It’s Thursday so that sometimes mean a more difficult Independent crossword.
I know some of John MILTON‘s works but I wasn’t aware of the polemic AREOPAGITICA entered at 11 down. In fact, I think it is fair to say I am more aware of the life and times of the secondary MILTONs appearing the grid – MILTON FRIEDMAN [10 across] and MILTON OBOTE [15 down].
For the John MILTON scholars we have PARADISE LOST at 5 down, [PARADISE] REGAINED at 2 down and SAMSON [AGONISTES] at 7 down. MILTON was also held in high esteem by the WHIG [12 across] party. With a great leap [probably unjustified] we can get from JOKING at 29 across to MILTON Jones, Welsh comedian, who appears on television regularly [e.g. Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo]
For me, there was a mix of fairly simple cluing constructs [e.g. ACHE at 23 across], plus some complex ones [e.g. AREOPAGITICA] and some requiring a good deal of lateral thinking [e.g. TENNIS at 31 across].
This was satisfying to solve but it took a while to complete.
OVERBROWSING [17 across] was a new word to me
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Go away to take drugs and cry (6)
|
SCRAM (go away!) containing (to take) E (ecstasy tablet; drugs) SCR (E) AM |
SCREAM (cry)
|
|
4
|
Placates gorillas, perhaps stuffing them with veg (8)
|
PEAS (veg[etables]) contained in (stuffing) APES (gorillas perhaps) AP (PEAS) ES |
APPEASES (placates)
|
|
9
|
Tired of scrambled egg being in fashion (6)
|
Anagram of (scrambled) EGG contained in (in) FAD (fashion) FA (GGE*) D |
FAGGED (tired)
|
|
10
|
24 hours with strangely-named economist (8)
|
FRI (Friday; 24 hours) + an anagram of (strangely) NAMED FRI EDMAN* |
FRIEDMAN (reference Milton FRIEDMAN [1912 – 2006] Nobel Prize-winning American economist)
|
|
12
|
Leaving it with Italy’s grand old politician (4)
|
WITH excluding (leaving) IT + I (International Vehicle Registration for Italy) + G (grand)
|
WHIG (name applied to members of one of the great English political parties, in the late 17th century applied to those upholding popular rights and opposed to the King; old politician)
|
|
13
|
Part of orchestra detests work (5)
|
TRADE (hidden word in [part of] ORCHESTRA DETESTS)
|
TRADE (occupation; work)
|
|
14
|
British lightweight has round with lunkhead (4)
|
B (British) + OZ (ounce; light weight) + O (round shape)
|
BOZO (dim-witted fellow; lunkhead [fool])
|
|
17
|
Celebrate after crossing top of hill and eating too much (12)
|
OVER (crossing) + BROW (top of the hill) + SING (celebrate)
|
OVERBROWSING (overeating vegetation to the detriment of the environment; eating too much)
|
|
20
|
A Pilates exercise? Yes, I’m happy to do it (3,1,8)
|
Anagram of (exercise) A PILATES + SURE (yes) IT’S A PLEA* SURE |
IT’S A PLEASURE (I’m happy to do it)
|
|
23
|
Hours in fantastic pain (4)
|
H (hours) contained in (in) ACE (fantastic) AC (H) E |
ACHE (pain)
|
|
24
|
Drunk ends your beginning (5)
|
TIPS (ends) + Y (first letter of [beginning] YOUR)
|
TIPSY (drunk)
|
| 25 |
Lives with one’s deity (4)
|
IS (lives) + IS (ones)
|
ISIS (reference the important Egyptian goddess [deity]
|
|
28
|
Transport system subject to troops being in post (8)
|
(ON [subject to] + OR [other ranks; troops]) contained in (being in) MAIL (post) M (ON OR) AIL |
MONORAIL ( railway with carriages running astride of, or suspended from, one rail; transport system)
|
|
29
|
Family has to run around being funny (6)
|
KIN (family) contained in (has … around) JOG (run) JO (KIN) G |
JOKING (being funny)
|
|
30
|
Imply Noah got wasted, spending hours getting very high? (8)
|
Anagram of (got wasted) IMPLY NOAH excluding (spending) H (hours) OLYMPIAN* |
OLYMPIAN (one who lives on Mount OLYMPus; getting very high; ; or alternatively, godlike [very high])
|
|
31
|
Rejected possible method of catching sloth for sport (6)
|
(SIN [sloth is one of the seven deadly sins] + NET [method of catching]) all reversed (rejected) (TEN NIS)< |
TENNIS (sport)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Maybe pine furniture item 2-for-1 tops of outstanding deal (8)
|
(SOFA [furniture item] with TWO [2] replacing [for] A [1]) + OD (first letters of each of [tops of] OUTSTANDING and DEAL) SOF TWO O D |
SOFTWOOD (pine is an example of a softwood)
|
|
2
|
Ornate earring missing central part journalist got back (8)
|
Anagram of (ornate) EARRING excluding (missing) the central letter [central part] R + ED (editor; journalist) REGAIN* ED |
REGAINED (got back)
|
|
3
|
