“Quite an easy crossword from Monk.” Now, there’s something that you don’t hear every day!
No obscure words and plenty of well-signposted anagrams to get us started. Is he not well??
I can see MAGICIAN written down the centre of the grid. Usually there is a bit more than this to be found, can anyone spot anything else?
Thanks Monk
UPDATE: The grid pays a small tribute to all those who like an occasional drink at the end of the day, and in particular one BBC commentator Thomas Woodrooffe.
He was an ex-Naval commander and someone in the BBC thought it a good idea to send him to Spithead to broadcast from aboard his old ship Nelson on the ceremonial illumination of the British fleet in celebration of King George IV’s coronation. There Woodrooffe met up with a few of old colleagues and was soon was very drunk.
The radio broadcast (20th May 1937 ) went roughly as follows:
The Fleet’s lit up. When I say ‘lit up’ I mean lit up by fairy lamps. It’s lit up by fairy lamps … it isn’t a Fleet at all, …. the whole Fleet is a Fairyland. If you follow me through … if you don’t mind … when I say ‘the Fleet’s lit up I mean the whole ships … (extra long pause) … I was telling someone to shut up. The whole Fleet’s lit up … the ships are lit up … even the destroyers are lit up. We are going to fire a rocket … we are going to fire all sorts of things …. you may hear my reaction when I see them … A huge Fleet here … a colossal Fleet all lit up with fairy lights … The whole thing is Fairyland … it isn’t true … It’s gone, it’s gone … it’s disappeared , … No magician ever waved his wand with more acumen… The Fleet’s gone … it’s disappeared … I’m trying to give you … Ladles and Gentlemen a description . . . the Fleet’s gone … it’s disappeared …. the whole thing’s gone … They’ve disappeared … We had two hundred warships all round us … Now they’ve all gone … There’s nothing between us and heaven … there’s nothing at all …
At this point Woodrooffe was taken off the air, though presumably on his ship he did not know this and continued rambling on into the night. His BBC superiors (one a teetotaller and an one an ex-admiral) were most displeased.
You can hear the broadcast here: Woodrooffe Fleet Review Commentary
| Across | ||
| 1 | FLEET |
Nimble 24 about to be featured in this paper (5)
ELL (24) reversed (about) inside (to be featured in) FT (this paper) |
| 4 | SMATTERED |
Dabbled in small stuff, extremely engrossed (9)
S (small) MATTER (stuff) then EngrosseD (extremes of) |
| 9 | LIT UP |
Tight rim around half of cylinder (3,2)
LIP (rim) inside (around) TUbe (cylinder, half of) |
| 10 | PARSIMONY |
What might make minors pay up? Not this (9)
anagram (what might make…up) of MINORS PAY |
| 11 | OWN |
Particular leaders of New World Order are overthrown (3)
leading letters of New World Order reversed (overthrown) |
| 12 | FORGETTABLE |
Nondescript story about poor Gavin’s first otter (11)
FABLE (story) containing (about) anagram (poor) of Gavin (first letter of) and OTTER |
| 13 | IVIES |
I strive to join the top in social climbers (5)
I VIE (strive) with Social (top letter of) |
| 14 | LINDBERGH |
Ex pilot flying new BrAitish glider hard (9)
anagram (flying) of N (new) B (British) GLIDER and H (hard) – there is a typo in the online version of this clue |
| 18 | GENUFLECT |
Maybe defer to mostly neglectful criminal (9)
anagram (criminal) of NEGLECTFUL (mostly, missing last letter) |
| 20 | DATUM |
Baseline return a little clumsy at heart (5)
TAD (a little) reversed (return) clUMsy (heart of) |
| 21 | VICE-ADMIRAL |
Mild caviare prepared for top brass (4-7)
(MILD CAVIARE) anagram=prepared |
| 24 | EEL |
Fish in regular spots in Easter Island (3)
EastEr isLand (regular spots in, every fourth letter) |
| 25 | MAPLE LEAF |
Plan page about the French national symbol (5-4)
MAP (plan) LEAF (page) containing LE (the, French) |
| 26 | FAIRY |
Not large, quite a small charming creature (5)
FAIRLY (quite) missing L (not large) |
| 27 | TRANSIENT |
Excited entrant is passing (9)
(ENTRANT IS)* anagram=excited |
| 28 | LAMPS |
Punches male in bits below the belt? (5)
M (male) in LAPS (bits below the belt) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | FOLLOWING |
Madness mostly in debt to fans (9)
FOLLy (madness, mostly) OWING (in debt to) |
| 2 | EXTENSION |
Old strain in appendix (9)
EX (old) TENSION (strain) |
| 3 | TIP-OFFS |
List out second bits of insider info (3-4)
TIP (list, to lean over) OFF (out) S (second) |
| 4 | SUPERGLUE |
Bond agent, the best senior officer left in eastern Prague (9)
