We found this a tricky solve today, with some very crafty misdirections, and one or two solutions that needed a bit of research to check. However, the wordplay was very fair when we’d seen through the disguises.
Initially we thought that there was a single hidden theme relating to alcoholic drinks (5ac, 10ac, 23ac, 24ac, 26ac and 25d), then we realised that it was wider than that by including non-alcoholic drinks and other associations with drinking generally (11ac, 13ac, 14ac, 16ac, 6d & 7d). Then, by connecting them through 9d, there is another group of connected solutions at 1ac, 12ac, 17ac, 27ac and 4d.
All-in-all, an impressive feat to have incorporated so many thematic entries!
| Across | ||
| 1 | Frank is backing endless recent revelling (7) | |
| SINCERE | IS reversed or ‘backing’ + an anagram of RECEN |
|
| 5 | Powerful stuff adult left out of Bible (7) | |
| AQUAVIT | A (adult) QUIT (left) round or ‘out of’ AV (Authorised Version – Bible) | |
| 10 | A short break over wine (4) | |
| CAVA | A VAC (‘short’ for vacation – ‘break’) reversed or ‘over’ | |
| 11 | In pubs, golf chum describes favourite holes-in-one (3,7) | |
| GIN PALACES | G (‘golf’ in the phonetic alphabet) PAL (chum) round or ‘describing’ IN (favourite) + ACES (holes-in-one). We’re not happy about the inclusion of ‘in’ at the beginning of this clue – it is necessary for the surface reading, but does not contribute to the definition or the wordplay. | |
| 12 | He’s not intoxicated, I swear (6) | |
| HONEST | An anagram of HE’S NOT – anagrind is ‘intoxicated’ | |
| 13 | Popular music style for tea perhaps (8) | |
| INFUSION | IN (popular) FUSION (music style) | |
| 14 | Crew enjoys working to eject new drink supplier (6,3) | |
| JERSEY COW | An anagram of CREW E |
|
| 16 | Output of 14? Secretary drinks it about noon (5) | |
| PINTA | PA (secretary) round or ‘drinking’ IT around N (noon) | |
| 17 | Mating time in the Highlands primarily? Nothing wrong with that (5) | |
| TRUTH | RUT (mating time) in T H (first or ‘primary’ letters of The Highlands) | |
| 19 | Job for some setters about a quarter to five, in case (9) | |
| RETRIEVAL | RE (about) + E (east – a ‘quarter’) V (five) in TRIAL (case) – the solution refers to the dog breed, not compilers! | |
| 23 | Welsh guy who in Paris guzzles Irish cocktail (8) | |
| DAIQUIRI | DAI (Welsh guy) QUI (‘who’ in French) round or ‘guzzling’ IR (Irish) | |
| 24 | Ingredients of withdrawn drink (6) | |
| SHANDY | S, H AND Y – the letters or ‘ingredients’ of ‘shy’ (withdrawn) | |
| 26 | Cocktail priest takes in a soft drink with old man (4,6) | |
| PINA COLADA | P (priest) + IN A COLA (soft drink) DA (father – ‘old man’) | |
| 27 | Gravy train’s beginning at this very instant (4) | |
| JUST | JUS (gravy) T (first letter or ‘beginning’ of ‘Train’) | |
| 28 | Spread around most of the goodness (7) | |
| STREWTH | STREW (spread around) + TH |
|
| 29 | G9 clashed with EU for real (7) | |
| GENUINE | An anagram of G NINE and EU – anagrind is ‘clashed’ | |
| Down | ||
| 2 | Trapped gases in trendy beer (2,1,4) | |
| IN A HOLE | H and O (hydrogen and oxygen – gases) in IN (trendy) ALE (beer) | |
| 3 | Conservative Party and AA joiners do it (5) | |
| CRAVE | C (Conservative) RAVE (party) – AA referring to Alcoholics Anonymous | |
| 4 | Con brio avoided by bass, with good reason (7) | |
| RIGHTLY | ||
| 6 | Downs no-frills fruit drink, swallowing very loudly (6) | |
| QUAFFS | ||
| 7 | A pig swilling its mother’s water (5,4) | |
| ADAM’S WINE | A SWINE (pig) round or ‘swilling’ DAM (mother) | |
| 8 | Cracking vessel in charge of German one (7) | |
| ICEBOAT | IC (in charge) E-BOAT (German torpedo boat) | |
| 9 | Roman saw visitor with Vienna rolls (2,4,7) | |
| IN VINO VERITAS | An anagram of VISITOR and VIENNA – anagrind is ‘rolls’ – a Latin phrase suggesting that the truth will come out under the influence of drink. | |
| 15 | Fixes remarkable Irish architect’s tool (3,6) | |
