It’s Tees taking the Wednesday slot this week. Tees usually appears about one a month in the Independent.
With Tees you know you are always going to get classical or mythological references in either the clues or the entries. Today we focused on Greek mythology with CASSANDRA (26a), NIOBE (28a), CLIO (in the wordplay at 2d) and THESEUS (5d).
As a counter balance we had comic and satirical references with ERNIE WISE (10a) and BRENDA (19a)
I made steady progress through this puzzle without grinding to a halt anywhere. I enjoy the surfaces of fairly simple clues as well as the more complex ones. The clue for MADAM at 1d generated a good mental picture. The anagram fodder OBTAINING HEART at 8d with the anagram indicator ‘transplant’ was clever.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Sea Cat moving principal performer (4,3)
|
MAIN (sea) + an anagram of (moving) CAT MAIN ACT* |
MAIN ACT (principal performer)
|
|
5
|
Support band not quite sincere – songs lacking content (5)
|
TRUE (sincere) excluding the final letter (almost) E + SS (letters remaining in SONGS when the central letters [content] ONG are removed) TRU SS |
TRUSS (support band as in a TRUSS for a hernia)
|
|
9 / 16
|
Game birds (5,3,6)
|
DUCKS AND DRAKES (two examples of birds) DUCKS AND DRAKES |
DUCKS [AND DRAKES] (game of throwing flat stones so that they skim along the surface of water) double definition
|
|
10
|
Eagle absorbs one knowing the comic (5,4)
|
(ERNE [eagle, especially the sea-eagle] containing [absorbs] I [Roman numeral for one]) + WISE (knowing) ERN (I) E WISE |
ERNIE WISE (reference ERNIE WISE [[1925 – 1999], English comic, one half of MORECAMBE & WISE)
|
|
11
|
Regretted losing old pot in sea (7)
|
(O [old] + URN [pot]) contained in (in) MED (Mediterranean Sea) M (O URN) ED |
MOURNED (grieved for; regretted losing)
|
|
12
|
Pig out before charging tax on duck (7)
|
O (zero; duck score in cricket) + (ERE [before] contained in [charging] VAT [value added tax]) O V (ERE) AT |
OVEREAT (pig out)
|
|
13
|
Rubbish initially appearing in Times (3)
|
A (first letter of [initially] APPEARING) contained in (in) (T [time] + T [time] to give times T (A) T |
TAT (rubbish)
|
|
14
|
Well down field crew takes helmsman’s lead (6)
|
EIGHT (crew) + H (first letter of [lead] HELMSMAN) EIGHT H |
EIGHTH (in place number eight, well down the list of finishers)
|
|
15
|
Security men only breaking tool (7)
|
STAG (descriptive of a men only event) contained in (in) HOE (tool) HO (STAG) E |
HOSTAGE (person kept prisoner by an enemy as security)
|
|
17
|
ICBM in a modified personnel carrier (7)
|
Anagram of (modified) ICBM IN A MINICAB* |
MINICAB (small taxi; people carrier; personnel carrier)
|
|
19
|
Eye royal extremity in underwear (6)
|
END (extremity) contained in (in) BRA (item of underwear) BR (END) A |
BRENDA (In the satirical Private Eye magazine, Queen Elizabeth is often referred to as BRENDA)
|
|
21
|
Skinned boar stuffed with five eggs (3)
|
OA (letters remaining in BOAR when the outer letters B and R are removed [skinned]) containing (stuffed with) V (Roman numeral for five) O (V) A |
OVA (eggs)
|
|
22
|
Meal served up? (4,3)
|
HIGH (up) + TEA (meal) a meal that is served up / HIGH HIGH TEA |
HIGH TEA (an early-evening meal comprising a hot dish followed by cakes, etc and tea)
|
|
24
|
Communist forces bloody Yankee to carry weapon (3,4)
|
(RED [bloody colour] + Y (Yankee is the international radio communication codeword for the letter Y) containing (to carry) ARM (weapon) RED (ARM) Y |
RED ARMY (the forces of a communist country, usually taken to mean the Soviet, or nowadays, Russian army)
|
|
26
|
Prophetess caught when god takes beach (9)
|
C (caught) + ([AS {when} + RA {ancient Egyptian sun-god}] containing [takes] SAND [beach]) C AS (SAND) RA |
CASSANDRA (a daughter of Priam, king of Troy, loved by Apollo, who gave her the gift of prophecy, but not of being believed; hence, anyone who expresses pessimistic views of the political or social future and is not listened to)
|
|
27
|
Former kamikaze dropping content inside wreck (5)
|
KE (letters remaining in KAMIKAZE when all the letters between first and last [content] are excluded [dropping]) contained in (inside) MAR (wreck) MA (KE) R |
MAKER (former)
|
|
28
|
One wearing black, reflecting, whose grief was legendary (5)
|
(I [Roman numeral for one] contained in [wearing] EBON [black]) all reversed (reflecting) (N (I) OBE)< |
NIOBE (a daughter of Tantalus, turned into stone as she wept for her children, slain by Artemis and Apollo; a lady whose grief was legendary)
|
|
29
|
Ionic, as depicted, reveals the capital (7)
|
Anagram of (depicted) IONIC AS NICOSIA* |
NICOSIA (capital city of the Republic of Cyprus)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Brothel-keeper married first man to come along (5)
|
M (married) + ADAM (first man or earth according to the Book of Genesis) M ADAM |
MADAM (brothel keeper)
|
|
2
|
Admission from muse entertaining us in pub (9)
|
(CLIO [the Muse of history] containing [entertaining] US) all contained in (in) INN (pub) IN (CL (US) IO) N |
INCLUSION (admission)
|
|
3
|
