This was mostly straighforward but with just a few much harder clues thrown in to the mix.
I liked the &lits here, both comple and partial. My favourite, though probably the easiest, was 10 across LIGHTER. Thank you Aardvark.
Hold the mouse pointer over any clue number to read the clue.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GRAPHITE | RAP and HIT (two strikes) in bowlinG gameE (final letters of) – definition is ‘lead’, in a pencil |
| 5 | B-SIDES | BeSIDES (also) missing E=energy |
| 10 | LIGHTER | anagram (what is used to make) THE GRILL (mostly) – definition is &lit (the entire clue is both the definition and the subsidiary) |
| 11 | TARNISH | TAR (salt) and completioN (closing letter) with HIS* (anagram=cooking) – definition is ‘spoil’ |
| 12 | ERATO | bEaR tAtToOs regularly (every other letter) – Greek godess, the muse of lyric poetry |
| 13 | YATCH CLUB | CLUTCH* (anagram=rubbish) in BAY (section of coast) reversed (back) |
| 14 | CAIRN TERRIER | CARRIER (postman) going round INERT* (anagram=unusally) – definition is &lit, cairn terriers are yappy little dogs that get very excited when the postman calls (apologies to cairn terrier owners, I’m sure they are lovely really). |
| 18 | DISCONTINUED | TUNED IN (anagram=to broadcast) following DISCO (dance music) – definition is ‘stopped’ |
| 21 | IMRAN KHAN | RANK (standing) with Hampshire (opening letter) in MAIN* (building=anagram) – fomer cricket captain of Pakistan |
| 23 | MURAL | some of reveaL A RUMour reversed (about) |
| 24 | T S ELIOT | Sonnet (primarily=first letter) in TOILET (the smallest room) reversed (reviewed |
| 25 | ESTONIA | E (earth, electrical) and STONIA sounds like “stonier” (more rocky) |
| 26 | DITHER | I (one, Roman numeral) in Dog Track (first letters) with HER (lady) – definition is ‘a flutter’ |
| 27 | PSYCH OUT | (YOUTHS PC)* jostled=anagram |
| Down | ||
| 1 | GULLET | GULL (seabird) ThE (unoccupied=no middle) reversed (upset) – part of the alimentory canal |
| 2 | AFGHAN | FGH (three consecutive characters) in (caught by) AA (The Automobile Association, motorists) then N (north, bearing) – definition is ‘coat’ |
| 3 | HOT POTATO | (TOP HAT TOO)* |
| 4 | TERRY PRATCHETT | ERR (error, blunder) in TYPe (print) almost, then (THE TRACT)* anagram=ruined – Sir Terrence David John Pratchett, English novelist. I spent ages mistakenly trying to make TYPO fit in here somewhere. |
| 6 | SPRAT | Recordbreaking (source=first letter) in SPAT (quarrel) |
| 7 | DRILL BIT | DRILL (training) BI (twice) on Treadmill (principally=first letter) – drill bits bore holes. |
| 8 | SCHUBERT | CHUB (fish, member of school) in REST* (played=anagram) – my favourite composer. |
| 9 | STOCKTON-ON-TEES | ON ON (charged, repeatedly) in (SOCKET TEST)* anagram=arranged – town in north-east England. My Chambers does not have ‘charged’ as a definition for ‘on’, I can’t think of an example usage for this. There is charge! for on!, but this does not work well in the past tense. |
| 15 | RHEUMATIC | U (university) in (THE CAR I’M)* manoeuvring=anagram |
| 16 | ADMITTED | MITT (hand) houseE (close to=last letter of) in ADD (tot) – definition is ‘taken to hospital’ |
| 17 | ESURIENT | USE (consume) reversed (travelling north, up the grid) RIEN (nothing in France) T sounds like “tea” – esurient means hungry. If one has not eaten by teatime (even in France), then one would be hungry. |
| 19 | BRONCO | BRONx (US borough) with X=unknown removed then CO (officer) |
| 20 | PLIANT | I (unit, one) in PLANT (factory) |
| 22 | NAIVE | VIENnA* (anagram=sadly) with N=note removed |
*anagram
9D, possibly charged as in a credit card?
Eg. what card did you put the bill on? = what card was charged?
I think that the use of the word “charged” may possibly have something to do with heraldic wording, where a “charge” is something placed over or “on” a main part of the field? The verb derives from the noun in this case.
But seeing “Angryvocab”‘s comment above, he is probably more correct as being more 21st century than mine
!!!!
Hi ANgryVocab and Brain, good ideas that I hadn’t thought of. I can’t get either to work properly though.
In heraldry charges are emblems placed on the shield. As a verb, to charge a shield is to put emblems on it, and a charged shield is one having emblems on it.
However, ‘charged’ does not mean the same as ‘on’ that I can see. “the shield is charged with emblems” makes sense, “the shield is on with emblems” doesn’t really make sense to me.
Similarly, “what card did you put the bill charged” or “what card was on” does not really make sense.
Thanks Aardvark for a pleasant crossword and PeeDee for the blog.
9dn: The best I can think of is that a battery that has been charged is working and hence on, but I am not happy with this and would welcome a better idea. I have the same problems with the suggestions in comments 1 and 2 that PeeDee has articulated in comment 4.
Thanks for the blog, Peedee.
Pelham @5: I was thinking along similar lines. For ‘on’ as an adverb, Chambers gives:
in or into, or allowing connection, supply, activity, operation or validity.
“My sonic toothbrush was charged last night / My sonic toothbrush was on last night.”
Thanks Aardvark.
STOCKTON-ON-TEES: I liked the “here” in north-east England!
I would always say ‘on charge’ for that – insufficient data otherwise.
I agree, ‘on’ does not mean ‘on charge’. If someone told me their toothbrush was on all night, I would assume it was buzzing away in the bathroom, not sitting quietly on the charger.
re 10A I took ‘to activate’ as the anagram indicator.
Thanks to PeeDee for the comprehensive blog.
I came here hoping for an explanation of “on” but it seems to have eluded better brains than mine. The only other possibility I thought of was “drunk”, or “on the way to being drunk” as Chambers has it. I’m not in the least convinced.
Thanks for the bog, PeeDee. With you on Schubert!
My best guess is that there was a misprint in 9dn, the clue should have read
“Charge repeatedly during socket test…”
SPOILER ALERT for FT 14,054 if anyone reading this has not yet done that puzzle:
Orense uses “working” = “on”. We can then possibly resolve 9dn by “charged” = “working” = “on”, and I do not think we have changed meaning when making the two-step link. Having said that, I like PeeDee’s suggestion @11 better. I should also like to support the comment by Mike@6. It is good to see “here” in a clue for a place name.
Sorry @12 I am repeating myself. I had forgotten what I had said @5 and failed to check it.