Serpent has given us a good Tuesday challenge today
I was pressed for time when I was solving and blogging this puzzle so I was concentrating hard on each clue such that I didn’t notice the theme until I had completed the grid. I was vaguely conscious that there was a scientific bent with COSMOLOGY and ASTRONOMY, but it wasn’t until I had filled everything in that I looked at the top row properly to see STEPHEN HAWKING [1942 – 2018] who died very recently. Throughout the grid there are other entries that can be combined to form references to HAWKING. We have BLACK HOLES, a BRIEF HISTORY of TIME, CAMBRIDGE, RESEARCH, and possibly also GRAPH, DIAGRAM and TRIUMPH.
As with all good themed crosswords it wasn’t necessary to see the theme to solve the puzzle, as I have just proved.
There is one entry that I can’t parse properly – you will see from the detailed part of the blog that is HISTORY at 5 down. Please feel free to tell me what I have missed.
There was the the usual good mix of cluing devices from Serpent.
Because this was done in a rush, please accept my apologies if there are more typos than usual
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Man and woman on stage (7)
|
STEP (stage along the way) + HEN (woman’s name) STEP + HEN |
STEPHEN (man’s name)
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5
|
Flogging witch that’s eaten wife and family (7)
|
HAG (witch) containing (that’s eaten) (W [wife] + KIN [family]) HA (W KIN) G |
HAWKING (selling; flogging)
|
|
9
|
Press broadcast lie about politician (5)
|
Anagram of (broadcast) LIE containing (about) MP (Member of Parliament; politician) I (MP) EL* |
IMPEL (urge forward; press)
|
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10
|
Way of working with journal contributed to intimate universally relevant study? (9)
|
(MO [modus operandi; way of working] + LOG [journal]) contained in (contributed to) COSY (intimate) COS (MO LOG) Y |
COSMOLOGY (science of the universe as a whole; universal relevant study)
|
|
11
|
Develops enough to assume government’s keen on containing dispute (5,4)
|
(G [government] + ‘S [indicating the possessive in government’s] + INTO [keen on]) containing (containing) ROW (dispute) G (ROW) S INTO |
GROWS INTO (GROWS big enough to fill comfortably; develops enough to assume)
|
| 12 | Partly autobiographical figure in work of non-fiction ? (5) |
GRAPH (hidden word in [partly] AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL) GRAPH |
GRAPH (drawing depicting the relationship between two or more variables (sets of numbers or quantities) I’m not sure why we have reference to a work of non-fiction as graphs could appear in works of fiction as well, but I suppose autobiographies are non-fiction. Some people would argue that quite a few supposedly factual documents are really works of fiction designed to promote a specific argument. |
|
13
|
What could possible interest foodies ignoring the starter and staring into space (9)
|
GASTRONOMY (art or science of good eating; something that would interest foodies) excluding the first letter (ignoring the starter) G ASTRONOMY |
ASTRONOMY (the study of the celestial bodies and the heavens in all scientific aspects; staring into space [to learn more about it])
|
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15
|
Inclusive event is about to include training (4)
|
ON (with reference to; about) containing (to include) PE (physical education; training) O (PE) N |
OPEN (an inclusive event is OPEN to all)
|
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17
|
Middle of article is replaced by author’s sentence (4)
|
TI (central letters of [middle of] ARTICLE) set beside (re-placed by) ME (author) TI ME |
TIME (a prison sentence)
|
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19
|
City quietly abandoning affected game (9)
|
CAMP (affected) excluding (abandoning) P (piano; quietly) + BRIDGE (card game) CAM BRIDGE |
CAMBRIDGE (English city)
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22
|
Issue instructions to lawyer (5)
|
BRIEF (issue instructions) BRIEF |
BRIEF (barrister; lawyer) double definition
|
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23
|
Somehow we salvage one that has to work (4,5)
|
Anagram of (somehow) WE SALVAGE WAGE SLAVE* |
WAGE SLAVE (person dependent on a [usually low] WAGE or salary; someone who has to work)
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25
|
A duty borne by nursemaid for religious leader (9)
|
(A + TOLL [duty]) contained in (borne by) AYAH (in India and other former British territories, a waiting-maid or nursemaid) AY (A TOLL) AH |
AYATOLLAH (Muslim religious leader of the Shiah sect;)
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26
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Money-lender yields capital with greater confidence (5)
|
USURER (money-lender) excluding the first letter (capital [letter]) U SURER |
SURER (with greater confidence)
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27
|
Retains retro look capturing product’s novelty (5,2)
|
(PEEK [look] containing [capturing] USP [unique selling point]; product’s special feature or novelty) all reversed (retro) (KEE (PS U) P)< |
