Punk makes one of his infrequent appearances today
There are a few words and phrases in the grid that are to be found in the Urban Dictionary. Welcome to the world of colloquial phrases and slang. Indeed a couple of entries that you might not think come into that category, do so and have meanings that you might not be aware of. I’ll leave the additional research to you.
I enjoyed the wordplay in many of the clues in this puzzle. Readers of my blogs may be aware that I am a fan of fairly complex wordplay often involving a number of constituent parts. There was also plenty of less complex wordplay that allowed solvers to get a foothold in the puzzle.
A couple of the entries I had never come across in any context before. AL DESKO was one, although it had to be that after the crossing letters were in place and it was fairly obviously an anagram. WHO’S YOUR DADDY was also new to me – perhaps I should get out more.
YAOUNDÉ was OK for me as I went there on business in the early 1970s.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
9
|
Close to pine trees, nonsensical solution? (7)
|
E (last letter of [close to] PINE) + (YEW [tree] + ASH [another tree] giving trees)
|
EYEWASH (nonsense; nonsensical solution)
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10
|
Fast I travel, producing brown mark (7)
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LENT (religious period of fasting) + I + GO (travel)
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LENTIGO (freckle; brown spot)
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11
|
Man after article in crate first and foremost, as hidden supply (5)
|
(A [indefinite article] contained in [in] [C {first letter of (first) CACHE} + C {first letter of again (foremost) CACHE}]) + HE (man) C (A) C HE |
CACHE (hidden supply)
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12
|
Green Party behind head of state, scumbag! (9)
|
S (first letter of [head of] STATE) + LIME (shade of green) + BALL (party)
|
SLIMEBALL (disgusting person; scumbag)
|
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13
|
Negotiation of deals OK where working lunch taken? (2,5)
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Anagram of (negotiation of) DEALS OK AL DESKO* |
AL DESKO (descriptive of meals eaten at one’s office DESK)
|
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15
|
Swimmer having a party in shack (7)
|
(A + LIB [Liberal [political] Party]) contained in (in) HUT (shack) H (A LIB) UT |
HALIBUT (fish; swimmer)
|
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17
|
Nothing concealed? Fashionable fabric ruffled (3,4,3,5)
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ALL OVERT (Nothing concealed) + HEP (well abreast of fashionable knowledge and taste) + LACE (type of fabric)
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ALL OVER THE PLACE (in a disorganised muddle; ruffled)
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19
|
African capital nearby draining river – you must go over it (7)
|
YE (you) containing (must go over it) (AROUND [nearby] excluding [draining] R [river]) Y (AOUND) E |
YAOUNDÉ (Capital city of Cameroon)
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21
|
Screen of ochre, red ostensibly? (7)
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REREDOS (hidden word in [of] OCHRE RED OSTENIBLY)
|
REREDOS (screen or panelling behind an altar or seat)
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23
|
Sweetheart and groom in structure riddled with holes (9)
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HONEY (term of endearment like sweetheart) + COMB (groom)
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HONEYCOMB (structure riddled with holes)
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26
|
Candidate finding pit shut, perhaps, ending on dole (7)
|
NO MINE (could be descriptive of a [coal]pit being shut) + E (last letter of [ending on] DOLE)
|
NOMINEE (candidate)
|
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27
|
Oceanic winds blow across the Atlantic (7)
|
Anagram of (winds) OCEANIC COCAINE* |
COCAINE (‘blow’ is a United States [across the Atlantic] term for COCAINE)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
You can be sure it’s the cab rank! (6)
|
Anagram of (rank) THE CAB BETCHA* |
BETCHA (colloquial form of YOU BET [certainly; you can be sure])
|
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2
|
Stuffing hen, say, and duck with herb, a little mistake (10)
|
DILL (herb) contained in (stuffing) (PECCA [sounds like {say} PECKER {a hen for example} ] + O [zero; duck score in cricket]) PECCA (DILL) O |
PECCADILLO (trifling fault; little mistake)
|
|
3 / 25D
|
Chance to screen commercial about setter, useless individual (4,4)
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LUCK (chance) containing (to screen) (AD [advertisement; commercial] containing [about] ME [descriptive of the setter]) L (A (ME) D) UCK |
