It’s ages since I blogged a Tramp puzzle, so I was more pleased than ever to see his name this morning.
The theme is Tom Jones, with some clever anagrams involving his name and several of his songs referred to in the clues but, as usual with Tramp, you don’t need to know them to be able to solve them: however, if you do know about the antics of some of Tom Jones’ female fans, you’ll appreciate the brilliance of 11ac.
The cluing is perhaps rather easier than usual for Tramp, with a couple of simple charades to get you started and lots of fun to be had – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Many thanks, as ever, to Tramp.
[Definitions are underlined in the clues.]
Across
5,1 What’s new, pussycat? Girl hiding ’er work? (7,7)
PLASTIC SURGERY
Anagram [what’s new?] of PUSSYCAT GIRL round ER
9 Storyteller withdrawing main work (5)
AESOP
A reversal [withdrawing] of SEA [main] + OP [work]
10 Lament about fate inside — plot for one missing green, green grass of home? (9)
ALLOTMENT
LOT [fate] inside an anagram [about] of LAMENT
11 What Tom Jones might get from female? Pants sent later (3,7)
FAN LETTERS
F [female] + an anagram [pants] of SENT LATER: &lit? – see here
12 Bowl over potty going the wrong way (4)
STUN
A reversal [going the wrong way] of NUTS [potty]
14 Amazing run: Tom Jones’ temporary residence (11)
SOJOURNMENT
Anagram [amazing] of RUN TOM JONES
18 Crash diet: no meal when entertaining international sex symbol (7,4)
MATINEE IDOL
Anagram [crash] of DIET NO MEAL round [entertaining] I [international]
21 Sings lead after comeback (4)
RATS
A reversal [comeback] of STAR [lead] – rat and sing in the sense of inform
22 Perform with group for old TV show (10)
PLAYSCHOOL
PLAY [perform] + SCHOOL [group] – actually the show was PLAY SCHOOL: a sadly topical reminder of the lovely Brian Cant, who died last week
25 Faint to see first one on stage? (9)
SPOTLIGHT
LIGHT [faint] with SPOT [see] first
26 Is to protect right? Answer question for person from former war zone (5)
IRAQI
Two letter Is round [to protect] R [right] + A [answer] Q [question] – an ingenious device, which took a minute or two to see
27 Boy goes round to girl’s and they eat (7)
NOSHERS
A reversal [goes round] of SON [boy] + HERS [girl’s house]
28 Made sweet music in the middle, then argued terribly (7)
SUGARED
[mu]S[ic] + an anagram [terribly] of ARGUED
Down
1 Provides workforce (Poles) (6)
STAFFS
Double definition
2 Feel angry at show, missing start (6)
RESENT
[p]RESENT [show]
3 Revealing old copy of vinyl record (10)
EXPRESSING
EX [old] + PRESSING [copy of vinyl record]
4 Something in beer festival: fellow going for something unknown (5)
YEAST
[f]EAST [festival] with the f [fellow] replaced by Y [something unknown]
5 Recover to draw game (4,5)
PULL ROUND
PULL [draw] ROUND [game]
6 Not last part for backing singer (4)
ALTO
Hidden reversal [backing] in nOT LAst
7 They have stages of race on street, cycling around (8)
THEATRES
HEAT [race] + RE [on]in a reversal [cycling] of ST [street]
8 Whip topless men, date being put in chains (8)
CATENATE
CAT [whip] + [m]EN [d]ATE
13 Clearing one barrel — gallons going after late drinking session (10)
UNBLOCKING
‘UN [dialect one] B [barrel] – I think – + LOCK-IN [late drinking session] + G [gallons]
15 Unlimited sex website, to enter stimulates typical male (3,6)
JOE BLOGGS
[s]E[x] + BLOG [website] in JOGS [stimulates]
16 Shop reduced some in rip off (8)
IMPRISON
Anagram [off] of SOM[e] IN RIP – Chambers gives ‘shop’ as ‘to imprison or cause to be imprisoned’
17 Stops, as it’s not unusual (8)
STATIONS
Anagram [unusual] of AS IT’S NOT
19 Material in second musical (6)
MOHAIR
MO [second] + HAIR [musical]
20 Joint playing Delilah endlessly (6)
ALLIED
Anagram [playing] of DELILA[h]
23 Mysterious figures still on island (5)
YETIS
YET [still] + IS [island]
24 Split large bill for gathering (4)
FLEE
FEE [bill] gathering L [large]
Thanks Tramp and Eileen
A mixed bag. I liked SUGARED, JOE BLOGGS, and FLEE. I didn’t parse THEATRES (I tried TRESTLES first) or UNBLOCKING. I didn’t think that “shop” is equivalent to IMPRISON (though it could be a precursor!)
