A Morph puzzle as spring threatens to spring forth after another ridiculously mild winter.
First of all I must congratulate Morph for mentioning the town I grew up in a clue. There was a time when virtually no one outside the North east mentioned the place but then along came the international athletics, the Angel of the North, the Metrocentre(well we can’t do everything right), the Baltic, the Millenium bridge and the Sage – none belong to the more famous neighbour. I suspect the use of it in the clue may cause some debate, though! Personally, I have no issue with it.
My favourite clue has to be 10ac – reminded me of many an animated discussion in my college days with people from Glasgow. Oddly it never sounds as offensive as it’s direct English equivalent.
Many thanks Morph – I enjoyed the other clues too. Whilst the grid shape smelled of a Nina, I certainly couldn’t find one.
* anagram; DD Double definition; Rev. reverse; Underline – Definition
Across
1 Business associates combined to walk streets? (5,4)
DD TRADE BODY (To walk streets as in prostitution)
6 Like American ruler with no need of government (4)
A (American) + king (ruler) – g (government)
9 South-eastern state involving northern state in dishonesty (7)
Ky (south-eastern state – Kentucky) around n (northern) + aver (state) = KNAVERY
10 Used to be wee Glaswegian with hourglass figure? (7)
Was (used to be) + pish (wee Glaswegian – If you’ve ever had a converstion with a Glaswegian you’ll know this word) = WASPISH
11 Point to pause is after having reached capacity (4,4)
Stop (to pause) after Full (capacity) = FULL STOP
12 Article on fake healer (6)
An (article) on sham (fake) = SHAMAN
14 Outlaw clothing, barring close covering for head (5,4)
Robing (clothing) – g (close) + hood (covering for head) = ROBIN HOOD
16 Head to centre in New York, say, for smack (5)
State (New York for instancfe) moving s to centre = TASTE
18 Gluttonous, but leaving Gateshead thin (5)
Greedy (gluttonous) – g (Gateshead) = REEDY
19 First half of semi is close, tight, with two sides evenly matched (9)
(se + is + close)* = ISOSCELES
20 Absolutely not having right to enter country (6)
No way (absolutely not) around r (right) = NORWAY
22 Caped combatant ripped road asunder (8)
Tore (ripped) + (road)* = TOREADOR
25 Pass former WWII theatre (7)
Ex (former) + Crete (WWII theatre – of war) = EXCRETE
26 National and international famous limerick writer’s turned upright character (7)
I (International) + Rev. (Lear’s – limerick writer) + I (upright character = ISRAELI
27 Burden borne by Trump’s nation (4)
On (borne by) + US (Trump’s nation) = ONUS
28 One dropping in cat’s toilet’s source of infection (6-3)
Litter (Cat’s toilet) + bug (source of infection) = LITTER BUG
Down
1 Fail to consider what Little Red Riding Hood’ll do with wolf and bear (4,3,7)
Take for Gran (what Little Red Riding Hood’ll do with wolf) + ted (bear) TAKE FOR GRANTED
2 I’ll be taken in by a worthy without you on hand (9)
A valuable (worthy) – u (you) around I (taken in) = AVAILABLE
3 Apple consumer protection boss finally quits (5)
Eve (Apple consumer) + ns (protection boss finally) = EVENS
4 Ohio vote ending in lunacy, stupid and contradictory (10)
O (Ohio) + x (vote) + moronic (stupid) = OXYMORONIC
5 Open wide in northerly city for filling with a crown in white (4)
Rev. NY (city – New York) around a + w (crown in white) = YAWN
6 Tea chest I renovated, being arty (9)
(tea chest I)* = AESTHETIC
7 Expression of unwise person taking time off to get married (5)
Idiot (unwise person) – t + m (married) = IDIOM
8 Constantly changing sides, going with the flow between Britain and France? (7-7)
DD CHANNEL SURFING
13 Loose digit fixed by visionary (10)
(loose digit)* = IDEOLOGIST
15 They resist spinning easy yarns (9)
(easy yarns)* = NAYSAYERS
17 Cicely perhaps gives a lad her besotted embraces (5,4)
Hiiden giveS A LAD HER Besotted = SALAD HERB
21 Estimating cost of topped and tailed bean extract that’s toxic (5)
Pricing (estimating cost of) – p – g (top and tail) = RICIN
23 Ireland finding start of Easter Rising strangely affecting (5)
Eire (Ireland) around e (start of Easter) = EERIE
24 More than half of rich show trace of brutality? (4)
Wealthy (rich) – thy (more than half remains) = WEAL
Who said it was an apple?!
Nice Crossie .That makes three in one day although the others are still “live”
Couldn’t get ISOSCELES or TOREADOR at first having put CHANNEL HOPPING for 8dn, but fortunately realised my error. Otherwise all pretty straightforward. An enjoyable solve enlivened by some witty surfaces. Favourites were TAKE FOR GRANTED and the aforesaid TOREADOR.
Thanks, Morph and Twencelas.
Missed trade body (brilliant!) and evens (also brilliant!)
Lovely puzzle, thanks morph.
Liked 28a, and thought Easter rising was very good.
Just to help me, is show vs shows cryptically OK in 24a?
Many thanks twencelas for enlightenment
Oops – 24d
Enjoyable stuff which fell in an easyish manner, though required a bit of bonce scratching for the final 5 or 6. Fave clues were 1d for the WP and 8d for the def so thanks to Morph for a fun puzzle and to twencelas for the blog.
Thanks for the blog, twencelas.
I’ve been fond of the names Gateshead and Accrington Stanley since the late 1960s, when as a nipper I used to play a board game called “Wembley”: both these teams were included in the draw, even if by then they had disappeared from the Football League. Another weird memory is of having read somewhere long ago that Newcastle wanted to extend its trolleybus network into Gateshead but for some reason WW2 scuppered that idea.
Be that as it may, I’m one of those who can’t agree with this use of “Gateshead” as a clue-writing strategy. Maybe if there was a homophone indicator in there (sounds like “gate’s head”) … Even then it wouldn’t be much cop as a clue – but at least it would be fairer.
To Dutch @3 re 24d: IMO it’s not okay. Couldn’t both surface and cryptic grammar be salvaged by “showing”?
thanks gofirstmate@7
I think your suggestion works. Please realise I wasn’t trying to criticise, just trying to understand.
Re discussion on 24D – “more than half rich” (WEAL{thy})is the wordplay and “trace of brutality” is the answer; the two parts are disjunctive, with “show” as an appropriate link word.
In the blog, perhaps it would be helpful to include that in both 5D (northerly) and 23D (Rising) these words are indicating reversal.
Very enjoyable puzzle with 1D a standout.
Thanks to Morph and twencelas.
Can someone please explain in 5d why a + w is (crown in white)?
To gwep @9: Essentially the clue is supposed to be telling the solver that more than half of a word for “rich” leads (singular verb) to the answer. Using the plural verb form “show” messes up the grammar in the cryptic reading.
Vicky @10: “crown” here indicates the head/top/first letter of the word – hence “W”. Another issue is whether “northerly” in itself is an acceptable means of indicating a reversal.
@11gofirstmate
Thanks. I understood the clue. The wording of a cryptic clue is cryptic. I am happy with it.
Would be interested if Morph would comment on this.
Incidentally do not accept there is an “issue” with “northerly”.