Tag: Hoang-Kim Vu

Cryptic Roundup #23

Kicking off the week by . . . looking back at cryptics from Monday 7/18 to Sunday 7/24! It’s hard to find the right balance between timeliness and free-time-iness in which to get these puzzles solved and the write-ups done, but the point is that these clues are timeless and the sites are all archiving these grids, so . . . it’s never too late to break out your pen or pencil or stylus and solve. At any rate, if you’re looking to get notified about these posts as they break, you can also sign up for this same content in newsletter form (though be aware that I don’t know how to make spoiler tags in it). And now, from 11 puzzles and a total of 302 clues published between Monday (7/18) and Sunday (7/24), it’s time:

Abbreviations:

  • MPC (minutes per clue): how long it took me to fill in the grid, divided by total number of clues
  • PJ (personal joy): how many times I though a clue’s wordplay and/or surface stood out
  • D (difficulty): a simple average of every clue, rated with a 1 for straightforward mechanisms and up to a 5 for multiple devices, stretchy definitions, or devious wordplay and indicators
  • A variety puzzle has a gimmick that alters how clues are read and/or answers are entered. [V1] does one of those, lightly, [V2] is a bit trickier, [V3] is maximum shenanigans.
  • A themed puzzle has at least eight clues within a similar category.
  • A Twitch puzzle is one that was solved on stream, with a link to it.
  • ($) represents a puzzle available only to subscribers for that outlet. Costs vary. Note that the New Yorker only allows a certain number of articles per week for non-subscribers.

Recommendations:

I don’t know if it’s because Jack Keynes’s puzzles were the first UK-style ones that I managed to regularly solve, but I often vibe with the wordplay and language he’s throwing down, and his latest mini is densely packed with great stuff. Since we’re talking about personal tastes, I’ve enjoyed the individual offerings from both George Ho (Loplop) and the duo at The Rackenfracker, so it’s no surprise that their collaborative “In One Basket” is a delightfully challenging variety grid. If you want a standard puzzle jam-packed with good clues, Hoang-Kim Vu’s Browser 82 is very good, too.

Favorite surfaces (by predominant cryptic category):

Reversal

I rarely see this clue type on its own–it’s usually in conjunction with another mechanic. Is it perhaps too straightforward to allow for a natural surface?

Hidden

[18a] Vault secured by mobile app (4) [New Yorker 7/24, Payne]

What I love about this surface is that if you think about it, a vault wouldn’t be particularly safe if a mobile app could unlock it–Mission Impossible‘s multi-stage biometrics this is not–but a cryptic doesn’t need to always have full real-world logic. It’s enough just to make you consider a possible premise, as we do here, thanks to “secured” and the sneaky sense of “vault”: mobiLE APp.

Anagram

  • [13d] Quietly engaged in twisty lower back movement at the ‘68 Olympics (5,5) [AVCX 7/21, Smith]
    • The hero here is the suture of “lower back movement” and the gymnastic sense given by the Olympics reference. The solution is a different type of movement entirely, and one well worth remembering: BLACK(P)OWER* (*lower back).
  • [13d] Rarin’ to go change full diaper (3,5,2) [Cryptic Interpretation 5, Evans]
    • As a still relatively new dad, I’m going to continue to celebrate clues like this one, which so totally see me. There’s no half-assing a full-assed baby: when your child gets the call and then you get the cry, you’d better be rarin’ to go, or ALL FIRED UP* (*full diaper) as it were.
  • [2d] Elon’s first revolutionary space flight (6) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • Though I hate this guy’s public stock- and crypto-market rigging for personal profit (at everyone else’s loss), he does own a space-flight company, and I can at least recognize that feat in well-deserved “revolutionary” cryptic form: E+SCAPE* (*space).
  • [3a] Not the greatest reward for running devil’s realm chaotically? (6,5) [“Call Me Maybe, Westley]
    • This sort of reminds me of those novelty “I DID X AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS T-SHIRT” items. Here, the situation involves literally running hell for a bit and you just got a SILVER MEDAL* (*devil’s realm). No wonder Satan is so angry.

