A return to normality with Phi on a Friday.
There are a couple of composers in the grid today and a few musical references in the clues, but nothing strong enough for me to discern a theme or a message. There are also a few scientific and religious references, but again no obvious theme.
I think I’ll settle for saying this was an entertaining puzzle, just right for a Friday commute or for a leisurely solve at home for those of us with a bit more free time.
DISORDERLY HOUSE at 24 across is generated from a type of clue that we are seeing quite often from many setters these days where we have to put an anagram indicator into the entry.
I liked the use of ‘perpetual motion’ in the clue at 4 down (ETERNAL)
DONA NOBIS at 11 across was a new phrase to me, but fairly gettable from the word play although it was a toss-up at the end between DONA and DANO before looking at a dictionary.
I find it’s often the hidden word that is the most difficult to solve and today SOFT at 15 across was my last one in, on the basis if all else fails try looking for a hidden word.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1
|
Mathematician‘s attempt was foremost in revolution (5)
|
GO (attempt) + (LED [was foremost] reversed [in revolution]
GO DEL< |
GÖDEL (reference Kurt Friedrich GÖDEL [1906 – 1978] was an Austrian, and later American, logician, mathematician, and philosopher)
|
| 4
|
Artist depicting key belonging to woman (6)
|
ESC (reference Esc [escape] key on a computer keyboard) + HER (belonging to woman) | ESCHER (reference Maurits Cornelis ESCHER [1898 – 1972], usually referred to as M. C. ESCHER, was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints) |
| 8
|
Want to see Washington monument? 50 million more can, possibly (7,8) | Anagram of (possibly) (L [Roman numeral for 50) and MILLION MORE CAN)
|
LINCOLN MEMORIAL (monument in Washington DC)
|
| 10
|
Removal to remote place is old hat with passing of time (5)
|
EX (old) + (TILE [slang for a hat] excluding [passing of] T [time])
|
EXILE (enforced or regretted absence from one’s own home or country, often in a remote place)
|
| 11
|
End of Mass disrupted and I soon will bring in Bishop (4,5)
|
(Anagram of [disrupted] AND I SOON) containing (bring in) B (bishop)
DONA NO (B) IS* |
DONA NOBIS (the last section of the mass, beginning DONA NOBIS pacem Give us peace)
|
| 13
|
Flood reduced in region beside lake with trees (8)
|
([BORE {tidal flood that rushes with great violence up the estuaries of certain rivers} excluding the final letter {reduced} E] contained in [in] AREA [region]) + L (lake)
AR (BOR) EA L |
ARBOREAL (of trees; with trees)
|
| 15
|
What’s used in keys of the piano? (4)
|
SOFT (hidden word in [what’s used in] KEYS OF THE)
|
SOFT (piano)
|
| 17
|
Composer dismissing tenor from group (4)
|
BATCH (group of similar objects or people) excluding (dismissing) T (tenor))
|
BACH (surname of a family of composers, from whom there are many individuals to choose from)
|
| 18
|
Certain players pursued by club (4-4)
|
CAST (players in the theatre or in a film) + IRON ([golf]] club)
|
CAST-IRON (incontestable; certain)
|
| 22
|
Artisan beer not half abandoned – by me? (9)
|
Anagram of (abandoned) (ARTISAN and BE [half of the letters of BEER])
|
ABSTAINER (one who refrains from alcoholic beverages and therefore likely to abandon beer)
|
| 23
|
Different chap at monastery, not British (5)
|
BROTHER (chap at monastery) excluding (not) BR (British)
|
OTHER (different)
|
| 24
|
Oh Sue? It’s a brothel (10,5)
|
If the word DISORDERLY was used as an anagram indicator of HOUSE one of the results would be OH SUE
|
DISORDERLY HOUSE (brothel or gaming establishment)
|
| 26
|
Money when wages come? Not initially – that produces alarm (6)
|
M (an abbreviation used to describe categories of money supply) + (PAYDAY [when wages come] excluding the first letter [not initially] P)
|
MAYDAY (the international radiotelephonic distress signal for ships and aircraft.)
