As it’s Thursday, we expected something a little trickier than usual – and Knut certainly delivered! The last Knut puzzle that we blogged in July was themed around the Greek financial crisis.
This one also has a very topical hidden theme with several references to the ‘big fish in hot water’ at 23 across. A number of rather obscure references caused some head-scratching (at 11ac, 21ac and 3d) and the anagrams at 13ac, 23ac, 1d, 5d and 6d were very cunningly constructed.
We hadn’t come across the Hebrew measure at 7d before, and the tricky wordplay at 11ac meant that these two clues were our last ones in.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Loaded on shelf, no Time Out (6) | |
| SACKED | S |
|
| 4 | Nice getting heated by this (8) | |
| SCIROCCO | Cryptic definition – the SCIROCCO is a warm wind originating over North Africa and blowing across the Mediterranean, ‘heating’ Nice (and the rest of the French Riviera) – also one of the 23/30 | |
| 10 | Knut’s to act as go-between without delay (9) | |
| IMMEDIATE | I’M (Knut is) MEDIATE (to act as a go-between) | |
| 11 | Crikey! Harry’s left town (5) | |
| CORBY | COR B |
|
| 12 | Drawn, exhausted, disheartened (4) | |
| TIED | TI |
|
| 13 | Volatile power company’s ticker quote (5,5) | |
| STOCK PRICE | An anagram of P (power) CO’S (company’s) and TICKER – anagrind is ‘volatile’ | |
| 15 | It’s a fraud to insure one of 23’s 30 (5-2) | |
| COVER-UP | We’re not too sure about the parsing here, but we think it must relate to the possibility that following the recent scandal, it may well be more expensive to insure a 23, so the COVER may go UP. Thanks to WordPlodder@1 for the explanation. There are actually 6 different models of Up! cars. | |
| 16 | I get stuck into Leeds, playing dirty stuff! (6) | |
| DIESEL | I ‘stuck’ in an anagram of LEEDS – anagrind is ‘playing’ | |
| 19 | American conscript recorded 22, batting first (6) | |
| INDUCT | DUCT – sounds like (‘recorded’) DUCKED (evaded – 22d) with IN (batting) first | |
| 21 | Townshend touring Panama could be a bugbear (3,4) | |
| PET HATE | PETE (Townshend – of the Who – one of our favourite bands) round or ‘touring’ HAT (panama, could be) | |
| 23 | With a single ring, Gok Wan loves cooking big fish in hot water (10) | |
| VOLKSWAGEN | An anagram of GOK WAN L |
|
| 25 | Liechtenstein defensive error turned the game (4) | |
| GOLF | FL (Leichtenstein) OG (own goal – ‘defensive error’) all reversed or ‘turned’ – another one of the 23/30 | |
| 27 | Carmaker’s deceitful trick (5) | |
| DODGE | Double definition – We wondered whether the carmaker was associated in some way with 23 so had a quick search and came up with THIS link. | |
| 28 | Firm body! (9) | |
| CORPORATE | Double definition | |
| 29 | The Regiment, outwardly tired, suffering a terrible loss (8) | |
| DISASTER | SAS (apparently ‘The Regiment’ is a video game based on the SAS) in an anagram of TIRED – anagrind is ‘suffering’ | |
| 30 | They display fashion, large and small (6) | |
| MODELS | MODE (fashion) L (large) S (small) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Pole kicks off, netting first (3,5) | |
| SKI STICK | An anagram of KICKS – anagrind is ‘off’ round or ‘netting’ IST (first) | |
| 2 | A vehicle to accommodate theatrical Queen with lead role (6,3) | |
| CAMPER VAN | CAMP (theatrical) ER (queen) VAN (with lead role) | |
| 3 | Nelson’s whirlpool? (4) | |
| EDDY | Double definition – ‘Nelson’ referring to Nelson Eddy, the 1930s / 40s singer and actor | |
| 5 | Forced out CEO; credibility shot (7) | |
| COERCED | An anagram of CEO – anagrind is ‘out’, and an anagram of CRED (credibility) – anagrind is ‘shot’ | |
| 6 | 1% is collected – they get it (10) | |
| RECIPIENTS | An anagram of I PER CENT (1%) and IS – anagrind is ‘collected’ | |
| 7 | Homer, an American soldier, is a member of the Royal Household (5) | |
| CORGI | COR (Homer – apparently a Hebrew measure equal to 10 ephahs or baths) GI (American soldier) | |
| 8 | on the periodic table (6) | |
| OXYGEN | OXYGEN is no. 8 in the Periodic table. The clue number is needed to make sense of this one. | |
| 9 | Working girl out of bed for pimp (4,2) | |
| TART UP | TART (working girl) UP (out of bed) | |
| 14 | Fine US traders for manipulation – they’re breaking the law (10) | |
| FRAUDSTERS | F (fine) + an anagram of US TRADERS – anagrind is ‘for manipulation’ | |
| 17 | To build up English/American workforce, add mischievous Greek (9) | |
| ELABORATE | E (English) LABOR (workforce as spelt in USA) ATE (Greek goddess of mischief) | |
