It’s always a pleasure to post about a Pasquale crossword, which for me hasn’t come round in a while. This one had a theme, introduced in this rubric:
Eight solutions are individuals of a kind, not further defined in their clues.
This theme turned out to be women who are or were cookery
writers:
- Jennifer PATERSON
- Isabella BEETON
- Nigella LAWSON
- Constance SPRY
- Delia SMITH
- Fanny CRADOCK
- Prue LEITH
- Madhur JAFFREY
We guessed this pretty early on after getting SMITH and LEITH. Overall, I thought the difficulty was a good for a Saturday puzzle, but it took a long time to fill in the north east quadrant, for reasons I don’t quite understand now. Anyway, this was a very enjoyable puzzle all round – thanks, Pasquale.
(Sorry about the late post, due to a computer disaster yesterday.)
Across
1. Felicity warbles for Spooner’s babies (9)
SUCKLINGS
A Spoonerism of LUCK SINGS (“Felicity warbles”)
Definition: “babies”
6. Man whose welfare I don’t care about, one up the pole? (4)
JACK
Definition: I’m guessing that “one up the pole?” refers to Jack and the Beanstalk / Beanpole Thanks to all those who’ve pointed out the right interpretation of this (muffin being the first): a jack is a flag (e.g. the Union Jack) so might be up a pole, and “Man whose welfare I don’t care about” refers to one of the phrases like “You don’t know Jack”, “It doesn’t mean Jack”, “I don’t care a Jack”? Update: muffin suggests the referent is “I’m all right, Jack” and the annotated solution on the Guardian’s site agrees
8. Great obscurity about a person leading a double life? (8)
BIGAMIST
BIG = “Great” + MIST = “obscurity” around A
Definition: “person leading a double life?”
9. Romantic involvement not excellent, always fighting (6)
AFFRAY
AFFAIR = “Romantic involvement”, without AI (A1) = “excellent”, followed by AY = “always”
Definition: “fighting”
10. Doctor attached to huge hospital — not necessarily a big noise (6)
WHOOSH
WHO = “Doctor” + OS (“outsize”) = “huge” + H = “hospital”
Definition: “not necessarily a big noise”
11. Individual who has consumed for inner energy (8)
PATERSON
PERSON = “Individual” with ATE = “consumed” instead of the E “inner energy”
Definition: [themed clue]
12. Report of illegal bowler in a period of play (6)
CHUKKA
A homonym (“Report”) of “chucker”: a “chucker” in cricket is someone who throws the ball when bowling (i.e. has a bent rather than straight arm)
Definition: “period of play” (in polo)
15. Formal attire that might bother the violinist (5,3)
DICKY BOW
If a violist’s BOW was DICKY that would be bothersome
Definition: “Formal attire”
16. Support for writers not often seen these days? (8)
INKSTAND
Cryptic definition (I don’t think there’s anything more to
it, but maybe I’m missing something?)