| SET SQUARE | SETS (fixes) QUARE (Irish spelling of ‘queer’ – remarkable) – without wishing to be pedantic, Bert suggests that ‘former’ or ‘old’ might be added to the clue, as he (as an Architect) hasn’t used a set square for some 15 years since the advent of computer-aided design. | |
| 18 | He’s pragmatic dealing with biggest stars (7) | |
| REALIST | RE (dealing with) A-LIST (biggest stars) | |
| 20 | How climbers may look, sore everywhere at summit of Eiger? (7) | |
| ROSEATE | An anagram of SORE (anagrind is ‘everywhere’) + AT E (first letter or ‘summit’ of Eiger) | |
| 21 | ‘Spectator’ contributor is spiking special feature (7) | |
| ADDISON | IS in or ‘spiking’ ADD-ON (special feature) – we had to look this one up – Joseph Addison was one of the founders of ‘The Spectator’ in 1711 | |
| 22 | Unearth papers about complaint (3,3) | |
| DIG OUT | ID (papers) reversed or ‘about’ + GOUT (complaint) | |
| 25 | Enjoy getting stripped, tucking into golden wine (5) | |
| ANJOU | ||
Well done B&J! This double themed puzzle is a bit of a triumph isn’t it? So much respect to Radian is due.
I presumed gin palaces and iceboat, but didn’t enter them in the grid because I couldn’t parse them.
And several in the SE defeated me utterly, including, I am ashamed to say, Addison, who I do know about (well we all store away bits of arcane knowledge don’t we?).
Too early for a drink – but I need one after this (though it won’t be shandy, you can be sure of that!).
Thanks, both. A bit of fun with the drinks theme, although I’m more of a pint of Pedigree man myself. Cocktails are a bit too middle-class for my liking. And well done for spotting the second theme.
Three-quarters of this went in reasonably quickly (by Radian standards, anyway) but the remainder took ages. I liked JERSEY COW and SHANDY, but had never heard of ADAM’S WINE, only ADAM’S ALE (more anti-middle class prejudice …) And not too sure how ROSEATE refers to ‘climbers’: terns and dawns are the only nouns I’d attach it to. But I’m not a gardener.
Thanks to Radian too. (I have given up on this setter’s puzzle in Another Place today.)
I saw this as a themed crossword early on, but didn’t appreciate the double theme. Very well crafted!
I had encountered the expression ADAM’S WINE before, but only recently. I think ROSEATE in the context of ‘climbers’ refers to some varieties of roses being described as ‘climbing’.
I think the ‘in’ in the clue for 11ac can be justified as meaning that the answer can be found in ‘pubs, golf chum …’ but it’s a bit tenuous. Can we complain, though, when Radian’s given us such a cracker?
Thanks, Radian and B&J
I think 28ac and 29ac also fit the secondary theme. I may be biased – having spotted both themes for once – but I thought Radian was on top form here – all but one across clue (19) fitting one or other theme, nothing strained, and some inventive cluing.
All good although quite difficult to finish I thought. Except for my usual gripe: OK there was a theme and things have to be fitted in. But is this an excuse for there being 9 out of 29 answers with less than 50% checking? Not for me.
When I was at school the man who taught me English had a list of his top five prose writers. Addison was one of them.
Surely it’s only one theme, encapsulated by 9 down.
I too was jarred by being served a double in – not once, but twice – at 11ac and 2dn. That apart, an exemplary construction.
(I thought “roseate” referred to the climbers puffed-out cheeks?!)
Thanks all.
….and was grateful to Brendan Behan for his help with 15dn. Now there was a chap who knew how to drink…..!
[ignore – trying to clear some IT gyp; been unable to comment on the Guardians last couple of days but no prob with Indy??!]
Wow – great puzzle – started a day late but only just finished.
Had to resort to devious tactics to complete the bottom right.
Missed the various themes as usual – they would of course have helped.
Many thanks S & Bs (to avoid misinterpretation that’s B plural)
Well done NealH! Of course it is! I would have loved to have spotted that.