Today is Tuesday, so a themed puzzle of one sort or another is to be expected.
And Math, a compiler with whose work I have hitherto had only a passing acquaintance, has not disappointed. Interestingly, however, the theme is one which runs through the clues rather than the solutions. I am sure that Math had a lot of fun setting this puzzle, cramming all the musical references into the clues, and it would be easy for most of us solvers to under-estimate how much work that doubtless involves. That said, perhaps such puzzles tend to generate, for me at least, less pleasure for the solver than those puzzles where the solver has to work out a theme for himself from the solutions to the clues.
In any case, the risk with such (somewhat self-indulgent) puzzles as this is that the clueing can tend to become rather contrived, as the setter jumps through lexical hoops to maintain the theme throughout the clues. I think that Math has managed not to make the clues too convoluted, although as I noticed when I blogged, the clue length was longer than average and the wordplay more intricate and in need of more explanation than in the average puzzle.
Overall, I enjoyed the puzzle and picking through the wordplay in it, and I would be very interested to read what others thought of it. My favourite clues today were 12, for surface and relative simplicity; 19, for surface; 23 and 14, both for making me smile; and 25, for the misleading reference to 1D.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 06 | KILLERS | Lines written by Queen are covered by Kiss mostly. They make hits.
[LL (=lines, i.e. L = line x 2) + ER (=Queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina)] in KIS<s> (“mostly” means last letter dropped) |
| 09 | JOIN | Union J has nothing against One Direction
J + O (=nothing) + I (=one) + N (=direction, i.e. north) |
| 10 | TRAMPLED ON | Front of Abbey Rd LP designed with men to have walked over
*[A<bbey> + RD LP + MEN TO]; “designed” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | ASSERTED | Doctor Dre’s Beats losing bass, it’s claimed
*(DRE’S <b>EATS); losing bass (=B)” means letter “b” is dropped; “doctor” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | SCRIPT | Tupac is oddly making a comeback. After vacation, RiRi’s penned lines for performer
R<ir>I (“after vacation” means all but first and last letters are dropped) in SCPT (T<u>P<a>C<i>S; “oddly” means odd letters only; “making a comeback” indicates reversal) |
| 15 | MUSE | Turn on mike. Sound’s beginning to echo and reflect
M (=mike, in radio telecommunications) + U (=turn, as in to make a U-turn) + S<ound> (“beginning” means first letter only) + E (=echo, in radio telecommunications) |
| 17 | CHASE | Dave’s partner electronic track
CHAS (=Dave’s partner, i.e. the English pop rock duo Chas & Dave) + E (=electronic) |
| 18 | CAST | Finally! Music diva learns perfect pitch
<musi>C <div>A <learn>S <perfec>T; “finally” means last letters only are used |
| 19 | STATUS | Standing during songs t.A.T.u. sang
Hidden (“during”) in “songS T.A.T.U. Songs” |
| 20/7 | SNOWBALL FIGHT | Cocktail punch is for Coldplay
SNOWBALL (=cocktail) + FIGHT (=punch); cryptically, a snowball fight could be described as “cold play” |
| 23 | SNIFFER DOG | Very loud arrangement of dire song about one’s who looking for drugs
FF (=very loud, i.e. fortissimo) in *(DIRE SONG); “arrangement of” is anagram indicator |
| 26 | TEDS | Rock ‘n’ rollers from the 50s respect Ed Sheeran to some extent
Hidden (“to some extent”) in “respecT ED Sheeran” |
| 27 | DRAKE | After Diamonds by Rihanna ends, Kanye heartlessly makes boy duck
D (=diamonds, in cards) + R<ihann>A (“ends” means first and last letters only) + K<ayn>E (“heartlessly” means all but first and last letters are dropped) |
| 28 | SYNCOPE | Faint hint of narcissism displayed in Syco: training is required
