Sunday 12 September 2021

Jumbo General Knowledge Crossword (11 Sep)

First pass: Across 7, Down 17

Second pass: Across 5, Down 3

Third pass (with Across entered): Down 4

Did rather better on the Down clues than the Across today.  Answers I should really have known included TOPEKA, MONTPELLIER, EPSOM SALTS and HONSHU.  Entered WHITE HOUSE (a guess) instead of WHITE NOISE for 8/3d, and managed to put FUCHSIA for 21d even though it didn't fit most of the crossers!

Cryptic by Hypnos (#3118, Thu 4 Feb)

Link to idothei (February 2021, blogged by jonofwales)
Link to fifteensquared (December 2016, blogged by Pierre)

First dip into my personal archive for a Sunday.  These are puzzles that accumulated while I was taking a break from cryptic crosswords earlier this year.

Idothei wasn't doing star ratings back then, but I echo jonofwales' comments that "any expectations of a quick finish evaporated as a slow trudge through the grid ensued instead".  I started off fairly confidently but ground to a halt about halfway through; however all I needed to do was to glance at idothei and see the reference to "a now defunct Home Secretary", and I was off again!

Favourite clue was perhaps 14a, although I didn't see it for a while - I knew it had to be an anagram, but the -ING ending made me think it might be a method of cooking rather than an item of clothing - nice misdirection!  Other good ones were 11a (alluded to above), 18a, 25a and 3d.

Wasn't keen on the definition in 1d - the COED has "castaway" only as a noun meaning "a person who has been shipwrecked", not an adjective meaning "worthless".  I suppose the phrase "cast away" might be thus defined, but that's two words rather than one.

Others have commented on various obscurities, but the only one I didn't know was the film director in 22a, although (as pointed out) the K in 26a is somewhat irregular for the "coat" meaning.  There were also some questions over whether "mare" and "mayor" are homophones in 15d; for me they certainly are, and I've never considered otherwise!  Macmillan (probably the best online guide to pronunciation) gives the two-syllable pronunciation as American, and I don't recall hearing it from British speakers of any dialect.  Maybe I should listen more carefully ☺

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