A good puzzle from Scorpion today which brought back a few memories.
There are a surprising number of models of FORD cars that Scorpion could have used, but I think it was good going to get in even the ten that appear in the grid.
It was good to see the modern APP STORE in the grid. I reckon the crossword world is one of the most rapid adopters of emerging words and phrases. I have always felt that solving crosswords is one of the best ways of improving ones general knowledge and understanding of bits of the changing world that might have passed us by otherwise.
The gateway clue fell fairly quickly, which enabled me to solve quite a few of the thematic clues straight away. With puzzles like this, I tend to write down a list of possible thematic entries and then see if any of them fit the wordplay. Scorpio certainly covered quite a wide timeline with his choice of models. I will admit to owning two of the chosen models at some time in the last 40 years.
I was held up a bit by writing in DYING OUT instead of DYING OFF because I didn’t read the clue properly.
Clues I liked today included those for MONDEO, BALD, ANGLIA and SOFT-SOAP
|
Across |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
|
5
|
18 Across coordinates festivity earlier (6)
|
GALA (festivity) + (X + Y [mathematical coordinates])
|
GALAXY (model of Ford [18 across] car)
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|
7
|
Relative beginning to neglect child and release grip (8)
|
UNCLE (relative) + N (first letter of [beginning to] NEGLECT) + CH (child)
|
UNCLENCH (release grip)
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10
|
Tart showing rear to sailor, a seaside fixture (4)
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PIE (tart) + R (last letter of [rear to] SAILOR)
|
PIER (seaside fixture)
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11
|
Writer might needs such actors to take off some weight in hindsight (9) |
(REP [repertory theatre; actors] + APE (mimic; take off] + TON [measure of weight]) all reversed (in hindsight) (NOT EPA PER)< |
NOTEPAPER (what a writer might need). I think there is an unnecessary S on the end of NEEDS in the clue in the version of the clue I was using. It may have been corrected in the paper version.
|
|
12
|
18 Across procedure done badly (6)
|
MO (modus operandi; procedure) + an anagram of (badly) DONE MO NDEO* |
MONDEO (model of Ford [18 across] car)
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13
|
Novel type of test to drink single spirit (8)
|
ORAL (a type of examination or test) containing (to drink) (I [single] + GIN [spirit]) OR (I GIN) AL |
ORIGINAL (novel)
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14
|
Latest feature of the number one brand (4)
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E (last letter of [latest feature of] THE) + PEE (urine; number one)
|
EPEE (sword; brand)
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16
|
Free American 18 Across (5)
|
FOC (free [of charge]) + US ([United States of America])
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FOCUS (model of Ford [18 across] car)
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| 18 | Supporting Democrat President (4) | FOR (supporting) + D (democrat) | FORD (reference Gerald FORD, President of the United States from 1974 to 1997, being the only unelected President to date) The definition is simply President. FORD was a Republican who attained the Presidency following the separate resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon. |
|
19
|
Digital distribution centre creating pop star fame ultimately? (3,5)
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Anagram of (creating) POP STAR + E (last letter of [ultimately] FAME)
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APP STORE (source of digital APPlications for tablets and mobile devices)
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22
|
18 Across signifies talent partly (6)
|
FIESTA (hidden word in [partly] SIGNIFIES TALENT
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FIESTA (model of Ford [18 across] car)
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24
|
Wary type displays this not as much around Ireland and Spain (9)
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LESS (not so much) containing (around) (ERIN [Ireland] + E [International Vehicle Registration for Spain) LE (ERIN E) SS |
LEERINESS (wariness)
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26
|
Rotten houses left unlocked? (4)
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BAD (rotten) containing (houses) L (left) BA (L) D |
BALD (without hair [locks]; unlocked)
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27
|
Washing phase regularly sparked by messy diners leaving first (3-5)
|
PRE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [regularly] of SPARKED) + an anagram of (messy) (DINERS excluding [leaving] the first letter [first] D) PRE RINSE* |
PRE RINSE (washing phase)
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28
|
18 Across, colleague of Quentin T, making first-class return (6)
|
ANG L (reference the film director ANG Lee, colleague of QUENTIN Tarantino) + (AI [first-class] reversed [return]) ANGL IA< |
ANGLIA (model of Ford [18 across] car)
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| Down | |||
|
1
|
Wrappin’ endless cod and chips sold here (6)
|
CASIN‘ (wrappin’) + O (the only remaining letter of COD when the ends [C and D] are taken off [endless])
|
CASINO (you can buy gambling chips here)
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2
|
Becoming extinct, wild dog ensnares unknown females (5,3)
|
(DINGO (wild dog] containing [ensnaring] Y [letter frequently used to denote an unknown in equations]) + (F [female] + F [female] giving females) D (Y) INGO F F |
DYING OFF (becoming extinct)
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3
|
After game, Eliot turned colour (4)
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RU (Rugby Union; game) + (TS [initials of the poet T S ELIOT] reversed [turned]) RU ST< |
RUST (a colour)
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4
|
Guided back by Greek character showing local ruins here? (6)
|
(LED [guided] reversed [back] ‘back’ strikes me as better suited to indicate an Across reversal than a ‘Down’ reversal) + PHI (character from the Greek alphabet) DEL< PHI |
DELPHI (archaeological site [ruins] in Greece)
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6
|
Reduce Vauxhall? (7
|
A BRIDGE (reference Vauxhall BRIDGE in London)
|
ABRIDGE (shorten; reduce)
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8
|
18 Across beat Ireland after conversion (5)
|
CAP (surpass; beat) + (IR [Ireland] reversed [after conversion]) CAP RI< |
CAPRI (model of Ford [18 across] car)
|
|
9
|
18 Across extremely rigorous probing business report (7)
|
RS (first and last letters of [extremely] RIGOROUS) contained in (probing) (CO [company; business] + AIR [broadcast; report]) CO (RS) AIR |
CORSAIR (model of Ford [18 across] car)
|
|
13
|
Copper punches somebody at the right moment (2,3)
|
CU (chemical symbol for copper) contained in (punches) ONE (somebody) ON (CU) E |
ON CUE (at the right moment)
|
|
16
|
18 Across initially unseen in tree (7)
|
U (first letter of [initially] UNSEEN) contained in (in) POPLAR (tree) POP (U) LAR |
POPULAR (model of Ford [18 across] car)
|
|
17
|
Crawl daily into ordinary outskirts of Antwerp (4-4)
|
(FT [Financial Times; a daily newspaper] contained in [into] SO-SO [ordinary]) + AP (first and last letters of [outskirts of] ANTWERP) SO (FT) SO AP |
SOFT-SOAP (flatter; crawl)
|
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18
|
Two types of tea available when fellow moves inside this hovel? (7)
|
FLEABAG (if you move the F [fellow] within the entry you get LEAF (a kind of tea) and BAG (a constituent part of one way of making a cup of TEA)
|
FLEABAG (a distasteful place, especially used of lodgings; a hovel) I’ve previously only come across FLEAPIT but I see that relates to public buildings, especially cinemas rather than private houses)
|
|
20
|
18 Across basket-maker avoiding old artist (6)
|
OSIER (willow used to make baskets; basket-maker) excluding (avoiding) O (old) + RA (Royal Academician; artist)
|
SIERRA (model of Ford [18 across] car)
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21
|
18 Across addicted to drinking port (5)
|
ON (regularly taking; addicted to [are the two the same?]) containing (drinking) RIO (reference RIO de Janiero, a port city) O (RIO) N |
ORION (model of Ford [18 across] car)
|
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23
|
Film showing excessive drinker, after time (6)
|
T (time) + ALKIE (an alcoholic; excessive drinker)
|
TALKIE (type of film, now commonplace of course, but an innovation in the 1920s)
|
| 25 | European retreat, opposite to 18 Down? | E (European) + DEN (retreat) | EDEN (paradise; the opposite of a FLEABAG [18 Down]) I read this as 18 Across for too long and was trying to relate Sir Anthony EDEN to Gerald FORD, which, not surprisingly, was difficult given they were in power over 20 years apart |
Thanks Duncan, and thanks Scorpion (another Ford!) for – at last – a puzzle on my home turf.
All good clean fun, with some memories along the way. I got the gateway clue as my first in, so once it was clear what was cracking off, the solve wasn’t too tricky. Two of the shorter clues – BALD and ON CUE – were particular favourites this morning. Only disappointment is that the only FORD I ever owned (my very first car in fact) was the CORTINA, which didn’t feature.
I think it was the Ford SCORPIO, rather than SCORPION; but that perhaps accounts for Duncan’s typo in the third para of his preamble? (And I agree about the typo in 11ac.)
Fine stuff; thanks both.
Quite right K’s D, Scorpion was actually a Ford diesel engine.
Very enjoyable, and I’m another one for whom the puzzle brought back some old memories. My first car was a Capri. The gateway clue wasn’t difficult, and for solvers of a certain age the rest of the related clues should have been relatively straightforward. I was held up at the end by EPEE and the BALD/TALKIE crossers.
That’ll make Scorpion the driving force behind this puzzle, then, Conrad.
I’ll get me coat.
Very enjoyable thank you Scorpion. Mr CS had a 28a when I first met him!
Thanks to Duncan too.
Not interested in cars, but found that I had heard all of those clued so often over many years that they were all gettable.
Good fun and thanks to Scorpion and duncanshiell.
Gerald Ford’s incumbency needs to be reduced by 20 years.
Well, this non-driver found this a bit tough to start. Took me ages to get the gateway clue and before I got 11ac, I wondered if 8dn could be “corgi” making me think of breeds of dog. Then I got 21dn and was thinking constellations or hunters. Then I got 22ac and couldn’t see any connection between those two. Somehow it clicked, but I had to dredge the rest of the names up from the depth of my memory.
And the three Ford cars I did know weren’t even there. My father’s first car (back in 1960) was a Consul and at some time in the sixties he had a Zephyr. And thanks to Douglas Adams, I’d heard of the Ford Prefect.
Never owned a car but knew the models. Gateway clue probably couldn’t be easier. Thanks s&b enjoyable rather than a slog which some Tuesday puzzles can be.
Definitely a trip down memory lane for us too. Bert’s first car was a 3 speed 15d and when we were married we inherited Joyce’s Mum’s 28ac. The latter had appaling brakes particularly in reverse and bounced round corners!
Anyway, our last one in was 14ac and we hate to admit it but we ended up with an electronic search to look at the various possibilities as it was getting late. A real DOH moment!
Thanks Scorpion for the fond memories and Duncan for the blog.