Guardian Cryptic 27,475 by Brummie

by

Not too tricky after a slow start, with favourites 14ac and 24ac…

…and a musical ghost theme of English rock bands: DIRE STRAITS, IRON MAIDEN, RADIO/HEAD, DEEP PURPLE, LED ZEPPELIN, and the SEX PISTOLS. Thanks to Brummie

Across
8 GREY SUIT Unseen decision-maker’s habit: getting drunk Earl to join clubs, maybe? (4,4)
  Earl Grey tea is a drink, so GREY=”drunk Earl”; plus SUIT in playing cards=”clubs, maybe”
9 RADIO Medium, right before “goodbye” cut off (5)
  R[ight]; plus ADIOS=”goodbye” in Spanish with the last letter cut off
10, 25 ACID HEAD  Drug user represented by a police chief (4-4)
  A; plus CID HEAD=”police chief”, as CID=Criminal Investigation Department
11 PLAIN FACTS Unvarnished truth that prairie dwellers need to be aware of? (5,5)
  prairie dwellers live on the PLAIN
12 COMMIE Political supporter‘s note secured in advance (6)
  MI=musical “note” as in do-re-MI; inside COME=”advance”
14 TESTICLE Uncontrolled movement in tempered steel nut (8)
  TIC=”Uncontrolled movement” in (steel)*
16 PISTOLS Shakespearean character’s pieces (7)
  double definition: =a character in several Shakespeare plays [wiki]; and a piece = a gun
18 EXOTICA Curios once associated with ears (advanced) (7)
  EX=former, “once”; plus OTIC=”associated with ears”; plus Advanced
21 EMBOLDEN To encourage old men, be dishevelled! (8)
  (old men be)*
23 SECEDE Understand about the month having turned, so withdraw (6)
  SEE=”Understand”, around DECember=”month” reversed/”turned”
24 DISINHERIT Inner Greenland is in her itinerary, being cut off (10)
  Hidden in “GreenlanD IS IN HER ITinerary”
26, 4 DIRE STRAITS Dries out properties that are distressing to be in (4,7)
  (Dries)*; plus TRAITS=”properties”
27 EXTRA Run one of the film crowd (5)
  double definition: =an extra “Run” scored in cricket; or =a minor acting part in a film
28 ZEPPELIN Dual power priest involved in version of Buddhism that was full of gas (8)
  Power Power; plus ELI=biblical “priest”, in ZEN=”version of Buddhism”
Down
1 BROCCOLI Badger king’s lacking coil-shaped vegetable (8)
  BROCk=”Badger” minus king; plus (coil)*
2 BYRD Old composer‘s lark given voice? (4)
  =William Byrd [wiki]
homophone of ‘bird’=”lark given voice”
3 PURPLE Place in natural shade (6)
  PLace in PURE=”natural”
4   See 26 across
 
5, 22 IRON MAIDEN The young Thatcher’s terrible means of punishment? (4,6)
  =a torture device
Margaret Thatcher was the ‘Iron Lady’, so might have been the IRON MAIDEN when younger
6 IDEALISTIC Italicised “twirls” not practical (10)
  (Italicised)*
7 PORTAL Left beside a large, imposing gate (6)
  PORT=”left”; plus A Large
13 METHODISTS Church members‘ ways are about its conversion (10)
  METHODS=”ways” around (its)*
15 SEX It shows drug’s “up” times (3)
  E=ecstacy=drug, so E’S=”drug’s” reversed/”up”; plus X=”times” as in 2×2=two times two
17 LED Guided element of a type of display (3)
  double definition: past tense of ‘lead’; or Light Emitting Diode used in e.g. TV screens
19 CIDERKIN Cried out: “Potassium in drink!” (8)
  =a weak cider
(cried)*; plus K=chemical symbol for Potassium; plus IN
20 UNFROZE Major organisation, with Zambia in fore, oddly reacted to global warming? (7)
  United Nations=”Major organisation”; plus Zambia in (fore)*
22   See 5
 
23 SIT-UPS Exercises, that’s the thing between drinks! (3-3)
  IT=”that’s the thing”; inside SUPS=”drinks”
25   See 10
 
26 DEEP Produced a tinkle, inverted and low (4)
  PEED=”Produced a tinkled”, reversed/”inverted”

39 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,475 by Brummie”

  1. Thanks Brummie and manehi

    Fun. I loved unexpected hiddens and anagrams, so DISINHERIT and IDEALISTIC were favourites. Not sure about the equivalence of “advance” and COME in COMMIE.

    There’s most of another too, the BYRD(s)!

  2. Couldn’t miss the theme (for a change). Favourites were ZEPPELIN, EMBOLDEN and CIDERKIN. Many thanks to B & m.

  4. Memo to self – when solving crosswords in the office – try not to say solutions out loud – in this case with reference to 14a !

    This is probably famous last words, but I’m getting much better at spotting themes these days.

    Thanks to Brummie and manehi

  5. Loved this puzzle, favourite disinherit as well, embolden and ehm..testicle also caused a laugh. Great theme btw, loved it!

  6. Thanks manhei.

    Good stuff here but I made more of a meal of it than others seem to have done.

    PISTOLS and LED took ages.

    Early entries included ZEPPELIN & EXOTICA so was convinced a pangram lurked.  Therefore wasted time looking for Q and J.

    Very enjoyable crozzie and nice to have something slightly more straightforward after Maskarade’s Easter horror.

    Liked the Paulesque TESTICLE.