Cuts it up following acceleration (4)
|
A (acceleration) + (SEX [it] reversed [up;down clue]) A XES< |
AXES (cuts)
|
|
5
|
Ipads are epic! (8,4)
|
PARADISE is an anagram (LOST) of IPADS ARE PARADISE LOST is a cryptic representation of IPADS ARE [although we would need a definition as well to make it a true cryptic clue] |
PARADISE LOST (epic poem written by John Milton [1608 – 1674]))
|
|
6
|
Reportedly exploit livestock (4) |
EWES (sounds like [reportedly] USE [exploit])
|
EWES (female sheep; livestock)
|
|
7
|
Strongman playing up male issue (6)
|
AS (playing) reversed (up; down clue) + M (male) + SON (child; issue) SA< M SON |
SAMSON (exceptionally strong man from the Biblical character of Judges 13 – 16) |
|
8
|
Older Spanish gentleman one punches (6)
|
I (one) contained in (punches) SENOR (Spanish gentleman) SEN (I) OR |
SENIOR (older)
|
|
11
|
Work on a private response in field of press freedom defence (12)
|
(OP [opus; work] + A + GI [ordinary American soldier; private] + TIC [involuntary response]) all contained in (in) AREA (sphere; domain; field) ARE (OP A GI TIC) A |
AREOPAGITICA ( A speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England is a 1644 prose polemical tract by the English poet, scholar, and polemical author John Milton opposing licensing and censorship; press freedom defence)
|
|
15
|
Some backed Pope to bowdlerise Milton? (5)
|
OBOTE (hidden word [some] reversed [backed] in POPE TO BOWDLERISE) OBOTE< |
OBOTE (reference Apollo Milton OBOTE [1925 – 2005], Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence in 1962 from British colonial administration)
|
|
16
|
Group of soldiers blocked by a Christian from Eastern Church (5) |
UNIT (group of soldiers) containing (blocked by) A UNI (A) T |
UNIAT (member of any community of Christians, especially in eastern Europe and Asia, that acknowledges the papal supremacy but which is allowed to retain its own customs and practices with regard to all else, ie clerical matrimony, communion in both kinds, church discipline, rites and liturgy)
|
|
18
|
Maybe why conqueror chastises opponent taking things to heart (8)
|
QUE + STI + ON (central letters [taking things to heart] of each of CONQUEROR, CHASTISES and OPPONENT)
|
QUESTION (why? is an example of a QUESTION)
|
|
19
|
Texts wise man in difficult situation (8)
|
SAGE (wise man) contained in (in) MESS (difficult situation) MES (SAGE) S |
MESSAGES (texts)
|
|
21
|
Become enthusiastic about fighting odd parts of motion (4,2)
|
WAR (fighting) + MTO (letters 1, 3 and 5 [odd parts of] MOTION)
|
WARM TO (become enthusiastic about)
|
|
22
|
Retiring outside with drink (6)
|
SHY (retiring) containing (outside) AND (with) SH (AND) Y |
SHANDY (drink, mixture of beer with ginger beer or lemonade)
|
|
26
|
German almost ready to eat bag (4)
|
G (German) + (RIPE [ready to eat] excluding the last letter [almost] E)
|
GRIP (bag)
|
|
27
|
Only strips duplicates (4)
|
CLONES (duplicates) excluding the outside letters (strips) C and S
|
LONE (only)
|
Seriously good blog Duncan! I think you have dug out all the connections. It isn’t often I get a puzzle on my own academic specialty.
Beautifully crafted puzzle, Alchemi.
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Thanks, Duncan. While I absolutely adore Milton Jones and his many grandfathers, I didn’t think I’d managed to include a reference to him. Kudos to you for finding one.
Thanks to Duncan for an excellent, scholarly blog and to Alchemi,
Many of the Milton references passed me by and I would never have got 11 in a month of Sundays but I still managed to enjoy this on an admittedly lower level. A few went in unparsed, eg SOFTWOOD and UNIAT was also new to me. I liked the juxtaposition on the grid of JOKING, OLYMPIAN and TENNIS – ’nuff said!
A bit of a struggle, particularly with 11dn; eventually AREOPxxxxxxA emerged and suggested something vaguely related to the Areopagus; autocomplete when googling supplied the rest. It might have been easier if I’d spotted the theme.
In 1dn there’s a sort of subsidiary definition in that ‘deal’ is a term for softwood timber.
Thanks, Alchemi and Duncan
Just about to give up and use spellcheck with two clues left when I looked for the last time at 11D and AREOPAGITICA appeared from a deep recess in my brain, so allowing me to get OVERBROWSING. Nearly burst into song; a moment like this is one of the joys of cryptics and the Indy in particular.
Much thanks to Alchemi and to duncanshiell for the blog.