Hob provides Tuesday’s challenge
Today, 15th August is the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of JACK LYNCH who was born in CORK in the province of MUNSTER. He was the leader of FIANNA FAIL from 1966 to 1979 and held the position of TAOISEACH twice [1966-1973 and 1977-1979]. LYNCH was also a renowned HURLING player (as well as top class player of Gaelic Football) for whom he represented CORK. When playing for CORK he won the MUNSTER cup on many occasions in more than one sport. In politics he was described as HONEST JACK and would have been seen as a CLASS ACT by his sporting and political supporters. I’ve vague memories that LYNCH was often pictured wearing a hat or TITFER. Perhaps CROWN at 6 across is also relevant to LYNCH‘s political career
As with any good themed crossword, it was not necessary to be aware of the theme to solve the puzzle. I only noticed the theme towards the end of the solve, though perhaps HURLING and CORK at 1 and 9 across should have flagged it up more quickly.
There were a number of clues I liked today, e.g. the ones for FIANNA FAIL, TREK, OFF-SCREEN and ATRIUM. Short and simple clues are often just as effective as long convoluted ones.
It’s not often you find a crossword with just one ‘container and content’ clue. Many I have blogged recently have been awash with them. There were two entries today that I have blogged in other crosswords in the last few weeks – GRAVES and HI-HAT. The clues on each occasion were completely different.
Thanks to Hob for an enjoyable challenge today.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
4
|
Throwing a game (7)
|
HURLING (throwing) HURLING |
HURLING (game similar to hockey, of Irish origin, played by teams of 15, with broad-bladed sticks) double definition
|
| 6 | Amount of money once put on queen and joker changing hands (5) |
CLOWN (joker) with L (left) replaced by R (right) thereby by changing left and right hands CROWN |
CROWN (old coin) CROWN ( what the queen wears on state occasions) two separate definitions |
|
9
|
Bung in meat, cold, for picnic’s starter (4)
|
PORK (meat) with C (cold) replacing (for) P (first letter of [starter] PICNIC) CORK |
CORK (stopper; bung)
|
|
10
|
Poem about girl going both ways, originally feminist activist in Liberal party (6,4)
|
IF (name of a poem by Rudyard Kipling) reversed (about) + ANNA (palindromic [going both ways] girl’s name) + FAIL (first letters of [original] each of FEMINIST ACTIVIST IN and LIBERAL) FI< ANNA FAIL |
FIANNA FAIL (Irish political party)
|
| 11 | Today it’s Hob 50, written for special character (6) |
SETTER (today’s SETTER is Hob) with L (Roman numeral for 50) replacing (written) S (special) LETTER |
LETTER (character) |
|
14
|
In Brussels, official route a Roman Catholic negotiated (8)
|
Anagram of (negotiated) ROUTE A and RC (Roman Catholic) EUROCRAT* |
EUROCRAT (official at the Headquarters of any pan European organisation, many of whom are based in Brussels)
|
|
15
|
Features of weather in Leeds, say (6)
|
FRONTS can be defined as LEADS which sounds like [say] LEEDS FRONTS |
FRONTS (features of weather)
|
|
17
|
In truth, one’s too scrupulous (6)
|
HONEST (hidden word in [in] TRUTH ONE’S TOO HONEST |
HONEST (scrupulous)
|
| 20 | Someone that’s very good, taking part in school play (5,3) |
CLASS (part of a school) + ACT (play a part on stage). Taken together CLASS ACT may be descriptive of an item in a school performance. CLASS ACT |
CLASS ACT (someone who is very good at what they do) |
|
22
|
Great St Bernard, say, with barrel (large) round neck in first half (6)
|
(TUN [barrel] + L [large]) containing (round) NE (first two letters of four [first half] in NECK) TUN (NE) L |
TUNNEL (reference the Great St Bernard TUNNEL between Italy and Switzerland)
|
|
23
|
Fashionable position showing weakness (10)
|
IN (fashionable) + CAPACITY (position or function in which one does something) IN CAPACITY |
INCAPACITY (inability; weakness)
|
|
24
|
Sailor in old children’s TV series, letting off firework (4)
|
CRACKERJACK (children’s television series broadcast between 1955 and 1984) excluding (letting off) CRACKER (firework) JACK |
JACK (sailor)
|
|
26
|
Hot one-two that’s used by drummers (2-3)
|
H (hot) + I (Roman numeral for one) + HAT (the entry a 2 down is TITFER (short for tit for tat which Cockney Rhyming slang for a HAT)) H I–HAT |
HI-HAT ( pair of cymbals on a stand, the upper one operated by a pedal so as to strike the lower one; equipment used by drummers)
|
|
27
|
Cheese turns mouldy, even starts going off (7)
|
Anagram of (going off) TURNS and ME (first letters of [starts] each of MOULDY and EVEN) MUNSTER* |
MUNSTER (semi-soft, cow’s milk cheese of MUNSTER in NE France, often flavoured with caraway or aniseed.
