Found this quite tricky in parts, and very enjoyable – favourite was 13dn.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PEACOCK |
Dandy‘s top clothing company ranking third (7)
PEAK=”top”, around (“clothing”) CO[mpany] plus C, where C is the third rank. |
| 5 | MONITOR |
Keep an eye on pillock appearing in dock (7)
NIT=”pillock” in MOOR=”dock” |
| 9 | SMOKE |
Cure what many addicts do (5)
=”Cure” meat; also =”what many addicts do” |
| 10 | REGULARLY |
Criminal goes missing from rogues’ gallery surprisingly often (9)
(goes)* missing from (rogues‘ gallery)*. |
| 11 | RAILWAYMEN |
Phoney war mainly involving Eastern transport workers (10)
(war mainly)* around E[astern] |
| 12,21 | BULLRING |
Arena where speculator meets syndicate (8)
BULL=”speculator”, plus RING=”syndicate” |
| 14 | GINGER ROGERS |
Ditching his date, musical man Spice Girl dancing (6,6)
Richard RO[d]GERS is the musical man [wiki], ditching his D[ate]; with GINGER=”Spice” in front of it, though I’m not sure how the ordering is indicated |
| 18 | MERCHANT NAVY |
Long-haul traders in pity employing hard worker reversing vehicle (8,4)
MERCY=”pity”, around all of: H[ard] plus ANT=”worker” plus a reversed VAN=”vehicle” |
| 21 | BULLRING |
See 12
|
| 22 | GOOSEGRASS |
A natural hanger-on, Wally gets to blow the whistle (10)
A plant with clinging bristles. GOOSE=”Wally” plus GRASS=”blow the whistle” |
| 25 | CAMBRIDGE |
A good place to learn game on cold morning (9)
BRIDGE=”game”, after C[old] plus AM=”morning” |
| 26 | TRIPE |
Garbage — three times as much left out (5)
TRIP[L]E=”three times as much”, with L[eft] removed |
| 27 | DANSEUR |
Nijinsky, for instance, in back street in Paris (7)
In French: DANS=”in” and RUE=”street”, with the latter reversed (“back”) |
| 28 | LEECHES |
Doctors at one time noted for their application? (7)
Doctors used to be known as LEECHES, and used to apply LEECHES as a treatment |
| Down | ||
| 1 | DANISH PASTRY |
See 19
|
| 2 | ADONIS |
Good-looker from Ulster during Troubles? (6)
N[orthern] I[rish]=”from Ulster”, inside ADO-S=”Trouble-s” |
| 3 | OVERWEIGHT |
Accomplished women’s crew on the hefty side? (10)
OVER=”Accomplished”,completed; plus W[omen]; plus EIGHT=”crew” in rowing |
| 4 | KERRY |
County‘s opener grabbing a couple of runs (5)
=a county in Ireland. KEY=”opener” of doors, or Robert Key the English opening batsman [wiki], around R[un] R[un] |
| 5 | MAGNETRON |
Generator from England held up by hospital officer (9)
=a generator of microwaves. ENG[land], reversed and inside (“held up by”) MATRON=”hospital officer” |
| 6 | NILE |
Duck seen on European river (4)
NIL=”Duck”, a cricket score of 0; plus E[uropean] |
| 7 | TORTURER |
Oppressor beheaded innocent queen after communist uprising (8)
[p]URE=”beheaded innocent”, plus R[egina]=”queen”; after reversal of TROT=”communist uprising” |
| 8 | ROYALIST |
Cavalier fighter allegedly the greatest in stirring story (8)
The Cavaliers were Royalists in the English Civil War. Muhammad ALI=”fighter allegedly the greatest”, inside (story)* |
| 13 | YOU’VE GOT ME |
Who’s today’s setter? I’ve no answer to that (5,3,2)
double def |
| 15 | GUNPOWDER |
Explosive sound of impact in German sub? (9)
POW=”sound of impact” inside: G[erman] plus UNDER=”sub” |
| 16 | EMBRACED |
Journalist keeps married couple covered (8)
ED=”Journalist”, around M[arried] plus BRACE=”couple” |
| 17 | FRONTMAN |
Informant tipped off Busted’s lead singer (8)
([I]nformant)* – “tipped off” indicates the removal of the first letter, “Busted” is the anagrind |
| 19,1 | DANISH PASTRY |
European office workers sample food from bakery (6,6)
DANISH=”European”, plus P[ersonal] A[ssistant]S=”office workers”, plus TRY=”sample” |
| 20 | OSIERS |
Basket makers rely on these tradesmen, commonly (6)
=Willows whose twigs are used to make baskets. hosiers=”tradesmen” => ‘OSIERS=”tradesmen, commonly” |
| 23 | STEEL |
Put up deposit to secure tons of metal (5)
LEES=”deposit”, reversed (“Put up”) and around T[ons] |
| 24 | TRUE |
Bona fide 7 used 10 (4)
T[o]R[t]U[r]E[r] |
Thanks manehi. I liked this, eg GUNPOWDER. Was CAMBRIDGE just serendipitous, I wonder. I wonder, too, off-topic, how rare it is to be princess ( or prince) of such a small place.
