I’ve been blogging a few Tees puzzles recently and this one makes a good puzzle for a Wednesday
The only word I wasn’t familiar with today was GOLDENROD at 13 across but that’s down to my lack of knowledge of flora and fauna in general. I took longer than I should to get it as I took OLD as the wordplay for ancient and I spent too long thinking of a three letter river ending in R before the penny dropped.
The lack of botanical knowledge also had me wondering for a few seconds whether MAYFLOWER was tree bark rather than a tree before the other meaning of bark as barque came to mind.
There were a few literary references with EDWIN DROOD, BURGESS, IVANHOE, KATHERINE (?), EAST COKER and EMMA but I don’t think they can be linked into a theme.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
6
|
Book opening put back with journalist taking hint (5,5)
|
(ED [editor [journalist] + DOOR [opening] reversed [put back]) containing (taking) WIND (hint or suggestion) ED (WIN D) ROOD< |
EDWIN DROOD (novel [full title The Mystery of EDWIN DROOD], by Charles Dickens)
|
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8
|
Beer that’s mine around noon (4)
|
PIT (mine) containing (around) N (noon) PI (N) T |
PINT (PINT can be used as general term for a beer)
|
|
9
|
Tree bark used by settlers (9)
|
MAYFLOWER (tree) MAYFLOWER |
MAYFLOWER (reference the ship the MAYFLOWER that took pilgrims / settlers from Plymouth to the New World in 1620. The ship was similar in construction to a barque [bark]) double definition |
|
11
|
Champion lacking height succeeded in love (4)
|
HERO (champion) excluding (lacking) H (height) + S (succeeded) ERO S |
EROS (Greek love-god)
|
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12
|
Bird Madagascan primate skinned (3)
|
LEMUR (any member of the Lemuroidea or Prosimiae, a group of long-tailed mammals related to the monkeys, forest dwellers, mainly nocturnal, common in Madagascar: Madagascan primate) excluding the outer letters (skinned) L and R EMU |
EMU (flightless, fast-running Australian bird)
|
|
13
|
Plant in ancient river deity protects (9)
|
GOD (deity) containing (protects) (OLDEN [ancient] + R [river]) G (OLDEN R) OD |
GOLDENROD (any plant of the composite genus Solidago, with rodlike stems and yellow heads crowded along the branches)
|
|
16
|
Times always collects by Detective Sergeant (4)
|
AY (always) contained in (collected by) DS (Detective Sergeant) D (AY) S |
DAYS (times)
|
|
17
|
Wants to be stopping nonsense writer (7)
|
URGES (wants) contained in (to be stopping) BS (bullshit; nonsense) B (URGES) S |
BURGESS (reference Anthony BURGESS [1917 – 1993], English author)
|
|
18
|
One with front garden in novel (7)
|
I (Roman numeral for one) + VAN (VAN guard; forefront) + HOE (to dig up weeds; to garden) I VAN HOE |
IVANHOE (novel by Sir Walter Scott)
|
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20
|
Bowl over, taking time in fine weather (4)
|
SUN (fine weather) containing (taking … in) T (time) S (T) UN |
STUN (astound; bowl over)
|
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21
|
Cathedral’s vergers recalled uniform for feast (9)
|
C AND L (the letters forming the edges [vergers] of the word CATHEDRAL) + SAME (consistent; uniform) reversed (recalled) C AND L EMAS< |
CANDLEMAS (church festival of the purification of the Virgin Mary, on 2 February, when CANDLEs are blessed)
|
|
23
|
Party split by posh pairing (3)
|
DO (party) containing (split by) U (posh) D (U) O |
DUO (two persons; pairing)
|
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24
|
Tongue almost swallowed by moggy? (4)
|
IN CAT (swallowed by moggy [CAT]) excluding the final letter (almost) T IN CA |
INCA (language of a South American people of Peru before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, who had a complex civilization and empire)
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25
|
Citizen in film incarcerates the Rhode Island girl (9)
|
KANE (reference the 1942 film Citizen KANE) containing (incarcerates) (THE + RI [Rhode Island]) KA (THE RI) NE |
KATHERINE (girl’s name)
|
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29
|
Put down in Greater Manchester region (4)
|
BURY (put down into the ground) BURY |