I had a slightly more complicated parsing for STAFFS, in that my poles were STAFF and S – yours is better!
I wonder if PLAYSCHOOL is co-incidence, or whether it is a recently-written puzzle?
I thought the fodder for PLASTIC SURGERY was very clumsy, with the “ ‘er”. How about this instead? (Lacking the Tom Jones reference, of course.)
“Pity”, Grace slurs drunkenly, “it’s altered my appearance.”
Very much enjoyed some of the clever surfaces today. I rather agree with Muffin about “imprison” for “shop” though.
I did find this OED explanation of the derivation of this use of “shop” The verb is first recorded (mid 16th century) in the sense ‘imprison’ (from an obsolete slang use of the noun for ‘prison’).
Thanks Tramp, Eileen
Great puzzle. I really like Tramp’s themed clues, and these were particularly smooth and funny. Great anagrams for PLASTIC SURGERY, FAN LETTERS, STATIONS, etc.
It was slightly disappointing to find no reference to TOM JONES the novel (or 60s film), just as a classic form of diversionary tactic (or have I missed something?). Despite muffin’s objection and neat alternative, I thought the cluing of PLASTIC SURGERY was justified by the neat naming of another 60s film, and the TJ theme song for it. Great work altogether by Tramp and Eileen.
FAN LETTERS was second in – “what a great start”, I thought, and there was much else to delight as well. And to sorrow – PLAYSCHOOL.
4d held me up as I had entered COME ROUND until I ran out of types of surgery.
I wasn’t keen on IMPRISON for sing either, and the dialect UN in 13d I assumed to be French, but I’ve just remembered that in the Fifteensquared FT blog on Wednesday I wrote about the pink ‘un.
Re 13D: Just learned a whole load of things wot I never knew about abbreviations for barrels. And I must look out for ‘un in future. Thanks Eileen, I certainly did not parse this solution properly.
Agree with others’ reservations about synonym for “shop”
A few challenges for me here in terms of parsing.
I didn’t understand UNBLOCKING 13d.
PLAYSCHOOL 22a is still alive and well in Australia. I am sorry that I don’t know who Brian Cant is.
I found most of the rest of this puzzle testing but fun.
I sent the 5a 1a clue to my brother who is a plastic surgeon; he is a clever man who loves a puzzle, but he is not a cryptic solver. However, after a few hints, he got it and liked it.
I realised that I need to keep thinking beyond the square – so that there can be alternative meanings for 21a “sings”, 16d “shop” and 24d “split”.
I did enjoy the Tom Jones theme.
Thanks to Tramp for the puzzle and Eileen for the elucidation.
Julie @7
You might enjoy reading this https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jun/20/brian-cant-obituary [and listening to the Chigley clip]. I loved watching and listening to him and, with four children, I had many years of doing so.
I am often in awe of this setter and, yet again, I found this to be superb. Although, like others, I have never met ‘shop’ to mean ‘imprison’ but, since it can, that’s hardly grounds for criticism. The way so many Tom Jones songs were worked into the clues and then to get his name as part of an anagram – flippin’ Nora as they say (no idea why they say that). Loved the surface to 11a, my foi. Bravo Tramp!
