A very pleasant solve, as usual, from Picaroon.
As I was solving this puzzle, I found myself, as an unpublished setter, being jealous of Picaroon’s ability to create such solid surfaces, and by the range of devices used.
I honestly can’t find fault with the puzzle, and there are too many excellent clues to pick a favourite – if forced, I’d go for 25ac.
Thanks, Picaroon.
| Across | ||
| 1 | OTITIS | Lovebirds catching one painful inflammation (6) |
| O (zero, so “love” in tennis) + TITS (“birds”) “catching” 1 | ||
| 5 | NOBILITY | Lack of talent excluding a privileged group (8) |
| NO (a)BILITY (“lack of talent” without the “a”) | ||
| 9 | ST HELENA | Swimming seal, then, is somewhere in the Atlantic (2,6) |
| *(seal then)
St Helena is a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean |
||
| 10 | BECKON | Stream with no ebbing wave (6) |
| BECK (“stream”) + <=ON (“no”, ebbing) | ||
| 11 | OSLO | Extremists ejected from industrial action in the capital (4) |
| (g)O SLO(w) (“industrial action” with “extremists” (first and last letters) ejected) | ||
| 12 | LOCAL DERBY | Slimmer’s cheese in regional contest (5,5) |
| LO-CAL (low-calorie, thus “slimmer’s”) + DERBY (a type of “cheese”) | ||
| 13 | UNMOOR | A French African free from ropes (6) |
| UN (“a” in French) + MOOR (“African”)
Moors were originally Berbers and Arabs from North Africa. |
||
| 14 | DEFENDER | Guardian‘s to hold back, holding back (8) |
| DEFER (“hold back”) “holding” END (“back”) | ||
| 16 | FRIEDMAN | What might appeal to cannibal or neoliberal (8) |
| FRIED MAN may well appeal to a cannibal.
The “neoliberal” is Milton Friedman (1912-2006), the American Nobel prize winning economist. |
||
| 19 | LOUCHE | Shady borders of lime, in which I’m suffering (6) |
| OUCH (“I’m suffering”) in the “borders of” L(im)E | ||
| 21 | ON THE HOUSE | Not charging, in a position like York’s welcoming hotel (2,3,5) |
| ON THE OUSE (“in a position like York is”) “welcoming” H(otel) | ||
| 23 | ICON | On-screen feature suggesting that Apple’s ripping you off? (4) |
| iCon – if Apple were ripping you off (some may see that as a justified assertion!), then it would be an iCon, as Apple tend to put i in front of their products, such as iPad, iPod and iPhone. | ||
| 24 | ICE DUP | Frosted desserts, the second sent back (4,2) |
| ICE (more iusually “ice cream”) + PUD are two desserts, and the second has been “sent back”, so DUP | ||
| 25 | ORATORIO | Work accepted by Poirot: a robbery with a twist (8) |
| Hidden backwards in “POIROT A RObbery” | ||
| 26 | ESCALOPE | Butcher’s cut and run, nursing case of lumbago (8) |
| ESCAPE (“run”) “nursing” case of (i.e. the outer parts of) L(umbag)O | ||
| 27 | NONAGE | Silver service’s passed round for youth (6) |
| Ag (chemical symbol for “silver”) with NONE (“service”) “passed around” it.