Charade

  • [10a] Refuse to marry Juliet in Verona–the source of tragedy (4) [Keynesian 136]
    • Outstanding surface sense here thanks to a little foreign (not Shakespearean) language, specifically that of Verona, Italy: J+IL+T. If they’d only let their star-crossed kids wed!
  • [8d] Support for son of a bitch, perhaps (4,2) [Cryptic Interpretation 5, Evans]
    • The trick here is in the extra definition in “Support for.” You’ve got to split those for parts: PRO+PUP, and bonus points for describing how I feel about modern elections.
  • [22a] Drop the ball as well as you can run it (6) [Cryptic Interpretation 5, Evans]
    • Just a bunch of nice crossword clues here strung together in an entertaining way: “Drop the ball,” “as well as,” and the crème de la crème, “you can run it”: ERR+AND.
  • [1d] Game coach for Halo (6) [OOLF #121, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • The dazzlingly deception here has nothing to do with Esports but rather the use of a different game despite Halo being right there in the surface: NIM+BUS (“coach” is well-played here as well). That’s how you do a lot with a little.
  • [21d] Preoccupation with Iron Throne’s leader, sort of (6) [Browser 82, Hoang-Kim Vu]
    • GoT fans, especially those who stuck with the worst parts of the last three seasons (which I dutifully recapped for Slant Magazine), are guilty of having a FE+T+ISH for the show, so I like this even more than along the wordplay sense.
  • [27a] Place residents with officers (11) [Everyman 3954]
    • Sometimes I just appreciate a really clean break of a word into parts: LIEU+TENANT.

Container

  • [19a] Tough guy accepting part of mosque is a promising sign (4,4) [New Yorker 7/24, Payne]
    • I said on-stream that this clue gave me hope: I remember after 9/11 how even the “tough guys” of my hometown New York sort of flipped out with Islamophobia, so it is indeed promising to think we might move past that toward acceptance (which is a great indicator in both ways): GOO(DOME)N.
  • [3d] Do not talk about academic level (6) [OOLF #121, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • Another exercise in powerful terseness from K&P: “Do not talk” goes around “academic” to give you a “level” and that makes the answer somewhat self-descriptively S(MOOT)H.
  • [24d] Love, in brief, where singles find their match? (5) [Mental Playground 109]
    • If ever you were going to abbreviate “love” as “O,” this is the right kind of surface for it, and that’s a lovely way to define a C(O)URT. (“In brief” is a superlative superfluous bit here–it doesn’t need to signal the O, which leaves it free to do what it’s actually needed for.)
  • [4d] Thanks to nurse, identify orderly (4) [Keynesian 136]
    • Terrific surface sense, with “nurse” and “orderly” not at all what they’re cracked up to be: T(ID)Y.
  • [3d] Square meal takes up essential part of day (6) [Keynesian 136]
    • If you’re a New Yorker like me, this is more essential than you might think, and former Mets player Mike would certainly agree: PI(A)ZZA.
  • [19a] Primates possessed by hunger for type of oil (9) [Browser 82, Hoang-Kim Vu]
    • I enjoy the cataclysmic climate surface sense here, wherein mankind’s primitive lust for oil destroys us all–GR(APES)EED. I might be reading into that a bit, but not THAT much.
  • [18d] Big heads move in two directions (4) [New Yorker 7/24, Payne]
    • I like the natural clash of cardinal directions here from these “big heads”: E(GO)S.

Deletion

  • [15d] Finance guys ignoring the top market index (5) [New Yorker 7/24, Payne]
    • Personal bias from me: I think the whole stock game is blatantly rigged, since the market can be so easily manipulated, whether by Gamestonk memes or, more generally, “finance guys.” This surface suckered me good with the “Finance/guys” split in [-m]EN+DOW.
  • [7d] Given a different slot, denied opening, called a strike (5) [Browser 82, Hoang-Kim Vu]
    • This clue successfully points toward unionization in the sense that when your company keeps screwing you over (a different slot, no opening), it’s time to fight back. Convenient, then, that those are also solid indicators for [-b]UMPED and a different type of strike-caller.
  • [5d] Endorsed on the internet? Quit right away (1-6) [AVCX 7/21, Smith]
    • Not that I am in any danger of it, but I do worry about the risks of being Internet Famous, wherein if you’re doing something “right” in the most toxic of digital environments, you may want to step back from it: [-r]E-SIGNED.