Thanks Tramp and Eileen.
Great puzzle; I loved the anagrams for PLASTIC SURGERY and SOJOURNMENT. I failed to see the two i’s; thanks Eileen. Pity about the enumeration of PLAY SCHOOL, but it didn’t mar a top class crossword.
Thanks Eileen and Tramp. I loved this. Thanks for fine tuning on parsing of 7 and 13.
I was stuck in the SW for a bit with “MASHERS for 27 which parses but I was probably thinking of GNASHERS.
Anyway, sorted that out over a beer!
I also thought this was a great puzzle, with all of Tramp’s usual wit (and I managed to finished it, which I can’t say I did with the last three puzzles – I’ve been away on a course and couldn’t print them out, which I find makes them a lot harder). Favourites were FAN LETTERS, MATINEE IDOL, RATS and JOE BLOGGS. Many thanks to T and E.
[Thanks Eileen, for the further elaboration regarding Brian Cant and “Play School”. I enjoyed the Chigley clip. Even though I was for the most part a working Mum, I can recall holding out for the theme song that prefaced our Australian “Play School” back in the day, which meant that my son was preoccupied (educationally of course) and that I had a little bit of time out to get some housework done.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNxBOmV9tUY
Thanks to Tramp and Eileen. Great fun. I needed help parsing IRAQI and UNBLOCKING; CATENATE and the phrase PULL ROUND were new to me as was the term JOE BLOGGS. As to SHOP, I’ve come across it before though I can’t pin down where to mean “imprison” or more often “inform on,” probably in crime fiction or TV shows.
[Think I may have missed a further layer to 5,1a, quenbarrow@4: “I thought the cluing of PLASTIC SURGERY was justified by the neat naming of another 60s film”. Was there a reference that I didn’t get?]
Julie in Oz @7 re UNBLOCKING, I think Eileen has it spot on. The un comes from colloquial phrases like “He’s a good ‘un”, or “Rugby players are often big ‘uns” etc. I’m sure you’ll have heard of a lock-in on your side of the world, no?
[William@16, while I think I now understand “UN”, I have no idea what a “lock-in” is. I would get the reference if it was “an all-nighter” or “a late-night binge” (and although I couldn’t possibly say, there may be stories saying that I participated in some such events back in the day). Also, I still don’t see how barrel can equal “b”.]
Thanks Eileen and Tramp.
Still don’t get definition of 10a, though I got it with wordplay and crossers 🙁
Thanks Tramp and Eileen
Julie @ 15 & 17
What’s New Pussycat was a 1965 film starring Peter O’Toole: the theme song was sung by Tom Jones.
The phrase ‘lock-in’ dates from when pubs in the UK had restricted opening hours, closing at around 2:30pm, then re-opening in the early evening before being required to close at 10:30pm. The doors had to be locked to prevent unwanted incomers, so if the landlord had (illegally) let some punters stay for an after-hours drink it was referred to as a lock-in.
hth
Found this one a little tricky, and quite a few of them were guessed from definition and crossers before being parsed. All quite pleasant
Thanks to Tramp and Eileen
Julie @15: What’s New Pussycat, 1965 anglo-US zany comedy film written by Woody Allen, with O’Toole + Sellers + Allen himself, very dated, as it already was a few months, even days, after initial release! But I can still mentally replay the Tom Jones title song after all these years. Seems to be available on DVD etc if you can be bothered.
(had not seen Simon S @19, who was quicker off the mark on WNP)
I think the expression “What’s new, pussycat?” was what Warren Beatty said when picking up the telephone in the 60s
Good one. Though maybe Tramp missed a trick with Taff in 1 down.
Thanks Eileen for the super blog and thanks to others for the comments.
I wrote this as recently as April and I asked for it to appear today as Tom Jones is playing Cartmel Racecourse tonight, and, it seems, half of South Lakeland is going to see him. 22a and the recent, sad passing of Brian Cant is just a coincidence. Sorry for the enumeration; I thought it was PLAYSCHOOL and didn’t bother to check.