|
| 27
|
Offer evidence not provided, showing annoyance (5)
|
TESTIFY (give evidence) excluding (not) IF (provided)
|
TESTY (showing annoyance)
|
| Down | |||
| 1
|
Government of past days, recollected unduly benignly (6)
|
G (government) + OLDEN (of past days)
|
GOLDEN (reference GOLDEN age [an imaginary past time of innocence and happiness or any time of highest achievement]; recollected unduly benignly)
|
| 2
|
Fried insect unexpectedly in treats for the teeth (11)
|
Anagram of (unexpectedly) FIXED INSECT
|
DENTIFRICES (substances used in rubbing or cleaning the teeth, toothpaste or toothpowder; treats for the teeth)
|
| 3
|
John, American composer, embracing old member of audience? (6-2)
|
LOO (John is an American term for lavatory) + (KERN [reference Jerome KERN [1885 – 1945] American composer of musical theatre and popular music] containing [embracing] O [old]))
LOO KER (O) N |
LOOKER-ON (member of audience)
|
| 4
|
Perpetual motion ultimately limited by energy, and later confounded (7)
|
N (last letter of [ultimately] MOTION) contained in (limited by) (E [energy] + an anagram of [confounded] LATER)
E TER (N) AL* |
ETERNAL (perpetual)
|
| 5
|
Losing ardour, losing heart – no longer doing this? (6)
|
COOLING (losing ardour) excluding the middle letter (losing heart) L
|
COOING (speaking fondly, which one may stop doing when losing ardour)
|
| 6
|
Priest ignoring books in revolutionary religious text (3)
|
BIBLE (religious text) reversed (revolutionary) excluding (ignoring) two occurrences of B [book], i.e. ignoring books
ELI< |
ELI (the crossword world’s favourite priest)
|
| 7
|
Single ploy will knock out party expecting trouble? (2,4)
|
ONE (single) + (DODGE [ploy] excluding [knock out] DO [party])
|
ON EDGE (in a state of expectant irritability; nervous or tense with anticipation; expecting trouble)
|
| 9
|
Dictionary, in essence, including unknown composer (5)
|
LIST ( a dictionary could be considered a basically a LIST of words and their definitions) containing (including) Z (a letter frequently used as an un known in mathematical equations)
LIS (Z) T |
LISZT (reference Franz LISZT [1811 – 1886], Hungarian composer)
|
| 12
|
Religious guide husband inserted into item in family library? (4,2,5)
|
H (husband) contained in (BOOK OF OURS [an item in OUR [family] library)
BOOK OF (H) OURS |
BOOK OF HOURS (a BOOK containing the set times of prayer, the canonical hours, and /or he offices or services prescribed for these; religious guide)
|
| 14
|
Woman who’d become a brothel-keeper if inveigled by Frenchmen (3)
|
ADA (if ADA is contained in [inveigled by] MM [Messieurs; French men)] the word MADAM is formed) MADAM can be defined as the woman in charge of a brothel
|
ADA {woman’s name}
|
| 16
|
Wealthy alien acquiring company in knock-on effect? (8)
|
(RICH [wealthy] + ET (extra-terrestrial; alien]) containing (acquiring) CO (company)
RI (CO) CH ET |
RICOCHET (glancing rebound or skip; knock-on effect)
|
| 17
|
Inventor’s run forward displaying hairband (5)
|
BAIRD (reference John Logie BAIRD [1888 – 1946] inventor of the television set) with R (run) moved forward in the word
B R AID |
BRAID (band for the hair)
|
| 18
|
Uproar about extra building cut down for factory (7)
|
CRY (clamour; uproar) containing (about) (ANNEX [additional building] excluding the last letter [cut down] X)
C (ANNE) RY |
CANNERY (example of a factory)
|
| 19
|
Noisy watercourse overcome by quiet (6)
|
SH ([be] quiet) + RILL (small brook; watercourse) the word ‘overcome’ in the clue signifies that the letters SH are sitting over the letters of RILL when the entry is written downwards.