Double Definition

  • [22d] Problem children (5) [Everyman 3954]
    • That’s not the way I think of “children,” but it’s absolutely correct, and therein lies the great way to do a two-word double definition, where you make a new connection (like ISSUE).
  • [18d] Lesser-known song that might be infectious? (4,3) [AVCX 7/21, Smith]
    • On stream, I took a long beat to wonder if this wasn’t misenumerated, because EAR WORM seemed like such a fun answer, but that’s not a lesser-known song (and I think it has a shared root, and it’s not really infectious, now that I think about it). As always, you know the right song/answer when you hear it, though, and that’s a DEEP CUT.

Heteronym/Pun

  • [AA] Cartoon duck is shady? (4) [“In One Basket,” Loplop & Rackenfracker]
    • There’s no wrong way to solve a cryptic, y’know? My mind went to Baby HUE-Y, but you probably thought of one of Scrooge’s Duck Tales nephews.
  • [7a] Titian, perhaps drunk, suggesting something to draw at night (8,5) [Everyman 3954]
    • Are there shared roots here? Probably. Does that matter as clued? Nope! “Draw” is the perfect word here, and justifies the use of “Titian, perhaps” and the slangy version of “drunk”: VENETIAN BLIND. Suggestive indeed!
  • [I] Where you can land in Paris? That’s obvious if you ask internet forum dwellers (4) [“In One Basket,” Loplop & Rackenfracker]
    • This might just be a straightforward double-definition depending on how you punctuate the latter part, but I take it as O RLY, as in the Nic Cage meme. Either way, it’s lovely.
  • [28a] Greetings from a ring of fire? (5) [OOLF #121, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • Top marks come from that ? indicated “ring of fire”: HELL+O.

Homophone

  • [16a] Sounds like entitled child cried and missed everything? (9) [Browser 82, Hoang-Kim Vu]
    • The sweet sounds of an entitled child crying–let that be a lesson to us all! Really enjoyed the meaning of “entitled” here, as well as “missed everything” with a needed question mark to get us to AIRBALLED /heir bawled/.
  • [9a] Working solo, read aloud, but not in the library (2,4) [“Call Me Maybe, Westley]
    • This isn’t ALONE, which tripped me up for while, since I was trying to shoehorn that sound in, despite an incorrect enumeration. Best advice I can give with cryptics is don’t be afraid to set a surface down for a second to re-evaluate–what is “working” really doing here, for instance? That gets you to ON LOAN /on lone/.
  • [12a] Hospital department broadcast cry of discovery (1,3,3) [Browser 82, Hoang-Kim Vu]
    • The cry of discovery I made (AHA!) when realizing how these two things overlapped was pretty good: I SEE YOU /ICU/. It helps that I was listening to Cocomelon’s “Peek-a-Boo” song while solving with my son.

Spoonerism

  • [8d] ‘Timid? You have backbone!’ says Spooner, to express thoughts plainly (5,4,4) [Everyman 3954]
    • This is why I love Spoonerisms. What a convolutedly, patently ridiculous phrase–that turns into a wonderful answer: SPEAK YOUR MIND /Meek? You’re spined!/
  • [23d] Travel fatigue from Reverend’s rented car (3,3) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • This is the slightly more tricky way of indicating a Spoonerism, by using “Reverend” alone. Whatever helps the surface, because the wordplay doesn’t change: JET LAG /let Jag/.
  • [7d] Illegally access computer device blocking signal via Spooner’s noisy machine (10) [Keynesian 136]
    • Two tech clues give way to a decidedly lower tech tool (or maybe it just seems that way: I mean, I certainly couldn’t build a JACKHAMMER /hack jammer/ from scratch!).

&lit

  • [12a] A détente almost arranged–very much the reverse! (8) [Everyman 3954]
    • I’ve been having a lot of debates lately about what is an &lit or not, and for me, it’s just that both the cryptic and definitional parts–however tenuously or stretched–need to make use of the entire surface. A détente is an easing of hostility, and the opposite, clued by “very much the reverse” is a V+ENDETTA[-e]* (*A detent[-e]). That reversal also works for the indicator–take the “V” from very (which is last) and put it first, before the almost anagram of “A détente.” Wonderful and creative, which is what I expect from an &lit.
  • [K] Clergies may be riled up about one! (9) [“In One Basket,” Loplop & Rackenfracker]
    • Put another way, what is one thing clergies may be upset about? S(A)CRILEGE* (*clergies). The beauty of the &lit is that it only works in one very particular parsing, and it can be a real juggling act to get it where it needs to be–a smashing success when it works!