If you look up SHOP in Chambers it says, very clearly, that it can mean “to imprison”. If it’s good enough for the professional lexicographers, it’s good enough for me.
I was pleased with this puzzle and in particular, with the clue for 10 across. Apparently, the song is about a person in prison who misses the green, green grass of home. One missing the green, green grass of home might get an allotment. That’s the idea.
Thanks
Neil
Thanks to Simon S, quenbarrow and baerchen for the elaboration regarding the film. Somehow I missed it (I was only 11 years of age in 1965, although I strongly recall my older sisters playing Tom Jones on the record player). I also appreciated the additional “lock-in” information from Simon S. My Australian experience (as I recall it) is being “locked out” of the pub on Sundays between the lunchtime session and the afternoon session.
Thanks to Neil/Tramp for coming on board to give us a little more insight into the background to the puzzle.
Henry Fielding turning in his grave. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, was published in 1749, the year after Thomas John Woodward OBE was born.
I quite liked this, although Tramp may yet have one toe dipped in the terrible pond of the Boatman, and other horrifying creatures, who write in that certain way.
Thanks for dropping in, Tramp.
I hoped to have forestalled any discussion about IMPRISON by giving the Chambers definition in the blog. I took it as ’cause to be imprisoned’, giving a mini-theme of ratting, singing and shopping. 😉
I thought it was PLAYSCHOOL, too, until I checked to see when Brian Cant died.
[I’ve only once been involved in a [post-10.30] LOCK-IN but it was great fun!
@crimper 27
That is a particularly unpleasant comment which has nothing whatsoever to recommend it. It does you no credit, and for those of us looking to this activity as an escape from the nastygrams of the anonymous, cowardly armchair muck-spreader which so disfigures modern social media it is deeply disappointing.
I liked this even though it led me a merry dance- I had JOE PUBLIC for 15 dn which slowed me up no end! Once I’d sorted that out everything else went in smoothly enough. I hadn’t heard of IMPRISON =shop but I found it in Chambers so—. I remember seeing Tom Jones years ago before he had his first hit and he was an extremely thuggy rocker. I don’t think I’d have put money on him still being around today but there you go!
Thanks Tramp.
baerchen @ 29: would that this site had a ‘like’ button!
UNBLOCKING gave me trouble – as it did many others, so it seems. In the end it was my LOI, a write-in from the crossers and def. (well, nothing else would fit!).
Never heard of SOJOURNMENT and sort of makes me think of that Mars rover vehicle – but OK it went in eventually. Ditto CATENATE, though I’m familiar with CONCATENATE.
Incidentally, I remember seeing What’s New Pussycat, years ago (lovely cameo of Woody Allen) but I’d forgotten about Tom Jones doing the theme song. You learn a lot from Wiki!
Tramp @25
Out of curiosity, how did you find IMPRISON = SHOP? The latter isn’t given under the former, which, after all, is your grid entry. (I agree that it is there the other way round, though!)
Baerchen @29 – I couldn’t figure out why you were being so harsh on ‘crimper’, until I did a bit of looking back and realise he/she is one of the resident ‘slang-off-the-setter’ merchants in our midst! Nevertheless, a bit hard on them maybe? Plenty of other folks, frustrated at not being able to solve the Grauniad (and let’s face it, the Grauniad is too often a toughie!) let their anger boil over at an easily-assailed target, i.e. the setter.
I’d say, just ignore them :).
Incidentally, do you know if he/she has a presence in the Grauniad comments, and if so under what name? Would be useful to know.
Oh, and I can’t resist:
PATIENT: Doctor, I can’t stop singing The Green Green Grass of Home.
DOCTOR: Well, it sounds like you have Tom Jones syndrome.
PATIENT: Is that common?