Not being of a religious persuasion, I had to check NONE, and it is apparently the fifth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, originally fixed for the ninth hour of the day (or 3 p.m.). |
||
| Down | ||
| 2 | TITUS ANDRONICUS | Unartistic sound engineering a bloody tragedy! (5,10) |
| *(unartistic sound) | ||
| 3 | TREMOLO | Unevenness in pitch? English right back has second look (7) |
| <= E Rt (“English right” back) + MO (short for moment, so “second”) + LO (“look”) | ||
| 4 | STEEL DRUM | One’s beaten horse, stifling liberal spirit (5,4) |
| (STEED (“horse”) “stifling” L(eft)) + RUM (“spirit”) | ||
| 5 | NUANCED | Subtle introduction to Nietzsche foxed a dunce (7) |
| N(ietzsche) + *(a dunce) | ||
| 6 | BABEL | President engaged in vacuously boastful clamour (5) |
| ABE (Lincoln, so “president”) “engaged in B(oastfu)L -indicated by “vacuously” ~ “empty” | ||
| 7 | LECTERN | Chosen to strip off, servicemen stand before the faithful (7) |
| (e)LECTE(d) (“chosen” stripped, i.e. with no outer layers) + R.N. (Royal Navy, so “servicemen”)
A lectern is a reading “stand”, especially in a church so, “before the faithful”. |
||
| 8 | TROUBLESHOOTING | In London district, foreign cash goes on drug providing a fix (15) |
| In TOOTING (“London district”), ROUBLES (“foreign cash”) goes on H (heroin, so “drug”)
T (ROUBLES H) OOTING |
||
| 15 | FALSE DAWN | Lands a few blows in a deceptively promising period (5,4) |
| *(lands a few) | ||
| 17 | ECHIDNA | Insectivore concealed in cane abroad (7) |
| HID (“concealed”) in *(cane)
The echidna or spiny ant-eater is found in Australia and New Guinea. |
||
| 18 | NEURONE | Nobody imprisons half a continent in cell (7) |
| NONE (“nobody”) “imprisons” EUR(ope) | ||
| 20 | UNICORN | College study, including reading, is a fabulous thing (7) |
| UNI(versity) + CON (“study”) “incuding” R(eading) (one of the three Rs) | ||
| 22 | HIPPO | Beast one very quietly smuggled into house (5) |
| 1 + pp (“very quietly”, in music – short for pianissimo) “smuggled into” Ho.(use) | ||
*anagram
Great puzzle. My favourites were LOCAL DERBY, TREMOLO and FRIEDMAN (!). Couldn’t parse the ‘none’ in NONAGE. Many thanks to P & l.
Another top class puzzle from Picaroon, albeit slightly easier than they usually are (maybe I was just familiar with all of the cultural references this time apart from NONE=service). My favourites were FRIEDMAN and TITUS ANDRONICUS
Thanks to Picaroon and loonapick
Most enjoyable.
Many thanks to Picaroon and loonapick.
Challenging and satisfying all at once.
I agree with you, loonapick, regarding 25a ORATORIO. A great clue which really tested my “order, method, and the little grey cells”.
I’m with drofle@1 and beery hiker@2 regarding another favourite, the cannibal’s appealing meal, 16a FRIED MAN!
Another favourite for me was the clever anagram at 5d, NUANCED.
I was lucky that I knew NONE for 27a NONAGE as part of the Liturgy of the Hours, and that too many years ago than I care to recall, I studied 2d “TITUS ANDRONICUS” in a university course called “Shakespeare to the Romantics”. I shed a lot of blood (sweat and tears) over that play.
I had trouble in the SE when I biffed in LEACHY for 19a – the borders of LimE along with “ACHY” (suffering). Well, it made sense to me at the time. But then I ruminated on all the “fabulous things” I could think of for 20d and when AMAZON didn’t fit, I came up with UNICORN. Finally I saw my booboo in 19a. Truly an “OUCH” moment for me.
LOI was OTITIS. I am ashamed that it took me so long to see it; I was trying so hard to fit in STYE somehow!
I think my favourite – among many – was 14a DEFENDER because the word ‘back’ appears twice in the clue and I spent an age trying to work out which one of them was the definition of ‘defender’ and it turned out to be neither. Genius.
I agree with you,loonapick. This seems to me a perfect puzzle from a first class setter. Thanks for your brilliant explanations and for ironing out some of the trickier parsing, and thanks, of course, to Picaroon.
Not Picaroon’s hardest, but with clueing this quality who is counting down the seconds. LOCAL DERBY just edges FRIEDMAN in the clue-of-the-day contest, but there were plenty of contenders. Vaguely aware of the other meaning of NONE, but had to check that NONAGE had something to do with youth, since ‘nonagerian’ certainly hasn’t.