|
SHRILL (high-pitched and piercing; noisy)
|
| 20
|
Dislike shot capturing head of terrorist (6)
|
HARED (went fast; shot) containing (capturing) T (first letter of [head of] TERRORIST)
HA (T) RED |
HATRED (dislike)
|
| 21
|
Lively in bedroom – unconstrained, we hear (6)
|
BR (bedroom) + EEZY (sounds like [we hear] EASY [unconstrained])
|
BREEZY (lively)
|
| 25
|
Main target in election? Not entirely (3)
|
SEAT (target in a parliamentary election) excluding the final letter (not entirely) T
|
SEA (main)
|
The theme is a book
Godel Escher Bach
An Eternal Golden Braid
Enjoyed this even without knowing the theme. One of those where solving was steady enough to prevent frustration but not too easy either. Mind you I was watching Europe make a good start at the same time!
The insect is fried, not fixed, Duncan!! – just kidding and thanks for the blog. Had no idea about the hidden book theme either. Anyone else toy with ‘etcher’ for 4a?
I found this a bit trickier than some of Phi’s puzzles and the theme went over my head, but it was still an enjoyable solve. I had a couple of the same problems as Duncan because SOFT took a long time to see, and DONA NOBIS was my LOI after I decided it was the most likely arrangement of the vowels in the anagram fodder.
Enjoyable puzzle though I needed the blog for some and to explain why I was right with others.
A very nice reminder too of those little round tins of Gibb’s Dentifrice (which tasted rather soapy but was all you could get in those days till Pepsodent appeared.)
It was only when I came here and saw the answers in order that I twigged the theme. I read that book about when it came out over thirty years ago. Must re-read it one of these days.
I’d listened to enough Mass settings to know 11ac. When I was a teenage I fell in love with Leonard Bernstein’s bizarre theatrical Mass setting with its rock-influenced setting of Dona nobis pacem. (Well, this was the time of the Vietnam war.)
Yes,I too struggled for ages before twigging SOFT. And like Heather @5 I remember Gibbs Dentifrice, and a bit later a toothpaste with chlorophyll in it. Can’t remember what benefit it was supposed to bestow but it was exactly the same shade of green as the paint in our bathroom.
couldn’t see the parsing of 3dn, so thanks, Duncan.
And thanks to Phi as well.
Anyone up for an author hunt?
Yes, the Bernstein ‘Dona nobis pacem’ doesn’t have a lot of pacem about it.
For once I saw the theme almost immediately, but if the author (Douglas R Hofstadter I think) is lurking (up?) here I still can’t see him …
Thanks to Phi for another fine puzzle, and for the reminder of a book I enjoyed a lot – if only for the brief illusion of understanding number theory.
I decided Mr Hofstadter was probably sufficiently unfamiliar that I couldn’t include him en clair – but he has a nice set of anagrammable letters in his surname…
Aha – Soft hatred!
Nice – thanks Phi.
This puzzle made me happy and sad. I sat down with this about an hour ago (with a cup of coffee and the ITV+1 replay of X factor which had lost out to Strictly last night) and enjoyed it immensely – much more than the ‘singing’! My only problem was “etcher”. I didn’t even consider Escher once I had that and assumed I’d find a connection between key and etc here. Otherwise I’d have definitely spotted the Gödel, Escher, Bach Eternal Golden Braid. (Well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!) All happy.
Then I read the blog and remembered the book. I was given it in the early ’80s (and a fine book it is, though I sadly no longer have it) by a very dear friend who died nearly 30 years ago still in his 20s – and that has made me very sad. Bloody crosswords…..