i Cryptic Crossword 4143 Tees
May 17, 2024
Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳
An enjoyable puzzle from Tees brings us to the end of the working week. This was a pleasing and satisfying solve with a good mix of clues: some very accessible, others requiring more work, and a few words from the dustier and less-frequented corners of the dictionary to both keep us on our toes and expand and enrich our vocabulary.
In particular, I constructed the word for impregnate at 1ac from the word-play and had to check that someone else more authoritative than me had made it up before (they had indeed, I was pleased to say). I also checked up that the other word I constructed was a guide to fingering – not the sort of thing you want to google – and was interested to read a bit about that. The musical instrument at 20d and the trimming at 1d I have come across before in Crosswordland.
One clue came very close to being Unfair, in my opinion, which was 4d, This spake Zarathustra. The ancient Persian language, whilst fairly defined, is not really in one’s list of top ten extinct tongues, and neither is the Roman goddess referenced in the likewise clear word-play one of the more popular ones. Cluing one obscure word with another obscure one shouldn’t be encouraged. This did not detract, however, from a rewarding solve.
My Clue of the Day is 17ac, where equivocal meanings are exploited nicely to misdirect: “Display of balance – something pronounced on slope? (4,9)”.
Here’s the link for the answers and explanations: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2020/06/17/independent-10508-tees/
Borodin
batarde
Saboteur
Denzo
flashling
jonofwales
Cornick
sprouthater
uiytjhgmj
willow1235
idothei 
The four unknowns mentioned by Saboteur and on 225 pushed this up to three egg timers, but the rest of the puzzle was so smooth and fair as to be done in one. So with both 1a and 1d being difficult, i had the slowest of starts, but then the quickest of finishes.
Apart from the horrible 4d I was held up by 20d, as I thought cricketers talk about NETS rather than NET for practice.
Otherwise an enjoyable solve with only NAIVE able to be entered without thinking.
Eesh. Having 1a and 1d crossing each other must have doubled my time on this. The wordplay in both was fair and good, but with no idea of where the clues we’re heading I really struggled and needed the letter check button level of cheating to get me over the line.
Elsewhere good stuff all over the place. Thank you Tees.
Isn’t it interesting how we solve differently. 1a was my first one in and 1d my second, but I still only finished in my average time. I thought we were in for something a little smutty when reading the clues, but it must have been my overstimulated imagination (or was it?). Last one in, 4d, was the only unknown, and was a “this must be the answer” result, verified by Google. Favourite for the day was 14, the mismanagement of the collapse of which was at least partly responsible for the current horrors in the Middle East. NDY
The NW corner felt like it came from a different puzzle altogether, didn’t it? It was only 4d though that would really cause any issues, although I did feel the need to check FURBELOW. 3d being, let’s face it, something that was generally used as a slur against the fairer sex, should probably be consigned to history. As perhaps 15d should have been too – one which would have made even Hoskins blush.
I didn’t think the Roman goddess was too obscure – there is a brand of safety match named after her, which must be fairly well known.
i’m with grodnik – tees was a bit Frankie Howerd with the 3D, 9D who may or may not have 1D. ooer missus!
All fairly straightforward and solved in about 2⌛ time. Only 1ac needed confirmation in Chambers, and I had a slight hiccup trying to spell 15dn with an extra U between the B and the L but that was soon resolved.