Thank you Picaroon and loonapick.
I agree with Grant Baynham @4 about DEFENDER, my favourite clue. I got all tied up since “to hold back” can mean “to fend off”, then ‘fender’ came to my mind, which for me, an old NZer, is the bumper of a car, not that I use that term now – the COED says this usage is ‘disputable’, but carhistory4u.com says “The car fender (bumper) was invented by Frederick Simms (British) in 1901”.
Thanks Picaroon and loonapick.
Good puzzle, although I struggled a bit in the NW corner. Once I got TREMOLO everything fell into place. Shouldn’t 2D be ‘engineered’ rather than ‘engineering?’
I ticked ON THE HOUSE, TREMOLO, OTITIS and ICED UP.
Thank you Picaroon and loonapick.
An enjoyable – and for me with Picaroon, surprisingly quick – solve. Titus Andronicus went in straight away (going to see it for the first time at the RSC in Stratford in September). I sometimes think that solving the first clue you see, especially if it is a long one, has a psychological impact on all the rest.
Many favourites: the interesting image conjured up by 7dn, the free Yorkshire hotel and the joke (for me at any rate) in 5 across – since when did “lack of talent” ever exclude the nobility from anything?
I thought the services was “nones” in the plural, but Chambers is clear on the singular.
I was unable to parse 14a and the T in 3d (forgot about Rt, so I had ER bit did not know what to do with the T), Ironically, I have just finished watching PMQs and of course Rt Hon this and that should have made me realise what RT is.
New words for me were NEURONE, OTITIS and NONE = service.
My favourite was FRIEDMAN.
Thanks Picaroon and blogger.
[Marienkefer @ 9 – I saw Titus Andronicus at the Globe Theatre in London 3 years ago (I think it was 2014 – it was a fabulous production]
I was struck by your comment, loonapick (“I found myself, as an unpublished setter, being jealous of Picaroon’s ability to create such solid surfaces, and by the range of devices used.”) because I can say exactly the same thing, and I must echo others’ comments as well as yours in saying what a masterful creation this crossword is.
I recently devised what I thought was a good clue for TITUS ANDRONICUS in an as yet unfinished crossword, but Picaroon’s is better – accessible, neat, and indicated by a phrase I didn’t think of using (“a bloody tragedy!”). Among many favourites my top two are 16 FRIEDMAN and 19 LOUCHE.
Many thanks to Picaroon, and to loonapick for a clear and informative blog.
[Alan B @12, how about “Ductus Santorini releasing a bilious production (5,10)”]
Lots of great clues – the hidden 25a is brilliant and out LOI. I’ll add a few of my favourites LOCAL DERBY, ESCALOPE, LECTERN and FALSE DAWN all had smileys by them – I thought the last one a well hidden anagram. Like others I couldn’t parse NONE.
And now a minor quibble or interesting observation. Maybe I’m very susceptible to influence, or maybe I’m very good at making connections (or both), but the use of “house” in the clue for 22d triggered the thought of it being in the solution for 21a as a 5 letter word beginning with H, and then the answer became obvious. Did anyone else get it this way?
Many thanks for a most enjoyable puzzle Picaroon and to you for a great blog loonapick.
WhiteKing @14, yes, and 1a, OTITIS, immediately brought TITUS to my mind when seeing the anagram fodder for 2d.
Cookie @13
Brilliant – I’m amazed! Thanks.
[I wasn’t going to say what my clue was, partly because it used a cross-reference, but I’ll be brave and do so now. The word referred to, at 20A, was TITANIC, and the clue was “Play, play 20 rounds with us (5,10)”]
Cookie and Alan B – they’re both brilliant! I wonder what the pro-setters think of them – very impressive is my guess.
Thanks Cookie – otitis came some time after Titus for me so I didn’t notice that connection.
I was going to say that this was easier than usual for Picaroon, but I had FREEDMAN for 16ac – which will teach me to read the clues properly! The rest went in remarkably quickly with TITUS ANDRONICUS leading the way. I liked LOUCHE and ORATORIO. LECTERN delayed me the longest and was one of the best. I will smart about FRIEDMAN for the rest of the day!
