An enjoyable puzzle from Eccles today.
There was nothing obscure in the puzzle. I think all the entries are words that most solvers will have encountered outside the arcane world of crosswords.
As ever, an eclectic general knowledge is needed to understand all the allusions in the clues, but that is no different from most days. Football. Greek mythology, classical architecture, nightclubs, Muslim culture, films, fashion magazines, technology and tennis were just some of the subjects covered in the clues.
I can’t see a theme or a Nina, but we don’t always need these to enjoy a crossword.
My favourite clues from Eccles were the ones for CHILLS, APPLET and GRAPPLE.
Recently, I have commented on a tendency for definitions to be concentrated at the beginning of clues. Eccles has gone the other way with more at the end of the clue.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Charlie, Benny and Jimmy, perhaps, getting colds (6)
|
C (cocaine [Charlie]) + HILLS (reference Benny HILL, comedian and Jimmy HILL, footballer and pundit to give HILLS) C HILLS |
CHILLS (colds)
|
|
5
|
Inappropriately employing young woman to welcome Union leader with gin shot (8)
|
(MISS [young woman] containing [to welcome] U [first letter of [leader] UNION) + an anagram of (shot) GIN MIS (U) S ING* |
MISUSING (inappropriately employing)
|
|
9
|
Top up with urine? That’s rash (8) |
Anagram of (up) TOP and URINE ERUPTION* |
ERUPTION (rash of spots on the skin)
|
|
10
|
A striking face and stout heart make for handsome youth (6)
|
A + POLL (blunt end of the head of a hammer; striking face) + O (middle letter of [heart] STOUT) A POLL O |
APOLLO (extremely handsome young man)
|
|
11
|
One escapes from crises in Arrivals (10)
|
EMERGENCIES (crises) excluding (escapes from) I (Roman numeral for 1) EMERGENCES |
EMERGENCES (first appearances; arrivals)
|
|
12
|
Violently eject 50% of faeces out of sump (4)
|
CESSPIT (sump) excluding (out of) CES (three of the six [50%] letters of FAECES) SPIT |
SPIT (violently eject) |
|
13
|
It’s grotesque to use mouthwash to entertain young male with shaved head (8)
|
GARGLE (use mouthwash) containing (to entertain) (BOY [young male] excluding the first letter [with shaved head] B) GARG (OY) LE |
GARGOYLE (grotesquely carved head or figure, projecting from a roof-gutter)
|
|
16
|
God’s present fruit (6)
|
RA (ancient Egyptian sun god) + IS + IN (present) RA IS IN |
RAISIN (dried grape; fruit)
|
|
17
|
Second crash happened unexpectedly (6)
|
S (second) + PRANG (crash) S PRANG |
SPRANG (happened suddenly; happened unexpectedly) |
|
19
|
Had a nice cocktail in famous nightclub (8)
|
Anagram of (cocktail) HAD A NICE HACIENDA* |
HACIENDA (night club and music venue in Manchester, England, which became famous in the Manchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s)
|
|
21
|
Heard urgent call to release bricks (4)
|
LEGO (sounds like [heard] LET GO [urgent call to release]) LEGO |
LEGO ( toy consisting of small interlocking plastic pieces, principally bricks for constructing model buildings)
|
|
22
|
Fifty involved in perverted lathering session that goes on until dawn (3-7)
|
L (Roman numeral for 50) contained in (involved in) an anagram of (perverted) LATHERING AL (L) NIGHTER* |
ALL-NIGHTER (a session that goes on until dawn)
|
|
25
|
Display preoccupation (4-2)
|
HANG UP (display a painting or similar) HANG-UP |
HANG-UP (problem about which one is obsessed or preoccupied) double definition although one definition requires a hyphen and one doesn’t
|
|
26
|
Top tip to tantalise with each afternoon meal (5,3)
|
CREAM (elite; top) + T (first letter of [tip to] TANTALISE) + EA (each) CREAM T EA |
CREAM TEA (afternoon meal)
|
|
27
|
They are very smelly, small mischievous children (8) |
S (small) + TINKERS (rascals; mischievous children) S TINKERS |
STINKERS (things that are very smelly)
|
|
28
|
Maybe a report on the radio irritates (6)
|
ANNOYS (sounds like [on the radio] A NOISE [report]) ANNOYS |
ANNOYS (irritates)
|
| Down | |||
|
2
|
Run married women’s quarters (4)
|
HARE (run) + M (married) HARE M |
HAREM (women’s quarters in a Muslim house)
|
|
3
|
Retuning to fight off outcast (5)
|
REPEL (fight off) reversed (returning) LEPER< |
LEPER (outcast)
|
|
4
|
Maliciously restrained by self-styled inspector from the south (4)
|
SNIDELY (hidden word [restrained by] reversed [from the south; down clue] in SELF-STYLED INSPECTOR) SNIDELY< |
SNIDELY (maliciously)
|
| 5 | One of Tati’s masterpieces? Not originally released, it’s in the eye of the beholder (7) |
MON ONCLE (1958 comedy film by French filmmaker Jacques Tati) excluding (released) N (the first letter of [originally] NOT) MONOCLE |
MONOCLE (single eyeglass; which could be in the eye of an observer [beholder]) |
|
6
|
More sporadic flights over half of beer (7)
|
SPARS (fights) + ER (2 of 4 [50%] letters of BEER) SPARS ER |
SPARSER (mores sporadic)
|
| 7 | Picts: one’s designed one of their national symbols? (5,4) |
Anagram of (designed) PICTS ONE’S SCOTS PINE* |