KEEPS UP (retains)
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28
|
Herald magnificent achievement? (7)
|
TRIUMPH (the closest match I can find between herald and TRIUMPH is ‘trumpet’ or ‘fanfare’ having looked in a few dictionaries and Bradfords. I haven’t found the two words listed as direct synonyms anywhere) TRIUMPH |
TRIUMPH (magnificent achievement) double definition
|
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Down |
|||
|
1
|
Fish straying at sea (8)
|
Anagram of (at sea) STRAYING STINGRAY* |
STINGRAY (RAY [fish] with a formidable barbed dorsal spine on its tail)
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2
|
Abuse old pilot’s licence (7)
|
EX (former; old) + an anagram of (licence) PILOT EX PLOIT* |
EXPLOIT ( benefit from at the expense of; abuse)
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3
|
Some courses have these weaknesses in theory (5)
|
HOLES (golf courses have HOLES) HOLES |
HOLES (faults or weaknesses in arguments of theories)
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4
|
Presumably a bottle party that’s never going to happen (2,3,2)
|
NO CAN (bottles only!) + DO (party) NO CAN DO |
NO CAN DO (it’s not possible [for me] to fulfil your request; it’s never going to happen)
|
| 5 | Perhaps writing in this man’s play is no longer relevant (7) |
HISTORY I can’t determine the wordplay to my satisfaction here. There is an anagram (play}of THIS at the beginning of HISTORY but I can’t do anything with the remaining ORY. Where does writing come into the wordplay? Are we talking about the work of STEPHEN HAWKING? Does STORY relate to play? Is MS (manuscript; writing involved somehow excluding [no longer] M from HIM [this man] but where does S come from and is the definition ‘relevant’ rather than ‘no longer relevant’? You can see I am clutching at straws. I look forward to being told what I have missed HISTORY |
HISTORY (the past; something no longer relevant to today, often used dismissively in this context) I’m not sure everyone would agree that what happened in the past is always irrelevant to what is happening to day. |
|
6
|
He’s fallen and knocked Roger down (9)
|
Anagram of (knocked) ROGER DOWN WRONGDOER* |
WRONGDOER (offender or transgressor; someone who has fallen)
|
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7
|
Quarantine one individual catching athlete’s foot on vacation (7)
|
I (Roman numeral for one) + (SOLE [individual] containing [catching] AT [the letters remaining in ATHLETE’S FOOT when all the central letters THLETE’S FOO are removed [on vacation]) I SOL (AT) E |
ISOLATE (quarantine)
|
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8
|
Ugly photograph displays architectural feature (5)
|
GLYPH (hidden word in [displays] UGLY PHOTOGRAPH) GLYPH |
GLYPH (architectural feature – an ornamental channel or fluting, usually vertical)
|
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14
|
Channels transmitting material that’s too much for other outlets (9)
|
OVERFLOWS (the clue is a cryptic definition misdirecting solvers to think about media outlets rather than water outlets) OVERFLOWS |
OVERFLOWS (pipes or channels for spare water; channels transmitting material too much for other outlets)
|
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16
|
Study about attention in school (8)
|
RE (with reference to; about) + (EAR [attention] contained in [in] SCH [school]) RE S (EAR) CH |
RESEARCH (study)
|
| 18 | Counterfeit money for bishop in jar (7) |
IRRITATE [jar] with M (money) replacing (for) RR (Right Reverend; bishop) IMITATE |
IMITATE (copy; counterfeit) |
|
19
|
Something that’s stemmed from bully tipping lager over (7)
|
COW (bully) + PILS (lager) reversed (tipping … over) COW SLIP< |
COWSLIP (species of primrose; flower; something that has a stem)
|
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20
|
Rob’s recently stolen picture from police station (7)
|
MUGS (steals; robs) + HOT (stolen) MUG SHOT |
MUGSHOT (photograph of a person’s face, especially one taken for police records)
|
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21
|
12 perhaps raised money to help school outside Reading? (7)
|
AID (reference Foreign AID [money or services to help others]) reversed (raised; down clue) + (GAM [school of whales] containing [outside] R [Reading is one of the three Rs of education, reading, writing and arithmetic) DIA< G (R) AM |
DIAGRAM (a GRAPH [entry at 12 across is a type of DIAGRAM)
|
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22
|
Unofficial Labour leader divides support (5)
|
L (first letter of [leader] LABOUR) contained in (divides) BACK (support) B (L) ACK |
BLACK (unofficial)
|
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24
|
Fare from Japan in vessel almost circumnavigating America (5)
|
SHIP (vessel) excluding the final letter (almost) P containing (circumnavigating) US (Unites States; America) S (US) SHI |
SUSHI (Japanese food [fare])
|
Morning Duncan, and thank you for the blog. The straw you were clutching for with HISTORY is R for ‘perhaps writing’, in other words one of the three Rs, in HIS TOY.
