DA Gold (from 16/17th of November)
14 down: K-kinky assumption lessened (9)
You just don't expect one letter is gonna be the direct definition: kinky assumption lessened = potassiumn lessened = potassium = K.
15, 16 across: Daughter suggests London custom (8, 2, 3, 5)
The pick of the bunch, and another excellent example of the answer being the wordplay: daughter = changing of the guard (the guard is an anagram of daughter) = London custom.
11 across: - cryptic clue? (9)
Very nice indeed, and almost &lit: - cryptic clue = minus cule = minuscule = - cryptic clue.
12 down: Timeless African people climbing of mountains intact? (10)
Nice: timeless African people climbing of mountains = timeless Bantu climbing ridged = timeless utnab ridged = unabridged = intact.
8 down, 13 across: Briefly make 2-down (saga) droop? (3, 1, 4, 5, 5)
Nice double definition: make saga droop = cut a long story short = briefly.
Update: NC set me straight in the comments: this is a much cleverer clue than I was giving it credit for, and is another brilliant example of the answer being the wordplay: make saga droop = make saga sag = cut a long story short = briefly.
21 across, 1 down: Hollywood creep to defect, seizing Israeli plane abroad to central China (4, 6)
I loved the direct clue: defect, seizing Israeli plane abroad to central China = bug seizing el al os i = Bela Lugosi = Hollywood creep.
4 down: Romcom's Richard accepts new romcom, for one (5)
Brilliant: DA got a star of romantic comedy into the answer concerning romantic comedies: romcom's Richard accepts new = Gere accepts n = genre = romcom, for one.
November 19th, 2009 - 09:44
I have found the last two DAs really tough and haven’t been able to get anywhere near getting them out. Fantastic crosswords though, and I am enjoying reading the explanations.
8 down, 13 across: Briefly make 2-down (saga) droop? (3, 1, 4, 5, 5), answer = cut a long story short, is great but seems like a really unusual (unprecedented?) clue type to me. It has a whiff of that new clue type DA has been using occasionally lately, where the answer is a wordplay instruction. I don’t think that calling it a ‘double definition’ does it justice.
AS’s explanation is very succinct. This is my (painfully explicit) version:
Make 2-down (saga) droop = make saga sag = turn saga into sag = take the last letter off saga = cut saga short = cut a long story short.
Wow.
November 19th, 2009 - 12:17
NC, some weeks you seem to fly through the crossword, other weeks you seem to struggle, but the pattern doesn’t seem to coincide with the general consensus. I wonder if there’s a particular type of clue that you have trouble with.
As for the succinctness, again, I just didn’t see the cleverer and more robust explanation. I really did think it was a double definition in that MAKE SAGA DROOP is to cut it short, like it was a piece of material, and make it droop. I didn’t think wordplay was involved at all!
Will emend shortly.
November 19th, 2009 - 13:26
Ah yes. This “make saga sag” clue was quite brilliant. As mentioned a few weeks ago, we need a name for this type of clue. DA had two this week. And he would have had three if he’d clued 12D as “U”!
November 19th, 2009 - 13:50
Thanks for the compliment AS, but I have never been able to fly through a DA. Even my rare successes have involved long stretches of utter bemusement punctuated with delightful flashes of sudden insight. But I quite like it that way!
November 19th, 2009 - 14:47
NC, I agree. I find a period of protracted bemusement is necessary for maximum enjoyment and satisfaction.