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
It’s a long journey from Turkey to eastern Cambodia (4)
|
TR (International Vehicle Registration for Turkey) + E (Eastern) + K (International Vehicle Registration for Cambodia [Kampuchea]) TR E K |
TREK (long journey)
|
|
2
|
Item of clothing obtained from outfitter (6)
|
Anagram of (out) FITTER TITFER* |
TITFER (abbreviation Cockney rhyming slang TIT-FOR-TAT [HAT])
|
|
3
|
One car is written off in storyline (8) |
Anagram of (written off) ONE CAR IS SCENARIO* |
SCENARIO (outline of a dramatic work, film, etc, scene by scene;) |
|
4
|
Setter finally flips, seeing US TV network (1,1,1) |
HOB (name of the crossword setter) with the last two letters (finally) swapped round (flipped) HBO |
HBO (HOME BOX OFFICE, an American premium cable and satellite television network) |
|
5
|
Wine provided by good parties (6) |
G (good) + RAVES (parties) G RAVES |
GRAVES (white or red table wine from the GRAVES district in the Gironde department of France) |
|
7
|
One famous film star, initially with Native American name in real life (3-6)
|
OFFS (first letters of [initially] each of ONE FAMOUS FILM and STAR) + CREE (Native American) + N (name) OFF S CREE N |
OFF-SCREEN (away from the studio; in real life)
|
|
8
|
In Africa, money not available to terrorists (5)
|
NA (not available) + IRA (Irish Republican Army; the Provisional IRA is an organisation classified in the UK as a proscribed terrorist group) NA IRA |
NAIRA (official currency of Nigeria)
|
|
12
|
Ego not foremost for Hob, possibly (3)
|
SELF (ego) excluding the first letter (not foremost) S ELF |
ELF (a supernatural creature or fairy, as is a HOB)
|
|
13
|
Is love cheat going out with a prime minister? (9)
|
Anagram of (going out) IS and O (love score in tennis) and CHEAT and [with] A TAOISEACH* |
TAOISEACH (title of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland)
|
|
16
|
Fresh paté on tray prepared for afternoon get-together (3,5)
|
Anagram of (fresh) PATÉ + anagram of (prepared) TRAY TEA P* ARTY* This being a down entry, the anagram of PATÉ is entered ON [top of] the anagram of TRAY |
TEA PARTY (afternoon get together)
|
|
18
|
Support from unnamed youth (3)
|
TEEN (youth) excluding (un) N (name) TEE |
TEE (support for a golf ball for example)
|
|
19
|
Cavity in which poor Hob starts falling off a motorbike? (6)
|
A + TRIUMPH (brand of motorbike) excluding (falling off) PH (first letters of [starts] each of POOR and HOB) A TRIUM |
ATRIUM (cavity or entrance)
|
| 21 | Bet the barmaid wants Marilyn Chambers’ part (5) |
LYNCH (hidden word in [part] MARILYN CHAMBERS) LYNCH |
LYNCH (reference Bet LYNCH, fictional barmaid character in the TV soap Coronation Street; Marilyn Chambers is a character in Home and Away, another TV soap opera) |
|
22
|
Hard of hearing (6)
|
TRYING (severe; hard) TRYING |
TRYING (putting on trial in a judicial investigation or; hearing)
|
|
24
|
Jump from plane over Spain (4)
|
JET (type of plane) + E (International Vehicle Registration for Spain) JET E |
JETÉ (in ballet, leap from one foot to the other in which the free leg usually finishes extended forward, backward or sideways; jump)
|
|
25
|
My grain’s been cropped (3)
|
CORN (grain) excluding the final letter (cropped) N COR |
COR (gosh!; my!)
|
Thank you, Duncan.
