Sorry about the late post; it’s been a very busy week. This was a fun puzzle from Brummie, with a nice theme of …
… the BEACH BOYS (9, 26a), and their songs. We’re not very good on the Beach Boys, but did spot these songs or albums:
- 10, 11: GOOD VIBRATIONS
- 15, 12: PET SOUNDS
- 4, 17: BARBARA ANN
- 24, 27: CALIFORNIA GIRLS
Any others we’ve missed?
Across
8. City in Arabic translated as “Italian boot” (8)
CALABRIA
LA = “City” in (ARABIC)*
Definition: “Italian boot” – the border of Italy’s mainland famously looks like a high-heeled boot; Calabria is roughly the midfoot and toe of the boot. I’d prefer if the definition here made it clear it was part of the boot, not the entirety.
9, 26. Drug-taking composer greeting American-style rock group drained of energy, forming another band (5,4)
BEACH BOYS
BACH taking E inside = “Drug-taking composer” + BO = “greeting American style” + Y[e]S = “rock group drained of energy”
Definition: “another band”
10, 23. Kind doctor Rex with line in old-fashioned salutation (4,6)
GOOD MORROW
GOOD = “Kind” + MO = “doctor” + R = “Rex” + ROW = “line”
Definition: “old-fashiond salutation”
11. Shakes off visitor ban (10)
VIBRATIONS
(VISITOR BAN)*
Definition: “Shakes”
12. “Straits” can be heard (6)
SOUNDS
Double definition: “Sound” (as in a sea inlet) and “[things that] can be heard”
14. Bean collected by Rose and checked (8)
REPULSED
PULSE = “Bean” in RED = “Rose”
Definition: “checked”
16. Round variety of raisin associated with a deity (7)
OSIRIAN
O = “Round” + (RAISIN)*
Definition: “associated with a deity” (the deity being the Egyptian god Osiris)
18. Seaside plant’s unvarying energy (7)
STATICE
STATIC = “unvarying” + E = “energy”
Definition: “Seaside plant” – a new word for us
21. Velocity regulator using gravitational force in preference to negative resistance (8)
GOVERNOR
G = “gravitational force” + OVER = “in preference to” + NO + “negative” + R = “resistance”
Definition: “Velocity regulator”
24. Crude African oil which has a major fault (10)
CALIFORNIA
(AFRICAN OIL)*
Definition: “which has a major fault”, referring to the San Andreas Fault
27. Tom 26, possibly, wants retro outfit with hollowed lapels (5)
GIRLS
RIG = “outfit” reversed (“retro”) + L[apel]S = “hollowed lapels”
Definition: “Tom [BOYS], possibly”
28. It’s a mark around small tree (8)
TAMARISK
(IT’S A MARK)*
Definition: “small tree”
Down
1. Insubstantial state, not watertight (8)
VAPOROUS
VA = “state” (Virginia) + POROUS = “not watertight”
Definition: “Insubstantial”
2, 26. Exposed, ring up lawyers, having reached end of line (4,4)
LAID BARE
DIAL = “ring” reversed + BAR = “lawyers” + [lin]E = “end of line”
Definition: “Exposed”
3. English writer’s drink (6)
GRAVES
Double definition: “drink” and “English writer”, referring to Robert Graves
4. Major character of Shaw, one introduced by two snatches of music (7)
BARBARA
A = “one” preceded by two BARs = “snatches of music”
Definition: “Major character of Shaw” (referring to Major Barbara
5. Coptic bishop books into mutual help organisation (4)
ABBA
B and B = “books” in AA = “mutual help organisation” (Alcoholics Anonymous)
Definition: “Coptic bishop” (a new meaning of the word for us)
6. Goliath, ear-bending a saint worshipper (10)
HAGIOLATER
(GOLIATH EAR)*
Definition: “saint worshipper” – we could guess this from “hagiography”, though I don’t think I’d come across “hagiolater” before
7. Risk a section of the church abandoning Latin (6)
CHANCE
CHANCEL = “a section of the church” without L = “Latin”
Definition: “Risk”
13. Axon displays cool courage taking roughage (5,5)
NERVE FIBRE
NERVE = “cool courage” + FIBRE = “roughage”
Definition: “Axon”
15. Fit revolving stage after lead’s made an exit (3)
PET
[S]TEP = “stage after lead’s made an exit” all reversed
Definition: “Fit” – I guess? I’m not sure why… Update: thanks to Cookie for explaining this – one sense of “pet” is a “a slight or childish fit of aggrieved or resentful sulkiness” (Chambers)
17. Old foreign coin without a name (3)
ANN
ANNA = “Old foreign coin” without A
Definition: “name”
19. Tipless battleaxe is my creative way of unfairly favouring allies (8)
CRONYISM
CRON[e] = “Tipless battleaxe” + (ISMY)*
Definition: “way of unfairly favouring allies”
20. Rock group’s No 1 passed onto Italian earl (7)
GRANITE
G[roup] = “group’s No 1” + RAN = “passed” + IT = “Italian” + E = “earl”
Definition: “Rock”
22. Zip attached to cooker shade (6)
ORANGE
O = “Zip” (as in “nothing”) + RANGE = “cooker”
Definition: “shade”
23. End up restricting Sam’s development, creating a bad atmosphere (6)
MIASMA
AIM = “End” reversed around (SAM)*
Definition: “a bad atmosphere”
25. City’s abbreviated text breaking agreement (4)
OMSK
MS (manuscript) = “abbreviated text” in OK = “agreement”
Definition: “City”
Thanks mhl – it certainly was rather fun, especially with the theme, so good on yer Brummie. I didn’t spot any other BB elements, unless there’s an obscure Brian Wilson song called ‘Orange Miasma’.
