We found this trickier than the average Radian, with what initially appeared to be a straightforward theme (see 22A, 17D, 18D, 21D and 23D). As we worked our way through the puzzle we realised that the theme recurred (pardon the pun!) with some wider connections from 16A to 11A and 20D, and in a different way to 6D and 15D (although we have some concerns about the definition in 15D).
We are still baffled by the parsing of 22D – any thoughts would be most welcome!
All-in-all, a good Tuesday work-out, with some inventive clue construction, novel thematic connections and excellent surface reading, albeit with some rather dubious liberties perhaps being taken with one or two definitions.
| Across | ||
| 9 | One revolutionary who invaded Italian city | |
| NAPOLEON 1 | An anagram of ONE (anagrind is ‘revolutionary’) inside or ‘invading’ NAPOLI (Italian city) = cryptic definition – Napoleon invaded Napoli in 1806 | |
| 10 | Old gun firing last big shots in Athens | |
| OUZOS | O (old) UZ(i) (‘gun’ with last letter removed or ‘fired’) + OS (big as in out-size) = shots (as in drinks) in Athens | |
| 11 | Having ousted heretic, libertarians angrily rise up | |
| BRISTLE | An anagram of LIBERT(arian)S with ARIAN (heretic) removed or ‘ousted’ (anagrind is ‘angrily’) = rise up. We needed all the checking letters for this one – which has a (slightly tenuous?) connection to the theme. | |
| 12 | More calamint ends in essence | |
| EXTRACT | EXTRA (more) + first and last letters or ‘ends’ of C(alamin)T = essence | |
| 13 | Adult phase in writer’s past | |
| IMAGO | I’M (Writer’s as in writer is) + AGO (past) = adult phase in insects | |
| 14 | Bird has end away, led astray? Husband’s ultimately this | |
| CUCKOLDED | CUCKO(o) (bird) with final letter removed or ‘end away’ + anagram of LED (anagrind is ‘astray’) + (husban)D last letter or ‘ultimately’ = cryptic definition – if a wife or ‘bird’ is unfaithful, or ‘has her end away’, then the husband in bygone days would have been this | |
| 16 | 17’s 11s perhaps, 4 25 | |
| THE HAIR OF THE DOG | The ‘Airedale’s’ bristle’ (17’s 11) could be referred to as ‘the hair of the dog’ = ‘more of the same’ (4 25) – as in the putative treatment for a hangover (which has never worked for us!!) | |
| 19 | Leaving Henry left Arthur in deep trouble | |
| DEPARTURE | An anagram of ART(h)UR with H (Henry) removed or ‘left’ in an anagram of DEEP (anagrind is ‘trouble’) = leaving | |
| 21 | 9’s temporary home’s turned dark | |
| SABLE | ELBA’S (Napoleon 1 (9Ac) was temporarily on Elba when he was exiled) reversed or ‘turned’ = dark. | |
| 22 | Thematic type of university degree in Slough | |
| BULLDOG | U (university) + LLD (degree – Doctor of Laws) in BOG (slough) = ‘thematic type’ – a breed or type of dog | |
| 23 | It’s probably wiser if erratum’s corrected | |
| MATURER | Anagram of ERRATUM (anagrind is ‘corrected’) = probably wiser, as in ‘older and wiser’ | |
| 24 | Relative of 21A losing top board support | |
| EASEL | (w)EASEL (relative of sable (21A) – a marten) without the first letter or ‘top’ = board support | |
| 25 | See 4D | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Home brew nearly spoilt a diet devised for drunk | |
| INEBRIATED | IN (home) + an anagram of BRE(w) – without the last letter, or ‘nearly’ (anagrind is ‘spoilt’) + an anagram of A DIET (anagrind is ‘devised’) = drunk | |
| 2 | Waste a grand cracking 20 nuts | |
| SPOILAGE | A G (grand) in, or ‘cracking’ an anagram of PILOSE (20D) – anagrind is ‘nuts’ = waste | |
| 3 | Live in bed mostly under the table | |
| BLOTTO | L (live, as in live, neutral and earth wires) in BOTTO(m) (‘bed’ without the last letter, or ‘mostly’) = under the table | |
| 4/25 | “Heat some for me for mashing,” Oliver requested | |
| MORE OF THE SAME | Anagram of HEAT SOME FOR ME (anagrind is ‘for mashing’) = the famous request from Oliver Twist (although the ‘of the same’ isn’t in the original quote, but is obviously inferred) | |
| 5 | Ignoring petty officer, cops fence off English sub | |
| LICENCE FEE | (po)LICE (‘cops’ without, or ‘ignoring’ PO – petty officer) + an anagram of FENCE (anagrind is ‘off’) + E (English) = sub(scription) | |
| 6 | Note about government traffic warning that may be pulled | |
| DOGTOOTH | DOH (note) around G (government) TOOT (traffic warning) = something that may be pulled, i.e. a canine tooth – connecting to the theme | |
| 7 | Comedy actor’s stomach’s not good | |
| IZZARD | (g)IZZARD (stomach without the ‘g’ or ‘good’) = our favourite comedian Eddie, who is also an actor | |
| 8 | VW’s dropping adults over here | |
