| Across |
| No. |
Clue |
Wordplay |
Entry |
|
9
|
Legendary heretic seizes day (9)
|
ARIAN (one who follows the heretical doctrine propounded by ARIUS of Alexandria) containing (seizes) THUR (Thursday; day)
AR (THUR) IAN
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ARTHURIAN (relating to the legends King ARTHUR, a 6th century ruler of the Britons, whose court is the centre of many legends, but who himself probably had real existence)
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10 / 1
|
Is TV personage abused in 14’s alleged Pig Society? (5,8)
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Anagram of (abused) IS TV PERSONAGE
PIERS GAVESTON*
|
PIERS [GAVESTON] (The PIERS GAVESTON Society is a men-only dining-club founded in 1977 at the University of Oxford. It is named in honour of PIERS GAVESTON, favourite and supposed lover of King Edward II of England. It is at this Club that David CAMERON [14 across] is alleged to have taken part in an initiation ceremony involving a part of his anatomy and a dead pig’s mouth)
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11
|
Tees is back to fill the Spanish post in computers (1-4)
|
(I AM [ the compiler of this crossword is Tees]) reversed (is back) contained in (to fill) EL (‘the’ in Spanish)
E (MA I)< L
|
E-MAIL (the sending and receiving of written messages by electronic means; post in computers)
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|
12
|
Pig runs into her and bike’s written off (9)
|
(R [runs in cricket scoring notation]) contained in (into) an anagram of (written off) HER and BIKES
BERKSHI (R) E*
|
BERKSHIRE (rare breed of pig)
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|
13
|
Coach or aircraft simulator (7)
|
TRAINER (coach)
|
TRAINER (any machine or device used in training, especially an aeroplane with duplicated controls for training pilots; aircraft simulator) double definition
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14
|
Whipped cream covering Remainian leader (7)
|
Anagram of (whipped) CREAM + ON (placed in contact with, possibly covering)
CAMER* ON
|
CAMERON (reference David CAMERON, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [2010 to 2016]. He led the campaign for Britain to remain in the European Union; Remainian leader. CAMERON resigned the day after the referendum which delivered a win for the Leave campaign)
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|
16
|
The Martian actor returns as The Wanderer (5)
|
DAMON (reference Matt DAMON [born 1970], star of the film The Martian [2015]) reversed (returns)
NOMAD<
|
NOMAD (wanderer)
|
|
18
|
Fit daughter requires assistance (3)
|
AI (A one [in good condition; fit]) + D (daughter)
|
AID (assistance)
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19
|
Convenes where pork, bacon and ham discussed? (5)
|
MEETS (sounds like [discussed] MEATS [e.g. pork, bacon or ham])
|
MEETS (convenes)
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21
|
Gets bearing East and South (7)
|
ORIENT (East) + S (South)
|
ORIENTS (places in a definite relation to the points of the compass or other fixed or known directions; gets bearings)
|
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22
|
Elderly notice Gloucestershire pig (3,4)
|
OLD (elderly) + SPOT (notice)
|
OLD SPOT (reference Gloucestershire OLD SPOTs, a breed of pig)
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24
|
Scoff about small Geordie town decorated with flowers (9)
|
FEED (eat; scoff) containing (about) (S [small] + TOON [a word for TOWN used in the Tyneside region of England, A Geordie is a native of Tyneside)
FE (S TOON) ED
|
FESTOONED (decorated with flowers)
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26
|
Eggs Burgess shelled (5)
|
URGES (the letters remaining in BURGESS when the outer letters B and S are removed [shelled])
|
URGES (eggs)
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27
|
Time as ruler – it’s good to be in control (5)
|
G (good) contained in (in) REIN (control)
REI (G) N
|
REIGN (time spent as ruler)
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|
28
|
Clumsy punch cuts boxer Naz (3-6)
|
FIST (punch) contained in (cuts) HAMED (reference NAZ [Naseem] HAMED [born 1974] former British professional boxer])
HAM (FIST) ED
|
HAM-FISTED (clumsy)
|
| Down |
|
1
|
See 10 Across
|
|
[PIERS] GAVESTON
|
|
2
|
Homeric home edges away from one using vehicle (6)
|
WITH A CAR (one using vehicle) excluding the first and last letters (edges away) W and R
|
ITHACA (home of ODYSSEUS referenced in Homers ODDYSEY)
|
|
3
|
Being cruel to lecturer not unknown in 21 Down club (10)
|
BULLYING (being cruel to) + DON (lecturer) excluding (not) Y (a letter frequently used to denote an unknown in mathematical equations)
|
BULLINGDON (The BULLINGDON Club is an exclusive but unofficial all-male students’ dining club based in OXFORD [21 Down] United Kingdom
|
|
4
|
Pork pies merchant, King and Queen seen after top class racing? (6)
|
FI (Formula One – top class motor racing) + BB (reference B B KING [1925 – 2015], blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen)
|
FIBBER (one who tells lies, colloquially a pork pie merchant)
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|