[N<arcissism> (“hint of” means first letter only) in SYCO] + PE (=training, i.e. Physical Education); a syncope is a fainting fit caused by a sudden loss of blood pressure in the brain |
| Down | ||
| 01 | SLENDEREST | Let’s resend Busted. They’re most unlike Fatboy // Slim in the extreme
*(LET’S RESEND); “busted” is anagram indicator; double definition |
| 02 | BEAT IT | Get lost in the rhythm, then I tango
BEAT (=rhythm) + I + T (=tango, in radio telecommunications) |
| 03 | ASIA | Group providing support for The Cars is back in the continent
SI (IS; “is back” indicates reversal) in AA (=group providing support for the cars, i.e. Automobile Association) |
| 04 | OFF-PISTE | Make bad fist of EP. Not the usual tracks
*(FIST OF EP); “make bad” is anagram indicator |
| 05 | AGUE | Aguilera hasn’t the heart to drop artist having fever
AGU<il>E<ra>; “hasn’t the heart” means middle two letters are dropped; “to drop artist (=RA)” means letters “ra” are dropped |
| 06 | KOOKS | Fine music centre on which you put 1000…0 Maniacs
K (=1000) + O + OK (=fine, all right) + <mu>S<ic> (“centre” means middle letter only) |
| 08 | TROUPES | Bands you heard featured in poster with New Order
U (=you heard, i.e. homophone of you) in *(POSTER); “in new order” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | DEALS | Trades in Slade remixes
*(SLADE); “remixes” is anagram indicator |
| 14 | ROCK BOTTOM | How to twerk where you can’t get any lower
Cryptically, you would rock your bottom in order to twerk! |
| 16 | UNTUNED | Number one French melody to date is not in key
UN (=number one French, i.e. the French word for one) + TUNE (=melody) + D (=date) |
| 17 | COSSETED | Indulged very large group with grandiose finale in CD
[OS (=very large, i.e. outsize) + SET (=group) + <grandiose>E (“finale” means last letter only)] in CD |
| 21 | ORGANS | Musical instruments of interest to Fine Young Cannibals or Doctor & the Medics?
Cryptically, (human) organs might be of interest to the “cannibals”, “doctor” and “medics” of these band names! |
| 22 | LEDGE | U2 guitarist got left on the shelf
L (=left) + EDGE (=U2 guitarist, i.e. David Howell Evans aka The Edge) |
| 24 | FRAY | Head of Factory set up A&R meeting with Andy and Shed 7
F<actory> (“head of” means first letter only) + R + A (“set up” indicates vertical reversal) + <and>Y (“and Shed” means letters “and” are dropped); the definition is “fight” (=entry at 7) |
| 25 | DISC | 1D turned to Simon Cowell initially to produce record
DI (1D; “turned” indicates reversal) + S<imon> C<owell> (“initially” means first letter only) |
Despite not being a big music fan, I enjoyed this. There were only a couple of clues where any sort of musical knowledge was required and even I was OK with those. I was slightly confused by 1D as I wasn’t sure whether Fatboy Slim was supposed to be fat or thin (the name is purposely contradictory, I suppose).
The grid is littered with thematic answers. (The) Killers, Script, Fray and Kooks are all groups, and we’ve got Muse, Chase & Status, Drake and Asia, plus ‘Beat It’. I’m sure I’ve missed others too.
I absolutely loved this. Brilliantly inventive and entertaining. Am very glad that we seem to have Math back on a regular basis now.
Yep, I missed Cast too!
… but the thematic answers are all words in their own right, which makes the puzzle all the more ingenious. Great stuff!
Thanks, Math and RatkojaRiku
Another band in the grid is ‘Cast’.
It must be our age – we didn’t recognise any of the bands in the grid apart from KILLERS. We knew a few of those in the clues.
Like RR, we prefer ghost themes but having said that, we enjoyed the puzzle and were impressed with the way in which Math had managed to incorporate the numerous thematic references.
Thanks Math and RR.
Thanks Math and RR. I usually find this kind of pervasive theme rather overwhelming, but this was an exception – great puzzle, but then again I’m a pop music fan. I would add ROCK BOTTOM (Lynsey de Paul track from the 70s) to the list of thematic answers.