Thanks Nutmeg and manehi
I (eventually) enjoyed this. Having a blank grid still when I go to 22a, I tried for some time to justify STALACTITE (well, it does have a Wally or “tit” in it). However I was able to write straight in the next 4 across clues, giving me a foothold.
Having just the R and U in 7d (including REGULARLY for 10a), I guessed that 24d was alternate letters and wrote in TRUE, giving me the T and E in 7 – first time I’ve done this, I think.
I didn’t parse PEACOCK.
Favourites were RAILWAYMEN, ROYALIST and GUNPOWDER.
I thought “tradesmen, commonly” in 20d was a bit loose for (h)osiers, though I knew the basket reference.
Thanks, manehi.
Re 14ac, there’s a ‘joins’ missing from the printed clue, and unfortunately I failed to spot this in the proof – my apologies. (it should have read ‘…musical man joins Spice Girl…’
[P.S. GOOSEGRASS has lots of regional names. Many might know “Cleavers” better. Pernicious weed in our garden!]
Tough and very enjoyable, thank you Nutmeg. But not sure about regularly as a synonym for surprisingly often in 10ac. February 29th, for example, happens regularly.
Thanks, manehi and Nutmeg for putting my mind at rest.
bagel @5, manehi quite correctly hasn’t underlined “surprisingly”, which is the anagrind.
NeilW @6 then I’m not sure what the ‘criminal’ is. And regularly still does not mean often.
Bagel, there are two anagrinds because there are two anagrams. You need to remove a criminal “goes” from a surprising “rogues gallery.” As for “regularly” meaning “often,” I suppose it shouldn’t, but it does. I regularly go to the gym. That means that I go about twice a week, not that it’s always Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Thanks to Nutmeg for dropping in and clarifying what happened with the clue for GINGER ROGERS. As I said the last time one of the setters had to drop in with a similar mea culpa, shouldn’t it have been picked up by the editor?
As far as this puzzle is concerned I enjoyed it, and the forgotten/unknown GOOSEGRASS was my LOI from the wordplay after I decided that “goose” and “wally” are reasonable synonyms.
Thanks Nutmeg and manehi.
This was fun, especially ADONIS where I parsed trouble-s as ADOlescent-S (my 16 year old granddaughter lives with me, mother can’t cope at the moment). I did like DANSEUR and OSIERS.
New word was “pillock”; is it so common that manehi did not explain it, or did he not dare to? I looked it up in the OCED, it would probably have been edited with asterisks…
Thanks, manehi.
Lovely puzzle, with some excellent surface readings. I wasn’t sure quite how 14a worked, so thanks to Nutmeg for a timely explanation of the problem, and I got OSIERS from the crossers and the def without spotting the ‘osiers.
Difficult to choose favourites, but I particularly liked the surfaces and constructions of 10a (REGULARLY doesn’t always imply ‘often’ but it does frequently enough to satisfy me), 26a, 27a, 4d, 7d, 17d.