19. Headline in slant across page (6)
SPLASH
SLASH = “slant” (the punctuation mark “/” is sometimes called “slant”)
Definition: “Headline”
21. Hurried, being guided after injury in street (8)
SCUTTLED
LED = “guided” after CUT = “injury” in ST = “street”
Definition:
22. Fulfil the function of college (6)
BEETON
BE = “Fulfil the function of” + ETON = “college”
Definition: [themed clue]
24. Disciple following body of divine commandments (6)
LAWSON
SON = “Disciple” (?) after LAW = “body of divine commandments”
Definition: [themed clue]
25. One admiring the statement from char not on early duty (8)
IDOLATER
To “do” is to “clean”, so a char not on early duty might say “I do later”
Definition: “One admiring”
26. Pretty bunch with ace standing out (4)
SPRY
SPRAY = “Pretty bunch” (of flowers) without A = “ace”
Definition: [themed clue]
27. Furious females making chaps at Brussels face day of reckoning (9)
EUMENIDES
EU MEN =”chaps at Brussels” vs IDES = “day of reckoning” (as in “the Ides of March”)
Definition: “Furious females” (The Furies, or Erinyes – not having had a classical education, I know these from “The Kindly Ones” from the Sandman comics :))
Down
1. Outside American university keep quiet (5)
SMITH
SH = “keep quiet” around MIT = “American university”
Definition: [themed clue]
2. Act to seal fracture (7)
CRADOCK
DO = “Act” inside CRACK = “fracture”
Definition: [themed clue]
3. Not totally agile, having injected drug (5)
LEITH
LITH[e] = “Not toally agile” around E = “drug”
Definition: [themed clue]
4. Office employee that carries around important item of stationery (7)
NOTEPAD
PA = “Office employee” in NOTED = “important”
Definition: “item of stationery”
5. Fight has beast rising over American slave (9)
SPARTACUS
SPAR = “Fight” followed by CAT = “beast” reversed followed by US = “American”
Definition: “slave”
6. Bird circling very loudly about (7)
JAFFREY
JAY = “Bird” around FF = “very loudly” + RE = “about”
Definition: [themed clue]
7. Sri Lanka, passionate and noisy (9)
CLAMOROUS
CL = “Sri Lanka” (the international vehicle registration code for Sri Lanka, presumably from “Ceylon”) + AMOROUS = “passionate”
Definition: “noisy”
13. Chap lands abroad, offering something to seal the deal? (9)
HANDCLASP
(CHAP LANDS)*
Definition: “something to seal the deal?”
14. A label to get cut immediately (2,1,6)
AT A GLANCE
A + TAG = “label” + LANCE = “cut”
Definition: “immediately”
17. Discharge rising female model wanting external influence (7)
SATISFY
F = “female” + SIT = “model” all reversed in SAY = “influence”
Definition: “Discharge” (as in “to discharge / satisfy a duty / requirement”, I guess?)
18. Movement of the absurd mother crossing platform (7)
DADAISM
This one made us laugh 🙂 DAM = “mother” around DAIS = “platform”
Definition: “Movement of the absurd”
20. Laurie? Child looked after and sheltered (7)
LEEWARD
LEE = “Laurie?” followed by WARD = “Child looked after”
Definition: “sheltered”
22. Ex-PM has changed sides, is sent flying (5)
BLOWN
BROWN = “Ex-PM” with L for R (“has changed sides”)
Definition: “sent flying”
23. Begins as map-maker holding drawing implement (5)
OPENS
OS (Ordnance Survey) = “map-maker” around PEN = “drawing implement”
Definition: “Begins”
Thanks Pasquale and mhl
I read JACK as a flag (flown on a pole called a “jackstaff”), and “I’m all right, Jack” implies that I’m not concerned about how Jack is!
Yes, jack=flag as in Union Jack, and the variant I think Pasquale may have in mind is “**** you, Jack – I’m all right”.
This took me a while and I had LEIGH (gile* + H) instad of LEITH as I didn’t know Prue. Oh well.
Very many thanks Pasquale & mhl
Knowing nothing about Cooks or Cooking, this too me ages to work out the theme even after getting SMITH early on. Nevertheless it was very enjoyable.
Nicely clued as ever from “the Don” and an enjoyable solve.
Nothing too exciting in here but also nothing to complain about.
As SMITH was the first in of the “undefined” clues there wasn’t much of a clue and even after LEITH I still wasn’t sure. However with CRADOCK it was then obvious we were after female cooks/cookery writers.
Pretty much plain sailing after that although I’d never heard of SPRY. Even though I’d entered the answer I still couldn’t be sure this was a female cook. At a push SPRY could have been defined by “Pretty”. However as I was missing a cook a process of elimination meant that this must be the one and indeed she was 😉
Thanks to mhl and Pasquale
Thanks all
Since I got Craddock quite quickly and she is very specific (in many ways) I did find the rest quite straightforward.
Just as well I did not start with Delia!
Enjoyable and a pleasant non- Paulian weekend.
Thanks mhl and Don. Loved 27ac EUMENIDES!