| 18 | Altruistic Santa’s beginning without any help (8) | |
| SELFLESS | S (first letter or ‘beginning’ of Santa) + ELFLESS (how Santa would be without his helpers) | |
| 20 | A slice of meat ranch exported (7) | |
| TRANCHE | Hidden in, or ‘a slice of’ meaT RANCH Exported | |
| 21 | Author of The Raven – test some of his other work (6) | |
| POETRY | POE (Edgar Allen Poe, author of ‘The Raven’) TRY (test) | |
| 22 | PM rounds on former Labour leader, having performed a 27 (6) | |
| EVADED | DAVE (David Cameron – PM) reversed or ‘rounded’ on ED (Miliband – former Labour leader) | |
| 24 | Rich veins, potentially many of them I gather (5) | |
| LODES | Sounds like (‘I gather’) LOADS (many of them) | |
| 26 | Its players need to be up for it! (4) | |
| POLO | Cryptic definition – POLO players are ‘up’, or on horseback – the third of the 23/30 | |
Yes, lots of clues related to VW’s current woes. Someone may well cross me before I submit this, but in case I’m first, there is a VW model called the Up (or Up!), so 15 does make sense. I didn’t have a clue about 7 which I guessed – another interesting term to add to the vocab.
Thank you to Knut and B & J.
You are right WordPlodder – there is a range of Up! cars. We should have carried out a google search to check on this one. When we are back home at lunchtime we will correct the blog.
Interesting. Lots of dirty dealing included.
I couldn’t parse either CORGI or CORBY, thank you for sorting them. Homer = cor is a bit obscure for a daily. It’s one of those things that if you look up homer you are not likely to find ‘cor’, you have to look up ‘cor’ to find that it’s a homer. And only in very few dictionaries at that.
Thanks B&J and Knut.
Nelson Eddy was known as the Singing Capon (partnered by the Brass Butterfly).
Another entertaining and topical puzzle from Knut – some easy, some not – cor=homer was new to be too, as was my last in INDUCT. Plenty to enjoy
Thanks to Knut, B&J
Entertaining and topical – I did have to have my full 3 goes before I finished – I do love sneaky clues like 8d.
Thanks to Knut and B&J
Got the theme fairly early on so solved three-quarters relatively easily but then struggled with the NE quarter, resorting to wordfinders and even trial and error. Great ‘aha’ moment though when I got 11ac and realised how to parse it. Odd coincidence that PET HATE should appear after I referred to pet hates in a comment on yesterday’s blog – not that it’s of any importance.
Thanks, Knut and B&J
Lovely puzzle with great use of theme.
Loved the elfless Santa too.
Hello folks,
Many thanks to B&J for the blog, thanks too for the comments.
@sidey, 3….
I’m sorry about the COR/HOMER thing, it is obscure, but having already used the CRIKEY/COR BLIMEY riff, I was attracted by the idea that HOMER could be a plausible name for a GI. Thanks for pointing out the UP! model, and of course who among us hasn’t driven in a VW CAMPER VAN for a wet fortnight parked above Fistral Beach with only a Che Guevara t-shirt, a pair of cut-off denims and a single change of underwear?
Forgive the deviation, but I live in rustic SW Germany where decent Chinese food is very hard to come by and can heartily recommend (re 23a) Gok Wan’s first “healthy” Chinese cookbook. If you compare pictures of him as a 15yr old with the way he looks today, it seems to work.
warmest regards to all,
Rob/Knut
Nowadays I only buy the Indy when Knut’s on (well ok…Tyrus too)…( oh!…and Jambazi… but that’s not very often)…where was I?
Yes, consistently high standard, smart and inventive thanks K (& B&J).
Knut, sorry if I seemed a bit whingey, I would’ve got both on a weekend, homer and variants appearing in barred puzzles occasionally.
Lovely puzzle from Knut as always – but hardly Thursday fare, sadly. The parsing of CORBY had me (answer clear but why did by=Harry? I’d stopped at cor for crikey) so well done and thanks for that. How is 21ac an “obscure reference”? Surely you’ve heard of Pete Townshend since The Who are one of your favourites (I think he’s brilliant but I’m not so fond of the band)?
Thanks all round.
….and does not the pairing of Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy ring bells? He was a housewife’s favourite in his pomp – possibly more so than any other. The Elvis Presley or Justin Bieber of his time. Less obscure than some Hebrew measures I could mention……! 🙂
Great stuff!
As usual with Knut, timely, topical and much fun, 8 did have me wondering if there was a printing problem as half the clue seemed to be missing. Cor=homer was definitely a new one to watch for. Thanks all 3 of you.