Letter Bank

I didn’t see any letter banks that stood out this week: you’ve got to really nail the indicator to make that work.

Combination

  • [14a] Taking English and science, I conceded, ruined loads of childhoods (12) [Mental Playground 109]
    • I rarely hear people complaining about English as a childhood activity (it’s generally Math), but I suppose if it isn’t your primary language, it’s going to make things really tough. At any rate, the idea of “school sucks” is pretty universal, even if learning itself is absolutely essential, so I appreciate the surface sense behind ADOL(E+SC[-i]ENCE)S* (*loads). This “I conceded” bit is super smart.
  • [3d] Site for a school exam in Florida: its outcome is anyone’s guess (4-3-3) [AVCX 7/21, Smith]
    • I think I cackled a bit at this on stream, given my limited experience with state-wide adoptions of test-prep material and the odd things that some states want to ban from what should be universal (common) curriculum. Who knows what they’re learning in Florida? All I know is the wordplay works really well: F(REEF+ORAL)L.
  • [7d] Fixed days to travel taking time on vacation (6) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • I really have to remember that “on vacation” is a common overseas indicator for “not carrying anything.” For the rest of us, even if we’re not traveling because of COVID, we mostly know the “joy” of having to rearrange days to travel–S(T[-im]E)ADY* (*days)–and how some managers would only allow it when you didn’t need it.
  • [2d] Irregular cases rising–Covid almost indisputable (11) [Keynesian 136]
    • Very tricky, despite being given one of the words in the surface: UNEQU([-d]IVOC<)AL.
  • [M] Avoid returning boarding school’s books (9) [“In One Basket,” Loplop & Rackenfracker]
    • It’s the use of “boarding school” here that I get a kick out of: SCH(EDULE<)S, although I suppose “books” is doing a bang-up job here as well.
  • [1a] Dad is hiding, feeling worse after tattoos and drugs (11) [“Call Me Maybe, Westley]
    • In this one, I like the positional “after” and the sense of “hiding.” Combination clues have no restrictions, so there’s no excuse for an imprecise surface: PA(INK+ILLER)S.

Miscellaneous

[C] “IM4U,” “In the Club” go up the charts (5) [“In One Basket,” Loplop & Rackenfracker]

Such an amazing letter swap here, and so nakedly presented: “IM 4 U,” which is a song title I absolutely buy, whether it actually is one or not. (Remember, cryptics have no obligation to be accurate in their wordplay–just grammatically fair.) Hence we get CL{[u]->IM)B.

Rule Breakers

  • Everything seemed to play fair this week. You can’t always reinvent the wheel!

Beats Me

  • [21a] West and south, backing kind experts (8) [OOLF #121, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • I get “west” as indicating a reversal, and I see a synonym for “kind” for get me to “experts,” but I couldn’t parse the “south backing” part: [MAES+TROS]<.
  • [30a] The author (operative in dysfunctional club) dancing with a prince of the jungle? (4,3) [OOLF #121, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • I like the wordplay here, but are both “dysfunctional” and “dancing” doing the same thing for “club”? L(I+ON)CUB* (*club).
  • [1d] Apparitions as may appear after cheese? (7) [Everyman 3954]
    • My best guess is this is a loose double or cryptic definition for foodstuff? SPIRITS
  • [1a] Wow–a spiked up point of hair! (6,4) [Mental Playground 109]
    • I know everything is an anagrind, but is “up”? I guess as in like hyperactive, animated, moving around? The “!” also threw me, because this isn’t an &lit: WIDOW’S PEAK* (*Wow–a spiked).
  • [8d] Run down to hum (3,5) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • I think this is just maybe a term I don’t know for “hum”? A rebus, maybe? BAD MOUTH
  • [17a] Fail to meet holy man joining with state (5,2) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • Not sure about the “state” part: ST+AND+UP.
  • [20a] Cut and paste (6) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • Is this a double-definition I’ve just never heard of? CLEAVE
  • [26a] Trouble husband and wife had describing books with rules (3,5) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • H(OT)W+ATE+R looks right, so I’m going to assume “rules” for R is cricket related?
  • [28a] Truthful accountant backing trade union’s talk, essentially (6) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • Just a bunch of foreign-to-me abbreviations, which is the biggest trick to getting into overseas cryptics: [AC]<+TU+AL.
  • [4d] Devoted people putting alumni behind school (7) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • I have no idea for this one; didn’t know the word OBLATES either.
  • [5d] How Hypatia initiates card game for perfectionist (8) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • I started off cleanly enough with I DEAL, but don’t see how to get the IST at the end.
  • [18d] Cleans posh building needing money in America (5,3) [Hindu 13616, Hypatia]
    • Is U(NCLE SA*)M (*cleans) synonymous for “America”? What’s the “building needing money” for?

