The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26917.
A remarkable offering from Crucible: relatively easy, with an ocean of envelopes, and a theme that even I could spot. Noël Coward appears at 11A, and some of his best known plays are scattered throughout: PRIVATE LIVES, HAY FEVER, BLITHE SPIRIT, PRESENT LAUGHTER, QUADRILLE. I do not know of any anniversary to be commemorated. Oscar Wilde makes a guest appearance. All very enjoyable.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PRIVATE | Gas about Number 4 gets ranker (7) |
| An envelope (‘about’) of IV (Roman numeral, ‘number 4’) in PRATE (‘gas’). | ||
| 5 | QUAILED | Now and then fielder in square cowered (7) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of ILE (‘now and then fIeLdEr’) in QUAD (quadrangle, ‘square’). | ||
| 9 | LIVES | Stories about first of vindictive biographies (5) |
| An envelope (‘about’) of V (‘first of Vindictive’) in LIES (‘stories’). | ||
| 10 | DEATH DUTY | Around Utah they add complex tax on what’s left (5,4) |
| An envelope (‘around’) of UT (‘Utah’) in DEATHDY, an anagram (‘complex’) of ‘they add’. | ||
| 11 | NOEL COWARD | Writer‘s Christmas card impresses bird no end (4,6) |
| An envelope (‘impresses’) of OW[l] (‘bird’) minus its last letter (‘no end’) in NOEL (‘Christmas’) plus ‘card’. | ||
| 12 | SHOO | Finish off film and drive away … (4) |
| A subtraction: SHOO[t] (‘film’, verb) minus its last letter (‘finish off’). | ||
| 14 | AT FULL SPEED | … with foot down, outcome of L-plate feuds (2,4,5) |
| An anagram (‘outcome of’) of ‘L-plate feuds’. | ||
| 18 | AT THE CINEMA | Where to see The A-Team in colour, originally getting thrashed (2,3,6) |
| An anagram (‘getting thrashed’) of ‘the A-Team in’ plus C (‘Colour originally’),with an extended definition. | ||
| 21 | FADE | Enthusiasm and rage finally die away (4) |
| A charade of FAD (‘enthusiasm’) plus E (‘ragE finally’). | ||
| 22 | PILLOWSLIP | Bed item in border over next to large unopened flower (10) |
| A charade of PIL, a reversal (‘over’) of LIP (‘border’) plus L (‘large’) plus [c]OWSLIP (‘flower’) minus its first letter (‘unopened’). | ||
| 25 | VIOLINIST | Kennedy’s one lion repositioned in 7th Street (9) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of OLIN, an anagram (‘repositioned’) of ‘lion’ in VII ST (‘7th. Street’). The definition refers to Nigel Kennedy. | ||
| 26 | LATER | We’re talking about returning afterwards (5) |
| A hidden (‘about’) reversed (‘returning’) answer in ‘weRE TALking’. | ||
| 27 | RISKILY | I go downhill in rally, occasionally taking chances (7) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of I SKI (‘I go downhill’) in RLY (‘RaLlY occasionally’). | ||
| 28 | PRESENT | Object to following piano here (7) |
| A charade of P (‘piano’) plus RESENT (‘object to’). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PALING | Stake zero in space rockets (6) |
| A reversal (‘rockets’, unusual, but suggesting an upward trajectory in a down light) of an envelope (‘in’) of NIL (‘zero’) in GAP (‘space’). | ||
| 2 | IN VIEW | Visibly win fight, beginning to end (2,4) |
| ‘win’ plus VIE ((‘fight’), with W, the first letter, moved to the end (‘beginning to end’). | ||
| 3 | ASSOCIATES | Allies ring spies to intercept foreign assets (10) |
| An envelope (‘to intercept’) of O (‘ring’) plud CIA (‘spies’) in ASSTES, am anagram (‘foreign’) of ‘assets’. | ||
| 4 | ENDOW | Fund new loony Borders party (5) |
| An envelope (‘Borders’) of DO (‘party’) in ENW, an anagram (‘loony’) of ‘new’. | ||
| 5 | QUADRILLE | That Parisian tackles a routine dance (9) |
| An envelope (‘tackles’) of ‘a’ plus DRILL (‘routine’) in QUE (French for that, conjunction, ‘that Parisian’). | ||
| 6 | ACHE | Long to teach English without restrictions (4) |
| A hidden answer (‘without restrictions’) in ‘teACH English’. | ||
| 7 | LAUGHTER | Start to leave after noisy cackling (8) |
| A charade of L (‘start to Leave’) plus a homophone (‘noisy’) of ‘after’. | ||
