i Cryptic Crossword 4167 Klingsor
June 14, 2024
Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳
If you solved yesterday’s cryptic, then 16ac should have come straight to mind. If this morning you needed to look at yesterday’s solution then you too will have had the answer come readily to you. One Capital, two crosswords, two clues, one misdirecting you to Japan and the far east, the other to Scandanavia, perhaps, or at least somewhere northern.
This was a delight to solve, with the polished surfaces and impeccable word-play of an accomplished setter. Plus some humour along the way.
I got a little stuck for a while in the bottom right corner. Rather lazily, I thought 20 ac was “outwit”. It matched the definition of Be smarter than; I couldn’t get the word-play (of course, because I was wrong) but thought I would go back at the end and sort it out. That meant I couldn’t get perform in theatre?, and still hadn’t got Oscar Wilde’s great character creation. I’m ashamed to confess that despite many incidences like this, I still fail to think that I might be wrong, instead believing that of course I am right, I just need to unpick the clue more carefully. Will I learn? Probably not. It was suspecting a pangram that put me right. With the J, the Z and the Q already there, I began to wonder…
There’s no Wagner today, from this Wagnerian setter; but we did get the opportunity to click on YouTube for Smetana. Having visited Prague, I did know one Czech river, with its unlikely series of consonants, and it was the right one. I love the way that cryptics can lead you to explore in all directions
I loved the Deep blue, the Capital, One bores, and the Artist. My Clue of the Day, however, is the crosswordy 11ac: “In due course, a clue for galleon? (3,2,4,4)”.
Here’s the link for the answers and explanations: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2020/07/25/independent-10451-by-klingsor/
Borodin
batarde
Saboteur
Denzo
flashling
jonofwales
Cornick
sprouthater
uiytjhgmj
willow1235
idothei 
Yes, the CoD was outstanding wasn’t it? REDOLENT, SCATHING and plenty of other good ‘uns too.
Wish I’d spotted the pangram which would have probably got me JACK at the end without recourse to a wordsearch. Never mind.
Then I also bunged in OUTWIT at first but managed to keep remembering that it was probably wrong!
Super puzzle as usual from Klingsor, but not as chewy as they sometimes can be, I felt. There were no real hold-ups for me until the end when I was left with 25d and 24a. Then it occurred to me that it was probably a pangram, which revealed the missing ‘J’, and voilà! The Lady in question followed shortly after. As for 16a, it was one of the two I didn’t get yesterday, but I had no problem today!
Favourites were the CoD, ULTRAMARINE, OUTFOX, ATTEMPTS and lastly REDOLENT, which made me laugh.
A couldn’t parse 8d, but apart from that, smooth and enjoyable. ⌛⌛½ here, I think. Yes, 11d was very good.
Didn’t spot the pangram, but on the other hand at least I picked the right 20a first time and I also knew the river (yes, because of Smetana), so swings and roundabouts!
Seeing Klingsor’s name was encouraging and I became so absorbed that all but two answers were in when I realised I had not yet eaten breakfast. Returning with a bowl of cereals I remembered that I was missing J for a pangram and slotted in the elusive JACK then ATTEMPT for LOI. Super puzzle taking scarcely 2 egg timers.
I noticed the capital’s re-appearance with a different OBI. I passed by the LAKE thinking it would be difficult, but later the LADY seemed obvious, perhaps because I had seem her FAN in 22d. CoD has to be the CLUE FOR GALLEON, but I also loved THOUGHT and TINTORETTO.
I know the river from Smetana’s music so 5a came quickly; if you choose to listen to the link on fifteensquared, please stay for the complete seven minutes to hear a rippling stream in the Bohemian mountains develop gradually into a mighty river flowing majestically through Prague.
I once clued the capital in question as a reversal of ‘Ivorian’ + swapping the V for a B, but Tees and Klingsor were very much on the same wavelength.
I didn’t know either meaning of OBI but solved yesterday from;N+AIR+crossers and today from N and having observed that the editor has a habit of often presenting puzzles with an answer also appearing in a different recent puzzle (though not often as soon as the next day)!
I can’t remember for the life of me whether obi was a word I learned ‘legitimately’ or if it’s just another bit of Crosswordese I picked up like san or ide. Probably the latter 🙂
Not forgetting Wan Kenobi of that ilk 😉
Yes, that was good, wasn’t it? No real problems, until that is 25d, which was a lucky guess as both definitions eluded me.
Got everything except 25dn. If I’d thought to look for a pangram I’d have got that too. Otherwise an enjoyable solve, as always with Klingsor.