Independent Saturday Prize Puzzle 9146 / Hob (6th Feb 2016)

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It’s been nearly a year since we last blogged a Hob puzzle, so we were really looking forward to a treat. Unfortunately, we were initially somewhat disappointed by the seemingly ‘normal’ puzzle.

However, while writing up the blog, we realised that there is a theme, based around fictional ’22 acrosses’, and all of a sudden our admiration for Hob was restored!

As far as we can see, there are nine thematic entries (as well as 22ac itself) – these are coloured green. Have we missed anything else?

We’re still on our new laptop (without ‘Word’), so the format is different to our normal layout – we hope it still makes some kind of sense.

 

Across

7 Prince seen back in hotel, having a drink with an actor (9)

MAHARAJAH

H (hotel) A JAR (drink) A HAM (actor) all reversed or ‘back’

 

8 Crude language (5)

BASIC

Double definition – the language being a computer programming language

 

9 An impression of authority from this absurdly large seat (5,4)

GREAT SEAL

An anagram of LARGE SEAT – anagrind is ‘absurdly’

 

10 Runner following boat (5)

SKIFF

SKI (runner) FF (following)

 

12 I’m working – I’ve no real choice (6)

HOBSON

HOB’S (I’m – Hob being the setter) ON (working) – a reference to ‘Hobson’s choice’ – i.e. no choice at all. 22ac played by John Gielgud to Dudley Moore in “Arthur”

 

13 Take flight here, having broken a wrist? Yes (8)

STAIRWAY

An anagram of A WRIST – anagrind is ‘broken’ + AY (yes). Not a 22ac, although some large houses used to have a ‘Butler’s staircase’ for staff use.

 

14 For one such as Gazza, bruised ego leads to really drunken, ill-advised episodes (7)

GEORDIE

An anagram of EGO (anagrind is ‘bruised’) + first letters or ‘leads’ to Really Drunken Ill-advised Episodes

 

17 Quits or is fired and explodes (4,3)

GOES OFF

Triple definition

 

20 Deny seeing second tart in seedy bar? (8)

DISPROVE

S (second) PRO (tart – prostitute) in DIVE (seedy bar)

 

22 Man in trouble, with no love lost (6)

BUTLER

An anagram of TRoUBLE with no ‘o’ (love) – anagrind is ‘lost’. The gateway clue to the theme.

 

24 Bathing place at European resort (5)

POOLE

POOL (bathing place) E (European). 22ac to Dr Jekyll

 

25 Criminal ignores fine – put under curfew, or given a stretch? (9)

ELONGATED

fELON (criminal) without or ‘ignoring’ the ‘f’ (fine) GATED (put under curfew)

 

26 Stagger through meal after losing name for recipe (5)

LURCH

LUnCH (meal) with the ‘n’ (name) replaced by R (recipe). 22ac to the Addams Family

 

27 Monarch governs badly around quarter to one (9)

SOVEREIGN

An anagram of GOVERNS – anagrind is ‘badly’ around E (quarter) I (one)

 
Down

 
 1 Musical act in Barnet (6)

HAIRDO

HAIR (Musical) DO (act)

 

2 One pestering that woman’s a right idiot essentially (8)

HARASSER

HER (that woman’s) with A R (right) ASS (idiot) in the middle or ‘essentially’

 

3 Rocky Raccoon’s no firm Republican (6)

CARSON

An anagram of RACcoON’S without ‘co’ (firm) – anagrind is ‘rocky’. At first, we thought it was odd that Hob had included a reference to Dr Ben Carson, one of the outsiders in the Republican primaries, but then the penny dropped – this was the ‘in’ to the theme – yes, we confess to watching ‘Downton Abbey’! Carson is 22ac to the Crawley family 

 

4 Salami with East 17? A sort of sickness ensues (7)

MALAISE

An anagram of SALAMI and E (east) – anagrind is ‘goes off’ (17ac)

 

5 Driver leaving vehicle in hooded coat reportedly (6)

PARKER

Sounds like (‘reportedly’) PARKA (hooded coat). 22ac to Lady Penelope in ‘Thunderbirds’