5
|
Transport upturned in shifting dune that’s not detected (8)
|
(CART [form of transport] reversed [upturned; down clue]) contained in (in) an anagram of (shifting) DUNE
UN (TRAC)< ED*
|
UNTRACED (not detected)
|
|
6
|
Old American round piano gets musical work (4)
|
(O [old] + US [United States; American]) containing (round]) P (piano)
O (P) US
|
OPUS (musical work)
|
|
7
|
Search occupies French dad with English ancestry (8)
|
(DIG contained in [occupies] PÈRE [French for father; French dad) + E (English)
PE (DIG) RE E
|
PEDIGREE (ancestry)
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|
8
|
Star-shaped structure on point behind oarsmen? (6)
|
ASTER (obsolete word for a star; star-shaped structure [?]) ASTER is Latin for star) + N (point of compass)
|
ASTERN (behind the boat) I suppose ASTERN is behind the boat given the direction of travel, but given the way rowers sit, the part of the boat behind the oarsmen is surely the bow)
|
|
15
|
Senegalese PM‘s mum upset by rude audio (7,3)
|
MA (mother; um) + MAD (angry; upset) + an anagram of (rude) AUDIO
MA MAD OU DIA*
|
MAMADOU DIA ([1910 – 2009], Senegalese politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Senegal from 1957 until 1962 when he was imprisoned amidst allegations he was going to stage a coup to ovethrow the President)
|
|
17
|
Animals moved to restrict current that powers ship (8)
|
Anagram of (moved) ANIMALS containing (to restrict] I (electric current)
MAINSA (I) L* Either I could be the one contained
|
MAINSAIL (the principal SAIL attached to the MAIN mast; powers ship)
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18
|
Sailor to err with the drink (8)
|
AB (able seaman; sailor) + SIN (err) + THE
|
ABSINTHE (a bitter, green, aniseed-flavoured liqueur containing [originally, at least] extract of wormwood; drink)
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20
|
Reserved for special purpose or dismissed? (3,5)
|
SET ASIDE (reserved for special purpose)
|
SET ASIDE (quashed; dismissed [of a judgement]) double definition
|
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21
|
City‘s zero mark in vote for duke (6)
|
O (zero) + X (mark in vote; in elections a cross is usually used to indicate which candidate is being favoured) + FOR + D (duke)
|
OXFORD (English university city)
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22
|
Much fluidity in early language made to move (6)
|
OE (Old English; early language) + an anagram of (to move) MADE
OE DEMA*
|
OEDEMA (medical term for a pathological accumulation of fluid in tissue spaces; much fluidity)
|
|
23
|
Sadness grips G&S in place of 12 or 22 across (6)
|
PITY (sadness) contains (grips) (G and S)
PI (GS) TY
|
PIGSTY (home for pigs, .e.g BERKSHIRE [12 across] and Gloucestershire OLD SPOT [22 across])
|
|
25
|
All right to stay at home for piggish remark (4)
|
OK (okay; alright) containing (to stay) IN (at home)
O (IN) K
|
OINK (noise [remark] attributed to a pig)
|
Didn’t know anything about the ‘pig-associated incident’ (thank goodness, by the sound of it), so possibly as a result I enjoyed this, though didn’t find it easy and needed a few guesses eg 10/1d (correct) and the surname of the Senegalese PM (incorrect). I liked FIBBER (always slow in spotting BB for ‘king’), PEDIGREE and ‘Much fluidity’ for OEDEMA. Never heard of Arius of Alexandria, who met a particularly grizzly end by at least one account. Have a look at Wikipedia if you’re interested, but I don’t know that I’d advise it! I see what you mean about ASTERN and the way the oarsmen face – hopefully someone will know if this is the correct terminology.
Thanks to Duncan and Tees.
I found this to be a bit like yesterday’s puzzle. A lot of relatively easy stuff, eg URGES, surrounded by things I couldn’t really understand, eg the Senegalese PM, but fit the wordplay somehow.
I also got things like FIBBER without much of a clue. Similarly FESTOONED must have had something to do with FOOD, with NE and part of Eston, a Tees town not a Tyne one of course. I should have known Tees wouldn’t make that mistake. Anyway, always good to have a laugh at our pig-loving ex-PM- he used to bang on about the Pig Society didn’t he!
The chaps who drive gondolas are oarsmen who have the stern behind them
Good stuff from setter and blogger.
I think ASTERN is ok for “behind oarsmen” since if you are looking at the boat from the bank, for example, the stern is behind the rowers & the bow is in front or them – it’s only from the rowers’ persepective that the stern is in front of them.
Thanks to Tees for a very amusing puzzle & to Duncan for his thorough blog.
Hello Duncan et al
Well, this was probably the last chance to let the pig out re Cameron, now that he’s well and truly dead, and adjustments were made to accommodate Brexit, Remaining etc, so as to keep things all totes modern. I just think it’s incredibly funny that our Prime Minister, of all people, i.e. not some scummy celeb (although precisely what the difference is may be hard to ascertain) has had his manhood (as it were, there, with the ‘hood’ bit) in the lifeless gob of a pig. Allegedly.
Many thanks,
Tees.
Good heavens! What would the Empress of Blandings think…