[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Monk has as always given us a very enjoyable crossword. There is one about which I’m not all that sure, so if you’re one of those people who came to the blog in the hope of finding something out, then it’s very likely that both you and I have the same problem and we’ll have to wait until wiser people post. (Yes, very simple of course — blog updated.)
Reading clockwise round the outside are the words rain, Spain, mainly, plain, which refer to the song from My Fair Lady “The Rain in Spain“, but which seem to stand alone: is there a link between this and the crossword?
Definitions in italics.
Across
6 He could transport van of Hugh Laurie after a crash (7)
HAULIER
H{ugh} (Laurie)*
7 Michael sent back old computer (5)
ENIAC
(Caine)rev. — it could have been any of hundreds of people called Michael, so this relied on checkers — the ENIAC was the Electronic Numeral Integrator And Computer
9 Regularly penalizing extremist (4)
NAZI
{pe}na{li}zi{ng} — Monk is always looking for unusual ways that are indicated by “regularly”
10 Ban a female with a record, a disreputable one (5,5)
BLACK SHEEP
black [= ban] she EP
11 Fish eating seaweed that’s chemically perfect? (5,3)
IDEAL GAS
alga [= seaweed] in ides [= fish]
13 Brief entry record about company’s port (6)
ANCONA
anna{l} [ = entry record] round [= about] co — Ancona is a port in Italy
15 Alcohol found in fruit salad from the east (4)
ASTI
Hidden rev. in fruIT SAlad
17 Missing a note, make a mess of horn (5)
BUGLE
bu{n}gle
18 Son runs into fat pig with sides splitting dress (4)
SARI
s a(r)i — the a and i come from {f}a{t} {p}i{g}
19 Blair possibly isolated by Left for including independent (6)
LIONEL
i [= independent] in lone [= isolated] l — here we are given a “possibly” for Lionel, although there are plenty of people called Blair just as there are plenty of people called Michael (7ac, where there was none) — is there some convention about whether it’s the first or second name?
20 Starts to survey peeper, one endlessly enjoying short slip (8)
SPILIKIN
s{urvey} p{eeper} 1 likin{g} — not a word I knew, but obvious enough from the childhood game of spillikins
23 Appealing in print (10)
PHOTOGENIC
CD — a photographic print
26 Chap having a turn, stopped by a seizure in court (4)
NAAM
(man)rev. around a — a naam is a legal term meaning distraint
27 Remove limits in escalator clause (5)
RIDER
Not quite sure here — a rider is a clause and the word scalato [{e}scalato{r}] is in one dictionary but is not apparently equivalent to rider, and is an Italian word whose meaning is beyond me, but seems to be vaguely related to climbing and possibly riding — thanks Muffyword @1, although no doubt there will be others, obvious as usual, it’s rid e{scalato}r
28 Those taking it easy lost marbles (7)
AMBLERS
(marbles)*
Down
1 Musing, Mark stops downfall (10)
RUMINATION
ru(m)ination
2 Spread net that’s deployed to save a life (6)
AIRBAG
air [= spread] bag [= net, verb]
3 Pilot stripped for a girl (4)
IRMA
{a}irma{n}
4 Ornamental feature of drink that’s long and cool (8)
NECKLACE
neck [= drink] l [= long] ace [= cool]
5 Reportedly try religious adherent (4)
SIKH
“seek”
6 Examined axis of wheel with stiff bearing (5)
HEARD
{wh}e{el} with hard [= stiff] round it [= bearing (it)]
8 Char caught by bank about to be served up (7)
CLEANER
c lean (re)rev.