Thanks mhl. I found this difficult to get into and, like you, found the NE corner made it difficult to finish. Not having read many cookery books I needed Google to confirm the names for me. It took a while after completion before I realised 26 was the missing eighth name.
Thanks Pasquale and mhl.
This was fun, LAWSON got me thinking while struggling with CRADOCK. I had heard of a dicky front (visions of Laurel and Hardy), so DICKY BOW seemed reasonable since white or black tie would not do.
I didn’t find the NE difficult. In fact it was getting JAFFREY that gave me the theme- having looked it up because I’d never heard of her! I had heard of the others although I hadn’t realised that CRADOCK only had one D. No problem apart from that. Nice puzzle despite being quite a quick solve.
Thanks Pasquale.
Of the themed clues, I got SMITH first and I had only the final K in 2D. Kinnock occurred to me and I tried to force fit a Labour leader theme. Fortunately, I got SUCKLINGS soon after and figured out the correct 2D and theme.
Smith was my first in and i could see it was a themester but no further clues.I think the next was Cradock and I realised that they were not my cooking idols but that doesnt spoil a good puzzle- but I thought Spry was a bit far fetched- fun puzzle though.
A pity that Pasquale couldn’t work (Elizabeth) DAVID or (Jane) GRIGSON in – probably the most respected of the type.
I had JACK (Monroe) as my 8th chef, not having heard of Paterson, although I should have realised this was ‘not further defined’ whereas Jack was.
I do not understand how 10A works – why is whoosh not necessarily a big noise ?
Overall a good puzzle – thanks to setter & blogger.
Thanks, Pasquale and mhl,
JAFFREY was my first one in,followed by DICKY BOW, which made me smile. Once I had SMITH, I guessed the theme but spent a while looking for Mary Berry.
I remembered that Fanny had one ‘d’, which was helpful.
Like Muffin @12, I was expecting to see Elizabeth DAVID and Jane GRIGSON.
All good fun.
Giovanna x
The first themed answer I got was JAFFREY, then SMITH. As I have just been watching Downtonn Abbey, I thought Maggie, and that the theme would be actors, perhaps in an Indian or Mrechant a Ivory connection. I was trying several other actors other than Mahdur before I recalled that I have one of her cookery books!
mhl, you will be pleased to see 1a in today’s Prize Crossword, ‘Bloody PC…’. Do hope your computer problems are over and thanks again for the blog.
muffin @12
or more accurately probably not 😉
Although David reads quite well have you ever actually tried to produce one of her “inventions”?
Thanks Pasquale and mhl
Well didn’t this have some grist to it ! The local knowledge of the female cookery writers was too much for me to get the theme – I had all 8 of the words, but even so, had no idea how they were connected! I think that SPRY was my first one in … closely followed by SMITH and LEITH – which is a testament to the fairness of the clues for these words.
This in no way detracted from what was a very good Prize puzzle.
Did need help from here to properly parse the AT part of PATERSON. Had initial misgivings with SON = ‘disciple’, but settled with the definition of a “a male person who has such a relationship with a more authorative person that can be regarded as a son”.
Couldn’t, however, find any link whatsoever between ‘felicity’ and LUCK.
B(NTO) @17
Well, actually………….yes.
(For instance, risi e bisi)
Found this one quite tricky in places, but fairly enjoyable. Last in was SPRY, mostly because what I knew of her was about gardening rather than cookery.
Thanks to Pasquale and mhl
Thanks to Pasquale and mhl – found this tricky but fair – very enjoyable!
I think 19a should mention slant=SLASH(/) across P(age).
Also, I wondered if 22d could be FLOWN. Also means “sent flying” with back to front and right to left being the changed sides? Any thoughts from the experts – can I pretend I got it right?
Anyway, great fun as usual and love reading all the comments once complete.
Well Muffin @19 I must congratulate you.
In the past I’ve tried a couple of things from “French Provincial Cooking” and fund that hey read better than they taste!
Of course that must be down to my lack of culinary skill. I need my cookery writers to “hold my hand” a little more 😉