A good puzzle from Hob today where I widened my general knowledge.
The puzzle was a homage to the current United Kingdom City of Culture, Kingston upon Hull
I had to do a bit of research on the names in the puzzle to see who was born, who lived in and who just worked in Hull. I discovered many more who could have featured in the grid. Indeed, my wife was born in HULL but her family moved out before she was one year old.
HULL seems to attract poets. In addition to PHILIP LARKIN and ANDREW MARVELL who feature in the grid, I learnt that Andrew Motion lectured at the University of HULL. It was good to see that the mathematicians weren’t forgotten with John VENN making an appearance. We also had another scientific reference with OPEN CHAIN.
I liked the first clue as it focused on two different SCOTTs from completely different times. I wonder how many solvers knew only of Calum SCOTT and not Sir Walter. I guess though the numbers in the opposite category might have been higher. There will of course be many who were well aware of both. I regret that I fell into the ‘Sir Walter only’ category before writing the blog.
There were many clues with complex wordplay and many constituent parts. My colouring palette was well used writing the blog.
HULL was used as an indication for BOAT on more than one occasion but I couldn’t find any thesaurus or word list that gave one as direct synonym of the other.
Thanks to Hob for an enjoyable puzzle.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
One who represented 20 before Calum or Walter? (8)
|
PRE (before) + SCOTT (reference Calum SCOTT [born 1988] who performed what is described as a sensational audition on Britain’s Got Talent in 2015 and Sir Walter SCOTT [1771 – 1832], Scottish historical novelist, playwright and poet whose stately pile [Abbotsford] is sited beside the River Tweed not many miles from where I am writing this blog] PRE SCOTT |
PRESCOTT (reference Baron John PRESCOTT [born 1938] who represented the parliamentary constituency of HULL [20 down] East from 1970 – 2010 and was Deputy Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007)
|
| 5 / 24 | 20’s librarian, one flying home after writing letter to The Edge (6,6) |
PHI ([Greek] letter] + LIP (edge) + LARK (bird; one flying) + IN (home) PHILIP LARKIN |
PHILIP [LARKIN] (reference PHILIP LARKIN [1922 – 1985], English poet, novelist and librarian. He was librarian at the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of HULL |
|
9
|
12a’s propeller seen from the rear, when docked in Arab state (7)
|
ARSE (buttocks; rear) excluding the final letter (when docked) E contained in (in) OMAN (Arab State) O (ARS) MAN |
OARSMAN (one who propels a HULL [20 down] or boat)
|
|
10
|
See 18 down
|
|
MARVELL
|
|
11
|
20’s son, representing county at Rome ground (3,9)
|
Anagram of (ground) COUNTY AT ROME TOM COURTENAY* |
TOM COURTENAY (reference Sir TOM COURTENAY (born in HULL [20 down] in 1937), English actor)
|
|
12
|
Cricketer getting duck in 20 here? (4)
|
BAT (cricketer) containing (getting … in) O (zero; duck score in cricket) B (O) AT |
BOAT (HULL [20 down])
|
|
14
|
Molecular structure that’s linked with one chap moving home (4,5)
|
(Anagram of [moving] ONE CHAP) + IN (at home) OPEN CHA* IN |
OPEN CHAIN (term from chemistry denoting a molecular structure with atoms linked together like a CHAIN with loose ends)
|
|
16
|
Depression? Cycling small distances helps (7,2)
|
PIT (depression) + INCHES (small distances with the first two letters IN moved to end [cycling]) PIT CHES IN |
PITCHES IN (cooperates; helps) |
|
17
|
One whose top’s blown off in middle of street? Nasty! (4)
|
ETNA (hidden word in [in middle of] STREET NASTY) ETNA |
ETNA (active volcano on Sicily which erupted recently; one whose top’s blown off)
|
|
19
|
Trendy prisoner that is caught by man from 20 providing diagram that’s initially embarrassing (12)
|
IN (trendy) + CON (prisoner) + (I.E. [id est; that is] contained in VENN [reference John VENN [1834 – 1923] who introduced the concept of VENN diagrams used in many fields of mathematics and statistics. John VENN was born in HULL [20 down]) + T (first letter of [initially] THAT) IN CON VEN (IE) N T |
INCONVENIENT (causing trouble, difficulty or uneasiness; embarrassing)
|
|
22
|
