Answer: NIRVANA (i.e. “sky”, perhaps more than a happy state than a piece of land on the surface). The solution is reversed (indicated by “recalled”) and followed by RV (i.e. “Bible”, especially the revised version) and ANA (i.e. “stories” or anecdotes), as follows: NI-RV-ANA. Well done. Probably my favorite clue. Answer: SKINNY-DIP or swimming in a birthday suit. Clue plays with the fact that “crawling” is a swim and how someone who takes off all their clothes would be “off the aisle.” Answer: FIBONACCI (i.e. “series creator”), refers to a sequence of numbers he developed and which has since been observed in a strange number of other fields, from the multi-branch nature of mathematics. The word “observed” here is crucial for this skeptic, because it is not necessarily “proven”.
It reminds me of a stockbroker who enthusiastically supported the Fibonacci sequences he and his colleagues had uncovered in market models, seemingly oblivious to the countless self-fulfilling prophecies that had helped fuel every boom and bust since the dawn of finance. But I digress…) “Some” indicates that the solution has been hidden in the index, while “up” means that the solution has been reversed – this is a clue – as follows: W(ICCAN OBI F)ANTASY. Another clue that tries too hard, but I like what the smuggler was trying to do. Answer: BASSI (i.e. “singer”, more precisely a plural of Basso). “Poster” indicates that the solution has been hidden in the index, in this case in the word “visible”, while “reversal” indicates that the solution has been reversed, as follows: UNM(ISSAB)LE. Answer: DEPENDING ROBIN (i.e. “Car” – after a Setter recently tried to mark a free Bugatti by including the automaker in the solutions, it seems that this week`s Setter has lowered its expectations a bit).
The solution is RANT (i.e. “storm”) wrapped around ELI (i.e. biblical “priest”) followed by ROB (i.e. “pillage”) and IN, as follows: R(ELI)ANT-ROB-IN. Answer: LEANDER, a platform game released in 1991 by Psygnosis on Commodore Amiga that looked good for its time, like many Psygnosis games, but unfortunately I could not put to work because I did not have the right model. oh, wait, “Youth of Abydos.” Classic. Right. I forget it`s the Times, the home of Latin crosswords, so it must relate to the story of Hero and Leander. The rest of the clue might be a clue to the story, but I don`t feel like reading it, not when I can rot what`s left of my head with a brand new game console. Yes, technology! [EDIT – Thanks to Chris in the comments for nailing this one. “. with piercing look” asks us to insert or “drill” AND (i.e.
“with”) AND (i.e. “with”), as follows: THE(AND)ER. Well done, Chris! – LP] Answer: SCARLET PIMPERNEL (i.e. “flower”). The rest of the clue refers to Baroness Orczy`s play and novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel, in which the eponymous hero would save Aristoks, who were destined for the guillotine, and at the same time she would live like a nobleman. “We`re looking for him here! We`re looking for him there! Well, they didn`t look hard enough, because he only showed up here a few months ago. 25a. An element of love, quiet reflection, is a must, somehow (9) Answer: OPHTHALMIC, related to the eye, which explains the clue riffing on “pupil”, but the rest leaves me quite cold. I think the setter comes to the pupil, which is only part of the eye, hence the bit “and much more”, but. Hmm. I sincerely hope I`m missing something smart here, because otherwise it`s a free clue. 27d.
Trash items, written again and again carelessly, are a wake-up call! (4-1-6-3) Answer: Rhine. The index plays with the similarities of RHONE and RHINE, i.e. how you can switch from one to the other by replacing the O (i.e. “duck” or zero score) of RHONE with I (a recognized abbreviation of an electrical “current”) to obtain RHINE, as follows: RH(O)NE = > RH(I)NE. Answer: STRINGER (i.e. “Journalist,” specifically, one who is “employed part-time by a newspaper or news agency to cover a particular (particularly remote) city or region” (Chambers). I learned something). The solution is RINGER (i.e. “copy”), where ST (i.e.
“path”, i.e. a recognized abbreviation of “road”) is placed above or made “higher” – this is a downward index – as follows: ST-RINGER. Answer: Light-emitting diode (i.e. “bright device” – bright as well as very bright, although these are also quite sophisticated trifles). After the feats demonstrated in 2D, it may not surprise you that the rest of the clue plays on the fact that the short form of the solution, LED, is also the initials of “European Liberal Democrat”. In other news, I tried to stick with WordPress` new editor – the one I`m increasingly forced to do – and had to bypass it again and go back to the old editor. Unfortunately, the new editor is bad, forcing concepts such as document blocks, which are not easily adapted to these types of messages, hiding useful controls in cumbersome menus, and no longer recognizing frequently used keyboard shortcuts. (No Ctrl+U to emphasize? Seriously?) Producing these articles in the new editor is like pulling out your teeth.
I really appreciate the kind words and help I get every week in the comments, so I`ll think about how to continue these posts once WordPress finally kills its classic editor. Would anyone object to me publishing these things in PDF format, for example? Would that affect accessibility for everyone? Let me know in the comments. Back to a medium-strength puzzle after last week`s stench. It was also another good `one, with a good stain of well-written clues spoiled only by another appearance of At A Loose End. When I first glanced at the clues and saw blah, blah, blah (2,1,5,3), I immediately thought of a cowardly ending and moaned sincerely when I read the clue. I liked how installers put different shapes into their grids earlier this year, but sticking the same solution week after week seems a bit cheap. Maybe Max ERNST will start haunting those pages again. Answer: ARBROATH (meaning “Scottish city”). Another unpleasant clue, although fortunately with a much easier to guess solution. You`d expect a number of foreign words in these things as settlers look for ways to get the job done, but I would have been crazy to decipher that without Google Translate giving me the French word ARBRE, which means “tree,” meaning “the oldest, perhaps, in France.” Remove the last letter (indicated by “short”) and follow the rest with OATH (i.e. “promise”), as follows: ARBR-OATH. Sod it, I wave the second yellow.
Fuck yourself for a morning bath, setter and take a ban on a grill with you. Answer: CLEANER. Solution is an anagram (indicated by “spray”) of LENS and CARE. In connection with the note, you can spray detergent well on a lens with a little care. Well done. Answer: DEBRETT (i.e. “Noble Reference,” the slightly ridiculous code of etiquette that the top crust should often observe, as if one of them were bloody.