1Across Weekly Crossword Contest (1ACCWC) #393: MODERATION

These clues all have the same answer. Check the highlighted link above for the answer and to see the full list of ones submitted.

  • A proportional relationship between the most commonly seen value and the total number of observations in a statistical sample (disregarding extreme values) (10)
  • To remain composed about one’s desires, primarily (10)
  • Cook me tandoori–not too much! (10)
  • Restraint with date in room? Difficult (10)
  • Starts to meditate often, daily exercise helping relaxation (10)

And mine: 

  • Discipline India’s Prime Minister by running around (two-time)? (10)

I’m back on stream tonight, Monday 8/1, at around 9:00 EST and will probably do three or four puzzles. May “warm up” with a tough Steve Mossberg Quiptic, but then I want to get into Hoyt Arcane’s new Cryptic #5 and Foggy Brume’s non-meta “A Dirty Puzzle” from the latest P&A Magazine. Will maybe also try MP’s final indie (for now) Cryptic #110. Feel free to stop by and make suggestions as to what I should stream as long as it’s from 7/25 to 7/31, setters always welcome; we should all have fun and learn something from the stream.

by Aaron Riccio

Cryptic Roundup #17

Apologies again for skipping last week’s crop of puzzles (from 5/30 to 6/5): as I catch up, I’m compiling a Twitter thread to at least call out a few cracking clues from each grid. But hey, that gave me time to also work on a cryptic of my own, which, like the editing experience with The Rackenfracker, allowed me to try and put into practice some of the things I’ve been raving about here–and to make perfectly clear just how difficult it is to put together some of the effortless clues I’m highlighting from others! I also started a Twitch stream which I hope gives some different insight to the way I’m thinking about how surfaces and clues work in real time; obviously it’s difficult to schedule anything in advance when you’ve got a seven-month-old, but I’ll be aiming to use Monday nights at 9:00 Eastern to finish up solving puzzles from the previous week so that I can write them up here. As always, your suggestions are welcome!

For the week of Monday 6/6 to Sunday 6/12, I tackled the following 9 puzzles and 263 clues, in the following order:

The notations above represent three factors. The first (+2) is a net total of delightful wordplay (+) balanced against strained surfaces and stretched wordplay (-). The second [2.8] is a simple* average of difficulty, found by assigning each clue a score from 1 (simple) to 5 (complex): the more mechanics or trickier the language, the harder it gets. (*Note that for variety puzzles, clues that modify the wordplay are skipped.) Finally, the third (2.05 MPC) represents the “minutes-per-clue,” which can be helpful in seeing how evenly the difficulty was distributed. The “Twitch” tag, new this week, lets you know that the numbers might be off for those, since I solved those puzzles on stream and would often elaborate on a clue mid-solve. Hard to pick a favorite this week, but Hoang-Kim Vu’s grid for the AVCX is a debut, and I will always support new voices! Moving on now to the week’s best clues:

Reversal

Lawn care implement reversed plant disease on stretch of land (7) [The Browser 76, Ries]

This clue fires on every level, even though (if you watched my stream) you’ll see that my lack of exposure to gardening in any form (I’m a city boy through and through) made it harder for me to guess the tool in question. But that’s what the cryptic part (and crossings) are for, and this surface positively sings: “reversed” is the obvious indicator, but it also feels like an accurate description for how you might treat a blight, and though I kept trying to make TRACT happen (and not just in this clue) and then ACRE, the actual synonyms for “plant disease” and “stretch of land” are spot on: AERA+TOR[<–].

