I found this one very tough and there are some where I do not fully understand – some confirmed by a theme spotted late on – I refer to this after the clue explanations. (Thanks, Colin, in his notes 1 and 2 below, for explaining 4 and 5 down.)
Sovling time: 40 mins
* = anagram
ACROSS
6 OV U LATE “of ewe”
9 A TO P High is definition – theme helps to confirm – think it may be A = note on = to p = piano
11 STAIR ROD Rod Stewart – pop singer.
20 STAR (WAR) S Star = rush = plant
23 SUCKING PIG (picking Gus)*
26 NOVA cf Avon cosmetics
27 DEL TA (Volunteeers = Territorial Army, used a lot)
28 OWN GOA L (won)* Goa = Indian province, also used a lot L = league
DOWN
1 SUPPLI (CAT) Es
3 A (EO) N EO = Old game i.e. game once. Theme helped me here.
4 NARROWER, I think. Do not understand the wordplay which hints at the theme. (Explained by Colin below)
5 EDGE It’s a marge as in margin, but again I don’t get the wordplay – a word meaning heath with first and last letters off? (Yes, well, almost, explained by Colin below)
16 UNSOUND It means weak – it’s hidden in there. Think OTT is suggesting the whole phrase is more than the actual hidden answer.
17 AR (MEN) IAN Definition is “of W. Asian etc”
21 wAN GINA
24 KALE Cabbage = cole Soaring i.e. reversed Note E L left A (centre from Nat), K = king
25 (s) POOR
Theme: look at the edges of the grid A well-known cricketer (5,5) and a well-known cricket trophy (5) shown twice.
NARROWER is NASSER (Hussain) with ARROW (what fletcher makes) replacing ASS (oaf).
Heath LEDGER? An actor apparently.
Intensely dislike the clue for UNSOUND. Where’s the ‘hidden’ indicator?
Can someone explain why this site comes up with a message saying: “You’ve already said that’ when it is my first comment on this blog?!!!
OCTET
Why is 6D so obvious that it isn’t even mentioned? All I can see is that it’s O(ld)E(nglish)T(enor) around CT, to give OCTET. So the group is TC- or possibly -TC. ???
I assume the group is XTC – maybe not totally obvious, but easier for me than a couple of recent pop references in the Indie…
OCTET I should have mentioned this as another wordplay doubt. The answer seemed indisputable, though I’d to look it up to confirm it could be a composition as well as a group. I thought it might be ETC as a group of others, never thought of XTC, I’ll admit.
OCTET
Never heard of XTC. Who are the Beatles?
Some people in Swindon don’t think XTC obscure.
Apparently, ‘the inspiration was a Jimmy Durante film, of all things, in which the New York comic was searching for a lost chord. Having found it he cried: “Dat’s it. I’m in XTC”‘.
I’d heard of XTC all right but never thought of it in the context of the clue.
Heath L(EDGE)r. Today’s Indy tells us he’s 28 today.
Rather bemused by these somewhat obscure references. I’ve heard of XTC (seen them live, in fact-a fine band) but wasn’t expecting to find them in a daily crossword, and assumed, like Nmsindy, that ETC equalled GROUP, possible, but I don’t think I’d use it myself.
HEATH LEDGER rang only the faintest of bells…
HEATH LEDGER Don’t if it’s cos it’s his birthday week or not but Mon’s apparent reference by Mordred is followed (in a clue in to-day’s Indy by Dac) to a film that he has a lead role in.
I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of Mr Ledger in crosswords – as both his names mean something, he’s ideal crossword fodder, although it appears that a few people are unaware of him at present. I’m afraid my omniscience didn’t extend to knowing that it was his birthday week, but I did arrange it so that Punk’s Miller special appeared on Glenn Miller’s birthday, so there is sometimes a method in my madness.