Tees in for Dac on Wednesday this week.
There’s a little bit of retail therapy in the outside columns today with BARGAIN BASEMENT in column 1 and DEPARTMENT STORE in column 15. I can’t see anything else with a strong retail connection although a bit of lateral thinking might bring in GUM TREE [on line advertising website at 11 across] and the INTERNET [source of many online retail sites at 4 down].
Tees didn’t give us as many of his classical and mythological references as usual this month. Even LEANDER was clued in the wordplay as the rowing club rather than the bloke besotted with HERO in the myth.
We did though have a Greek character [IOTA at 13 across] and a bit of history with Edmund IRONSIDE at 18 down and ALEXANDER [the Great] at 27 across.
I liked the anagram for ENIGMATIST at 14 across.
I’m perhaps seeing things that aren’t there but I liked what I saw as irony in the use of the phrase ‘quiet at last’ in the clue for [Geoffrey] BOYCOTT.
An enjoyable sole – thanks to Tees.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
9
|
Where Selassie ruled we’ll meet again, as you might say! (9 ) |
ABYSSINIA (sounds like [as you might say] I’LL BE SEEING YOU – I’LL [A] BE [BY] SEE [SSI] ING [N] YOU [IA]
|
ABYSSINIA (The Ethiopian Empire or ABBYSINIA referred to what is the northern part of modern day Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie ruled from 1930 to 1974])
|
|
10
|
Person brings in copper at the right moment (2,3)
|
ONE (person) containing (brings in) CU (chemical symbol for copper) ON (CU) E |
ON CUE (just at the right moment)
|
|
11
|
Difficult or sticky situation encountered up here? (3,4) |
GUM TREE (tree that exudes GUM [sticky substance] or GUM resin, kino, etc, esp a eucalyptus tree, so if you were up in one you would be in a sticky situation) GUM TREE |
GUM TREE (reference the phrase UP A GUM TREE [in a difficult situation])
|
|
12
|
Round with half consumed by graduate in Czech region (7) |
(O [round shape] + HEMI [a combining form used to define half]) contained in (consumed by) BA (Bachelor of Arts; graduate) B (O HEMI) A |
BOHEMIA (region of Czech republic) |
|
13
|
Letter from Eliot analysed (4)
|
IOTA (hidden word in [from] ELIOT ANALYSED)
|
IOTA (letter of the Greek alphabet)
|
| 14 | I set puzzle – am I setting cryptically? (10) |
Anagram of (cryptically) AM I SETTING ENIGMATIST* |
ENIGMATIST (person who makes up or deals in riddles; I set puzzles; also the pseudonym of John Henderson, one of the most prolific crossword puzzle setter for all the national broadsheets) |
|
15
|
Cricketer puts lad to bed, quiet at last (7)
|
BOY (lad) + COT (bed) + T (final letter of [last] QUIET) BOY COT T |
BOYCOTT (reference Geoffrey BOYCOTT [born 1940] former Yorkshire and England cricketer)
|
|
17
|
Free drug taken by girl for jaunt in stolen car (7)
|
JOY (girl’s name) + RID (free) + E (ecstasy; drug) JOY RID E |
JOYRIDE (drive taken for pleasure, especially if reckless or surreptitious and in a stolen car)
|
|
19
|
Money and support for big ape (10)
|
SILVER (SILVER money) + BACK (support)
|
SILVERBACK (older male gorilla with grey hair on its back and flanks; big ape)
|
|
22
|
Shilling in purse constitutes stake (4)
|
S (shilling) contained in (in) POT (large sum of money; purse can be defined a large money prize for a boxing match) PO (S) T |
POST (stake)
|
| 23 | Exotic mink and sentient apes? (7) |
Anagram of (exotic) MINK and AND MANKIND* |
MANKIND (MANKIND shares a common ancestor with some apes. Sentient can be defined as ‘conscious; capable of sensation; aware; responsive to stimulus’. MANKIND therefore could possibly be considered to be sentient apes) |
|
24
|
Clearly demonstrate power over sons in retirement (7)
|
(P [power] + O [over, in cricket scoring notation] + S sons]) contained in (in) EXIT (retirement) EX (P O S) IT |
EXPOSIT (demonstrate clearly)
|
|
26
|
Only played with new material (5)
|
Anagram of (played) ONLY + N (new) NYLO* N |
NYLON (material)
|
|
27
|
Great man admits unknown to Ace Rowing Club (9)
|
(A [ace] + LEANDER [name of a famous Henley rowing club]) containing (admits) X (letter frequently used to denote an unknown value) A LE (X) ANDER |
ALEXANDER (reference ALEXANDER the Great [356 – 323 BC]; great man)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Prices here are lower – but literally so? (7,8)
|
BARGAIN (something for sale at an advantageously low price) + BASEMENT (storey of a building beneath the ground floor) BARGAIN BASEMENT |
BARGAIN BASEMENT (a cryptic reference to prices being displayed on a lower floor). In general terms a BARGAIN BASEMENT is any part of a shop where low prices are on offer)
|
|
2
|
Spy chief in resolving mystery shows proportion (8)
|
M (reference the spy chief in James Bond novels. The letter tends to be applied to any spy chief these days) contained in (in) an anagram of (resolving) MYSTERY SY (M) METRY* |
SYMMETRY (exact correspondence of parts on either side of a straight line or plane, or about a centre or axis; balance or due proportion)