Unlike you, I saw the theme early, with HAWKING and COSMOLOGY giving me the nod. As you say, you didn’t have to know anything about his work or life to solve it. I enjoyed it, partly because of the theme – Hawking was one of the greatest intellects of his generation and his work in promoting science to the general public was exemplary. He was also very funny. If I may be permitted a personal aside, I lived for a year in the same college house as him and his then young family.
Good Tuesday puzzle – thank you to Serpent.
Thanks Duncan & Serpent. HAWKING was my FOI, so I was on the lookout for thematic answers from the start, which was a great help. I can’t claim to have known the great man, but I used to see him trundling round Cambridge in his wheelchair a lot, as well as at lectures and concerts, and my house is not far from where he lived in his latter years.
Three cheers. A fitting tribute.Well done Eddie Redmayne too.
Thanks Serpent and DS
In 28, the connection between HERALD and TRIUMPH becomes more apparent if you change the order of the words,i ie TRIUMPH HERALD, the car.
Thanks Serpent; excellent crossword tribute for a great man (who went to the same school as me).
Thanks duncanshiell; I spotted the theme early on, which did help enormously. I also had a Triumph Herald many years ago with its side-hinged bonnet that opened forwards.
Strictly, shouldn’t that be Labour’s leader in 22d?
Re TIME – “ti” is not the middle of ‘article’. I thought it was “t(h)e” with “I’m” for the “h” – although i’m<=>author’s seems a bit loose …
Thanks for the blog, couple of parsings left me scratching my head.
The third good puzzle of the day.
One made easier by spotting the theme early on.
I’d never heard of USP (in 27ac) so needed the blog for an explanation.
Funny to see two hiddens with similarities in their answers (8d, 12ac) crossing each other.
I found 1ac of a refreshing simplicity – very good clue.
Robi: Strictly, shouldn’t that be Labour’s leader in 22d? 🙂
Many thanks to Duncan & Serpent.
Agree with andysmith on TIME (I’m OK with I’m).
I parsed 17a as andysmith@6, which I’m sure is correct – nothing loose about it. The GiFT crosswords were all beauties today. It’s unusual that Serpent ended up being the easiest of the three. A lovely tribute indeed. It makes you wonder if any setters wrote a tribute crossword decades ago in anticipation of his pending demise. Thanks to Serpent and Duncan.
Meant to add thanks to Simon@4. I couldn’t think of how herald was triumph. Is there more to 12a, which seems an uncharacteristically weak clue imo?
Thanks Serpent, Duncan
A bit of a romp, once the penny dropped – friendly clues helped along with the themed solutions. 22a particularly so – a barrister’s only called a brief because s/he gets a brief.
I wondered with 6 & 7 down if it was going to be a Hawking/Bannister combo – maybe we’ll have him next week.
Stephen Hawking was my granny.
Great stuff, and more impressively quick work from setter and editor. Particularly enjoyed OVERFLOWS. And a nice reversal of the Taupi classic in 4D
Thanks to S & B
We got HAWKING as our FOI plus a couple more acrosses and thought this was going to be a real struggle. Then we got 1dn, looked at 1ac again and, suddenly, eureka! A great puzzle in tribute to a great man. We enjoyed the themed clues and also 4dn and 20dn.
Thanks, Serpent and Duncan.
Despite getting 5sc fairly early and recognising the theme, for some reason it took me ages to get 1ac.
Lovely puzzle and splendid tribute to a great man. Perhaps stretching a point here: but could the ‘Roger’ that formed part of 6d’s anagram allude to Roger Penrose, who was Professor Hawking’s collaborator?
Many thanks to Duncan for the excellent blog. Thanks, as always, to everyone who has been kind enough to solve and comment on my puzzle.
Simon S @4 and andysmith @6, respectively, have identified the intended parsing for TRIUMPH and TIME.
In answer to Hovis @9, the puzzle was written in the 36 hours after Stephen Hawking’s death. (I don’t know of any setters who are pre-compiling ‘obituary’ puzzles.)