Bit of kebab’s in this drink (7)
|
ABSINTH (hidden word in [bit of] KEBAB’S IN THIS) ABSINTH |
ABSINTH (bitter, green, aniseed-flavoured liqueur containing [originally, at least] extract of wormwood.; drink)
|
|
4
|
Sadly he started to drink Directors – and work as a thespian (5,3,6) |
Anagram of (sadly) HE STARTED containing (to drink) BOARD (reference BOARD of Directors) TREAD THE (BOARD) S* |
TREAD THE BOARDS (act on stage; work as a thespian)
|
|
5
|
Hero Weasley occasionally enters in this manner (7)
|
ESE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [occasionally] of WEASLEY) contained in (enters into) THUS (in this manner) TH (ESE) US |
THESEUS (THESEUS was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens)
|
|
6
|
Make one higher education tenure vacant (5)
|
UNI (university; higher education) + TE (letters remaining in TENURE when the central letters ENUR are removed [vacant]) UNI TE |
UNITE (make one)
|
|
7
|
Respect changes in royal staff (7)
|
Anagram of (changes) RESPECT SCEPTRE* |
SCEPTRE (a staff or baton carried as an emblem of monarchic authority; royal staff)
|
|
8
|
Obtaining heart for transplant as well (4,3,7)
|
Anagram of OBTAINING HEART INTO THE BARGAIN* |
INTO THE BARGAIN (as well)
|
|
16
|
See 9 across
|
|
[DUCKS] AND DRAKES
|
| 17 | Brave to complain about this Roman (7) |
MOAN (complain) containing (about) HIC (this in Latin [Roman]) MO (HIC) AN |
MOHICAN (Native American people formerly living chiefly in the upper Hudson valley; more colloquially Red Indian brave) |
| 18 | Mark in shelter demands rural property (7) |
TAG (identifying mark) contained in (in) COTE (place of shelter for animals) Other than to provide a verb, I’m not sure what role ‘demands’ is playing in this clue COT (TAG) E |
COTTAGE (country residence; rural property) |
| 20 | I must leave medicine out – it’s usually found here (7) |
Anagram of (out) MEDICINE excluding [must leave] I ENDEMIC* |
ENDEMIC (prevalent or regularly found among a people or in a district) |
|
23
|
American in GTO shows appreciation (5)
|
US (American) contained in (in) GTO A GTO is a model of Pontiac car manufactured between 1964 and 1974 G (US) TO |
GUSTO (exuberant enjoyment; appreciation)
|
|
25
|
Unknown graduate has 19 in for tea (5)
|
(Y [letter frequently used for an unknown value in mathematics] + BA [Bachelor of Arts; graduate]) containing (has … in) ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen Elizabeth, described as BRENDA [19a] by Private Eye magazine) Y (ER) BA |
YERBA (Paraguay tea)
|
Some great clues here. Liked MOHICAN, MADAM, and the lovely anagram in 8d. Checking my dictionary, I noticed that HOSTAGE can refer to any security or pledge, which I didn’t know. Took awhile to see MAKER. Clever use of FORMER to mean someone (or something) that forms.
A great puzzle with a U certificate. 19 is priceless!
Very good indeed, and funny with it.
Agree about 19. The longer anagrams were good, liked the picture created about the alcohol-obsessed thesp!
A by the by for non South East dwellers, Directors is a very tasty draught or bottled beer produced by the Courage brewery. Which makes the clue flow even more sweetly.
Thanks Tees for the workout and DS for your comprehensive blog.
Fine puzzle from Tees, with the heat turned down to make it appropriate for the Wednesday slot.
I got all the classical references, which I was quite chuffed with, because normally I struggle with that kind of stuff. INTO THE BARGAIN was a very well crafted anagram and clue.
Not that it matters, but the Weasley mentioned in 5dn must surely be the ‘hero’ of the Harry Potter books, the flame-haired Ron Weasley, who together with his two mates finally saw off Voldemort. If you get confused between the three, he was the one who could act.
Thanks to Tees and Duncan.
Very nice stuff, I thought. Like KD, I got the classical answers (a sign of good, solver friendly setting) and overall thought the puzzle just right for a Wednesday with a few here and there and the couple at the end of my solve – 14 and 15a – requiring a bit of pondering so as not to make it too easy. Lots to like with my fave being the gigglesome 19a (though I’d rate it PG-13, Copmus!) so thanks to Tees for the usual goodies and to DS for the blog.
Faultless definition here, very nice to work with, and a strongly amusing thread to it.
I’m left wondering only about what else was obtained for transplant 🙂
Lots of fun with this puzzle, support band = truss made me chuckle quite a bit! Many good ones to choose from, possibly CoD for me goes to BRENDA for the nice misdirection.
Much simpler than the usual fare.
Some superb clues here, a model for all aspiring setters. Duncan mentioned the association of ‘heart’ with ‘transplant’ and equally good was the association of ‘crew’ with ‘helmsman’ in 14ac. Other great clues were ERNIE WISE, BRENDA and MAKER.
Btw, Doofs@4, Courage Directors is available beyond the confines of SE England – it makes an appearance here in the Midlands and, I think, elsewhere also. In fact I think I’ve got a bottle or two in the cellar and it’s time they were liberated.
Thanks, Tees and Duncan