If anyone is wondering where today’s Prize Crossword is, it is an alphabetical and can be found here
https://crosswords-static.guim.co.uk/gdn.cryptic.20161105.pdf
Thanks Brummie and mhl
Clever and fun, but the theme madw it easier than it might have been – when I had VIBRATIONS, CALIFORNIA and BARBARA I just looked for places to fit GOOD, GIRLS and ANN. SOUNDS went in later, but again helped by PET.
(I learned to my surprise on Radio 2’s “Popmaster” this week that they hadn’t had a British no.1 until Good vibrations.)
It might have been fun to reference Amy BEACH as the composer, instead of BACH around A!
Loved this and love the Beach Boys! PET SOUNDS is surely the greatest pop
album ever and GOOD VIBRATIONS the greatest single. I’m used to trashing
the artists who have appeared in puzzles in the past so this was quite a
turn up.
One of this setter’s best.
Thanks Brummie.
Thank you Brummie and mhl.
Enjoyed this, but was held up for a while having in desperation entered PARISHIONER at 6d, it would not parse of course, then searched out MARIOLATER which had the right crossers… Also missed the BEACH BOYS songs, I don’t think I know any of them.
15d, “in a fit”, or “in a PET”, can mean having a tantrum for example.
Loved the group and enjoyed the crossword.
Thanks to Brummie and mhl. I found this prize puzzle a lot easier than Vlad’s even though I did not know all the Beach Boys songs (the clues were sufficient). STATICE, ABBA, and axon as NERVE FIBRE were new to me, but I did get PET as “fit” and OMSK as a perennial crossword favorite (pet?). Lots of fun.
Ah, thanks, Cookie. Some how I missed that definition in Chambers… I’ll update the post.
This theme was wasted on me. I did put in BEACH BOYS, but couldn’t name any of their songs, so all the references escaped me. But it was a good puzzle anyway. Thanks, Brummie and mhl.
Once I’d parsed BEACH and YS, I just accepted BO must be a “greeting, American-style”, despite never having heard of that and not being able to find any reference for it. I got PET and ANN primarily by reference to SOUNDS and BARBARA. Didn’t the Beach Boys also do OSIRIAN TAMARISK? (No, they didn’t.)
I wasn’t that happy with “Italian boot”, either: “toe of Italian boot” would have been better, imo.
PS I also got the Popmaster question right, muffin! (Lucky guess, largely)
Peter @4: I also love Pet Sounds, but I have to disagree about Good Vibrations, which isn’t even the Beach Boys’ best song, let alone anyone else’s. (I prefer both “God Only Knows” and “I Get Around.”) De gustibus non est whatever, of course.
The Beach Boys’ relative lack of #1 hits was probably a result of their having been contemporary with the Beatles (and thus usually blocked at the top of the chart).
I just did this puzzle today, having been busy last week. As others said it was tricky.
Also, thanks, Cookie, for the link to today’s puzzle.
This was an enjoyable nostalgia trip for me. GOOD VIBRATIONS on the second row alerted me to look for more BEACH BOYS titles and I spotted the ones mhl mentioned, but I realised when reading the blog that I’d forgotten to parse BOYS. I had ANN before the theme clicked and thought it seemed a rather weak clue but once I got BARBARA its inclusion made sense.
