Half-way through solving this I thought I was on for a record time – covering half the grid in a very few minutes. Then I slowed and then got interrupted by Real Life. Coming back to it a few hours later I finished it off with not much trouble except for 1/23 CROSSWORD SETTER which took far too long and especially the final 17D BESMEAR.
Re: The blog title: Drummers do seem to come for a pasting. My No.1 Son is a drummer. [God! this sounds like an AA meeting “My name is beermagnet and my son is a drummer”]. Anyway, the band he plays in parted company with the chap on Rhythm Guitar. But rather than find a new guitarist they found another drummer – so Son1 moved over to play the “Rhythm Axe” instead – Cue comments such as “Oh! You’ve become a musician!”. Anyway, I saw one of their gigs and can report they all enjoy playing together now – mind you, I’d rather he was still playing Rachmaninoff on the Grahnd Piahno. Instead, it’s Heavy Metal. I did get my hearing back after 3 days – next time I’ll wear earplugs – they do.
By the way have you heard about the new Indian dish, chicken tarka …
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1/23 | CROSSWORD SETTER CROSSWORD (Bugger, say) SETTER (Shaggy cur) Def: Cyclops. I don’t mind admitting this took a while and several crossing letters |
| 6 | ICBM I (“Eye” Eye’s report) C (Cameron’s first) BM (Brenda mishandled initially). Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. Another hangover from the 50s that is still around but people don’t talk about so much. First answer entered |
| 9 | SPIRAL (LIAR MPs – M)* AInd: Tossing |
| 10 | TENT POLE E inside TNT (Energy eating explosive) POLE (European) Def: Trouser snake formation. Referring to that unbidden condition that occurs to the male of the species typically when teenage in the most enbarrassing circs. |
| 11/22 | PLAYING AWAY FROM HOME Double Def. |
| 13 | IN MY BOOK (OK I’M BONY)* AInd: Gaga |
| 14 | LARIAT (A TRAIL)* AInd: Tweaked |
| 15 | HOLD IT OLD (Senior) inside HIT (smack) |
| 17 | BEVERAGE BE[a]VER (Fanny missing a) AGE (period) |
| 19 | DRUG-PUSHING DRUG (E) PUSHING (advertising) |
| 24 | ONER [b]ONER |
| 25 | GRAND DUKE G[ood] RAND (money) DUKE (fist) |
| Down | |
| 2 | ROPE OR< (OR perverse) PE (exercise) |
| 3 | STROPPY DD/CD Referring to Sweeny Todd, who, as a barber, would strop his razor so that it was so sharp you wouldn’t feel a thing … |
| 4 | WALKABOUT LAW< (Statute reversed), (UK BOAT)* AInd: rocked. Attempt to mislead you to think about Radio Caroline “The Boat that Rocked” |
| 5 | RETHINK (THE)* AInd: nuts, inside RINK (Area for curling) |
| 6 | IN POWER IN (elected) P[arty] OWER (one with obligation) Def: Labour is no longer |
| 7 | BELLY LAUGH BELLY (corporation) LAUGH (break up) |
| 8 | SNOG GON[ad]S< (Balls turned up without a date) Liked this one. |
| 12 | ANY OLD IRON (RANDILY + O)* AInd: dicky, ON (working) |
| 14 | LIVE IN SIN CD I think, unless there’s more to this: Get knotted? No, carry on as you are (4,2,3) |
| 16 | DRUMMER [ban]D RUMMER (more wacky). I think the question mark at the end of this clue is just to improve the surface reading. If so it worked because it’s my clue of the grid: Ringo: band’s last member to get more wacky? (7) |
| 17 | BESMEAR Hidden in stroBES: “ME A Rogue . Last answer – yet again it is a hidden that I could not see till the end. |
| 18 | RIGHTED RIGHT (just) ED (Miliband) |
| 20/21 | POOP DECK POOP (shit) DECK (dress) |
… It’s like chicken tikka, but a little ‘otter
25a I was torn between wordplay being “grand” for good money and as you have it, g + rand. What was the “given” doing there?
Much easier than last one -loved 17a
On 16d I thought the question mark was an indication that “rummer” is not a real word (in that sense). I agree with bamberger on 17a being excellent.
I really enjoyed this one, but had to ‘phone a friend’ for the top right corner, trying to force SCUD in for the long range threat somehow (EYE = C U refusing to leave my head and blinding me to all else) at the same time as getting IN POWER but not why it was right.
I got ‘Crossword Setter’ and laughed, but couldn’t manage any of the other clues!
14D: Get knotted = Get married, so not a CD
16D: Rum = strange, twisted, wacky (old usage, such as “She’s a rum un”, meaning a bit unusual in a negative sense)
I’m probably showing my age here!
bamberger: In 25A The “Given” is there to provide the structure to the clue in a way that makes a sensible and humourous surface reading. Rewording you might get “Good money fist gives a Prince” but that doesn’t make much sense. I would agree that “Good money, fist a Prince” could work I think it is better the way it is.
Gazza: Rummer is a word, as John says. The world would be rummer if occasional adjectives didn’t take their comparative form.
John: Yes, I know “Get knotted” was a ref to “tieing the knot” but I can’t see how else to define the clue type except as a Cryptic Def. The clue is certainly too misleading to call it a Single Def. “Get knotted, No” might suffice for a Def. But what to do with the rest of the clue then? Can “carry on as you are” also define ‘Live in sin’, making it a DD? Am I missing something?