12 Myths from the north or south? (5)
SAGAS
This word can be read the same from either top or bottom
14 Panic as drunken European interrupts odd bits of Swan Lake (7,3)
CASPIAN SEA
(panic as)* E in s{w}a{n} — the Caspian Sea is an enclosed body of water and is sometimes classified as a lake
16 Opening present, endlessly slippery (7)
SLITHER
slit [= opening] her{e} — you’d think slither was just a verb, but according to Chambers it’s also an adjective meaning slippery
17 Court attendant‘s large outfit is returned after dance (8)
BALLGIRL
(l rig)rev. after ball — tennis court
21 Concerned with young one’s nightmares (6)
INCUBI
in [= concerned with] cub [= young] 1
22 Religious men primarily instil morals, averting mortal sin (5)
IMAMS
First letters — Instil Morals Averting Mortal Sin
24 Fairly big documents finally put away for wrapping (4)
TIDY
ID [= documents] in {pu}t {awa}y — tidy as in “a tidy sum”
25 Native American mostly cut out foreign food (4)
NAAN
Na{tive Americ}an
Thanks John and Monk, for a very enjoyable blog and crossword.
RIDER is rid = remove + e(scalato)r
Thanks Muffyword as I couldn’t see that one either – I was looking for ?rider? meaning escalator, grr 🙂 Otherwise one of the easier Monks I’ve done.
Thanks John & Monk, I can’t see any reason for the Nina other than starting a grid fill.
I’m always happy to finish a Monk without resort to aids, and although it may have been easy by his standards it was still a tricky puzzle. I have to confess that I find Monk’s puzzles lacking in humour and I think he sometimes tries to be a bit too clever with his cluing.
As far is this puzzle is concerned I realised what was happening round the edge of the puzzle and that really helped me with my last few, which were TIDY, NAAN and NAAM.
Oh, and I couldn’t parse RIDER either so thanks for that Muffyword, although I echo flashling’s “grr” now it has been explained.
Thanks to John for the blog. Great fun, and – as ever from Monk – very clever. If you start from the H at 6 there is a thematic name running NW to SE.
@Anarche Nice spot, I looked for something like that and missed it.
Thanks, John.
My failure rate with Monk puzzles is staggeringly high, so was quite pleased to finish this one; although disappointed to hear that it was one of his easier efforts. I was about to throw in the towel when I saw the possibility of a nina in the perimeter, and that helped to get the last third or so in.
I agree with Andy B that if you’re after tits, bums and other smut and wit, then a Monk offering is probably not the place to look; but ‘clever’ can be a compliment and I think this was a clever puzzle. Although not as clever as his ethane molecule puzzle from a while back, which I still remember.
Would anyone be able to make me feel better about myself and tell me that CUCUMBER is an acceptable answer for 4dn? No, thought not. My first one in, and first one out.
Well done to the Spiderwoman for spotting the Professor. I did have a look around the grid on completion, but couldn’t see that.
My eye just strayed to yesterday’s solution, which contains the answer MY FAIR LADY! Coincidence?
Well, totally missed the nina, and couldn’t get 6dn and 9ac either, not helped by thinking of one thing and writing another at 1dn and entering “ruinaation” in the grid!
Also somewhat peeved to learn this was easy. I suppose I just didn’t play enough spillikins as a child.
@GeordyGordy I think you’re missing the very important bit of “for a Monk” … this wasn’t easy.
Oh dear! Missed the nina again, and I really shouldn’t have done this time seeing as many moons ago I played Freddy Eynsford-Hill.
Helped on 3dn by remembering that the recycled Merlin in Tuesday’s i had the opposite device – “airman” was clued as “Sweet girl [= Irma ‘la douce’] held by one member of forces”.
Got ENIAC straightaway – 2nd in after HAULIER; those two share the honours for my CoD.
Thanks, Monk and John
Firstly thanks to Arachne – we wrote up the blog for yesterday’s puzzle and had completely firgotten My Fair Lady. We will have to apologise to our daughter in law – it’s her favourite musical/play which she studied for A level. We can’t find a relevant connection so it must be a coincidence.
We missed the diagonal but thankfully were watching out for a nina in the perimeter which helped with the last few entries.
Thanks John for the blog and Monk for bringing back the Thursday challenge.
Hey – I spotted the ninas.
Just as well. Had 13a wrong – my brief was QC and I was going for an alternative spelling of Aqaba (remember Lawrence of Arabia?). The ninas put me back on track.
Nice stuff – thanks all.