Take aim, fire!
The puzzle commemorates the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, see the perimeter and serveral answers and the clues themselves.
Quite a mix of clues from the trivial to downright difficult to unravel, thanks Hob for the workout.
Across
7 Fool eating soft items from bakery is able to have quickest motion (8)
NIPPIEST
[P (soft) & PIES] both in NIT (fool)
9 Getting on a horse, carrying one in case of evacuation (6)
AGEING
1 in case of E(vacuatio)N all in A GG (horse)
10 An examination of the Golden Boy (4)
ORAL
OR (goldern) & AL
11 Glutton’s first to regret having left porridge (5)
GRUEL
G(lutton) & RUE & L(eft)
12 The German admitting love for Action Man? (4)
DOER
0 (nothing, love) in DER (German for the)
13 Diary-writing MP with get-up-and-go? Yes, after vacation (5)
PEPYS
PEP (energy) & a vacated Y(e)S
15 Church getting 70% of Last Supper damaged (2,5)
ST PAULS
7 of the ten characters of [LAST SUPP(ort)]* damaged
16 Force small boy to leave rejected 21As (6)
STRESS
21a is PUDDING so DESSERTS reversed without ED (small boy)
18 One evenly burns in the ads (6)
UNITED
Even letters of bUrNs In ThE aDs
21/25 Famous street party recalled by writer in New England (7,4)
PUDDING LANE
DUP (N.I. political party) reversed & I (the writer) in ENGLAND* anew
22 Group of women taking in a hard rock group (5)
HAREM
H(ard) & A & R.E.M. (a rock group)
23 Golf course reportedly a beast (4)
LYNX
Sounds like Links
24 City such as London is back in strength (5)
SINEW
London is/was known as the great WEN & IS reversed (back)
25 See 21
26 Can I possibly cover contents in case of fire, as intended? (6)
FIANCE
[CAN I]* possibly in the case of F(ir)E. I’m slightly bemused by the cover contents bit, just unnecessary padding for the surface?
27 Flyers locally showing one female relative briefly in a state (8)
AVIFAUNA
1 & F(emale) & AUN(t) all in A & V(irgini)A
Down
1 Splits up with model after row kicks off in Norfolk town (8)
DISRUPTS
The start of – kicks off -R(ow) & UP (from the clue) & T (crosswordese favourite model) all in DISS (town)
2 After moving his piano, pensioner lost a stone (4)
OPAL
OAP (pensioner) with the P(iano) moving & L(ost)
3 Letting out a little laugh, English drunk sounds like a horse (6)
NEIGHS
Without a little L(augh) we get ENG(l)ISH* drunk
4 Capital’s not about to collapse in a state of panic (8)
TAILSPIN
C(irc)A removed from (ca)PITALS* collapsed & IN
5 One finding suitable candidates to lead a horse (10)
HEADHUNTER
Head (lead) & HUNTER (horse perhaps)
6 Setter into being a communist (6)
ENGELS
GEL (something that sets) in ENS (being, spirit)
8 Saw uncontained fire must spread (6)
TRUISM
Saw as in saying, [uncontained (f)IR(e) & MUST]* spread
14 Most of Pye Corner out of bounds? Cross, I’d go off around current B6 (10)
PYRIDOXINE
Pyridoxine is the name for the vitamin B6. Most of PY(e) & [ a boundless (c)ORNE(r) & X (cross) & I’D]* off with I (electrical current) inserted. Phew, that took a bit of teasing out, but the word really smells of a setter painting himself into a corner to save the Nina.
17 Old maid with legs in plaster after leaving behind unending drama (8)
SPINSTER
Unending PLA(y) removed from (pla)STER with PINS (legs) inserted
19 Taking leading role in Beethoven’s Fifth (8)
DOMINANT
Musically the fifth is the dominant
20 Centres for refugees branded bad for country (6)
UGANDA
Centres of [ref]UG[ees] [br]AND[ed] [b]A[d]
21 Wise broadcast by satellite supporting local therapist (6)
PHYSIO
P(ublic) H(ouse) (local) & YS (sounds like wise) & IO (a moon)
22 Fruit added to a gruel in president’s birthplace (6)
HAWAII
HAW (fruit) & A & 11 – 11a is gruel
25 One coming out of bakery, looking on as fire starts (4)
LOAF
Initial letters of L(ooking) O(n) A(s) F(ire)
Really enjoyable from Hob; glad to see the fire theme taking over from Brexit for a bit……
I couldn’t for the life of me see the HAWAII trick so many thanks to @flashling for that
Thanks, flashling.
I very much enjoyed Crucible’s offering on Friday on the same theme and I was very pleased to see this different slant on it, too. For once I saw the Nina!
For the sake of non-UK solvers, it’s worth pointing out the clever references in the clues that flashling mentions: several references to fire, of course, and bakeries [where the fire started] but particularly good is the Golden Boy of Pye Corner, where the fire was stopped – see here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Boy_of_Pye_Corner.
Many thanks to Hob for a very entertaining puzzle.
Crucible’s puzzle really helped me with this one.
For example, I didn’t have to think about PUDDING LANE (21,25) this time.
It was a really entertaining enterprise, made a lot easier by seeing the nina straightaway.
Thanks, Flashling, for your glowing blog which explained both 19d (DOMINANT) and 22d (HAWAII) to me.
I like music and I know a bit about it, however on technical issues I am quite dim.
In crosswords, ‘Beethoven’s fifth’ is often the letter ‘h’ but not here.
And I missed the 11=GRUEL connection which is something that I kick myself for.
Whilst solving I wondered why on earth Hob used ‘gruel’ again in the surface of 22d.
Well, that‘s why!
In 8d I had to think about ‘uncontained’.
It was clear what Hob wanted us to do but it is a bit of an odd word, isn’t it?
It’s not even in the main dictionaries.
Many thanks to Hob.
I was in two minds about some of the clues until I spotted the theme and nina and all fell beautifully into place.
i echo thanks to flashling for accurately parsing HAWAII.
I guessed the theme as soon as I saw the clues, not that it made solving them any easier. But I didn’t see the nina till I’d completed the puzzle – it might have helped if I’d spotted it earlier. I did see the ‘gruel’ trick, though to get 22dn; that and ‘Beethoven’s fifth’ helped with 22ac, where I struggled for ages trying to find something geological or musical to fit -AR-H, thinking the definition was ‘rock group’.
An excellent puzzle, though. My CoD has to be HAWAII for its sheer inventiveness.
Thanks, Hob and flashling.