| 8 | DRY GOODS | Eg tea and sugar or dodgy nuts and bananas, finally (3,5) |
| An anagram (‘nuts’) of ‘or dodgy’ plus S (‘bananaS finally’). I like Crucible’s wit with the fake anagrinds. | ||
| 13 | OSCAR WILDE | Reading Dandy, he flouted the Queensberry Rules (5,5) |
| A cryptic definition, referencing the Marquess of Queensberry, sued for libel by Wilde, which resulted in the latter’s downfall and imprisonment, for much of the time in Reading Gaol. | ||
| 15 | FRIGIDITY | Female intransigence? (9) |
| A charade of F (‘female’) plus RIGIDITY (‘intransigence’). | ||
| 16 | HAY FEVER | Play that brings tears to your eyes (3,5) |
| Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 17 | STUDIOUS | Learned university is infiltrating film companies (8) |
| An envelope (‘is infiltrating’) of U (‘university’) in STUDIOS (‘film companies’). | ||
| 19 | BLITHE | Bishop’s settled and he’s happy (6) |
| A charade of B (‘bishop’) plus LIT (‘settled’) plus ‘he’. | ||
| 20 | SPIRIT | Drool over Irish bottle (6) |
| An envelope (‘over’) of IR (‘Irish’) in SPIT (‘drool’). | ||
| 23 | LIT UP | Shed light on current trade union breaking record (3,2) |
| An envelope (‘breaking’) of I (‘current’) plus TU (‘trade union’) in LP (‘record’). | ||
| 24 | GIGI | Musical performance beginning to impress (4) |
| A charade of GIG (‘performance’) plus I (‘beginning to Impress’). | ||
Thanks Crucible and PeterO.
My favourites were ENDOW & PALING (LOI).
New for me was the violinist Nigel Kennedy (thank you google!)
A very nicely-constructed puzzle. My favourites were QUADRILLE and LAUGHTER.
Themed crosswords can be off-putting if you don’t happen to be into the theme, but here the clueing makes it accessible to all, which is so much fairer, IMHO. Well-earned thanks to Crucible and PeterO.
BTW, how often do we hear/read RISKILY?
Thanks PeterO and Crucible.
The theme helped me solve several other clues (PILLOWSLIP, where I had the inexplicable PILLOWCASE until I solved BLITHE), though I was keeping an eye open for Oscar’s oeuvre too.
I messed around with cette in 5d for far too long.
Enjoyable
Thank you, PeterO, fine, easy-to-read blog.
Ashamed to say that even having acted in HAY FEVER, PRIVATE LIVES, & BLITHE SPIRIT I still managed to miss the theme!
Needed the blog for the parsing of ‘lit’ in BLITHE.
Lovely crossword, thoroughly enjoyable, and which did not last long enough for me.
Admired VIOLINIST, LAUGHTER (best homophone for ages), & SHOO.
Thank you, Crucible, nice week all.
What a delightful puzzle. Now to work. And thanks PeterO.
Thanks, PeterO.
Lovely puzzle – with a theme not quite so hidden as usual from Crucible!
I smiled at ‘Reading Dandy’ and ‘Writer’s Christmas card’ and was tickled by the little bonus in the definition of 5ac.
All good fun – many thanks, Crucible.
Another PILLOWCASE here who also messed around with ce, cet and cette for far too long, and I live in France…
Thank you Crucible for a most enjoyable puzzle, I would love to see some of these plays, fortunately they seem to be available on dvds, and thank you PeterO for a helpful blog.
That was really nice. As quick to solve as I ever get, and all fair.
Great stuff!
Thanks Crucible and PeterO
Great fun, with the “Reading Dandy” a particular favourite for me too.
Spotted the theme despite a fairly sketchy knowledge of the subject (would not have known that PRESENT LAUGHTER and QUADRILLE were part of it. All pretty straightforward in the end, but enough variety to make a bit of a challenge.
Thanks to Crucible and PeterO
Thanks to Crucible and PeterO. I too got VIOLINIST without knowing Nigel Kennedy and initially did not get “rockets” as a signal for reading upwards, and GIGI was my last in. Very enjoyable.
I didn’t spot the theme until the end- my last two in were BLITHE and SPIRIT so—. I didn’t know QUADRILLE though! I have to admit to being another PILLOWCASE which was why my last two were as they were.
