Hob is occupying the Wednesday slot this week in what we usually consider to be Doc’s spiritual home.
Although you could almost solve this puzzle without realising it, this puzzle marks an occasion fifty years ago today, which I have briefly explained under 11. It is only the reference to a “sidesman” that arouses the solver’s suspicion, suggesting that the “sides” of the grid may have something to tell us, and then the words around the perimeter provide enough clues to the nature of the event, easily verifiable on Google. I wasn’t aware of the ins and outs of this particular case, it being a bit before my time, so many thanks to Hob for the lesson in 20th century UK political history. In the same vein, it is surely not by chance that the clues at 2 and 23A appear in the puzzle.
Given the above, I think that this puzzle is greater than the sum of its parts, but if pushed, I would plump for 23 as clue-of-the-day, for making me laugh out loud, closely followed by 9, for surface reading. The one parsing of which I am not completely sure is 28, on which any further elucidation would be welcome.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 08 | WOOLLIER | Comparatively vague in court about bad back
WOO (=court, as verb) + LLIER (RE (=about) + ILL (=bad); “back” indicates reversal) |
| 09 | PENCE | UK’s ready support for Trump
Cryptically, pence could be described as UK’s ready, i.e. currency unit; the reference is to US Vice President Mike Pence (1959-), Donald Trump’s deputy |
| 10 | IOWA | Island area in Midwestern state
IoW (=island, i.e. Isle of Wight) + A (=area) |
| 11 | LIBEL | Call one to replace article that’s the reason sidesman brought what’s in bottom half of 17
LABEL (=to call, term); “one (=I) to replace article (=A)” means letter “a” is replaced by “i”; the perimeter spells out CARTOON (across the top), THE MOVE (across the bottom) and HAROLD WILSON (down the left- and right-hand sides of the grid, hence “sideman”); the reference is to a libel case (=bottom half of 17) brought by Harold Wilson against the 1960s UK band The Move, who had published a postcard showing the then PM in the nude (=entry at 24), as promotional material for their new record Flowers in the Rain (see clues to 3 and 4); the group apologised to Harold Wilson on the High Court on 11 October 1967, fifty years ago today. |
| 12 | AMAH | Wet nurse a bit of a pig on way back
A + MAH (HAM=bit of a pig; “back” indicates reversal) |
| 13 | LAPPED | Large fruit left out before day went passed
L (=large, in sizes) + APP<l>E (=fruit; “left (=L) out” means letter “l” is dropped) + D (=day); to lap can mean to go past a slower runner in a stadium race |
| 15 | TANZANIA | Start off section of poem in a foreign country
<s>TANZA (=section of poem- + *(IN A); “foreign” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | SO-AND-SO | Unnamed person // disliked one
Double definition: so-and-so means an unnamed person, such-and-such a person AND a disliked person, as in He’s a right so-and-so |
| 18 | SEMINAR | Discussion group not unknown in theological college
SEMINAR<y> (=theological college); “not unknown (=Y, in algebra)” means letter “y” is dropped |
| 21 | OCCASION | Time officer busted 23D
OC (=officer, i.e. Officer Commanding) + *(CASINO) (=entry at 23D); “busted” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | CHEAPO | “Secretary, what about getting into bed?” “No time for that, it’s shoddy”
HEAP (PA (=secretary, i.e. Personal Assistant) + EH (=what, as exclamation); “about” indicates reversal) in CO<t> (=bed; “no time (=T)” means letter “t” is dropped) |
| 24 | NUDE | Painting regularly turned, we suspect
<t>U<r>N<e>D <w>E; “regularly” means alternate letters only used in anagram, indicated by “suspect”, as adjective |
| 25 | CUFFS | Copper with annoyed expression – in short, what’s with him, then?
CU (=copper, as element) + FFS (=annoyed expression, i.e. for f***’s sake; “in short” indicates abbreviation); a copper (=policeman) carries handcuffs about his person |
| 26 | POOL | Ring back, if game
LOOP (=ring); “back” indicates reversal |
| 27 | HACKS | Chop given to Sun journos?
HACK (=chop, hew) + S (=Sun) |
| 28 | RING ROAD | This means you don’t need to have crossed Oxford’s centre!