 

6 Those undesirable periods of dishonour, if father and mother affected (4-4)

RIFF-RAFF

Hidden in (‘periods of’) ‘dishonouR IF Father’ and ‘motheR AFFected’. 22ac to Dr Frank-N-Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ 

 

11 Censor apoplectic at offensive content (4)

CATO

Hidden in or ‘contents’ of ‘apoplectiC AT Offensive’. A reference to Cato the Elder, a conservative Roman senator, also known as Cato the Censor. 22ac to Inspector Clouseau in ‘The Pink Panther’ films

 

15 One record after another beginning to exasperate, turn over for religious programme (8)

EPILOGUE

I (one) LOG (record) after EP (another record) + E (first letter or ‘beginning’ to ‘exasperate’) and U (turn) reversed or ‘over’

 

16 Prince makes setter blush? No – Ed. (4)

IGOR

I (setter) GO Red (blush) without ‘Ed’. 22ac to Count Duckula in the cartoon series

 

18 Locates upsetting quotes: “ET autistic?” “Somewhat” (8)

SITUATES

Hidden (‘somewhat’) and reversed (‘upsetting’) in ‘quoteS ET AUTIStic’

 

19 Ring Yahoo about the Hilton’s page? (7)

BELLBOY

BELL (ring) YOB (‘Yahoo’) reversed or ‘about’

 

21 One following friend’s football team, commonly (6)

PALACE

ACE (one) following PAL (friend)

 

22 Remove schoolboy from production of ‘Hair’, right after half-term (6)

BUNTER

BUN (‘production of hair’) R (right) after TE (half of ‘term’). A reference to Billy Bunter of the ‘Remove’ class at Greyfriars School in the 1950s TV series. 22ac and co-investigator in the Lord Peter Wimsey novels 

 

23 Go green, being indisposed to say why (6)

ENERGY

An anagram of GREEN (anagrind is ‘being indisposed’) + Y (sounds like or ‘to say’ ‘why’)

 

11 comments on “Independent Saturday Prize Puzzle 9146 / Hob (6th Feb 2016)”

  1. I didn’t spot all those fictional butlers…well done…but I did see ‘JEEVES’ down the middle column…and wondered if that had anything to do with a theme…

  2. Oops, not only didn’t I spot the theme, I managed to convince myself that 22ac must be BATTER, i.e a “man in”.

  3. And there was I thinking I might be first in with the theme. Oh well. My first inkling was spotting ‘Jeeves’ down the central unches then picking up all the others except Riffraff, which is new to me. Thanks Hob and B&J.

  4. I think you mean the Crawley family, not Crawford. But thanks for the theme, I never spot them.

    I’m going to miss the crossword when the poor old Indy goes.

  5. Apologies – we will sort this out later when we are home.

    We sincerely hope that the Inquisitor and Beezelbub survive. Why shouldn’t they be viewable on the new app? They are not available at the moment but we hope someone is fighting on our behalf to ensure they are in the future.

  6. Failed to spot the theme, but it wasn’t necessary for solving the puzzle. Some ingenious cluing, notably for HOBSON and RIFF-RAFF.

    Re 22dn, Billy Bunter, aka the Fat Owl of the Remove, goes back to long before the 1950s TV series. Created by Frank Richards (pseudonym of Charles Hamilton), he first appeared as a minor character in stories in The Magnet from 1908 onwards, later becoming a sort of anti-hero in books as well as stories.

    Thanks, Hob and B&J.

  7. Interesting puzzle. When this grid appear in the Indie it seems a theme is inevitable, not that I spotted it.

    I do hope they keep the crosswords going, that they’ve finally fixed the date format and you can actually read solved clues would indicate at least one person is working on things.

  11. Came together nicely in the end. After finally getting MAHARAJAH, I spotted the Nina then the references to BUTLER, though didn’t know all the names. I was interested to read about IGOR who apparently wasn’t in the Frankenstein novel or original film as I’d always imagined.

    Very enjoyable all round.

    Thanks to Hob and B&J.

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