Straightforward Tuesday fare from Gurney and some fun Googling opportunities, including for one answer I’m not entirely sure of.
Smooth surfaces and a fast solve. Still not convinced by Frankenstein though, unless Gurney has created a monster beyond my comprehension.
| Across | ||
| 1 | HEREBY | As result of this unorthodox belief, Bishop overriding Society (6) |
| HERESY (‘unorthodox belief’) with B[ishop] replacing (‘overriding’) S[ociety]. | ||
| 4 | HEIGHTEN | Become more intense describing party crew disrupts (8) |
| HEN (describing a kind of ‘party’) to include EIGHT (a rowing ‘crew’). | ||
| 9 | DEARTH | Scarcity period’s ending where we live (6) |
| D (= ending of perioD) + planet EARTH (‘where we live’). | ||
| 10 | MACAROON | Guy importing vehicle loves biscuit? (8) |
| MAN (‘guy’) includes CAR (‘vehicle’) + OO (2 x zero, i.e. ‘loves’ in tennis). | ||
| 12 | NEST | A secluded place in Anne’s time (4) |
| Inclusion in ‘anNES Time’. | ||
| 13 | BRIGANTINE | Strange training in empty barge vessel (10) |
| Anagram (‘strange’) of TRAINING in BE (BargE, evacuated or ’empty’). | ||
| 15 | STOKE-ON-TRENT | City street, fine, with long time Council venue (5-2-5) |
| ST[reet] + OK (‘fine’) + EON (‘long time’) + TRENT (from the ‘Council’ of Trent, 1545-1563, held in Trento, N. Italy, which formulated the RC church’s counter-reformational policy). | ||
| 18 | ROSETTA STONE | Key to understanding testator one’s unravelled (7,5) |
| Anagram of TESTATOR ONE’S. The original Rosetta Stone, found in 1799, presents an ancient Egyptian decree in both Greek and hieroglyphic script, thus enabling translation of the latter for the first time. Now used metaphorically for any ‘key to understanding’. | ||
| 21 | PALMERSTON | Metro plans adapted for PM (10) |
| Anagram of METRO PLANS. Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, served two terms as Prime Minister under Queen Victoria. Educational stuff today. | ||
| 22 | ASIA | Populous area. Answer: Thailand once (not quite) (4) |
| A[nswer] + SIAm (former name of Thailand). | ||
| 24 | IN THE RED | Some mint here discovered to be owing money? (2,3,3) |
| Inclusion in ‘mINT HERE Discovered’. | ||
| 25 | ORDEAL | Trying experience as alternative to agreement (6) |
| OR + DEAL. | ||
| 26 | EVENTING | Late in day – about time for sport? (8) |
| EVENING surrounds T[ime]. | ||
| 27 | SMUDGE | Complacent about daughter needing English mark (6) |
| SMUG (‘complacent’) around D[aughter] + E[nglish]. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HEDONIST | An academic in robbery for fun of it? (8) |
| DON (‘academic’) in HEIST. | ||
| 2 | ROADSHOW | Moving entertainment? (8) |
| Cryptic whole-clue charade. | ||
| 3 | BOTH | Soup not right for couple (4) |
| BROTH (‘soup’) without R[ight]. | ||
| 5 | EXAGGERATION | Helping after farm produce cut up? A lie (12) |
| RATION (‘helping’) follows EGG (‘farm produce’) and AXE (‘cut’), both reversed (‘up’ in this down clue). | ||
| 6 | GRAININESS | Quality of cereals rising as short net modified (10) |
| Anagram (‘modified’) of RISING AS + NEt, shortened. | ||
| 7 | TROPIC | Parallel subject of conversation – run inside (6) |
| TOPIC (‘subject of conversation’) includes R[un]. The Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are ‘parallels’ or lines of latitude. | ||
| 8 | NANTES | Couple in partnership have stake in port (6) |
| N[orth] & S[outh], bridge partners, include ANTE, a gambling ‘stake’. | ||
| 11 | FRANKENSTEIN | Candid, in from France, over beer mug that could ruin manufacturer (12) |
| FRANK (‘candid’) + EN (‘in’ in French) + STEIN (‘beer mug’). Dr. Victor Frankenstein was of course Mary Shelley’s creator (‘manufacturer’) of the monster which, in the end, ‘ruins’ him. Chambers allows the word as a definition-by-confusion of the monster itself – which would put the def here as the last four words – but I still get the feeling I’m missing something. Any offers? | ||
| 14 | DENOUEMENT | Need menu to supply solution (10) |
| Anagram of NEED MENU TO. | ||
| 16 | GODSPEED | Expression about travel from gallery flipping abstruse? (8) |
| GODS (the ‘gallery’ in a theatre) + reversal (‘flipping’) of DEEP (‘abstruse’). | ||
| 17 | DE GAULLE | President, Democrat say, top class, with Dulles (no outsiders) (2,6) |
| D[emocrat] + EG (‘say’) + A (‘top class’) + dULLEs, outside letters removed. | ||
| 19 | SPRITE | Unusual trip in Home Counties – legendary one? (6) |
| Anag (‘unusual’) of TRIP in S[outh] E[ast] (the ‘Home Counties’ of England). | ||
| 20 | BLITHE | Happy, born flexible (6) |
| B[orn] + LITHE (‘flexible’). | ||
| 23 | TRAM | Vehicle that runs all morning at outset (4) |
| First letters (‘at outset’) of That Runs All Morning. | ||
*anagram
Pretty gentle fare, though I had the same uncertainty about FRANKENSTEIN, for which I had the def as being ‘that could ruin manufacturer’ as you allude to, or even ‘mug that…’, if STEIN can be used for ‘beer’ in the same sense as say ‘pint’. The word play for 1d gives HEDONIST, which is also OK for a whole clue def, but I thought ‘hedonism’ fitted the ‘for fun of it’ def better. Didn’t know about TRENT as the ‘Council venue’ and was happy to be educated further about 18a and 21a.
Thanks to Grant and Gurney.
Yeah, the more I think on Frankenstein the more I think that the clue may be slightly unfair. One might say – again metaphorically – that a chap who makes something, physical or conceptual, which turns out to be a threat to himself ‘has created a bit of a Frankenstein’, so the def would be ‘that could ruin manufacturer’.
But that would be wrong: what he has created is a dangerous ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ of the familiar hideous image. Frankenstein himself, as we all know, looked exactly like Peter Cushing. Just ‘cos Chambers says it doesn’t make it correct..
Thanks for excellent blog and comments.
In FRANKENSTEIN the definition is intended to be the last four words “that could ruin manufacturer”. Collins dict has it as “a thing that destroys its creator” while noting it could be also called Frankenstein’s monster.
Thanks Gurney and Grant
Did this one on Tuesday (our ANZAC day down here) but late to post. Also found this one to be relatively straightforward for this setter although it did spread across three short sittings as time permitted.
Started off with MACAROON and finished with ROSETTA STONE and GODSPEED.
Didn’t have an issue with FRANKENSTEIN as free dictionary.com (my go-to dictionary) had the definition used in the crossword as it’s first listed definition.