The grid gave a gentle hint that something might be afoot, and so it proved: not perimeter letters, but an Irish theme. I saw a few hints among the first few clues that fell, but the JACK LYNCH bit had to wait till post-solve and a quick search online.
Pleasing puzzle where the theme didn’t get in the way. Well done, Hob. Lots of good clueing today.
Great puzzle and great blog. Thanks for the info-I thought Jack might have some bearing and being born in Cork, Munster… thought it could be an anniversary but was too lazy to follow up on google.
And I slipped up on 11a.Grrr. Hob is now on my must-solve list
A good tussle which defeated me in the end. Spotted the Irish bit of the theme but couldn’t take it any further. Misspelled a few including putting an ‘E’ for the ‘I’ in FAIL, didn’t change the ‘S’ to an ‘L’ in 11a and missed the cleverly disguised ref to 2d in 26a.
All those hours spent doing cryptic crosswords have not been in vain. At least I have now mastered the essential life skill of being able to spell TAOISEACH correctly.
Thanks to Hob and Duncan.
We missed the theme (what’s new?) although the unusual grid suggested something was afoot. Recourse to Chambers was needed to confirm several guesses but we got there in the end, last two in being ELF and FRONTS.
We thought the clue to CLASS ACT was a little vague but otherwise a tip-top puzzle with so many thematic answers seamlessly slotted in. Far too many good ones to name a CoD, but FIANNA FAIL, TUNNEL, OFF-SCREEN, TAOISEACH and ATRIUM were front-runners.
Thanks, Hob and Duncan.
Yet again Hob has beaten me. A handful of clues unsolved so thanks for the explanations Duncan. A brilliant cryptic – just wish I was up to it. That darned word TAOISEACH beat me again. One of these days I’ll remember it. Grrr!
22d reminds me of Mike Harding saying Moses rode a motorcycle since it says in the bible ‘lo, the sound of Moses’ triumph was heard throughout Israel’ I don’t think this is an actual quote but let’s not get pernickety.
Enjoyed this and thought it a bit more accessible for me than yer usual Hobster.
Didn’t quite complete, getting beat by 10a and 2d, and missed the theme until looking further apres solve, but what I did spot while solving was that – if my calculations are correct and 11a is anything to go by – its Hob’s 50th Indy puzzle. So many congratulations for reaching the half-century and here’s to the next 50.
Cheers to The Hobster for the puzzle and to DS for the blog.
Hoskins @ 6
I did wonder whether this was Hob’s 50th, and also wonder how long he’s had the clue in his drawer 🙂
Great puzzle from Hob. Obviously, the second I saw the grid I knew there had to be a customized reason for it but many thanks to Duncan for revealing its extent.
Thanks to both, and a particular shout of congrats to Hob on the milestone
Thanks to all for your comments, and to Duncan for the extremely thorough blog.
Most of the thematic content has been spotted. There is a Jack Lynch TUNNEL on the outskirts of Cork; and winning the hurling (or Gaelic football) competitions is sometimes referred to as securing the relevant CROWN, eg the Munster crown or All-Ireland crown, both of which Jack Lynch achieved in both hurling and football.
The puzzle is indeed my 50th Hob – hence the self-referential stuff, and the grid in which most black squares are part of a letter L for 50. The clue for 11ac was only written as the puzzle evolved and so had not been keeping warm in any drawer beforehand.
And we had TEA PARTY just a couple of days ago.
I didn’t know that Marilyn Chambers was a character in Home and Away, I thought this was a reference to the porn star of that name.
11a was a clever creation for being composed in media res (as the Welsh say), but gravitating to the 3-letter clues first I completely failed to spot Hob>HBO (CNN? NBC? ABC? But there must be an R in there from [sette]r, etc), and ELF, which I thought must involve ‘I’ or ‘me’. Didn’t spot the grid’s Ls in various configurations either, but that’s a great touch.
I did get there eventually, favourites were TEA PARTY and LYNCH, although I didn’t understand the significance of Marilyn Chambers as a character until this blog – for which, thank you Duncan, and thanks and congratulations to Hob.