Thanks Picaroon.
Thanks Picaroon and loonapick
Whe I had to go out this morning, I left a very odd half-completed puzzle – the LHS was complete, but the RHS was totally empty apart from the last E of HOUSE. On returning the RHS remained difficult, with NONAGE baffling – I too only knew “nones” for the service.
Enjoyable, though, with NOBILITY and ON THE HOUSE my favourites.
Oh yes, I had ticked LECTERN too.
[Alan B @16, that is better than mine, most would not agree with my definition, but reading the play makes me feel sick and I never want to see it.]
Indeed, loonapick, lots of well-constructed clues. FRIEDMAN was my favourite because it made me laugh. And we need some laughs in this crazy world.
Thanks to S&B.
Cookie @ 21
[Thank you. I wondered why you chose that particular phrase for the definition – ‘with feeling’ would explain it!]
I’m with Julie@5. Thanks to Picaroon and loonapick.
A solid construction with neat surfaces and an enjoyable solve. 2d and 16a made me LOL. LOI was BECKON, having got hung up on ‘burn’ for stream. Thanks to both.
Of course, another reason I didn’t get NONAGE was that I thought it referred to being in ones nineties – a nonagenarian would be in his nonage. How confusing!
Thanks to Picaroon and loonapick. Very enjoyable. I got BECKON (but had to use Google to confirm that beck = stream) and NEURONE (I had come across “none” before but not the whole term) but struggled with OTITIS, my LOI. I’ve seen a lot of productions of TITUS ANDRONICUS going back to 1974 so was pleased to see its appearance here. My favorite quote (if having a bad day) is “When will this fearful slumber have an end?” (3.1).
“Neurone” is quite interesting. Most biologists would now refer to nerve cells as “neurons”, but we still have “motor neurone disease”. Is the “e” ending dated?
Muffin @28; the scientific spelling is ‘neuron.’ As you say, ‘neurone’ is restricted to mainly non-scientific contexts such as your MND.
ORATORIO was a great clue – I knew it must be a reverse hidden word for a disgracefully long time before I finally spotted it.
NONAGE is another of those crossword-only words like the etui and all those obscure antelopes.
Thanks to Picaroon, loonapick and all. An exhilarating crossword. On the Ouse indeed!
There seem to be several indirect references to “Titus Andronicus”, MOOR, ‘cannibal’, ‘butcher’ and FALSE DAWN – Titus says
The hunt is up, the morn is bright and grey,
The fields are fragrant and the woods are green:
But in those woods most of the dreadful actions of the play take place…
plotinus @31
In recent winters, “in the Ouse” would have unfortunately been more apposite!
Gladys@30 Nonage in the sense of not having reached the age of majority would still be a familiar term for legal historians. Not a very numerous group, I agree..
My favourite clue was 9ac, the only one I solved. Hopefully a more accessible crossword tomorrow! Does Picaroon really belong in a national newspaper? I wonder how my dissenting views will be received.
Cookie @32
Those ‘indirect references’ are intriguing – I wouldn’t be surprised if they were intentional. The ‘false dawn’ is a chilling way of describing that day of action, judging by what you wrote in your comment, even if that phrase is not used in the play itself.
Thanks Picaroon and loonapick
I’m surprised by the reaction to ‘NONAGE’ – it was a solution in Puck 27140 on March 9 this year…
I thought the industrial action was a strike, but I couldn’t think of anywhere whose capital was TRIK.
Surely “ON THE OUSE” is “in a position like York’s position,” rather than “like York is,” which isn’t grammatical.
Cookie, could you translate your TITUS clue for those of us with small Latin? And I agree with you, I never want to see the play either.
Valentine @38, the Ductus Santorini is an accessory pancreatic duct, not always present, that sometimes empties into the main pancreatic duct, which empties into the bile duct, hence the ‘bilious’ connection.
Valentine @ 38 (if you read this): “York’s position” = “the position of York”, which works fine.