appreciated.
Thank you Charmaine for your comment and reassurance that I’m not quite losing my marbles yet!
5a eluded me for this long, then it came to me in a flash!
For me, this was one of the toughest Sticklers ever – especially the top half, where nearly every clue was a struggle. Hence I’m posting this on Monday morning.
A couple of times, I was tempted to break my self-imposed rules:
1. Don’t look at this page till I’ve finished
2. Use references only for confirmation
…but I stayed strong, which makes it that much more satisfying.
Plenty of highlights:
1a: Deceptive wordplay
5a: Last in, and my biggest aha moment. Clever definition, and nice misdirection with “say”.
9a, 24a, 13d: Nice definitions
16d: The answer came easily from the cross letters – but parsing the wordplay was very tricky
18d: “bowlers, say”
21d, 25d: Fun
23d: “sensitive equipment”
Yes Greg, agree this was One Tuff Nut, especially Top Half.
All the above are included in my Picks of the Week
Particularly liked the”rolled scrap” – 16d
& also thought 22a – “helping” really threw me
2d – more brilliant cluing
5d – ditto
worthy of mention…
I also thought this was difficult – and that’s not a complaint; I don’t mind that I can’t solve a weekly puzzle over lunch – and I also struggled more with the top half.
Agreed – I’m not complaining either.
I have solutions for each clue but cannot get the congratulations. Obviously have at least one wrong. I have been back and forth several times. I would be satisfied if I had not tried my solutions in the on line version.
1a may be my issue as my solution puts the rust at the back of the vehicle.
Tempus has fugitted for me, so I will have to wait until Wednesday for enlightenment.
I fully support the comments about the quality of the puzzle and cluing. A first class effort.
All of my choices for accolades have already been mentioned.
Roll on Wednesday.
Arthur – as far as I know, the rust is at the back of the vehicle. But then, I’ve done the whole thing on paper, so I’m just assuming that I’ve got it all correct.
I too went with “rust” at rear of ‘vehicle” & accepted it as a vague anomaly.
I don’t see it as an anomaly. I’m satisfied that “vehicle rust” means the same thing as “rust found in a vehicle”. By the way, the tail end of the answer is in the Chambers Thesaurus as a synonym for “rust”.
No problem with the “rust” Greg
It was the clue -“in a vehicle”
rather than “behind a vehicle”
that I allowed to pass.
after much contemplation
Finally got the congratulations, just in time. 5a was my problem. I could not get off my original thought. It was not a good fit, and it filled the squares. However that proved not to be the case, as I read the clue for the umpteenth time.
Looking forward to tomorrow now with a sense of satisfaction