BURY (town in Greater Manchester) double definition
|
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30
|
Urchin for example reading again admits mistake (10)
|
R (Reading is one of the three Rs – Reading ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic) + (AGAIN containing [admits] MUFF [clumsy or bungled action; mistake]) R AGA (MUFF) IN |
RAGAMUFFIN (urchin)
|
|
Down |
|||
|
1
|
American lawyer in dash reaches Dutch town (4)
|
DA (District Attorney; American lawyer) contained in (in) EM (reference EM-dash in printing, that is one EM long [the width of a 12 point lower case m,] used as a punctuation mark) E (DA) M |
EDAM (town in The Netherlands)
|
|
2
|
Asian joint said to be very small (4)
|
TINY (sounds like [said] THAI [THAIland is an Asian country] + KNEE [joint]) TINY |
TINY (very small)
|
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3
|
Hero from Left supporting response in union ceremony (4)
|
I DO (response in a wedding [union] ceremony) + L (left) As this is a down entry the letter L is seen in the grid to be supporting I DO I DO L |
IDOL (hero)
|
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4
|
Pro runs in pack – flanker? (7)
|
FOR (supportive; pro) + (R [runs in cricket scoring notation] contained in [in] WAD [pad or pack]) FOR WA (R) D |
FORWARD (a flanker is a FORWARD in Rugby Union)
|
|
5
|
As calm and troubled time among faceless (10)
|
T (time) contained in (among) ANONYMOUS (lacking distinctive features or individuality; faceless) AN (T) ONYMOUS |
ANTONYMOUS (descriptive of words that opposite in meaning to another – such calm and troubled)
|
|
7
|
Was upset about an inflamed rash?
|
LIVED (existed; was) reversed (upset) containing (about) (A [an] + RED [inflamed]) D (A RED) EVIL< |
DAREDEVIL (unreasonably rash and reckless)
|
|
8
|
£25 envelope for rising subscription – thousand for Tees? (9)
|
(PONY [slang for £25] containing [envelope for] DUES [subscription] reversed [rising; down clue]) + M (Roman numeral for 1000) P (SEUD<) ONY M |
PSEUDONYM (Tees is a PSEUDONYM used by today’s crossword setter)
|
|
10
|
Idiosyncrasy regularly detected in frauds (3)
|
FAD (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of FRAUDS) FAD |
FAD (personal idiosyncrasy or whim)
|
|
13
|
Eating to excess: Lou’s gut struggles to contain ton (10)
|
Anagram of (struggles) LOU’S GUT containing (to contain) TON GLUT (TON) OUS* |
GLUTTONOUS (eating to excess)
|
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14
|
Fabulous line, ready to broadcast, conveys 27 (9)
|
L (line) + (an anagram of [to broadcast] READY containing [conveys] GEN [INFO, the entry at 27 down]) L E (GEN) DARY* |
LEGENDARY (fabulous)
|
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15
|
Eliot’s village festival involves endless drink (4,5)
|
EASTER (festival) containing (involves) COKE (soft drink) excluding the final letter (endless) E EAST (COK) ER |
EAST COKER (title of the second poem in T S Eliot’s Four Quartets)
|
|
19
|
United including only men in position to perform (7)
|
ONE (united) containing (including) STAG (male of various kinds) ON (STAG) E |
ONSTAGE (ON the STAGE; in a position to perform)
|
| 22 | Lead-free transport gets attention (3) |
BEAR (carry; transport) excluding the first or leading letter (lead-free) B EAR |
EAR (attention) |
|
26
|
Requiem mass inspires literary work (4)
|
EMMA (hidden word in [inspires] REQUIEM MASS) EMMA |
EMMA (literary work by Jane Austen)
|
| 27 | Data coming up concerning UK region (4) |
(OF [concerning) + NI [Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom]) all reversed (coming up; down clue) (IN FO)< |
INFO (data, though some would argue that data and information are two distinct things) |
|
28
|
Odd characters leaving Georgian poet’s country (4)
|
ERIN (letters remaining in GEORGIAN when the odd letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 are removed) ERIN |
ERIN (poetic word for Ireland)
|
I was chuffed to finish this, although I did have a question mark against 9a. Thanks for the explanation – I wasn’t aware of the alternative spelling for barque. Didn’t know CANDLEMAS or EAST COKER but guessed them from the wordplay. Nice to see the cheese that is made backwards make an appearance.