Hidden

  • Gotta go in kitty litter (4) [AVCX Cryptic 6/9/22, Vu]
  • Essentially laughing at her in General Assembly (9) [The Browser 76, Ries]
  • Egyptian dromedary has eaten shrub (9) [National Post 6/4, Cox & Rathvon]
    • These are three very different extremes to the cluing. The first is a cute way of cluing and dressing up internet slang, making us think of an especially desperate sort of relief when it’s actually just kiTTY Litter. The second is your traditional hidden, nicely spanning several short words with a misleading feint at “General Assembly,” which screams out GA; nope, “assembly” is the clue for laughinG AT HER IN General. The final one is a super clean surface that hides in plain sight because many solvers, myself included, may not know that egyptiAN DROMEDAry is a shrub: only in a cryptic could spelling the literal answer potentially not help a solver.

Anagram

  • Shrink from lice or bats (6) [New Yorker 6/12/22, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • “Lice or bats” is a great way to hide that “bats” is actually an anagram indicator. It helps, too, that “shrink” could potentially indicate a reversal: RECOIL* (*lice or).
  • Neurologist’s concerns: terrible mini-rages (9) [OOLF #115, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • This is a good find for an anagram, because both work in the surface sense: I would believe that a neurologist would treat a mini-rage as much as a MIGRAINE* (*mini-rages).
  • How dare they ruin her event (3,5) [Half Baked Puzzles Cryptic #6, Eisenberg]
    • The tone of this one, which I assume doesn’t use the exclamation point so as to not imply an &lit, is terrific. The entitlement is oozing out of of the surface and into the answer: THE NERVE* (*her event).
  • Make-over a plainer runway model (8) [Half Baked Puzzles Cryptic #6, Eisenberg]
    • From an editorial standpoint, “plainer” sounds a bit too much like part of the answer and the cosmetic context means we don’t need the hyphen in the indicator (“makeover”), but it speaks to the surface strength that AIRPLANE* (*a plainer) still has wings.

Charade

  • Where to deliver a speech from Hannibal (Carthaginian, ultimately) (7) [New Yorker 6/12/22, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • There are so many ways to clue bits and pieces in a charade that there’s really no reason not to go ultra-specific in a way that embraces the surface. This one brilliantly references Carthaginian just to get an N (“ultimately”), but it works because it directs the solver to a specific reading of Hannibal–the historical one, not the fictional cannibal. If a real-estate agent’s motto is location, location, location, a setter’s is framework, framework, framework; love to see this for LECTER+N.
  • Trio of recruits wrestle and box, often (9) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • Speaking of fun parses, “wrestle” and “box” look very much like they go together here in, I dunno, a training academy or something, but no: “box, often” is the very tricky definition, leaving us with REC[ruits]+TANGLE.
  • Fold pair of plaids and scarf (5) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • Good set-up on this: by the time we get to “scarf,” having seen “fold” and “plaid,” we’re definitely thinking more about clothing than food, but no, the answer’s PL[aids]+EAT.
  • Rocker, e.g., beginning to compose rock musical (5) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • You may be on the fence about whether “rock” needs to be repeated here; I think it’s a fun way for the constructor to emphasize the two senses and to perhaps helpfully narrow down the possible set of musicals to consider: C+HAIR.
  • Name a female Elizabethan playwright (5) [National Post 6/4, Cox & Rathvon]
    • Another tone-heavy clue, and I love it because it’s like, accusatory. (The nerve, again!) Am I exaggerating that much when I say it’s only slightly harder to answer this surface than it is to name a female New York Times constructor? My point is, there’s bite here, and the fact the answer is a man only adds to it: N+A+SHE.