A very nice puzzle all round.
Thanks Crucible.
P.S. I was expecting someone to object to 15dn. Perhaps they will.
Mm – 15dn… where’s the definition?
Dinsdale @14
I do bot think that was quite the objection that Peter Aspinwall @14 was expecting – or perhaps not expressed that way. I take it that Crucible’ intention was an &lit.
Did all but one clue on the tube to my walk, just had a chance to open the paper again, and FRIGIDITY hit me in a flash.
Really nice crossword and I got the theme too. That’s at least three themes in a row now. However unlike the Bloomsday theme, I didn’t know enough to use it to find answers – though Crucible has tried to make it as easy as possible with the siting of PRIVATE LIVES and BLITHE SPIRIT.
This was a delightful puzzle, and the theme was a bonus (amazingly, I spotted it). I didn’t know QUADRILLE or HAY FEVER as belonging to this theme, though – and I didn’t even connect the latter on seeing ‘Play’ in the clue! (I too feel a bit of a pillowcase.)
Like michelle, I liked ENDOW and PALING, and I also liked VIOLINIST, where ‘Kennedy’ might have indicated other well-known people with this name. Incidentally, the violinist Nigel Kennedy, an abrasive character to some, went by the professional name Kennedy, without the Nigel, for some of his career.
Thanks to Crucible and PeterO.
Super crossword – *****
I didn’t find this as easy as everyone else seems to do. I filled the bottom part quite quickly but took a long time to break through to the top part, though I speeded up again after that. If I’d seen the theme that might have helped, but I missed it completely, perhaps because NOEL COWARD went in so late.
Thanks, Crucible and PeterO.
muffin @10
[I have added something on the General Discussion page, @121, about dropping ‘e’ when adding ‘ing’, which arose yesterday. Apologies to PeterO for using his space.]
A few had me stumped, and yes, Trailman, Dinsdale, and PeterO! 15D is objectionable. The term is highly sexist in itself, amplified by the suggestion in the clue that female sexual dysfunction, or even just disinterest is an act of wilful disobedience. I was very disappointed when I solved this clue.
John @21
I was disappointed too, finding 15D to be the only weak clue in a crossword that I felt otherwise very positive about. Basically, it is incomplete. The word-play is fine, but the only possible interpretation of the final ‘?’ is that this is an attempted &Lit, as there is otherwise nothing in the clue to indicate the answer-word. If the setter was smart enough to realise this he was being recklessly provocative.
I see that I wrote “!Tut-tut!” next to 15dn; a shame as it was a good spot by Crucible as a concise &lit.
I thought LAUGHTER was pleasantly original.
And Reading Dandy deserves two ticks.
A good crossword, I think.
Many thanks to S & B
William @23
Just to re-iterate what I said @22: 15D was an attempted &Lit. What I could have said (but only strongly implied) is that it didn’t work, as discussed at length on this page.
Great puzzle. It’s rare that I look at two clues I missed and discover that I think they were *perfect* (FRIGIDITY and LAUGHTER).
Bravo!
Thanks PeterO and Crucible.
Thanks for explaining the second part of the clue for 13dn.
Really liked PALING and FRIGIDITY.
Fun.
Thanks Crucible and PeterO
This one spilt over two days last week … was a very busy week, but think that I still found this pretty hard going for some reason – maybe just tired. Still it was enjoyable and BLITHE SPIRIT was my entry into the theme. I then looked up NOEL COWARD and was able to find the other plays that were scattered around – including “Nude with Violin” which may have been inferred from 25a.
Didn’t properly parse LAUGHTER or FRIGIDITY (which I thought was a borderline non-PC cryptic definition, but with this parsing, I think that it is OK).
Only slight quibble was that on looking it up, I see that “The A-Team” was a television series rather than a film at a cinema, but that was only minor.
A good crossword that I enjoyed a lot.
I’m way behind on puzzles, so this comment is probably coming too late for anyone to see it, but here it is anyway: The A Team was originally a TV series, but there was a cinematic version of it in 2010. I know of no one who actually did see it in a cinema, but in principle someone could have.
I enjoyed this puzzle quite a lot: a number of clever, invented clues, and a theme that worked very well: despite the large number of themed entries, it didn’t seem labored.
I will join in the objectors to 15d: PC aside, the definition (assuming the &lit intention, which I think is correct) is just not accurate.
Another quibble: to me, “now and then” conveys irregularity, so doesn’t make a good alternate-letter indicator in 5a. But that’s minor.