Independent crossword 9757 by Hob

by

Lots of black space in the grid – Maybe something is hiding?

Well something was, but not in the obvious place of the perimeter. Kate Bush pointed me towards Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte confirmed it and then there was Heath + Cliff (Heathcliff) and Earn + Shaw (Earnshaw) and Linton  and Dean and Lockwood. Most of whom I was unfamiliar with before doing this puzzle. Not sure if there is a version with an Ewok in it, but Star Wars is another of life’e alleged pleasures that has passed me by. My exposure to 1840’s literature was more through the Count of Monte Cristo and for modern science fiction give me Blake’s 7 anyday over Star Wars.

Thanks Hob and I did notice your more risque references. And nice to see reference to my favourite band (ELP not Rush).

Key underline (definition); * anagram; DD double definition

Across

7 Place to go if confused, reportedly (6)

Homonym of Thrown (confused) = THRONE

8 Out and about with bra off when Christ was born? (6)

(bra)* + 0AD (When Christ was born) = ABROAD

9 Star Wars character aroused when cycling (4)

Woke (aroused) cycling = EWOK

10 Relative, one extremely lazy, as not having showered for ages? (9)

Uncle (relative) + an (one) + ly (extremely lazy) = UNCLEANLY

12 Go over clue type with no apparent answer (5)

Across (clue type) – a (answer) = CROSS

13 Want to keep womb, if not useless with ovaries removed? (8)

Need around (Uterus (womb) – us (useless)) = NEUTERED

15 Told a story in song (4)

DD LIED

16 Johnny’s no Southern bandleader (5)

Sheath (Johnny as in condom) – s (southern) = HEATH

17 Can Jack be sick? (4)

J (Jack) + ail (sick) = JAIL

18 Ring two daily papers frequently (8)

O (Ring) + FT + Times (2 papers) = OFTTIMES

20 Silly person of note, lost in a city (5)

n (note) + l (lost?) in Ely (city) = NELLY

21 Nightmare? That’s an unknown quantity (4,5)

Dark horse (Night mare(as in horse)) = DARK HORSE

22 Deserve shows in the Arnolfini (4)

Hidden thE ARNolfini = EARN

24 Subordinate with flipping bum occupying 7 (6)

Rev. ass (bum) in lav (Throne – slang) = VASSAL

25 Former president’s heading off to see Kwesi Johnson? (6)

Clinton (former president) – c (heading) = LINTON

 

Down

1 Author that’s narrated The Beach? (4)

Homonym of shore = SHAW

2 Actress from Hair, with nothing on except new diamonds (8)

Lock (hair) + w (with) + o (nothing) + on –  n (new) + d (diamonds) = LOCKWOOD

3 Have courier deliver costumes (3-3)

Get UPS (have courier delivery – nice bit of product placement?) = GET-UPS

4 Singer out to shake butt endlessly? (4,4)

(shake but)* = KATE BUSH

5 See 14

BRONTE

6 Sort of underwear, if cold in bed (4)

C(cold) in lay (bed) = LACY

11 One seeking votes regularly swears in tent? (9)

Canvas (tent) + SwEaRs = CANVASSER

12 Singer that’s come with two females in place of Max (5)

Climax (comes) – max + ff (2 females) = CLIFF

14/5 Bell on trilby with no rim seems ridiculous (5,6)

(on + trilby + eem (no rim seems))* = EMILY BRONTE(Ellis Bell was her penname)

16 Person assisting with cleaning in hotel, supported by progressive group (4,4)

Home (in) + h (hotel) + ELP (Progressive group) = HOME HELP

17 Thirty days eating right soup with vegetables cut into strips (8)

June (30 days) around lien (right) = JULIENNE

19 Singer that’s leader of top hard rock group (6)

T (leader of top) + h (hard) + Rush (rock group) = THRUSH

20 A couple of seconds away from getting undesired bug (6)

Needless (undesired) – ss (couple of seconds) = NEEDLE

21 Church official writing article in study (4)

A (article) in den (study) = DEAN

23 Opening up, gets 12A (4)

Rev. Door (opening) = ROOD

21 comments on “Independent crossword 9757 by Hob”

  1. Got there in the end. Not entirely convinced even the question mark at the end of 8a makes it work given that there was no 0AD (and, of course, Christ is reckoned to have been born somewhat earlier), but the idea is clear. Didn’t know Linton Kwesi Johnson but easy to guess. Wasn’t sure about the wording for 11d at first, which suggests an inclusion, but ‘in tent’ meaning ‘under canvas’ works. The only sticking point is 13a. USELESS doesn’t suggest removing US and doesn’t explain why ‘not’ is in the clue. Probably being thick. Thanks to S&B.

  3. Hovis @1

    U/S is an abbreviation for unserviceable (or ‘useless’) and the ‘not’ is indicating its removal from UTER[us].