Half of 20 into whiskies? Sickness abroad, so a Minister for Moral restraint (7)
|
Two wordplays here, both leading independently to the entry HU (two of the four [half] letters of HULL [20 down]) contained in (into) MALTS (whiskies) MAL (French for sickness; sickness abroad) + THUS (so) MALT (HU) S or MAL THUS |
MALTHUS (reference Thomas Robert MALTHUS [1766 – 1834], English cleric [Minister] and scholar, regrettably not born in Hull. In his Essay on the Principles of Population, MALTHUS put more emphasis on moral restraint as the best means of easing the poverty of the lower classes
|
|
23
|
Brands horses, without question (7)
|
MARES (horses) containing (without) QU (question) MAR (QU) ES |
MARQUES (brands or makes, especially of cars)
|
|
24
|
See 5
|
|
LARKIN
|
|
25
|
Heavy cold descending? Coke and lager’s knocked back (8)
|
SNOW (cocaine; coke) + PILS (lager beer) reversed (knocked back) SNOW SLIP< |
SNOWSLIP (small avalanche; heavy cold descending)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Reminder from page 20? (4)
|
P (page) + ROD (reference ROD HULL [1935 – 1999] English entertainer best known for his work with his puppet Emu) PROD |
PROD (reminder)
|
|
2
|
The Bronx’s river (4)
|
EBRO (hidden word in [‘s indicating possession] THE BRONX] EBRO |
EBRO (river on the Iberian peninsula)
|
|
3
|
Encouragement from capital of Culture, backing second one-off (4-2)
|
C (first letter of [capital letter of] CULTURE) + MO (moment; second) reversed + an anagram of (off) ONE C OM< E ON* |
COME ON (words of encouragement)
|
|
4
|
Resolve to keep going from South Pole, carrying one suitcase around (13)
|
(S [South] + N [North {pole}]) contained in (carrying) an anagram of (around) ONE SUITCASE TENACIOU (S N) ESS* |
TENACIOUSNESS (resolve to keep going)
|
|
6
|
Drat! Frisky horse’s eaten sailor’s food (8)
|
Anagram of (frisky) DRAT contained in (eaten) HACK (horse kept for hire, especially one in a sorry condition) H (ARDT*) ACK |
HARDTACK (ship’s biscuit formerly used as a food on a sailing ship; sailor’s food)
|
|
7
|
Stay in bed with comic holding answer to what lurkers might do (3,2,4)
|
LIE IN (stay in bed) + (WIT [comic] containing [holding] A [answer]) LIE IN W(A) IT |
LIE IN WAIT (what a lurker might do)
|
|
8
|
Naive optimist giving parrot stuffed naan (9)
|
POLLY (parrot) + an anagram of (stuffed) NAAN POLLY ANNA* |
POLLYANNA (someone whose naive optimism may verge on the insufferable. [From POLLYANNA fictional creation of US author Eleanor Hodgman Porter [1868 -1920])
|
|
10
|
20’s daughter has manure, in ample supply (7,6)
|
Anagram of (supply, as an adverb from supple) MANURE IN AMPLE MAUREEN LIPMAN* |
MAUREEN LIPMAN (born 1946), British film, theatre and television actress as well as a press columnist and comedienne. MAUREEN LIPMAN was born in HULL)
|
|
12
|
Detailed Baltic map’s unusual sort of font (9)
|
Anagram of (unusual) BALTIC excluding the final letter [de-tailed] C and MAPS BAPTISMAL* |
BAPTISMAL (descriptive of a font used for holding water for BAPTISMs)
|
|
13
|
Concerned with joint certain to be topless (9)
|
PARTICULAR (specific; certain) excluding the first letter (topless) P ARTICULAR |
ARTICULAR (belonging to the joints) |
|
15
|
Port of 20’s leader has a gin ordered (8)
|
Anagram of (ordered) H (first letter of [leader] HULL) and HAS A GIN SHANGHAI* |
SHANGHAI (port city in China)
|
|
18 / 10a
|
20’s poet depicted ruin in one very short measure (6,7)
|
(DREW [depicted] + MAR [damage; ruin] + V [very]) contained in (in) (AN [one] + ELL [an obsolete term for a varying measure of length originally taken from the arm; a cloth measure equal to 1.25 yards; short measure]) AN (DREW MAR V) ELL |
ANDREW [MARVELL] (reference ANDREW MARVELL [1621 – 1678], English metaphysical poet whose family moved to HULL when he was 3 years old)
|
|
20
|
City in uproar after adult exits, pursued by a bear (4)
|
HULLABALOO (uproar) excluding (exits) (A [adult] + BALOO [fictional bear in Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book) HULL |
HULL (short name for the city of Kingston upon HULL, situated on the Humber estuary)
|
|
21
|
When old man turned up without delay (4)
|
AS (when) + PA (father; old man) reversed AS AP< |
ASAP (as soon as possible; without delay)
|
EMU was sadly missed as was LOLITA in Qaos but never mind. A good day.Back to cricket.