DOCTOR: It’s not unusual…
IGMC…
A bit late to comment again – actually did the puzzle at around 5am – but just wanted to add to the general positive comments. I thought this was very enjoyable, with lots of fun as well as plenty to make me think. Unusually for me, the theme dawned on me very quickly, too. [I think I must be getting old, as I’m starting to appreciate Tom Jones! Loved the joke FirmlyDirac @35].
Thank you Tramp & Eileen.
Very enjoyable puzzle. As always with Tramp, a very clever exploitation of a theme.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
I find I always enjoy Tramp’s puzzles, but I must admit I had to persevere with this one, and I coudn’t complete it unaided. There were a few unfamiliar words and/or meanings that made answers like UNBLOCKING and IMPRISON harder than they would otherwise have been. (‘Lock-in’ was new to me, and I needed Simon’s post @19 to understand it. I accept ‘shop’ can mean ‘imprison’ – I just didn’t know it.)
Coincidentally, like copmus @11, I tried MASHERS at 27a (NOSHERS) first, thinking it might be slang for teeth, but when that made the only possible word at 16d (IMPRISON) impossible I had to think again.
My last answer was 24d FLEE, which was a guess, but now that I know ‘split’ can have that meaning it’s easy enough to see.
Thanks to Tramp and Eileen.
Hello all,
I was wondering if anyone knew why ‘barrel’=B in UNBLOCKING? Been bugging me all day!
Thanks in advance! And thanks Eileen and Tramp!
Aneesh
Aneesh at 39, I presumed b = barrel, as in oil measures. Upon referring to my (aged) Chambers, this is confirmed.
A joyous crossword, but for the allusion to the late, lamented, Brian Cant. With thanks to Eileen and Tramp.
Aneesh @ 39
It’s an oil industry abbreviation.
hth
I remembered b = barrels years ago causing great discussion – but’it’s in Chambers’!
Bit of a slog this one, and yet for me it had a great deal to elevate it above and beyond the recent Boatman puzzle. However, I don’t feel anyone in today’s blog comments has tried to equate it to that one, so perhaps the one or two unsightly, ‘ganging up’ comments were unnecessary. If not puerile.
Eileen, we crossed.
My only difficulty with abbreviations is that, in Chambers, there are 1000 different ones for each letter of the alphabet. This makes it (a) very easy for compilers to find one that will fit their clue, and (b) very difficult for solvers to remember whether or not the word they cannot account for is one of those 1000.
Brilliant,as always, Eileen. Thank you.
Such an eloquent comment, which I endorse.
There is little to add. No matter how leaden the Guardian’s front page, I know when I open the back that should I spot Tramp’s name then a smile will break out. This one certainly didn’t disappoint.
I saved the Gs from Wed on to enjoy today (mostly in the sun, joyously). What a great prial of setters (I’m saving Qaos’ prize for later); Boatman at his (unusually?) most elegant – others may not have agreed – and Paul, who really has not the first idea of how not to be brilliant! And to cap it all – this lovely offering from Tramp. We really are so lucky. Thanks again, Mr Tramp!
And thanks as always, Eileen, for your kind and enlivening contributions to fifteensquared.
Eileen —
I’m writing at this late date in the hope that as blogger you’ll receive this question. Is FirmlyDirac’s joke in 35 playing on the other meaning of “common” as “vulgar”? If not, what does it mean? And what is IGMC?
I first met this derogatory meaning of “common” (not frequent in the US then or now) in reading about the Bastables. It was years before it dawned on me how snobby they were being.
Hi Valentine
The joke is in the reference to one of Tom Jones’ best-known songs, [see 17dn] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzUWMqPiuw4 – so it’s the ‘usual’ rather than ‘vulgar’ sense of ‘common’. 😉
I don’t know about IGMC: I can’t see it in the comments but I’ve only had a quick skim through.
PS
“I don’t know about IGMC: I can’t see it in the comments but I’ve only had a quick skim through.”
I couldn’t see the wood for the trees! Now that I see it in context, of course it’s internet slang for the apologetic ‘I’ll get my coat’. And so will I. 😉