O (=ring) + RD (=road) appears inside the word “oxfORD‘s” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | COLORADO | Pass 28 going round state
COL (=pass, through mountain) + O (=ring, i.e. pictorially) + *(ROAD) (RINGROAD=entry at 28); “going round” is anagram indicator |
| 02 | ALMA | Scandal? Marcia’s the female at its heart
Hidden (“at its heart”) in “scandAL MArcia”; the Marcia alluded to in this clue is surely Marcia Williams, Harold Wilson’s private/political secretary |
| 03 | RIFLED | Sacked when getting annoyed about intro to Flowers …
F<lowers> (“intro to” means first letter only) in RILED (=annoyed) |
| 04 | TRIBUTE | … in the Rain, heads off to Island testimonial
*(I<n> T<he> R<ain> (“heads” means first letters only)) + BUTE (=island, in Scotland); “off” is anagram indicator |
| 05 | OPULENCE | Easy street to get round, taking 9 around centre of Hull
O (=round, i.e. pictorially) + [<h>UL<l> (“centre of” means middle letters only) in PENCE (=entry at 9)] |
| 06 | ONE AT A TIME | Meet 10 ants briefly moving around their leader in single file
A<nts> (“their leader” means first letter only) in *(MEET IO ANT<s>); “briefly” means last letter dropped from anagram, indicated by “moving” |
| 07 | NEPALI | Asian from East China, UK resident
[E (=East) + PAL (=China, in Cockney rhyming slang)] in NI (=UK resident, i.e. “in N(orthern) I(reland)) |
| 14 | PENTATEUCH | A tune the PC produced, with four more following Genesis
*(A TUNE THE PC); “produced” is anagram indicator; the Pentateuch is the first five books of the Old Testament, hence “four more following Genesis” |
| 17 | SUITCASE | Bag of clubs? Action follows
SUIT (=clubs, in cards) + CASE (=action, i.e. in court) |
| 19 | AMPHORAE | Jars a hero’s drunk after a PM gets sent up
A + MP (PM; “gets sent up” indicates vertical reversal) + *(A HERO); “is drunk” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | UNIFORM | Regular third level class?
Cryptically, a uni(versity) form could be a third level class, i.e. in tertiary education |
| 22 | CAUGHT | Contracted // out
Double definition: “caught” means to have contracted a disease, virus AND out, for example on a cricket scorecoard |
| 23 | CASINO | Get better here, having caught one end of penis in zip
C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) + A (=one) + <peni>S (“end of” means last letter only) + IN + O (=zip, i.e. zero in slang); the “better” of the definition is someone placing bets |
| 26 | PERV | Weirdo in camper van
Hidden (“in”) in “camPER Van” |
Brilliant crossword from one of the Indy’s harder setters, for me anyways. Finished it, but had to check the entry for 14d which was new to me. I think 26a is just a reference to the game of pool, with ‘if’ as a link word.
Loved 23d (ouch!) and 24a for their humerous surfaces.
Thanks RR for the explanation of the Nina. Great blog.
Just noticed I have a different parsing for 28a. I think it relates to OxfoRD, I.e., going round the outskirts of Oxford, rather than passing through the centre. Bit &litish.
Thanks Hob and RR
That was an excellent puzzle, enhanced by all the theme material.
Flowers In The Rain was the first record played on Radio 1, which made its debut in 1967. As a result of the court case, all royalties from FITR were donated to charity. In a recent Radio 4 interview to celebrate Radio 1’s birth, (the wonderful) Roy Wood stated the to this day he hasn’t made a penny from one of his best & most played songs.
thanks to Hob for a really interesting puzzle. I finished it, saw the Ninas, figured it would be some sort of anniversary thing but until I searched the thematic material I had no idea about the court case – probably because it was a bit too early for me.
Most enjoyable, thanks too to RR of course
Meant humorous not humerous@1. Where was the spell-checker when I needed it?
Thanks for blogging, RR. I did enjoy this one, for reasons I shall explain, but it was hard. In the end, I saw that there was a nina, guessed the half dozen or so outside letters that remained, and that helped me get over the line.
What it was all about I only discovered after looking online. I remember the Harold and Marcia scandal (though I was too young to know at the time what having it away with your secretary was all about) but the postcard and The Move I wasn’t aware of; nor the anniversary of course.
The Indy has had some random themes, but this is up there. However, it made me smile when I read about it all, since Roy Wood lives three houses down from me in the Derbyshire village which we both call home. He’s still got the beard and dark, round glasses, since you ask; and is even more grumpy and anti-social than me, which is going some. With the story about the royalties, I might have found one of the reasons why. However, he usually has a smile on his face every January, when the royalties from ‘I wish it could be Christmas every day’ come in.
And a smile on my face today from a crossword. Mission accomplished – well done, Hob.
Late to the party so I’ll be brief – tough and good. Thanks to setter and blogger.
Quite tough; we spotted the nina which helped us finish, though we weren’t aware of its full implications.
We had yet another (though only slightly different) parsing for RING ROAD; we took “you don’t need to have crossed Oxford’s centre” to mean remove the X (= cross) and the centre (FO) of ‘Oxford’ to get O + RD, though we weren’t entirely convinced.
All good stuff, anyway. Thanks, Hob and RatkojaRiku.
Just back from a (classical) concert here in Cambridge.
Like his alter ego, Hob is always so good in writing themed puzzles around things that even I know about (with often a bit of music of my generation thrown in).
This was a wonderful crossword.
That said, I am still not 100% convinced that 28ac works properly, mainly because ‘the centre’ usually means what’s exactly in the middle.
The previous speaker found a way around it, although I don’t see his X-planation.
Back in the days, I had Flowers in the Rain as a single (on Regal Zonophone – remember that (black) label)
It was always fashionable (to impress others) to like a B-side even more.
Here We Go Round the Lemon Tree (Mister, can you hear me).
Many thanks RR for the blog.