GOOSEGRASS was a late entrant, though I am very familiar with this plant. I knew the name, though I would usually call it ‘cleavers’ myself. I have also heard it called ‘sticky willy’, but perhaps that’s one for Paul instead…
Thanks Nutmeg & manehi.
Good crossword with a number of interesting clues. I see there’s another ‘GOT ME’ NINA in the central column – coincidence or not?
I particularly liked GUNPOWDER, DANSEUR & GOOSEGRASS.
[btw another, sadder, coincidence – I hadn’t heard of Jimmy Greaves for years before he turned up in a recent puzzle; now he is unfortunately in the news again.]
I enjoyed LEECHES for its double-duty double definition. Couldn’t parse MAGNETRON (which I didn’t know anyway) or TORTURER, but this was fun. Thank you Nutmeg.
Another good puzzle from Nutmeg, which I just about managed to finish. Some inventive stuff, but never pushing the boundaries too far.
Favourites today were YOU’VE GOT ME and NILE. On the (very small) down side, I don’t think we need ‘good’ in the CAMBRIDGE clue; and I’m not one who would use often/frequently and regularly as synonyms. I regularly renew my car insurance, but it only happens once a year, which is not very often. But I know, I know … this argument is lost. Keep fighting the good fight for less and fewer, though.
Thanks both.
Pleasant enough – a slow start, a few easy ones and a couple of trickier ones at the end. Last in was GOOSEGRASS after STEEL – needed to check that because LEES was unfamiliar. Liked YOU’VE GOT ME and FRONTMAN
Thanks to Nutmeg and manehi
mrpenney@8 Thanks, criminal explained.
Thanks Nutmeg and manehi, and especially for Nutmeg for dropping in which I certainly greatly appreciate.
13dn was great No doubt some would say the “good” in 25ac was unnecessary…
PS Just spotted Kathryn’s Dad @15 – apologies for missing.
Had no idea that (a pejorative) Wally = GOOSE, nor was I familiar with the plant, so that meant 22a needed aid to solve. Very grateful for Nutmeg’s elucidation at 14a as I had a ? beside that clue.
Today’s gripe is that STEEL isn’t a metal but an alloy.
Whilst there may be those who might dispute that CAMBRIDGE is a good place to learn, I’m sure the KGB would give it a ringing endorsement!
I was late getting SMOKE, partly because I kept trying to squeeze in “score.” I got GINGER ROGERS but did not fully get the parsing because I was thinking “Rogers,” not “Rodgers.” I’m weak on plant life (and did not make the wally-goose connection though I did get “grass”) but was bailed out by a recurring line in many folk songs with a plea for the “wild goose grass” to grow over a grave. I needed manehi for the parsing of FRONTMAN and TRUE. Thanks to Nutmeg and manehi.
Trailman @20, the clue just says ‘metal’, not ‘a metal’, I think it is all right.
I suppose STEEL is an alloy. I wonder if I’d have got it without the word METAL in the clue? I quite enjoyed this after staring at it for far too long. FOI was TRIPE and then the rest of it came quite quickly as a result of the rather good cluing- GINGER ROGERS notwithstanding.
Thanks Nutmeg.
Top half went in in no time. Bottom half remained incomplete as I decided that the second part of 22a must be ‘guard’ (who gets to blow the whistle….) Numbskull! Wonderfully natural surfaces throughout. Ta Nutmeg.
By any reasonable test, steel is a metal. There is no claim that it is an element, and the max. 1% carbon is neither here nor there.
STEEL is an alloy. It has a metal in it (iron), plus something that isn’t a metal (carbon), and sometimes other elements too. I don’t want to have a major gripe, after all I got the solution without much difficulty, but then I might get TO BE OR NOT TO BE even if it were ascribed to Othello.
I don’t see your point, Trailman – why can an alloy not be a metal? You seem to be confusing “metal” with “element”; I agree that steel isn’t an element. (There may be other metals in the mix, but very rarely non-metals; occasionally there is a little silicon, as well as the carbon, which, as I said previously, is only a bit over 1% even in a high-carbon steel, and generally much less than 1%).