Thanks, Duncan.
A delightful puzzle from Hob, very cleverly bringing in so many HIULL associations to celebrate its being City of Culture.
5/24 was the giveaway before I even reached 29dn and then the lovely MAUREEN LIPMAN and TOM COURTENAY. And the author of one of my favourite poems, ‘To his coy mistress’. [I was waiting for William Wilberforce but I don’t think he’s hidden anywhere.]
I don’t think you’ll find HULL as a synonym for boat in a dictionary or thesaurus but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it in poetry – an example of synecdoche [part for whole].
Lots of excellent clues with great surfaces, particularly 1 and 16ac and 6 and 10dn.
Many thanks to Hob for a most enjoyable and instructive puzzle.
9ac – the oarsman is propelling the BOAT @12, which reads a bit better.
It took a while to fathom Hull (from the extra H in the Shanghai anagram) but I was helped by a recent discussion about North Ferriby Utd, and everyone knows where they are based?
PS my ? should have been a smiley, also the phone crossword app got confused again with the 18d/10a combination.
Paul A @ 4
Thanks – my mistake. Every other cross reference is to 20 Down and I just wasn’t paying attention when I wrote the parsing for 9 across.
12 across is BOAT which as you say makes a lot more sense.
The gateway clue I would never have parsed, so well done Duncan for that, and for the usual comprehensive blog.
Like others, I got some of the reference clues and then stuck in HULL. I’m not always keen on themed puzzles, but I thought that this was apposite, since some folk have been a bit arsey about Hull and culture being mentioned in the same breath.
TWO JAGS, TOM C and PHILIP LARKIN in the same puzzle. Can’t go wrong. Like Eileen, I do like ‘To his coy mistress’, but Larkin’s ‘This be the Verse’ tops that for me. The first line gives you my children’s experience of parenting and the last line gives me advice on what I should have done.
Well done, Hob.
Rewarding and engaging puzzle, I thought. I got the gateway clue in exactly the same way as PaulA@3 and then solved most of the rest (defeated by 25a, 6d & 18/10) over an enjoyable hour or so. Lots of nice misdirection and defs with my COD honours going to 25a so thanks to Hob for the nice puzz and to DS for the enlightenment.
Thanks to Hob for a very good puzzle and to Duncan for the blog.
I like modern Hull and the city planners are to be congratulated on the revamp. Any chance of transferring their talents to Sheffield should be seized!
An appropriate puzzle to celebrate this year’s City of Culture, and a counterbalance to the old Beggars’ Litany: “From Hell, Hull and Halifax, good Lord, deliver us”. Mind you, it took a lot of 4dn to complete but I managed it without help apart from checking one non-themed answer in Chambers.
I parsed OARSMAN quite differently. I had R as the last letter (seen from the rear) of ‘propeller’ inside AS (‘when docked’ taking as = when and docked = inside, as of a ship in port etc) all inside OMAN. But looking at it again that requires ‘propeller’ to do double duty, so I guess Duncan’s is the correct parsing. And no doubt John and Kathryn’s Dad (see yesterday’s blog and comments) will be pleased at the use of ‘arse’ instead of ‘ass’.
Plenty to like here, favourites were PRESCOTT and the gateway clue itself, HULL.
Thanks, Hob and Duncan.