LAME DUCK (inefficient or useless individual)
|
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4 / 25A
|
Expression of dominance as parentage called into question? (4,4,5)
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WHO’S YOUR DADDY (a question about your parentage)
|
WHO’S YOUR DADDY (a phrase commonly used as a boastful claim of dominance over the intended listener)
|
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5
|
The King beginning to hold tongue, literally (6)
|
ELVIS (reference ELVIS Presley, The King) + H (first letter of [beginning to] HOLD)
|
ELVISH (a fantasy language often referred to in literature [literally])
|
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6
|
Uninvited guest, savage let rip on queen (10)
|
Anagram of (savage) LET RIP ON + ER (Elizabeth Regina; queen) INTERLOP* ER |
INTERLOPER (uninvited guest)
|
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7
|
Pass through, carrying last of passengers (4)
|
VIA (through) containing (carrying) S (last letter of [last of] PASSENGERS) VI (S) A |
VISA (pass)
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8
|
Playboy hosting European game of chance (8)
|
ROUÉ (profligate, rake; playboy) containing (hosting) LETT (native or citizen of Latvia; European) ROU (LETT) E |
ROULETTE (game of chance)
|
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14
|
Figure that follows result, within some limits (7-3)
|
(EVENT [outcome; result] + YON [that]) contained in (within) SE (the first and last letters of [limits] SOME) S (EVENT YON) E |
SEVENTY-ONE (figure)
|
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16
|
Bird teated hairily? (7,3)
|
Anagram of (hairily) BIRD TEATED BEARDED TIT* |
BEARDED TIT (clearly this is a bird, but I think the definition in this case is more in line with the slang words and phrases theme of today which could refer to a lady’s [bird’s] hairy nipples acting as teats)
|
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17
|
Whatever state, fine with silver plating (8)
|
(NY [New York, American State] + THIN [slender; fine]) contained in (with … plating) AG (chemical symbol for silver) A (NY THIN) G |
ANYTHING (whatever can be defined as ‘anything that’ or ‘no matter what’)
|
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18
|
Challenging second book (8)
|
HARD (challenging) + BACK (second)
|
HARDBACK (book with rigid covers)
|
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20
|
Odd parts of crest visible beneath old, old missile (6)
|
EX (old) + O (old) + CET (letters 1, 3 and 5 of [odd letters of; odd parts of] CREST)
|
EXOCET (subsonic tactical missile, launched from a ship, plane or submarine and travelling at low altitude)
|
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22
|
Pen allowed as surgical probe (6)
|
STY (pen for pigs) + LET (allowed)
|
STYLET (surgical probe)
|
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24
|
Dead centre of Izmir, point to house? (4)
|
NUB (point) containing (to house) M (middle letter of [centre of] IZMIR) NU (M) B |
NUMB (dead)
|
Nice puzzle and nice blog.Thanks
Nothing too difficult here, and some typical Punk touches – as in BEARDED TIT. AL DESKO made me smile, too. I guess the oceanic/COCAINE anagram has been used before but it took me some time to see it; LAME DUCK also eluded me for ages – those were my last two in. My CoD has to be NUMB – very neat!
Thanks, Punk and Duncan.
Some charming clues – and some elusive ones too. Thanks to both.
I got off on the wrong foot with 17 thinking that “nothing concealed” was the definition (people do say things like “you can’t miss it – it’s all over the place”). Apart from that, there weren’t too many problems with this one – fairly unusual for the Thursday puzzle to be the easiest of the week for me.
I enjoyed this. Seemed to be hard at a first look but yielded satisfactorily when a few answers were in. I too liked AL DESKO, something I can identify with, and there were a few new terms such as WHO’S YOUR DADDY and ‘blow’ for COCAINE.
Thank you Duncan and Punk.
I really enjoyed this, although it did take a while to finish. I like the fact that Punk gives you some contemporary ‘urban’ vocabulary, so AL DESKO, SLIMEBALL and WHO’S YOUR DADDY got a tick.
ELVISH is just a language in the Tolkien novels, isn’t it?
PECCADILLO I think I’ve only ever come across in a sexual context – a bit on the side. Perhaps I should get out more as well.
Thanks to Duncan for blogging.
K’s D,
Sounds like you might be getting out too much if that’s the only context in which you’ve heard peccadillo used.
Really good I thought. You don’t need Chambers to hand when you’re doing a Punk crossword, for it won’t help a lot. The clue for NUMB was brilliant.
More haste less speed! My first answer in was 11ac STASH (embedded in ‘foremoST AS Hidden supply’) – doh! I figured the lengthy preamble was a mischievous diversion!