|
|
3
|
Client American employer cleaned out (4)
|
US (United States; American) + ER (letters remaining in EMPLOYER when the central letters MPLOYE are removed [cleaned out]) US ER |
USER (client)
|
|
4
|
Heads off for winter in pet surfing place (8)
|
WINTER IN PET excluding the first letter of each word (heads off) W, I and P to form INTER N ET INTER N ET |
INTERNET (reference the phrase to ‘surf the INTERNET‘ and browse many websites)
|
|
5
|
Gossip and joke about capsized sailors (6)
|
GAG (joke) containing (about) ABS (able seamen) reversed (capsized) GA (SBA<) G |
GASBAG (gossip)
|
|
6
|
Principal villain lacking vertical 2? (3-5)
|
TOP (principal) + HEAVY (informal term for a villain) TOP HEAVY |
TOP HEAVY (if something is TOP HEAVY it is unbalanced and therefore lacking SYMMETRY (2 down) about the horizontal axis; lacking vertical SYMMETRY)
|
|
7
|
Big prawns swindle – one pockets penny (6)
|
(SCAM [swindle] + I (Roman numeral for one) containing (pockets) P (penny) SCAM (P) I |
SCAMPI (crustaceans of the species Nephrops norvegicus (called the Norway lobster or Dublin (Bay) prawn; big prawns. Usually served fried or baked in breadcrumbs and they never look as big as in the pictures of the raw variety)
|
|
8
|
Some people in queer street do big shop (10,5)
|
(PART [some] + MEN [people]) contained in (in) an anagram of (queer) STREET DO DE (PART MEN) T STORE* |
DEPARTMENT STORE (big shop)
|
|
16
|
Dutiful bit done badly involves leader in embarrassment (8) |
Anagram of (badly) BIT DONE containing (involves) E (first letter of [leader in] EMBARRASSMENT) OB (E) DIENT* |
OBEDIENT (dutiful)
|
|
17
|
Sportsman scrutinised and deviously manipulated (8)
|
JOCK (male athlete or sportsman) + EYED (scrutinised) JOCK EYED |
JOCKEYED (tricked by manoeuvring; deviously manipulated)
|
|
18
|
Edmund II to press on border (8)
|
IRON (press) + SIDE (edge; border) IRONSIDE |
IRONSIDE (reference Edmund IRONSIDE, Edmund II [989 – 1016], King of England)
|
|
20
|
Friendless new driver covering Fenland location (6)
|
L (learner; new driver) + ON (covering) + ELY (town in Cambridgeshire near the Fenlands) L ON ELY |
LONELY (friendless)
|
|
21
|
Where one may see patient escape madhouse (6)
|
BED (location where one may find a patient) + LAM (American slang for escape or hurried flight, especially from the police) BED LAM |
BEDLAM (madhouse)
|
|
25
|
Papa with fish to commune with deity (4)
|
P (Papa is the International Radio communication codeword for the letter P) + RAY (type of flat fish) P RAY |
PRAY (commune with a deity)
|
Thanks for the blog, Duncan.
Bit of a surprise to see Tees on a Wednesday, but surprises in crosswordland are commonplace these days.
I thought that this was just right for the Dac slot (and I mean no putdown to Tees with that comment). Well-constructed, nice variety of devices, bit of a laugh here and there. I don’t have a favourite clue today – there were lots of them.
I was going to have a bit of a gripe about ENIGMATIST, since referencing other setters’ handles is one of my pet hates. But of course after ten seconds’ reflection, I realised that it works perfectly well on its own.
Bravo, Tees.
Nice puzzle which was in the goldilocks zone for me. Like our esteemed blogger, I also wondered whether there might be a retail/capitalism theme, but couldn’t see more. What I did see was the ‘rev’ and ‘born’ in the 7th and 9th rows of the grid which I reckoned could be a nice happy birthday message for the late Araucaria. Lots of nice stuff here, but my COD goes to 9a for the laugh the hom. elicited so many thanks to Tees for the puzzle and to DS for the blog.
Echoing Kathryn’s Dad @1, meaning no disrespect, this felt like the least difficult Tees ever encountered; but entertaining nonetheless (though I think ABYSSINIA is a bit of an old chestnut).
As for ENIGMATIST, surely Tees chose this name for another place consciously as an anagram of I AM SETTING (as well as AM I SETTING as here)?
Well-constructed, carefully constructed, so very like Dac. Some compilers make things look easy, these are two of them.
Regarding old chestnuts, wasn’t it Tees over Xmas who used ‘Irish stew in the name of the law’? We were let off lightly today if that was the case.
Thank you both for lovely enjoyment.
Like others, this seemed to me just like Tees, but without the knuckleduster. Very enjoyable puzzle all the same, though.
Puck in the G also has BEDLAM in today’s puzzle themed around Dangermouse, who nowadays is voiced by ALEXANDER Armstrong. Tees has SILVERBACK rather than GREENBACK.
Funny old game.
Thanks to Tees and Duncan
As others have said/implied, this was pitched just right for a Wednesday puzzle – demonstrating Tees’ versatility.
All good stuff, so no real favourite. ABYSSINIA raised a smile; as a homophone(?) I think it originated from Oz – an example of Strine. And in 20dn it made a change for ‘Ely’ not to be clued as ‘see’.
Thanks, Tees and Duncan.