Guardian 24813 / Brummie – Fifteensquared

We enjoyed this and just missed out 8 down, so it’s probably a good difficulty level for a daily puzzle. I particularly liked the surface readings of 9a, 10a, 3d and 12a. Update: thanks to Bryan for pointing out the theme, which I stupidly missed: WEST SIDE STORY is in the answers, along with the gangs (the JETS the SHARKS) and several songs (TONIGHT, MARIA, AMERICA, SOMEWHERE)

Across
9.	OVERPITCH	OVER = “ended” + PITCH = “asphalt”
10.	NORSE	(RE[a]SON)*
11.	AMERICA	ERIC = “Maybe Morecambe” in A MA = “a mother”
12.	TONIGHT	TIGHT = “Mean” around ON
13.	STORY	The U.S. spelling of “storey” is STORY
14.	SOMEWHERE	SOME = “Certain amount of” + WHERE = sounds like “wear”
16.	ANTIDEPRESSANTS	A + N = “name” + TIDE = “current” + PRESS = “crowd” + ANTS = “social beings”; I like the definition: “spirit raisers”
19.	DESERT RATS	DESERT = “Leave” + TAR = “salt” reversed
21.	MARIA	MA (Massachusetts) = “state” + AIR = “look” reversed
22.	JEALOUS	J = “Jack” + (EA = “each” + SOUL)*
23.	SPINACH	Cryptic definition, referring to Popeye eating cans of spinach
24.	TOKEN	A toast to Ken (“Barbie’s friend”) might be “TO KEN!”
25.	EIDER DOWN	EIDER = “seabird” + DOWN = “blue”
Down
1.	NO-MAN’S-LAND	N = “And, shortly” (as in Fish ‘n’ Chips) followed by (L MADONNA’S)*
2.	TELEPORT	(TREETOP)* around L = “lake”; the definition of TELEPORT in Chambers is “to move by telekinesis” which matches the definition here “practise thought transference?” (as in “transferring by thoughts”). I think the non-telekinesis sense of TELEPORT to mean “matter transference”, e.g. in Star Trek is much more common now – I’m surprised it’s not in Chambers.
3.	UPPITY	UP = “Happy?” + PITY = “Shame”
4.	STOA	STOA[t] = “Small carnivore”
5.	THE TEMPEST	HE TEMP = “non-permanent male employee” in TEST
6.	UNKNOWNS	Double definition
7.	BROGUE	B ROUGUE = “Not the feature film villain” (B as in B-movie)
8.	WEST	One sense of “to go west” is to die or be destroyed, i.e. “be lost”
14.	SUPPRESSED	SUP = “Drink” + PRESS = “jam” + ED = “journalist”
15.	ENSWATHING	(WHAT ENSIGN)*
17.	DORDOGNE	DONE = “Finished” around R = “river” + DOG = “track”
18.	NARRATOR	N = “bank’s No 3” + (ART ROAR)*
20.	SHARKS	SH = “quiet” + ARKS = “craft”
21.	MAIGRE	MAIGRET = “Fictional detective” without T = “temperature”; Chambers gives this as “relating to a fast-day or to a fast”, presumably from its other adjectival meaning, describing non-meat food suitable for a fast day
22.	JETS	JET = “Sooty” + ‘S
23.	SIDE	[re]SIDE[nt] (split lease = RE NT); I hadn’t heard this meaning of “side” before – apparently it can mean (as a noun) “a pretentious air, arrogance (informal)” (Chambers). At least this was easy from the cryptic part.

12 comments on “Guardian 24813 / Brummie”

I thought 8dn could be BEAT.
If it went before ‘it’, ‘beat it’ could be mean ‘be lost’, ‘go away’.
It’s not a watertight solution but given that many clues are less than watertight, I think it’s acceptable.

Many thanks, mhl, I enjoyed this although I came unstuck with Maigret/Maigre. One I’d forgotten; the other I’d never heard of.

Consequently, I had wondered if MARIA (21a) was correct.

Later, I recognised the theme which confirmed Maria as correct

Musix of the day? Anything from West Side Story.

Sorry, ACP, but alas there’s no musical called ‘Beat Side Story’.

Hmmph, I never saw the West Side Story theme!

This reminds me of one of my favourite clues from Enigmatic Variations many years ago – took me ages to twig it:

Jaws 1 (Spielburg film) sharks enemy (3)

Nick

Bryan: aaargh, I love West Side Story, but completely missed the theme! I’ll add a note at the top of the post.

Actually glad I didn’t notice the theme – much prefer solving the clues in their own right. Could have done with the help on West, though!

Bryan, I understand that it doesn’t fit with the theme, which admittedly, didn’t occur to me.
However, I stand by my original post because there’s nothing that says the answer HAD to be in a theme. Taken by itself, the clue could go either way.

Started out well, nice and steady, but then I struggled with, and failed to get, the last few: 1d 13a and 8d. I had UPPISH for 3d which didn’t help. (I thought PISH, to express disdain, might just do)

1d – didn’t Madonna have a footpath dispute recently, just before she was 50 (in 2004); so this is almost an &lit.