We never know whose puzzle we will have to solve on a Thursday. Certain setters send a shiver down your spine, others raise a smile but we are rarely disappointed.
Today it’s Tees’ turn to challenge us which normally means that there will be some unusual constructions along the way – at least as far as we are concerned. As expected there were a number of definitions which needed checking as we’d not come across them before but they were all possible once we had a few crossing letters.
If Kathryn’s Dad is around today he may make comments about the number of exclamation marks in the clues. It’s Joyce blogging today so she has restrained herself from using any more in the rest of the blog although it turned out to be almost as difficult as the puzzle.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Puzzle’s bird pinned by neat killer | |
| BEMUSE | EMU (bird) inside or ‘pinned by’ BSE (neat killer – as in the disease that kills cows) | |
| 4 | Composer takes vehicle round in back | |
| BUSONI | BUS (vehicle) O (round) IN reversed or ‘back’ | |
| 9 | Out! Out with Helen and her plot! Get outta here! | |
| PULL THE OTHER ONE | An anagram of OUT with HELEN and HER PLOT anagrind is ‘out’ | |
| 10 | Where Cockney found your Cockney arms dealer | |
| BOWYER | BOW (where Cockneys are found) YER (Cockney word for your). My sincere apologies – Thanks Tees for pointing out my error. | |
| 11 | Everyone retreating in woodland to fall apart | |
| COLLAPSE | ALL (everyone) reversed or ‘retreating’ in COPSE (woodland) | |
| 12 | Former MP protects in reshuffle | |
| PRESCOTT | Anagram of PROTECTS (anagrind is ‘in reshuffle’) | |
| 14 | Teach swimmers? | |
| SCHOOL | Double defintion | |
| 15 | Mark sailor low-life elevated in Giza? | |
| SCARAB | SCAR (mark) AB (sailor). The definition relates to the fact that the Egyptian gods Khepri and Ra, were often depicted as a scarab beetle. | |
| 18 | Doctor’s bone-setting charge? | |
| CASTRATE | CAST (bone-setting) RATE (charge) | |
| 21 | Man mountain last from Men in Tights | |
| ALPHONSE | ALP (mountain) + N (last letter in meN) inside HOSE (tights) | |
| 22 | Great many or single separating sides at Gabba? | |
| LEGION | I (single) inside LEG and ON ( |
|
| 24 | O! Very inhumane! Go to blazes! Get outta here! | |
| YOU’RE HAVING ME ON | An anagram of O VERY INHUMANE GO (anagrind is ‘to blazes’) | |
| 25 | Erotic players in vacuous story | |
| STEAMY | TEAM (players) in S |
|
| 26 | Black Queen’s match for familiar royal | |
| BERTIE | B (black) ER (Queen) TIE (match) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | British city couple put up in private room | |
| BOUDOIR | B (British) + RIO (city) DUO (couple) reversed or ‘put up’ | |
| 2 | Topless emoticon for Ms Cyrus | |
| MILEY | ||
| 3 | Second singer down under rejected piece | |
| SCHERZO | S (second) CHER (singer) + OZ (down under) reversed or ‘rejected’ | |
| 5 | New push about previous continues tradition? | |
| UPHOLDS | An anagram of PUSH (anagrind is ‘new’) about OLD (previous) | |
| 6 | Fourth Era may require prayer | |
| OUR FATHER | An anagram of FOURTH ERA (anagrind is ‘may require’) | |
| 7 | Writer from Helsinki one’s contacted | |
| IONESCO | Hidden in HelsinkI ONE’S COntacted | |
| 8 | Feline Auntie receiving nothing having emptied account | |
| BOBCAT | BBC (Auntie) around or ‘receiving’ O (nothing) A |
|
| 13 | Extra fee populates stream with fish | |
| SURCHARGE | SURGE (stream) around or ‘populated with’ CHAR (fish) | |
| 16 | Rings American being cruel | |
| CALLOUS | CALL (ring) O (ring) US (American) | |
| 17 | Philosopher’s stolen meat | |
| BENTHAM | BENT (stolen) HAM (meat) | |
| 18 | Chopstick? | |
| CLEAVE | A sort of double definition – CLEAVE (chop) CLEAVE (stick) | |
| 19 | No talking after digesting European article | |
| SILENCE | SINCE (after) around or ‘digesting’ LE (European article) | |
| 20 | Double spread turned into substantial publication | |
| TWOSOME | SOW (spread) reversed or ‘turned’ into TOME (substantial publication) | |
| 23 | Good German to employ a male’s full range | |
| GAMUT | GUT (German for good) around or ‘employing’ A M (male) | |
This was definitely a worthy Thursday outing, a good two Dacs for me. Splendid wordplay! At 3D I went through every Singer down under I could think of – Kylie, Kiri, Tina, Reddy, Newton-John… but no, of course it had to be the Oz Cher! 21A Alphonse raised a smile, too. I had to guess at 4A Busoni and 7D Ionesco, so thanks, Tees, for making those clues less opaque.
I struggled in the bottom right, failing to see 22A Legion for ages. With that in place, I could write in 19D Silence without understanding the clue (thanks, Bertandjoyce, for the explanation) before wincing at 18A Castrate and finally understanding 18D Cleave.
Excellent stuff, I loved it! (After I had eventually finished!)
Off subject, so I hope this survives moderation.
In my book on jazz harmony I have a little dig at Busoni. He tried to find out how many scales there were, but confused himself by his own methodology, cited one scale twice and ended up with only a fraction of the true number.
I’ll stick to relevance from now on, honest.
I am around, as it goes, although Tees has made me late already for a busy work day by keeping me entertained for longer than I should have allowed.
I don’t like to big up setters too much, but I thought this was a treat. It’s Thursday, so in principle it’s hard; but the solutions are all there if you go looking for them.
I especially liked the clue for CLEAVE, since it’s such a funny word with two opposite definitions; and I liked LEGION, with its cricket references. If only Tees had managed to include Lord’s, the venue for England’s brilliant victory earlier this week, rather than the Gabba, in the clue …
Emrys and Tees have used up my annual quota of exclamation marks between them this morning so I will have to constrain myself. Tees, well done[!]
Well, I found this relatively easy; certainly not the ‘torture’ that some Thursdays bring. Once I had a few crossing letters the two linked answers at 9 and 24 were write-ins which helped. I liked 18ac but my CoD was BUSONI. 20dn was my LOI but I managed to parse it without referring to the blog.
K’s D @3: I guess Tees referred to the Gabba to mislead us into thinking there was a G and an A with something inserted; there was a G but no A. That being said the deception would have worked just as well with Lord’s, and had he missed out the apostrophe we might have been led really astray thinking of the Upper House.
Anyway, thanks, Tees and B&J.
I agree with the general opinion that this was a quality puzzle. I found the RHS trickier than the LHS, and BUSONI was my LOI after I decided to trust the wordplay because if I had ever come across him before I had certainly forgotten him.
Enjoyed this, thanks to both.
22ac. LEG and ON are the same thing on a cricket pitch, not different sides. The other side is OFF.
Thanks Geebs @6 – It was Joyce blogging today and despite playing cricket at school many years ago, she has to admit that she really doesn’t know much about cricket terminology.
Her head is hanging in shame and she will alter the blog immediately!
I was rather hoping that 26 would be Brenda, Private Eye’s nickname for ER, but it turned out to be one of her short-lived predecessors.
Bowyer and boudoir were my LOIs. Although both Bow and yer occurred to me, it took me a long time to put them together, probably because I’m only familiar with Bowyer as a name.
allan_c would have the clue remade unfairly, where an apostrophe in LORD’S is lost. And to lose the ‘single’ idea, in a cricket clue, would be a shame. LEG and ON are ‘sides’, even if they are the same side, which is what the blogger team is (now) affirming.
HH
Hedgehoggy @9: I agree that had the clue used Lord’s instead of the Gabba it would have been unfair to leave out the apostrophe. That being said, website naming rules result in the ground’s web address being http://www.lords.org although I don’t think the apostrophe gets dropped anywhere else. Conversely, one might well come across a grocer’s apostrophe resulting in the Upper House being called the House of Lord’s – not that any contributors to this site could ever be guilty of such a solecism.
Well if it makes you feel any better Allan I am surprised that we still have that apostrophe. They usually get lost over time.
Hi all
Thanks to B&J for their excellent bloggery. But speaking of apostrophes, I can’t believe your one in the explanation for 10 across. Gateaux’s indeed. As to LEG and ON, I’ve always felt a bit sorry for off, which has no leg equivalent AFAIA.
Thanks also to commenters who have been very kind indeed.
Tees.
Oh dear! Joyce typed it and Bert missed it!
We are normally very aware of extra or missing apostrophes. Joyce used to collect incorrect examples at one time for her students.
Hah! Hoist etc!
A delightful crossword – many thanks to Tees. I agree this seemed less challenging than one might have feared for a Thursday tease. I’ve managed the seven-so-far (Mon to Thurs – not Rufus) of our two non-pink dailies, which I gather in batches from library after the event, in two sittings – lyings actually – of under an hour. It must be a gentle week! Or maybe it’s because I recently luxuriated in a couple of dozen archived Arachnes; more open to variety?
I do like CLEAVE -meaning both to put apart and to put together. I keep a list of Janus words (along with favourite anagrams – the more risqué the better!), several of which I’ve come across in our wonderful world of crosswords. A prime example being ‘owlish’ meaning looking wise and looking stupid. Fantastic. I’m sure that came up here some time in the eighteen months I’ve been acquainted with fifteensquared. Justifies the subscription on its own.
I thought the two “Get outta here!” clues at 9 and 24ac were strong.
…..and thanks also to B & J