Long time no see from the editor.
Another tribute this time to Ronnie Corbett who died recently. There’s probably other stuff I’ve not highlighted here. Thanks Eimi. There appears to be an error in 18 across unless someone knows better.
Across
1/9 Tom’s had dining room fight broken up by famous last words (3,3,9,4,3)
AND IT’S GOODNIGHT FROM HIM
[TOM’S HAD DINING ROOM FIGHT]* broken up. I did a quick check to see if there was a sketch that fitted the description but couldn’t find one
10 Angrily shouted at slippery customer having heard of poor treatment (3,4)
RAW DEAL
Sounds like ROARED EEL
11 Summit making primate cross (4)
APEX
APE (primate) & X (a cross)
12 Nothing in cash machine. I search around front of bank, but it’s devastating (6,4)
ATOMIC BOMB
0 (nothing) in A.T.M. & B(ank) in I COMB
14 Numbers remunerated for returning without a stop (8)
DIAPASON
NO (number) & S (plural) & PAID with A inserted, all reversed
15 I didn’t get that sad (5)
SORRY
Double definition, SORRY was a Corbett sit-com
17 Pilotless craft killed without resistance (5)
DRONE
R(esistance) inside DONE (killed)
18 One of the Larkin girls captivating taxman initially in teatime adaptation (8)
MARIETTE
From the Darling Buds of May. But …. there’s no R in what appears to be TEATIME* adapted but a T from T(axman) unless it came from the R(evenue). Explanations on a postcard please.
21 Displaying great relish at the prospect of ITV Anglia’s broadcast (10)
SALIVATING
[ITV ANGLIA’S]* broadcast. I live in East Anglia, this certainly isn’t an &lit 🙂
23 Boundary Foreign Office applied to old city (4)
FOUR
F.O. & UR , see answer to next clue…
25 Wicked things Charlie left in mountains (7)
CANDLES
Handles for forks…. C(harlie) (farley??) & L(eft) in ANDES
26 Attacks Korean electrical company over American rear parts (7)
GLASSES
LG (Lucky Goldstar) reversed & ASSES (American backsides)
27 For every French artist, repeatedly taking in capitals of Nigeria and Ghana, that’s always attractive (9,6)
PERMANENT MAGNET
PER (each) & capitals of N(igeria) & G(hana) in 2 * MANET
Down
1 A very loud man involved in noisy dispute (6)
AFFRAY
A & FF (musically very loud) & RAY (man say). Maybe I’m missing something about the involved bit here.
2 Book a pair of performers a short time after start of last month (9)
DUODECIMO
More a size of book I’d have thought. DUO (see theme) & DEC(ember) (last month) 1 (first, start) & MO (short time)
3 Teacher, oddly, is a creature with hair reaching the knees (4)
TAHR
4 Billionaire helping to contain Middle East cells (7)
GAMETES
M.E. in (bill) GATES
5 One having a row with characters regularly seen in madrasa in Middle Eastern country (7)
OARSMAN
Even letters of mAdRaSa in OMAN
6 All points supported by actors on TV series in role of either Ronnie at the end of the show (10)
NEWSCASTER
N.E.W.S. (all points) & CAST (the crew) & E(mergency) R(oom) (US hospital drama).
7 One riding a motorbike more than halfway back from Obergurgl (5)
GREBO
Slang term for a biker, hidden reversed answer
8 Part of the furniture – Ronnie obviously wasn’t this (7)
TALLBOY
Ronnie Corbett could hardly be called a tall boy
13 Drug with some potential application initially in former African country (5,5)
UPPER VOLTA
UPPER (type of drug) & VOLT (some potential in electrics) & A(pplication) initially
16 Killer sent to a prison (3,6)
RAT POISON
[TO A PRISON]* sent
17 Some protection from treaty south of France set up (7)
DUSTCAP
PACT & SUD (french for south) all reversed (set up)
18 Sea Mist – a creation of a French artist (7)
MATISSE
[SEA MIST]* created [Fixed thanks]
19 Malaysian ready to telephone unpleasant chap (7)
RINGGIT
Money. RING (call) & GIT
20 Beginning to prune trees perhaps to get control (6)
PRESET
P(rune) & TREES* perhaps
22 A solitary type, a person trapped between opposing sides (5)
LONER
ONE (a person) in L(eft) & R(ight)
24 Heartless old footballer’s strip (4)
GAZA
The Gaza strip, Middle missing from GAZZA (Paul Gascoigne) ( A former professional footballer m’lud)
Thanks, Flashling. I do think there’s a mistake in MARIETTE ; the only other possible explanation is that the whole clue could be seen as a cryptic def of the plot line in Darling Buds in which the taxman does indeed fall for the heart-breakingly pretty young Catherine Zeta-Jones, as who would not.