Container

  • Witchcraft found in areas shrouded by black mark? (10) [MyCrossword 489, Liari]
    • Perfect clue, from the partial misdirect with “witch craft” to the use of “shrouded” as a container and the telltale “black mark”: B(ROOMS)+TICK.
  • Made from synthetic materials, picture frames remain durable (7) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • A very nice split between “picture” and “frames,” with the latter serving as your container indicator, which frees up another split between “remain” and “durable,” with only the last bit operating as the crossword clue: P(LAST)IC.
  • Enjoying taking in long, nude adaptation of “Hamlet” (4,4) [Half Baked Puzzles Cryptic #6, Eisenberg]
    • We can quibble over the missing article, or just collectively shudder/embrace the image of a six-act naked version of “Hamlet”–produced by Disney, I guess? LI([-l]ON[-g])KING.

Double Definition

  • In summer, there’s a buzz about this hairstyle (7) [Everyman 3948]
    • I’m sorry, I’m just picturing a bunch of bees swarming some poor Marge Simpson-like woman in the park. I think I’ve seen this type of clue before, but the wording on this one is just top-notch, using “buzz” to the utmost: BEEHIVE.
  • It prevents close contact where astronauts drink? (5,3) [Half Baked Puzzles Cryptic #6, Eisenberg]
    • You may have heard the latter part of this clue in a joke before (and I did consider putting this in the “pun” category), but it’s elevated by “It prevents close contact,” which not only fits with the extraterrestrial theme but also creatively describes this object: SPACE BAR.
  • LEGO stores where Bitcoin is used? (10) [Half Baked Puzzles Cryptic #6, Eisenberg]
    • So far, this may be the only good thing I’ve seen to come out of cryptocurrency: BLOCKCHAIN. As with Will’s previous clue above, “LEGO stores” is just such a great way to describe the object in question, and this feels super modern and fresh.
  • Have control over unit of stock (5) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • Well, if I’ve learned anything from GameStonk it’s that “control” and “stock” are two things that don’t actually go together in the real world, but the illusion of it is alive and well here in this fine clue for STEER.
  • Batter spread in a hotel restaurant (6) [National Post 6/4, Cox & Rathvon]
    • This is another familiar clue to me–and part of why I prefer double-definitions to be on the punnier, more creatively stretchy side–but again, the wording here is top-notch, with the specificity of a “hotel restaurant” giving it an extra layer of misdirect: BUFFET. That said, maybe it’s time to start talking about a swole little green man?

Heretonym/Pun

  • Something other than competence or fame (10) [Keynesian #130]
    • A well-timed clue for these nepotistic, dynastic days, where NOT ABILITY is oddly valued.
  • Casino worker more affected by a laryngeal ailment? (8) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • A fun false suffix here, with a craps employee perhaps blowing too hard on the dice and getting them stuck in his throat? Yeah, it’s a CROUP-IER joke.

Homophone

  • “The safe house went under.” “Get out of here!” “Exposed to the elements, I heard.” (9) [AVCX Cryptic 6/9/22, Vu]
    • I haven’t seen that many dialogue-based surfaces, but the smoothness of this one, especially in the context of a homophone, makes me hopeful to see many more: this is SANCTUARY /sank shoo airy/.
  • Exposed singer Goulding in audition somewhere in India (3,5) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • This seems like a terrible audition–unless it’s for a Bollywood version of Super Bowl XXXVIII: The Musical? At any rate, the surface is so ridiculous and the homophone so funny that it comes together: NEW DELHI /nude Ellie/.

&lit

Squander close lead! (4) [AVCX Cryptic 6/9/22, Vu]

A lovely, natural &lit–the implication here is that if you don’t protect your lead (like the cocky Hare), you’ll [-c]LOSE it.

