This one’s for solvers who like a bit of general knowledge in their puzzles…
… with words like TONGA, BYRON, ADELPHI THEATRE, SCHILLING and TUTSI as solutions, and references in clues to Herodotus, Huxley, Naz Hamed, the River Itchen etc.
I actually like a bit of general knowledge in crosswords, as it makes them more interesting, and most of Neo’s references were well-known (Itchen and Hamed may be bordering on the obscure), and the wordplay for others straightforward enough that the solution can be worked out.
Thanks, Neo
| Across | ||
| 1 | ADELPHI THEATRE | Strand House cook claimed by horrendous death peril (7,7) |
| HEAT (“cook”) claimed by *(death peril) | ||
| 10 | BYRON | Times introduction to Romanticism about George Gordon (5) |
| BY (“times”) + R(omanticism) + ON (“about”)
Lord Byron’s full name was George Gordon Byron. |
||
| 11 | SENTIENCE | One entering judgement shows awareness (9) |
| I (“one”) entering SENTENCE (“judgement”) | ||
| 12 | CHICAGO | Windy City an effort with cold greeting Charlie (7) |
| A GO (“an effort”) with C(old) + HI (“greeting”) C(harilie) | ||
| 13 | ALBERTA | Late bar vibrant in province (7) |
| *(late bar) | ||
| 14 | SWISS | European wife is aboard steamer (5) |
| W(ife) IS in (aboard) SS (steamship, so “steamer”) | ||
| 16 | IMPORTANT | Eminent MP men flog during sex (9) |
| MP + O.R. (other ranks, so “men”) + TAN (“flog”) during IT (“sex” appeal) | ||
| 19 | KITCHENER | Earl, King and Queen around Hampshire river (9) |
| K(ing) + E.R. (“Queen”) around ITCHEN (a “Hampshire river”) | ||
| 20 | HITCH | Yank walloped companion (5) |
| HIT (“walloped”) + CH (“Companion” of Honour) | ||
| 22 | TARTLET | Restraint needed after cutting sweet pastry (7) |
| LET (“restraint”) after TART (“cutting”) | ||
| 25 | ABDOMEN | Belly beginning to bulge — notice old chaps holding that in! (7) |
| AD (“notice”) + O(ld) MEN (“chaps”) holding B(ulge) in, so A(B)D-O-MEN | ||
| 27 | HAM-FISTED | Clumsy punch cuts boxer Naz (3-6) |
| FIST (“punch”) cuts HAMED (“boxer” – Naseem (aka “Naz”) Hamed) | ||
| 28 | ASTER | Daisy’s teacher docking marks (5) |
| (m)ASTER (“teacher” docking M(arks)) | ||
| 29 | PLOUGHING MATCH | Plato, in McHugh novel, takes in grand field event (9,5) |
| *(plato in mchugh) taking in G(rand) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | DARWINIST | Right among it, Dawkins heartlessly slammed Huxley? (9) |
| R(ight) among *(it dawins)
Biologist Thomas Henry Dawkins (1825-1895), was nicknamed “Darwin’s Bulldog” |
||
| 3 | LINDA | Girl left in Douala after evacuation (5) |
| L(eft) IN D(oual)A | ||
| 4 | HISTORIAN | Adapting to an Irish Herodotus? (9) |
| *(to an irish)
Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian is known as the “father of history” after Voltaire dubbed him that (he also dubbed him the “father of lies”). |
||
| 5 | TONGA | Two-wheeler parked in Clifton Gardens (5) |
| Hidden in (parked in) “ClifTON GArdens”
A tonga (or tanga) is a light two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. |
||
| 6 | EDINBURGH | City journalist at home gets hot food served up (9) |
| ED(itor) (“journalist”) + IN (“at home”) + <=H(ot) GRUB (“food) | ||
| 7 | TENOR | All fingers and thumbs – or finding settled course (5) |
| TEN (“all fingers and thumbs”) + OR | ||
| 8 | ELEGANT | Stylish top from Ellesse on six- footer (7) |
| E(llesse) + LEG (“on” in cricket) + ANT (“six-footer”) | ||
| 9 | ABACUS | Count on this as Cuba undergoes reform (6) |
| *(as cuba) | ||
| 15 | SCHILLING | Money given by sons relaxing (9) |
| S(ons) + CHILLING (“relaxing”)
The schilling was the unit of currency in Austria until they adopted the euro in 2002. |
||
| 17 | PARIAH DOG | Dad with receding hair at party greets initially wild creature (6,3) |
| PA (“dad”) + <=HAIR + DO (“party”) + G(reets)
A pariah dog is a feral dog living on scraps. |
||
| 18 | AUTOMATIC | Shooter Ann flees wounded catamountain (9) |
| *(catamoutai) (“catamountain” after ANN has fled) | ||
| 19 | KETCHUP | Boat, in erect position, that’s in bottle (7) |
| KETCH (“boat”) + UP (“in erect position”) | ||
| 21 | HUNGRY | Troika ultimately leaves country empty (6) |
| HUNG(a)RY, where the A is the ultimate letter of “(troik)A” | ||
| 23 | ROMEO | Little jumper worn by Neo’s lover (5) |
| (kanga)ROO (“little jumper”) worn by ME (“Romeo”) | ||
| 24 | TUTSI | African expresses disapproval over island (5) |
| TUTS (“expresses disapproval”) over I(sland) | ||
| 26 | DRAMA | Play a measure first (5) |
| DRAM (“measure”) + A | ||
*anagram
In 15d, I think “sons” as opposed to ‘son’ was misleading – had me looking for two esses.
It can be either, just as daughter(s) = D. It would have worked either way as you can see, but certainly not the setter’s bad.
Re 2 down. Surely Thomas Henry Huxley? Slip of the pen obviously.
Thanks loonapick, and chapeau to Neo for yet another good ‘un.
Yes, of course – will edit when next at a PC
Thanks Neo and loonapick
Interesting puzzle which required a fair bit of knowledge in geography and persons of note. Didn’t know of Naz HAMED so needed to come here to find that. Had to check up in references on the ADELPHI THEATRE and PLOUGHING MATCH as well. All of the answers were gettable from the word play so all was well.
Finished in the top with the Darwinist biologist, that theatre and TENOR as the last one in.