In my own defence, Collins, the Guardian Setters’ bible, includes the definition:
metal: 1b an alloy, such as brass or steel….
Fair point Nutmeg. A dictionary’s job is to reflect usage, whether accurate or not, and hence it’s legit. Yet such usage is ambiguous. To a chemist, I believe, a metal is a particular type of element. Otherwise, why have the word ‘alloy’ at all?
Sorry for the protracted moan. A setter’s life is hard enough without the pedants getting in on the act.
And stainless steel cutlery from Sheffield isn’t made out of plastic, is it?
Hi Trailman @30
As an (ex) chemist, I can see what you are getting at – elements are classified into “metals, semi-metals and non-metals”.
And yet……………mixtures, such as alloys, can be metallic or non-metallic, or indeed, both.
A metal:
conducts electricity when solid
is malleable and ductile
is shiny
is sonorous
(and various chemical properties)
Steel fits all of these.
Is your gold ring not made of metal? It probably contains a relatively low % of gold (no slight intended – pure gold doesn’t wear well enough to be made into rings), but it is still metallic, surely?
I had a very slow start but I got there in the end, though with more checks than usual. Like ACD @22, I missed Rogers/Rodgers, and thought the ditched “date” was a cryptic reference to the absence of Hammerstein. Of course, if it had really been that, the clue would have had to be “dates”, to include Hart. I got OSIERS from the basketry reference, and from that got to (h)osiers, but I don’t think I would ever have seen that from “tradesmen” alone.
I like GOOSE GRASS as a clue, though in our garden I most definitely don’t like it. Other favourites are YOU’VE GOT ME and FRONTMAN.
Thank you for an enjoyable puzzle, Nutmeg, and for the blog explanations, manehi.
I found this hard but enjoyable. I was so pleased to know from Nutmeg about the missing woed from 14 ac. It’s a poor surface otherwise. As said already, what is the point of an editor otherwise?
Oops. Word, I mean. The type is so tiny on my ipad. Well that’s my excuse anyway.
As another (ex-)chemist I heartily concur with everything that muffin has said about ‘metals’: any substance which has the physical properties of metallic elements, and is largely composed of such, is surely a metal, as much as pure iron or gold.
Astrophysycists use the term ‘metallicity’ to describe the proportion of the composition of a star consisting of all elements other than H and He; in this sense (and obviously in this sense only), carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are honorary ‘metals’!
[Gervase @ 36 – Phew!]
I do like a nice cricket clue (4d) and the fact that Robert Key could be used as an alternative ices the cake.
Failed to parse peacock as well but, as always, an enjoyable crossword from Nutmeg. I always love staring blankly at all the clues on the first pass before it starts to fall in as I invariably do with this setter. Tough but fair.
I found some clues very hard work (and didn’t manage to finish, despite having lots of time on a long train journey), but like Lemma @ 38 I’m very happy if I have to stare blankly at all the clues on a first pass! Favourites were LEECHES, DANISH PASTRY and FRONTMAN. Belated thanks to Nutmeg and manehi.
Thanks Nutmeg and manehi
A very enjoyable puzzle, as usual from this setter. For some reason I was right on the same wavelength today and it fell quite steadily, albeit not too fast. ADONIS was the first in, being the second or third clue that I looked at, finishing with GOOSE GRASS and FRONTMAN.
Just really crisp and sharp clues (apart from the slight ‘apparent juxtaposition’ of words at 14) made clues equally gettable from both the definition or cryptic direction.
Appreciate the cleverness of clues such as YOU’VE GOT ME – Paul is usually very good with that style and really pleasing to see it here as well. Also liked the TORTURER / TRUE pair – I too derived the longer container clue from the smaller TRUE.
Thanks, Nutmeg and manehi. I’ve been doing cryptics for years, but somehow only recently discovered fifteensquared. I learn so much from this detailed parsing, and the participation of setters, such as Nutmeg, is a great bonus.