Favourites were 5d and 8d. Thanks to Tees and Duncan.
Interesting mix of solutions. I liked MAYFLOWER, IVANHOE, ANTONYMOUS, EAST COKER.
A bit of an odd grid – I think it’s to incorporate 4 black Tees to go with PSEUDONYM.
Thanks Tees, Duncan
Probably no need for the question mark in your introduction Duncan, as there’s an Anya Seton 1954 novel called Katherine. Perhaps that is what Tees meant.
I always enjoy literary content. Thanks Tees, and that is one noble blog Duncan.
A careless ‘C’ for ‘K’ in 25a scuppered me for 15d as well, the works of T. S. Eliot not being one of my strengths.
I’d never come across ANTONYMOUS before, unlike the word to which it is antonymous. The dreaded ‘Plant’ in 13a was also new, so thank goodness for the helpful wordplay and CANDLEMAS was only dimly recognised.
I particularly liked ‘Tree bark’, the ‘inflamed rash’ and IVANHOE, my last in.
Thank you to Tees and to Duncan.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a duff Tees puzzle, but beyond that, I always enjoy them because they are intelligently put together and always lead you to discover some interesting stuff. The boy is well read, I fancy. The literary thread today was interesting, simply because it reminded me of some authors I have read and some I haven’t but should one of these days.
I liked the same ones as James (to whom thanks for pointing out the Ts – there by design, surely).
Thanks to Duncan for the usual comprehensive and interesting blog.
Strange grid, great puzzle. Are those Ts deliberate? Who cares.
Very interesting the range of answers included in the strange grid, making for the sort of solve that forces me to work it all out from the wordplay, which is a lot easier in a Tees puzzle that in some other arses magna. As it turned out, the only one I wasn’t at least vaguely familiar with was EAST COKER, which, thanks to The Indy, I have now read.
Some wonderful puzzles in today, I’m looking forward to what the bloggers make of Brummie, over the way.
Thanks Ts and Duncan.
Great stuff thank you Tees and Duncan.
To add to my successful Nina spotting over at the FT today, I also spotted the Ts in this grid – not like me at all to spot anything in a crossword, but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts
Great puzzle. I enjoyed the literary references despite being of a technical background. Didn’t know EAST COKER but the wordplay was kind. I had most trouble in the NE until my antipenultimate, EROS fell. PSEUDONYM was next and the unfamiliar ANTONYMOUS brought up the rear. As usual I didn’t spot the Ts in the grid. Fortunately I knw the plant, but did spend some time wonering if there’s a river ENRO somewhere. I don’t recall coming across BS for bullshit before, but it couldn’t be anything else! Thanks Tees and Duncan.
Thanks Tees and duncanshiell
I liked the literary references too, though my favourite was TINY.
I would question MAYFLOWER = tree. There are several flowers known as “mayflower” (lady’s smock, for instance), but the most commonly used for “may” is the flower of the hawthorn; hence hawthorn is the tree. (Google did come up with Delonix regia as “mayflower tree”, but who’s heard of that? Wiki says that it’s generally called royal poinciana anyway.)
It comes up aplenty as synonymous, or near as dammit, so I’m not laying it at the setter’s door. If anything, it’s the other half of the clue that had me pinioned.
Good tough stuff. Thanks Tees and Duncan.
muffin, you would question whether MAYFLOWER is a tree. It is. I would question why there isn’t a day that goes by where you are not on this blog from morning till night nitpicking about stuff that nobody else gives a flying rat’s arse about, submitting comments in square brackets with personal information that has nothing to do with the puzzle, and generally trying to show off about how much you know. I for one would be happier if you spent more time on the golf course.
I don’t care what muffin says either. It’s a tree!
Thought we might get a perimetrical out of Tees today such was the grid, but ETIFATSSENNOAESBISBE isn’t a phrase I’m familiar with. I think I’ve seen this hellish grid shape in the Torygraph, but not sure.
I had what they call measured progress through this, maybe not helped by the unches, but high-quality throughout as usual from Tees. Thanks to him and Duncan, whose blog is a treat too.