| PSST | P(a)SS(a)T (a VW car, with the two ‘a’s (adults) omitted, or ‘dropped’) = an exclamation that can be interpreted as ‘over here!’ | |
| 14 | 23D’s gone haywire after insults by grump | |
| CURMUDGEON | CUR (mutt – 23D) + an anagram of GONE (anagrind is ‘haywire’) after MUD (insults, as in ‘mud-slinging’) = grump | |
| 15 | Busybodies foolishly agreed with Boris banning article | |
| DOGBERRIES | Anagram of (a)GREED and BORIS without or ‘banning’ ‘a’ (article) – anagrind is ‘foolishly’ = busybodies(?) – Chambers describes this as a ‘pompous muddle-headed person’ after the character in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, but this doesn’t really describe a busybody – it does however connect to the theme! | |
| 17 | Thematic type displayed 22D | |
| AIREDALE | AIRED (displayed) + ALE (beer – 22D) = ‘thematic type’ | |
| 18 | Thematic type bored silly with crew | |
| DOBERMAN | Anagram of BORED (anagrind is ‘silly’) + MAN (crew, as a verb) = ‘thematic type’ | |
| 20 | Thematic types typically soil ground during training | |
| PILOSE | Anagram of SOIL (anagrind is ‘ground’) in, or ‘during’ PE (training) = dogs, the ‘thematic types’, are typically hairy | |
| 21 | Thematic type runs to usurp end of sofa | |
| SETTER | SETTE(e) (sofa) with R (runs) in place of, or ‘usurping’ the last letter or ‘end’ = ‘thematic type’ | |
| 22 | Drink improved after pioneer’s investment | |
| BEER | We’re still baffled by this one. The answer must be BEER (drink) as it is referred to in 17D (as ‘ale’) – we think that the parsing must be that ‘beer’ would become ‘better’ (improved) by the ‘investment’ or insertion of ‘tt’, but we can’t see why ‘tt’ should be ‘pioneer’ – any thoughts out there?? | |
| 23 | Thematic type moults regularly on time | |
| MUTT | M(o)U(l)T(s) (alternative, or ‘regular’ letters) + T (time) = ‘thematic type’ | |
Re 22d – “Pioneer” is a type of teetotaller, so Beer would be “improved”, BeTTer, with the investment of the pioneer.
I really liked this, in spite of my hopeless unfamiliarity with the theme – he made it accessible for non-dog people. Thanks for the blog.
Here it is – Collins (The Free Dictionary, online):
Pioneer1
n
a total abstainer from alcoholic drink, esp a member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, a society devoted to abstention
Sorry – me again.
Re 15d – Dogberry is a busybody or “busy” for short in the (often Liverpudlian) sense of a policeman (he’s a constable), and Collins (again) says “a foolish, meddling, and usually old official” which would seem to fit too. I think it’s a fair description of Dogberry in Much Ado too. He keeps trying to take charge, explain things etc. and is in fact uselesss.
Thanks Thomas99 – we obviously need to broaden our dictionary access! Many thanks.
Fits much better with the ‘muddle-headed’ defintion for me, and, like you B&J, I had no idea why PIONEER = TT! Maybe a bit dark for a daily, but I still liked it. Fave rave IZZARD, though I’m tempted to quibble the grammar… dangerous territory!
Cheers
Rowly.
I’d forgotten that Radian is one of the aliases of one of my favourite setters – a few clues in were enough to remind me. At 22 I fairly recently found out that ‘Dog’ ia a way of ordering Newcastle Brown Ale – it comes from the Geordie excuse “I’m just off to walk the dog, pet”. I believe it’s well-enough established to be written on the back of the bottles.
Lovely crossord, thanks to setter and B&J.
I don’t like dogs, but I did like this puzzle. I got lucky with getting HAIR OF THE DOG quite early from the enumeration, so that helped with the themed clues. And to be fair, all the breeds were pretty well known ones.
CUCKOLDED appealed to my sense of humour, and I also thought PSST was clever.
Fine puzzle and blog; thanks all three.
Yes, I liked this one though it caused some head-scratching, and some of the parsings passed me by, e.g. BEER (which I ought to have known) and BLOTTO (which I couldn’t fathom at all having got hung up on the frequent crossword device of ‘live’ = ‘be’ or ‘are’) so thanks to bloggers and commenters.
As well as the canine connections there is something of a subsidiary drink-related theme – INEBRIATED, BLOTTO, OUZOS, BEER, etc.
Thought 8d was clever, but we seem to have had PSST in quite a few crosswords recently, albeit clued in different ways.
Yes, good fun puzzle from Radian and excellent blog from B&J – the beer one reminded me of an ad for some well-known gin or whisky many years ago which had (with people dressed as explorers) – “Pioneers drink it in exotic climes”. Favourite clue CUCKOLDED, also esp liked toot = traffic warning in 6D.
Well, I’ve managed about half of it…