Combination

  • Moves a camera going north, south, *very* close, for a quick photo (8) [AVCX Cryptic 6/9/22, Vu]
    • I’m dazzled by the action of this clue, which really pulls me in (and out, and up and down) to put all the pieces together. It’s a down clue, which lets “going north” signal a reversal, but don’t sleep on the cleverness of “*very* close” either: SNAP[<-]+S+HOT.
  • A corporation with special, advanced rocketing like NASA? (3,4) [Keynesian #130]
    • What a sneakily self-referential clue, even more hidden than usual thanks to stuff like “advanced rocketing” in proximity to it: A+LLC+AP+S[<–].
  • Provocateur organized sit-in with large reptile (10) [OOLF #115, Kosman & Picciotto]
    • I’m assuming this is a Florida Man clue; what does it say about me that I’m somewhat numb at this point to the concept? INSTI*+GATOR (*sit-in).
  • Drunkenly chose to get beer back–you might tie one on? (8) [OOLF #115, Kosman & Picciotto]
  • Adjusted tax invested in grease and meat used for soup (6) [New Yorker 6/12/22, Kosman & Picciotto]
  • Jiffy Pop tin’s acquiring brown color (7) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • For novice constructors it’s probably not a bad idea to start with familiar compounds that already do so much surface work and see what they naturally evoke. First we’ve got “adjusted tax” as an anagram: O(XTA*)IL (*tax), and then we’ve got “Jiffy” separated out as the definition, with “Pop” doing the anagrid work: INS(TAN)T* (*tin’s).

Miscellaneous

  • Make sure someone else doesn’t succeed? (10) [Keynesian #130]
    • I’ve been trying to narrow it down week after week through exposure, but I think this is the so-called cryptic definition. To me, this plays just like a question-marked crossword clue, but I can’t tell if these don’t belong in a cryptic, or if they’re an extra bit of flavor for a crossword: all I know is this is a great clue for DISINHERIT.
  • Want to stay after Democrat and Republican switch places (6) [The Browser 76, Ries]
    • A cute positional swap with a bit of a political bite given this whole nonsense replacement theory myth–in short, {r}esi{d}e > DESIRE.

Beats Me

  • Seven colours shown by East End artist? (7) [Everyman 3948]
    • I get “seven colours” as an admittedly stretchy clue for RAINBOW, but where do I go from there? Is “RA” an artist? Is “IN” clued by “shown”?
  • Villain degrading head club worker? (6) [Half Baked Puzzles Cryptic #6, Eisenberg]
    • I got this from “club worker” and I see “villain” working for CAD, but I’m stumped by “degrading head”: CAD+DIE.
  • Bird, flying up, intelligent and humble with charm, ultimately escapes (6,4,7) [MyCrossword 489, Liari]
    • That’s an impressively smooth anagram, but even without also first deleting letters and parsing the “and” as a separate indicator, I’d never unscramble seventeen letters for this very specific three-word bird: LITTLE BLUE PENGUIN* (*up, intelligent humble [-h, -m]).
  • A second fat cat climbs up one small tree (6) [MyCrossword 489, Liari]
    • I had the parsing mostly right (I thought it ended in I+S), but wasn’t associating NOB with “fat cat”: BON+S+A[<—]+I
  • British soldier originally led by head of Operation Smokescreen (7) [MyCrossword 489, Liari]
    • This one’s on me; I had the O+B+S part and figured the answer, but was using all of “smokescreen” as the definition, instead of the tricky compound parsing that the constructor wanted from “smoke” alone: O+B+S+CURE.

Learn Something New

Trying a new category this week, but here are words or cryptic bits I’ve seen for the first time:

  • XI = team. This is maximal UK stretchiness here; some sports teams have eleven players, and XI is the roman numeral for that. It’s an indirect charade.
  • PANDOWDIES = apple dessert. Looks like a deep-dish apple pie casserole with flaky pastry bits? I would try this.
  • CORTEGE = procession of mourners. Of course there’s a word for that, there’s a word for everything.
  • GOBLIN MODE = having no time to get all done up. Just a great bit of modern slang because, I guess, you look hideous without makeup?

1Across Weekly Crossword Contest (1ACCWC) #387 – SINGER

All of these clues have the same answer; for a full list, click the highlighted answer/link above.

  • “Fire” by Bruce Springsteen perhaps? (6)
  • Springsteen spent vacation rocking with Lady Gaga, perhaps (6)
  • Who tells common Hindu husband to get lost? The queen! (6)
  • Father almost enthralls newgen musician (6)
  • Kishore Kumar, say–one who could set the audience on fire! (6)
  • Vocal performer grins horribly after consuming drug (6) 

Here’s mine:  

  • Brandy–specifically cognac–cocktail is timeless (6)

And so, once again, we come to a close, as we inevitably must. See you all in a week or so!

by Aaron Riccio