Thanks Brummie and mhl.
I had the same problem as Tony@10: despite being an American, I’ve never heard of “Bo” as a greeting. Can anyone help?
The third definition of “bo” in Chambers (marked “US slang”) is “A familiar term of address for a man”.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard “bo” used in that sense either, unless it’s the same usage as in “re-re-wind, when the crowd say, ‘Bo, selecta'”.
I found this
Entry from British & World English dictionary:
bo 3
Pronunciation: /b??/
NOUN
US informal
Used as a friendly form of address.
Origin: Early 19th century: perhaps an abbreviated form of boy.
and these examples
J. Kerouac, On The Road (1957), “Say, bo, what was all the noise around here last night?”
D. DeLillo, Running Dog (1978), “Hey, bo, come on down.”
Thanks mhl. Agree on the unsatisfactory synecdoche in 1 across: Brummie had it better in September 2015 with “one line in Arabic translated as ‘somewhere in Italy’.”
As a Yank, I thought I would mention that, despite what Cookie posts @ 16, I have never heard anyone use bo as a form of address. I am sure that my friends would be mystified if I tried it on them.
All very enjoyable and fairly straightforward.
Thanks to Brummie and mhl
Finished the puzzle but didn’t notice the theme! Ho hum. Was it only me?
kevcon @18, but if you are a Yank, you are a Northener…
Got there all bar Omsk…guessed at Graves as I’d never heard of the liquor, and completely missed the theme. Good fun, if fairly tough.
No drofle @20 : I missed the theme too, but then I usually do. Didn’t affect my enjoyment.
Took me a long time to remember the meaning of PET, which was LOI.
Mrpenney: I agree that God only knows is the better song but GV is certainly the best record! Actually, my favourite song is Caroline,no- and there’s an excellent version of this by Charles Lloyd.
Cookie @ 21 — Domestically that’s true. I’m guessing kevcon meant it in the international sense, where all Americans are called Yanks.
I read once that “in the United States, a Yankee is someone who lives in the North. In the North, a Yankee is a New Englander. In New England, a Yankee is someone who lives in Vermont. In Vermont, a Yankee is someone who has pie for breakfast.”
Then again, I heard someone from southern Georgia complaining about the go-getters in Atlanta, in the northern part of the state. He said, “To us, they’re Yankees.”
Valentine–I’m sure everyone’s moved on by now, but…
The saying I’ve heard from my Southern relatives is, “If you visit, you’re a Yankee. If you stay, you’re a damn Yankee.”
Though to be honest, the whole “Yankees are from New England” thing is becoming passe. The language changes, you know. For most Northerners, Yankees are baseball players from New York.
The shortened form “Yanks” is, these days, only ever heard from Brits, and means Americans generally.
As for Bo, it’s simply dated slang, but it’s not a greeting. It’s a term of address along the lines of “buddy.” (Or “bro,” in a more modern updating.) Obviously if it was being used by Kerouac and DeLillo, it has to be real, right? Also, this from Cole Porter:
The girls today in society,
Go for classical poetry.
So to win their hearts, one must quote with ease
Aeschylus and Euripides.
One must know Homer, and believe me, bo,
Sophocles, also Sappho-ho.
Unless you know Shelley and Keats and Pope,
Dainty Debbies will call you a dope.
But none of these examples are recent. Okay, Don DeLillo is still alive, last I checked, but…
Lastly, BO is useful in Scrabble.
Valentine @ 25, I did mean Yank in the international, or at least British sense, although I admit to being a Vermonter, so Cookie is also right. That said, it’s quite a while since I had pie for breakfast.
As someone who almost always misses themes unless they’re explicit, I was very pleased not to be oblivious this time. SOUNDS led to PET which was a new sense of the word for me, and that helped me clear up a few clues. Sadly I puzzled over _R_V_S for a couple of days and never got there.
Thanks to Brummie for the puzzle and mhl for the blog.
Thanks to all who addressed my query about “bo”. Actually, mhl @14, my edition of Chambers has it slightly differently (but perhaps you paraphrased?), although I did take it as slight encouragement. On the evidence presented here, “greeting” really isn’t quite right, is it? I am wondering about “Bo Selecta” (also an Ali G catchphrase if that wasn’t the reference), but again I don’t think that’s a greeting.