Started this one like a train, but came off the rails in the SE corner where I had to google LG and root around for RINGGIT.
But a nice puzzle, and a suitably witty tribute to the great little man. Thanks, Eimi.
taxman = revenuer
Ah, c’mon, Cookie. There are rules. Single letters have to be recognised abbreviations or else specifically generated from the wordplay. ‘R’ for ‘head of tax-man’ is way off-side.
I thought this was a fitting tribute but I agree but I agree about 18a- first letter of revenuer is maybe a bridge too far.And there were no Ronnie’s in that series! Otherwise, loved it.
Indeed Grant, dangerously close to indirect anagram there.
At first I considered receiver…
Sorry for the mistake in 18 – perhaps too hurried a tribute, especially as I ended up having to check it while in Berlin without access to a printer, and therefore unable to do my usual checking off of the letters. No Checkpoint, in other words, for Charlie.
To Cookie @6: I refer the Honourable Member to my previous reply.
And now Eimi has resolved the matter. Nobly admitted, sir, but why is your name and those of your colleagues still not shown over the on-line edition? You must have some clout there, and the lack must affect your clueing options…
Grant Baynham, yes, agreed, but I seem to remember a clue very recently that did just that – I will try to chase it up later.
re my proposition for 18a, 11a in today’s Guardian Cryptic uses a similar device that has become a convention.
nice one, Eimi….I particularly enjoyed the fine clue for RAT POISON.
Perhaps the only advantage of the new “online only” structure is that Eimi can be a bit more nimble than other eds in offering puzzles which are up-to-the-minute (a setter of topical puzzles with a vested interest writes!)
thanks flashling
Btw, there doesn’t appear to be a blog for the puzzle in the (print edition) i on fifteensquared. (Sorry, there doesn’t seem to be away of making “i” stand out as a title). I’ve found some ad hoc blogs: is there perhaps an opportunity for a debut blogger here? I’d love to have a go.
Grant@13 I think I am right in saying that the puzzles that appear in the i all previously appeared in the Independent – so there should be blogs of them already on Fifteen squared.
Lovely tribute thank you Eimi. Strange how you only have to hear or in this case, write in, FOUR CANDLES, to get a big smile on your face.
@Grant, the idothei blog (https://idothei.wordpress.com) site do that but they then refer back to here where we blogged it 5 years ago…
18D MATISSE just an anagram of (sea mist)* – first word has been inadvertently read as “see”.
Thanks to Eimi and flashling.
{oops, fixed thanks}
Gentle and entertaining puzzle about a gentle and entertaining man. Well done, eimi.
Thanks to flashling for the blog.
Ah, well. Still, wouldn’t mind having a go at blogging the Indy, if anyone fancies a day off…
We had to rely on two different versions of the puzzle – one on the Indy app and the other using a crossword app. The crossword app had the enumeration of many of the clues wrong but it did have ‘revenueman’ instead of taxman.
Anyway, thanks for the puzzle Eimi which raised a smile as the themed answers were solved.
Thanks flashling for the blog.
Revenue man is two words, or hyphenated – perhaps Chambers gives it as one? “taxman initially” if retained might work, one might not realise and just take the R.
Although Grant Baynham @3 says this cannot be done, there is yet another example in today’s Guardian Cryptic, Brummie, at 2d, “half finishes”…