  5. This was very interesting. When I got EWOK, I assumed that the black squares in the grid + the squiggly bits in the middle would be needed for some sort of cartoon drawing (I’ve never seen any of the Star wars movies even though all my kids certainly have)…but then the HEATH CLIFF + KATE BUSH (v good clue that) answers put me right. I’ve never read the book either; but I suspect its general readership might raise an eyebrow at some of Hob’s risque wordplay (not me of course).

    Thanks to Hob and twencelas

  7. On the subject of 0 AD. Christ is born at a moment in time – 1 year later it is 1AD (after his birth) – Logically that first year must be 0 AD. We tend to refer to babies as 3 months old etc. to avoid saying they are zero years but I can’t see any issue with a calendar than begins at 0. The BC counting is different though as the last BC year must be -1.

    I believe a Cambodian named Mr. Pot did a similar thing with his calendar starting at year 0.

    As a little amusing aside the captcha I have to fill in  is four – four

  8. Can’t disagree with the logic, twencelas given the meaning of AD. Certainly don’t want to revisit the argument as to whether the new millennium started in 2000 or 2001. I just made the point that 0 AD didn’t exist and scholars generally believe his birth was circa 5 BC. This, of course, is why the question mark is at the end.

  9. I really liked the bulk of this (particularly CANVASSER and HEATH) but did have to use help for a few.  Also, my theme-blindness can be truly blinding at times.  I suppose I can use the fact that I didn’t solve it all in one session as an excuse, but still – gah!

    Thanks to Hob and twencelas.

  10. Tricky, mostly in a good way.

    I put LYNDON in for Johnson, not having heard of Kwesi Johnson – I thought it might be [e]LY N’Don (Kwesi N’Don, someone else I haven’t heard of) in between two indications for the president.

    Theme helped with HEATH (who?) and KATE BUSH.  I didn’t like ‘out to’ as an anagram indicator at all, if that’s what it is.

    I liked GET UPS and LOCKWOOD (though haven’t heard of her, either)

    Thanks Hob, twencelas

  11. We messed up the NW corner by putting SAND (George Sand, aka Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin) for 1dn, thinking ‘narrated’ meant ‘pronounced as its English heteronym’ so couldn’t get 7ac or 9ac – despite realising from 24ac that 7ac had to be a toilet euphemism.  Only sorted it by coming here for the answer to 7ac, whereupon we were able to complete after correcting 1dn.

    Elsewhere, some great clues.  Favourites included NEUTERED and JULIENNE, although we thought ‘soup with’ wasn’t essential to the clue, as ‘julienne’ can refer simply to vegetables cut into strips.

    We thought the odd grid pattern presaged some theme or nina but had forgotten about Wuthering Heights.

    @7: On the subject of referring to babies as 3 months old etc. to avoid saying they are zero years old, if I remember rightly from researching family history, some census records do refer to babies as age 0

    Thanks, Hob and twencelas.

  13. I found this a bit of a struggle.  Got really stuck in the top left with 2dn causing trouble.  I do remember Margaret Lockwood.  I even remember she had a daughter Julia who was also an actress and I remember them together in a TV series in the sixties, which the IMDb tells me must be The Flying Swan, which I think was about a mother and daughter running an hotel.

    No I didn’t spot the theme.  I’ve never read the book although I do have a recording of Bernard Herrmann’s operatic version.  (The recording was made by French radio so its called Les Hauts de Hurlevent.)

  14. Bit rusty after being a week away and missed the theme as usual.  Although it had to be NEUTERED had not come across the u/s usage.

    As @11allan_c I put in Sand for similar reasons, so had to cheat to figure out the answer.  I am a bit tired of this supposed homophone.  Does any blogger here really think that shore and Shaw are homophones?  Pronounced correctly, no way.

    0AD obviously whimsical and quite acceptable.

    Overall a diverting puzzle.  Thanks to Hob and twencelas.

  15. @14

    They sure sound the same here in Yorkshire, but, then, I suppose it all depends on what you think is “pronounced correctly”. A particular bete noire of mine is the pronunciation of castle as “carsel”.

  16. And in my souf-east London accent, Shaw and shore sound the same.

    As to castle, I think I probably do pronounce it carsel, but I grew up in the north-east where my London accent caused hilarity.  They’d pronounce  it cass’ll.

  17. Incidentally, I’ve always assumed that the sixties pop singer took the stage name Sandie Shaw because it sounds like sandy shore.

  19. Nope, definitely an ow sound when I pronounce it, not an ah.  People in the north say I have a London accent, people in the south are not so sure.  And even my own mother found the way I pronounce “flower” funny.

  20. Another well-constructed crossword from Hob.

    I liked it very much but – to be honest – only after I fully spotted the theme.

    Since nobody mentioned it, quite exceptional to see the same setter re-appearing within only a few days [Hob had the Tuesday spot too with a real Tour de France].

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