SUPER (the best senior officer, in police force) then L (left) in praGUE (eastern, right side of) – possibly the definitoin is ‘bond agent, the best’ and SUPER is just ‘senior officer’. Neither seem quite right to me. |
| 5 | AGREE |
Settle up in part of beer garden (5)
found inside (in part of) bEER GArden reversed (up) |
| 6 | TWIN-TUB |
Containing a lot of drink, cask overturned – use this to wash (4- 3)
BUTT (cask) reversed (overturned) containing WINe (drink, a lot of) |
| 7 | RHOMB |
Physicist about to introduce minute lozenge (5)
BHOR (physicist) reversed (about) containing (to introduce) M (minute) |
| 8 | DOYLE |
Novelist yelled oddly after party (5)
YeLlEd (odd letters of) following DO (party) |
| 15 | NET PROFIT |
What remains of advantage following trap (3,6)
PROFIT (advantage) following NET (trap) |
| 16 | RUTHENIUM |
An element of pity over my family getting upset about uni (9)
RUTH (pity) MINE (my family) reversed (getting upset) containing (about) U (university) |
| 17 | HIMALAYAS |
Guy’s old country is within range (9)
HIS (guy’s) contains (has…within) MALAYA (old country) |
| 19 | FRATERS |
Where brothers may scoff following false arrest (7)
F (following) and ARREST* anagram=false – a refectory in a monastry |
| 20 | DOLEFUL |
Blue mould left exposed, rotting (7)
anagram (rotting) of mOULD LEFt (exposed, no outside letters) |
| 21 | VOMIT |
Bring up unfinished ballot about major route (5)
VOTe (ballot) containing MI (M1, major route, road number in UK) |
| 22 | CUPPA |
Caught up with old man for a drink (5)
C (caught) UP with PA (old man) |
| 23 | MY EYE |
Millions with open-ended agreements? I think not (2,3)
M (nillions) with YEs YEs (two agreements, unfinished=open ended) |
definitions are underlined
As you say easy ‘for a Monk’ but very enjoyable. I can’t see anything more than MAGICIAN in the middle but I’m the world’s worse spotter of Ninas so….
Thanks to Monk for the crossword and PeeDee for the blog.
or even ‘worst’ !!
Thanks Monk and PeeDee
Found this one surprisingly easier than usual from this setter as well – not to say that there weren’t some holdups, though ! LAMPS was my last one in – had not heard of the UK slang meaning of it to hit or punch someone. DATUM was second last and it took a while to reconcile it to ‘baseline’ as the definition. RUTHENIUM was a new element that I had not previously come across.
Did not spot the MAGICIAN Nina – but having been shown it, can see the following related connections:
RHOMB is known as the magician’s circle
Aladdin and the MAGIC LAMP
Conan Doyle was a close friend of the MAGICIAN, Houdini
“The MAGICIAN is only one step ahead of the audience.” is a famous quote of Anne LINDBERGH
Bee A MAGICIAN was the first mare in a long time to win the MAPLE LEAF TROT, a premier race in Canada last month.
Quite a bit of fun …
PS … PeeDee , you have the A1 rather than the M1 in your description of 21d
I found this easier than usual for Monk too, and there was much to enjoy. Liked “parsimony”, “fairy” & “superglue” especially. Yet again didn’t spot the Nina!
Last ones in were “Lindbergh” (I’m blaming the typo!) and “ruthenium”. Could have kicked myself at being so slow at getting the latter – it was the subject of my husband’s postdoctoral research in the late 1960’s so became very familiar even to me, a non-scientist!
Thanks to Monk & PeeDee.
Apart from the nina ‘Magician’ I can see ‘ox’, ‘old’, ‘out’ and ‘who’ also – but no idea how they relate, if at all!
A lovely challenge I thought, thanks to setter and blogger alike.
Thanks brucew @4 – it amazes me that I can write such obvious nonsense and not notice it.
Thanks to PD for blog and to all peeps for pleasant comments. There is indeed a bit more (symmetric, of course) to find 😉
(And, if, in another place, you follow the source right through to the end, you’ll see how it links to what’s already been found.)
I don’t think I’m ever going to learn to like Monk’s puzzles, even when people claim they are easy. I make an enjoyable start on the left side of this, but lost it on the right hand side.
Theo: let’s say this one is relatively easy – all Monk puzzles are hard!
Monk: Is the Nina something to do with Doctor Who Series 9 – The Magician’s Apprentice? I can see MAGICIAN and WHO in there.
Monk has kindly emailed me to explain the Nina. I will update the blog tomorrow when I have more time…
… so, in that case, we can all have a drink, or two, or three, … 😉
17Down. should read ‘MALAYA’ not ‘MALAY’
Thanks Monk and PeeDee.
A rarity – a Monk puzzle that I could complete.
Missed the Nina and really appreciate the reminder of that famous broadcast.
It took 3 sittings to get there with the SE being the last to crack. But really liked DOLEFUL and FAIRY. Shame about the typo in 14.