Obvious from looking at the clues that this was a golf-based puzzle, timed to coincide with the start of the US Masters. Made a lot of quick early progress but then it got harder and I finally had to admit defeat with three, 17A, 17D and 24 A. Have to admit that nmsindy knowledge of golf is fairly limited so may have missed some references. Was impressed at how much thematic material Radian packed in to the puzzle.
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
7 Fred COUPLES A former winner of the Masters and def: twosomes
8 MASTERS (streams)* Got this straightaway which confirmed the theme
9 BEAR Jack Nicklaus, 6 times winner, is known as the “Golden Bear” bear = stand
10 CRACKDOWN Liked this one (card ck won)* in dropped from Cink (a golfer, holder of the British Open)
12 GRASS def = informer also refers to ‘bent grass’ which is relevant to golf, I think
13 TAMPERED m (second letter of amateurs) in (red tape)* Good surface
15 MESH Hidden, with another good surface
16 SPOON An old golf club (NO OPS)<
17 TOGS Had to look this up. “Terry’s fans became upset by his finale”. Think the wordplay may be (GOT)< thiS but do not understand the rest
18 ON-CAMERA New Course in (O’Meara)* = one of two appearances by the golfer Mark O’Meara in the puzzle
20 JUDGE “Law about driving ultimately interpreted by him” I got this right, it may be drivinG in JUDE but not sure why or it may be something else entirely.
21 ORGIASTIC (Scotia gir)*
22 Sandy LYLE Another former winner. ladylike less the letters in those positions.
24 SEASIDE Missed this, which is SETASIDE less T. 21D is OPEN so I think this refers to the British Open being held at a seaside course.
25 GEORGIA Hidden in judGE ORGIAstic (20A, 21A) with a nice use of links referring to golf. The US state in which the Masters is held.
DOWN
1 HOLE “whole” cup = hole (golf)
2 AP (PRO) ACH (a chap)*
3 RE C CES sec< This was my favourite clue
4 MARK’S MAN Definition: good shot First name of both of those golfers is Mark, I think.
5 STROKE Cryptic definition – 12D is GREEN and also refers to golf = each shot is a stroke
6 IRON Cryptic definition that I liked – bag with golf clubs
11 A STRONAUT (to Saturn)* &lit
12 GREEN 20D is JACKET Green Jacket awarded to winner of the Masters. 19D is AUGUST(a) so it may also refer to greens being fast there, but I’d defer to the golfing people on that one.
14 EAGLE Liked this. In golf, eagle is a shot two under par, and a birdie a shot one under par
16 STEWARDS I think this refers to stewards at the Masters and that it is basically a definition
17 TIDDLERS Missed this one, suspected it, but could not find it in dicts in the sense of an easy golf shot which it may mean – don’t understand the rest “Rejected by hookers, they’re simply put away”
19 AUGUST(a) Masters played at Augusta
20 JACK Nicklaus ET best “occasional” = alternate letters
21 O (PE) N on = leg (cricket side)
22 LAID dial<
Thanks nms,
Very impressive how many themed references are used here.
17ac. refers to Terry Wogan’s fans who, apparently, are known as “Togs”
20ac. is (drivin)G in JUDE (Law)
17d. Tiddlers would be rejected by Anglers (hookers).
I loved 25ac. but (pedantry alert…) I thought “links” only applied to seaside courses?
“Links” appears to mean that if you “link” the words together you find georgia . . . judGEORGIAstic. It is also, as you say, a golfing term for a seaside course and thus continues the theme of the puzzle, which is golf, not simply the Open.
12a Bentgrass is a type of grass sometimes used on greens. Indeed, Augusta has a reputation for fast greens.
17a TOGs = Terry’s Old Gits
16d the edges = TE; in SWARDS
Terry’s Old Geezers in polite company 😉 Tel being slightly golf mad. Extremely clever puzzle.
I interpreted georgia as GE or GIA, since judge has ge and orgiastic as gia, but the hidden explanation probably makes more sense. That was the key thing to helping me finish the puzzle as I was really struggling with 21 – nova as an anagram indicator went vaguely through my head, but didn’t seem very likely. For a long time I was put off by the clues which referenced 20 and 21 as they didn’t make it clear whether it was the across or down versions.
In general, the bottom half was a lot harder than the top. I’m still a bit unhappy with 5 down – what specifically has stroke got to do with green, other than you make a stroke on the green ? I suppose it’s a CD – a rub that you have on the green would be a stroke, but it seems a bit unsatisfying somehow. Also, I’m not really familiar with “man” as an expression of approval in 4 down, although it’s a word which seems to be used in lots of contexts, so I suppose that could be one of them.
Thinking about it some more, maybe it’s in the sense of “you’re the man”. I don’t know if that’s how other people saw it.
Came to solve this late, having spent an hour and a half in a fifteen mile tailback on the M1 on the way home, so never likely to make much progress (my brain seems to shut down for crosswords in the evening). Was cheered to get the theme straight away from 8ac, but because imho golf is such a pointless game, my enthusiasm waned quickly (it’s just mindless prejudice, before you ask – at least in football and cricket the ball’s moving). In the paper version the clue for 12dn cites 19ac, and since there is no 19ac that’s when I finally decided to call it a day and open the wine.
Promise not to be grumpy tomorrow. Thanks for blogging, nms, and to Radian for a crozzie that I’m sure provided entertainment for others.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, a good puzzle spoiled. I know less than nothing about golf so most of the references were lost on me.
The editor did warn me that I might alienate non-fans, so it’s my fault if you felt grumpy. My defence is that I know little or nothing about football or pop music so, given the chance, I made a puzzle about something more familiar to me.
19A is a sneaky way of referring to AugustA. “Man” is given in both Chambers and Collins as an exclamation of surprise or pleasure. “Rub of the green” has passed from golf into more common parlance as “uncontrollable events” – not a very good clue I admit.
Thanks for your comments; they’re always welcome. Now back to the Masters on the box.
As someone who was a golf orphan and thus has forgotten more about it than many others know now, the bits that threw me were the more modern ones, Radian!
When I realised it was a golf theme, I did grin with delight – but what, no Harry Vardon, no Bobby Jones? (Okay, I also read my grandfather’s golf books as well…) And what about Seve?
I particularly liked 17 down, which made me chuckle a lot when I got it.
Nice to hear from you Jenny.
Looking at the leaderboard from Augusta I now feel happier, having ‘predicted’ two of the top 10, Couples and Lyle. Pity about McIlroy, though.
Did this a day late. Am with Radian on this — we have endless references to football and pop music so it’s nice to have something that I at any rate am familiar with. But I never really understood 6dn: where does the ‘at the start’ come in?
Pity Couples and Lyle didn’t last, although at least now we won’t have to put up with Allis’s odious remarks about Couples being like a large friendly dog and all that. Now let’s hear it for Poulter and Westwood.
Should have called him Alliss.
Wil. Only noticing your query now. Initial letters of ‘for everyone’ = Fe
Thanks Radian. Excellent.