SCOTS PINE (tree; possibly national symbol of the Picts who are closely associated with the North East of Scotland) |
|
8
|
If nude, I’ll somehow be rendered ineffective (9)
|
Anagram of (somehow) IF NUDE I’LL NULLIFIED* |
NULLIFIED (rendered ineffective)
|
| 14 | A little application and skill required to make a sweet treat (5,4) |
APPLET (a small computer program [application]) + ART (skill) APPLE T ART |
APPLE TART (dessert; sweet treat) |
|
15
|
Historic county in Vogue? (9)
|
GLAM (glamorous) + ORGAN (magazine) – Vogue could be described as a glamorous magazine
|
GLAMORGAN (historic county of Wales)
|
|
18
|
Get to grips with Greek technology company (7)
|
GR (Greek) + APPLE (technology company)
|
GRAPPLE (get to grips with)
|
|
19
|
Things spiral as hell nearly freezes over (7)
|
HELL excluding the final letter (nearly) L + ICES (freezes over) HEL ICES |
HELICES (screw-shaped coils; things spiral)
|
|
20
|
Agree with beginning to restrain a monster (7)
|
CHIME (agree of sound or relation) + R (first letter of [beginning to] RESTRAIN) + A CHIME R A |
CHIMERA (fabled fire-spouting monster, with a lion’s head, a serpent’s tail, and a goat’s body)
|
|
23
|
Former tennis player loses a point to become the most powerful person in the universe? (2-3)
|
HENMAN (reference Tin HENMAN, retired [former] British tennis player) excluding (losing) N (North, point of the compass) HE-MAN |
HE-MAN (as defined by Chambers in one of there more cryptic forms, man of exaggerated or extreme virility, or what some women consider to be virility. Possibly in a comic somewhere also defined as the most powerful person in the universe)
|
|
24
|
Opposition fighters to be sent back, in case of emergency (5)
|
MEN (soldiers; fighters) reversed (to be sent back) contained in (in) EY (first and last letters of [case of] EMERGENCY) E NEM< Y |
ENEMY (opposition)
|
At the easier end for an Eccles I thought. For 21a, my LOI, I would say it sounds like ‘leggo’ rather than ‘let go’, the former being a variation of the latter. Some nice humorous surfaces such as that for SPIT. I also liked the image of a god’s disappointment after opening his present at 16a. Thanks to S&B.
Your hunch was correct DS on 23d. HE MAN is the lead character in ‘Masters of the Universe’ a franchise notable in some ways for actually starting with the action figures (created by Mattel) and only then spawning TV cartoons, comics etc.
Thanks for an enjoyable if relatively swift time Eccles and a most helpful blog.
Most went in pretty easily and I had dreams of a record time, but then I was held up by a few including APOLLO (didn’t know that meaning of ‘poll’) and ERUPTION – no excuses for the latter. The image brought to mind by the surface of SPIT doesn’t bear thinking about! I liked the Tim Henman reference and the ‘it’s in the eye of the beholder’ def. for MONOCLE which was my last in and favourite.
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan
Monday easy, Tuesday diabolical, today easy again. What to expect tomorrow?
Thanks Eccles, really enjoyable – well, possibly except for the imagery in SPIT and ERUPTION (both wonderful clues). Also liked RAISIN, APPLE TART, HAREM, HELICES and more. MONOCLE.
A nice combination of mostly easy but with a fair head scratchers thrown in.
Thanks Duncan for the review and for confirming the HILLS.
A sweet treat to grapple with for a little while.
Though I got the answer (nice def!) I needed help locating the Tati film. Lots of smiles.
Thanks to Jennifer and to Duncan.
I slogged on until I was stuck with 9a 11a and 5d still unsolved, and as I was getting nowhere, I revealed the last letter of 9a. This allowed me to guess MONOCLE, (I didn’t know the film) and allowed me to see 9a and 11a. I particularly liked GARGOYLE and RAISIN. Thanks Eccles and Duncan.
Didn’t have time for this one as am preparing to go home after a week or so away and that’s a shame as I love a bit of Eccles. Anyhoo, just thought I’d pop on to say cheers to DS for the blog and that I thought 22 and 29a very chortlesome indeed so thanks to Jennifer too.
Cheers to Duncan for the blog and to everyone who commented. A wise owl told me at the weekend that my puzzles were getting tougher. This seems to bear that out, as it was an older one from rookie days i found and polished a bit, after deciding I liked it too much to throw out. I don’t want to get too tough, though – and Wednesday seems to be one of the gentler days.
Look out for a rare treat from Dutch tomorrow…
A very enjoyable solve. Some lovely clues and a few that took a bit of thinking. 16ac was fun and 15d raised a laugh.
Thanks Duncan for another comprehensive blog.
Thans Eccles – good meeting you in York. We hope the Bonfire in Oxton is successful and that you have some good weather. Sorry we can’t join you.
Another very enjoyable crossword – mostly straightforward but the NW corner took a bit of thought. EMERGENCES was last in and I should have seen that much earlier. Liked GARGOYLE, ALL-NIGHTER, RAISIN and GLAM ORGAN.
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan.