Monk is occupying Phi’s usual Friday slot today.
Having solved the puzzle, I see no particular reason, e.g. a theme or anniversary, that would explain why Friday is not Phiday this week, but then I haven’t yet had time to solve the earlier puzzles from this week, which might have explained things. Maybe I have missed something or maybe the editor has just decided to ring the changes?
I found this one easier to grapple with than many Monk puzzles, which I have often found taxing, especially to finish, in the past. I was able to come up with answers confirmed on the basis of the wordplay alone, needing the dictionary to check e.g. the definition at 25, at the end.
My favourite clues today were 12, for its cheekiness, the & lit.’s at 20 and 26 and, once I had understood what a Bond Bug actually is, 16, for its surface, to name but a few.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 06 | SKODA | Car manufacturer overturned publicity sanctions
AD (=publicity, i.e. advert) + OKs (=sanctions); “overturned” indicates reversal |
| 07 | PROSCRIBE | Forbid whores to steal drug
PROS (=whores) + CRIB (=steal, e.g. work) + E (=drug, i.e. Ecstasy) |
| 10 | BLUBBER | Fat bishops with more obscene clothing
B B (=bishops, in chess, 2 x B) in BLUER (=more obscene, of material, jokes) |
| 11 | DAHLIAS | Sheet held back to reveal possible contents of bed
SAIL (=sheet) + HAD (=held); “back” indicates reversal; the “bed” in question is a flower-bed in a garden |
| 12 | LAERTES | Classical king leers at bust
*(LEERS AT); “bust” is anagram indicator, the reference is to Laertes, king of the Cephallenians and father of Odysseus, in classical mythology |
| 13 | PERJURY | Cutting alcoholic drink with 40% of juice is an offence
JU<ice> (“40% of” means 2 letters of 5 are used) in PERRY (=alcoholic drink) |
| 14 | TOFFEE-NOSED | Bumbling don, so effete and supercilious
*(DON SO EFFETE); “bumbling” is anagram indicator |
| 19 | PARTNER | Join young salmon tangled in net? On the contrary
*(NET) in PARR (=young salmon); “tangled” is anagram indicator |
| 21 | HELICAL | Twisted, defrocked vicar into suffering
<v>ICA<r> (“defrocked” means “clothing”, i.e. first and last letters, are removed) into HELL (=suffering) |
| 23 | AT A LOSS | Puzzled fool grabbing one extremity of kite? Almost
TALO<n> (=extremity of kite, i.e. bird of prey; “almost” means last letter dropped) in ASS (=fool) |
| 25 | RAMRODS | Strict disciplinarians injure back with sticks
RAM (MAR=injure; “back” indicates reversal) + RODS (=sticks) |
| 26 | GUARDSMEN | Who might be armed with guns, possibly
*(ARMED + GUNS); “possibly” is anagram indicator; & lit. |
| 27 | SONAR | Means of detecting a specific crime after inaccurate reconstruction
AR-SON (=specific crime); “after inaccurate reconstruction” means groups of letters are placed in wrong order |
| Down | ||
| 01 | DOCUMENT | Unexpectedly counted millions, a record
*(COUNTED + M (=millions); “unexpectedly” is anagram indicator |
| 02 | WABBIT | Elmer Fudd’s bugbear // exhausted Glaswegian?
Bugs Bunny, a rabbit referred to as wabbit, is Elmer Fudd’s bugbear in the Warner Bros. cartoons; wabbit is also Scottish slang for exhausted |
| 03 | SPORTSWEAR | Small alcoholic drinks – assume shorts, perhaps?
S (=small) + PORTS (=alcoholic drinks) + WEAR (=assume, don) |
| 04 | WOOD | Pine, say, to win the affection of daughter
WOO (=win the affection of) + D (=daughter) |
| 05 | MILIEU | Environment in which yours truly remains imprisoned by foreign character
I LIE (=yours truly remains) in MU (=foreign character, i.e. letter of Greek alphabet) |
| 06 | SUBTLE | Delicate caption should avoid it
SUBT<it>LE (=caption); “should avoid it” means the letters “it” are dropped |
| 08 | COHERES | Sticks present in short sock that’s been hung up
HERE (=present) in COS (SOC<k>; “short” means last letter dropped; “hung up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 09 | ESSAYS | Announces South Africa’s tries
Homophone (“announces”) of “SA (=South Africa)’s” |
| 13 | PUNCH-DRUNK | Dazed dipso going after alcoholic concoction
PUNCH (=alcoholic concoction) + DRUNK (=dipso) |
| 15 | FUNGOID | Info dug out relating to unpleasant growth?
*(INFO DUG); “out” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | DOCTOR NO | Con-rod to break in Bond Bug?
*(CON-ROD TO); “to break” is anagram indicator; the reference is to Doctor No, James Bond’s bugbear in the novel by Ian Fleming |
| 17 | SPRANG | Freed prisoner crashes having succeeded to get ahead
PRANG-S (=crashes); “having succeeded (=S) to get ahead” means the letter “s” moved to front of word |
| 18 | CLOSER | Increasingly mean no-hoper going after cent
C (=cent) + LOSER (=no-hoper) |
| 20 | IRANGATE | Suppressing it, Irangate screwed him
*(<i>RANGA<t>E); “suppressing it” means the letters “it” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “screwed”; & lit.; the reference is to the Irangate scandal that befell US President Ronald Reagan’s 2nd administration |
| 22 | LAMEST | Least satisfactory setter coming in after all the others
ME (=setter) in LAST (=after all the others) |
| 24 | SEMI | Some crime scenes around one side of a dwelling?
Reversed (“around”) and hidden (“some”) in “crIME Scenes” |
Thanks R & M. A stroll in the park compared to many of the Prof’s offerings. I can’t see a theme either.
Here though, for those interested, is what a Bond Bug actually is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_Bug
Definitely towards the easier end of Monk’s spectrum but a fun puzzle nonetheless, IMHO. The only answer I had to check because of the unknown Scots word was WABBIT, where I thought “rabbit” could have been just as likely. I would have put WABBIT in straightaway had the clue referenced Elmer Fudd’s speech rather than just the person.
The Day the Earth Stood Still…but why? Is the date significant perhaps?
(Google TDTESS for the Nina)
I too found this at the easier end of the Monk spectrum (and indeed easier than the last couple of days Indy puzzles). Very entertaining as per usual so thank you to him and RR
@Herb
Director Robert Wise was born on 10th Sept 1914, so it looks like this is five days early.
Yes, very easy for a Monk puzzle, but very enjoyable, too.
Thanks, Conrad, for the reminder of the Bond Bug. I remember a description of it “careering off down the road like a demented wedge of Leicester cheese!”
Even with Herb’s hint it took me ages to see the nina; for anyone still struggling read down the left and right hand side vertical unches – and the bottom row.
And thanks to setter and blogger.
Herb@3
Gosh. Well done! I would never have spotted the Nina. But then, I’ve not seen the film(s) so, for once, not annoyed to have missed it! I’m no sci-fi fan, but film sounds most interesting though it seems the remake was received less warmly than the original.
Huge thanks to Monk for an enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks to Monk for an enjoyable puzzle, RR for the blog plus Herb and allan_c for the information about the nina!
As usual, we started the crossword late, finished it thankfully fairly quickly but were too tired to puzzle over the nina. It took a bit of searching this morning before it all fell into place!