    Thanks, Brummie, nice week, all.

    (PS:  Missed the theme, of course)

  8. Thanks Brummie and manehi.

     

    I enjoyed this. I spotted the theme quite early on which helped with LED and BYRD – though the latter renders it more than just English rock bands.

     

  9. You must listen to CIDERKIN’s first album. Heavy metal meets psychedelia in this Somerset girl band.

    Released on the Phlogiston label.

  10. A very “entertaining” offering from Brummie, a setter whose puzzles I always appreciate.

    Favourites aside from the band names were 21a EMBOLDEN (with “dishevelled another great anagrind to add to the list) and the clever hidden in 24a, DISINHERIT.

    Having just seen Robert Plant in fine form at my Easter music festival, my “top of the pops” of the band name solutions had to be 17d and 28a LED ZEPPELIN. [So drofle@2, we had similar “likes” in common.]

    Enthusiastic applause for Brummie for the crossword and manehi for the blog.

     

  11. P.S. Have never heard of the drink CIDERKIN (19d) and did not realise it was linked to the theme – had to work it out from the wordplay.

  12. Saw DIRE STRAITS early on, thought ‘aha, theme’, then forgot to pair PURPLE, PISTOLS etc. I thought I was getting better at theme-spotting but clearly much remains to be done.

  13. Sorry, meant to acknowledge that muffin@1 had already also noted DISINHERIT. Not sure if The BYRD(S) qualifies for the theme, muffin, but I liked the suggestion, as I had missed the possible allusion.

  14. Testicles! (It’s ok to shout this out at home crypticsue) Of all the themes to miss – one of the most obvious and my area of interest. And I was looking for the theme – even Mrs W, who has little interest in rock music, saw it. I don’t know how the part of my brain that brings lateral thinking into play when solving clues goes awol when seeing themes.
    Apart from that I agree the hidden words were well……hidden. I solved this on an iPhone rather than printing it out as I usually do, and found it much harder to single out or remember particular clues as I’d no ticks or smileys to refer to. Back to paper and pen – maybe I’d have seen the theme then.
    Thanks Brummie and manehi.

  16. I was on fire today (a little bit, anyway). I spotted the theme despite knowing nothing about rock bands (if that’s what they are 😉 ) and atypically found the hidden DISINHERIT with no bother.

    I see we have MI today after SO yesterday. I’m looking forward to DO(H) tomorrow.

    Just noticed I had exotics instead of EXOTICA. No wonder I couldn’t parse the s.

    Has anyone ever drunk CIDERKIN? Doesn’t sound good to me.

    Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks Brummie, and Manehi for help with my dodgy parsing.

  17. Copmus@9 – as a search of my on board database found no reference to CIDERKIN as a band I went on line and find that Google has never heard of them or the Phlogiston label either. Maybe you could supply the appropriate links – or are they a peculiarly parochial real world only Somerset phenomenon? 🙂

  18. Crossbar@16 – one of our local cider producers in Oxfordshire (Tutts Clump) produce a “repress” cider from the once pressed pomace and it is very popular because it isn’t so strong.

  19. Thanks to Brummie and manehi. It looks like I struggled with this more than others. Right hand went in quite readily, but I struggled a bit on the left hand particularly the NW. I spent ages on the last three which were commie, Byrd and grey suit. I probably overthought it by trying to fit some anagram of earl, peer or Lord into 8a and it was only when I got Byrd (after thinking Berd or Burd) when the penny dropped. That said, an enjoyable solve and after my struggle actually quite like grey suit. Even I spotted this this theme (I mostly miss them) and thanks again to Brummie and manehi.

  20. Thanks to Brummie and manehi. I knew some but not all of the rock bands, but the clues were sufficient throughout this puzzle. CIDERKIN was new to me as was GREY SUIT as decision-maker and (as usual) I missed the cricket meaning for EXTRA. Great fun.

  21. WhiteKing @18 I wondered if copmus @9 was having us on even though April 1st has come and gone.

    I think I might refrain from the drink too. I’ll stick to the G&Ts!

  24. ACD @20. Interestingly it was “the men in grey suits” that famously forced the resignation of the older 5,22 the day after she publicly denied she had any intention of resigning ?

  26. Not too tough from Brummie – and, after initially heaving a sigh when I spotted that DIRE STRAITS was closely followed by ZEPPELIN (so I guessed there’d be a LED somewhere) – I was relieved that (a) one didn’t need GK of the theme to solve any of the clues, and (b) most of the rock groups mentioned are extremely well-known (which means, even I’d heard of them!).  The one that escaped me was IRON MAIDEN but I’m sure someone’ll fill me in…*

    I’d originally written in OTHELLO for the Shakespearian character – Othello is also a board game (similar to Go) played with counters (“pieces”?) on a grid.  But here the theme was actually a help – once I’d written in SEX I started wondering if there were any PISTOLS about – so it clicked!

    On the other hand, I’m wondering whether anyone whose knowledge of Classical/pre-Classical only matches my knowledge of Rock/Pop, would have had trouble with BYRD?  Not exactly a household name to many people, I reckon.

    Back to SEX (in a sense!).  I know that “It” is a very common simile, used one way or the other – but am I alone in getting a bit tired of it?  Not for any prudish reasons, but just because the device has been so over-used in crosswords?

    SEX aside, I’m not sure what to make of 14a.  Was Paul lurking behind Brummie with a tickling-stick, perhaps (farewell Doddy!)?

    Thanks to Brummie – very entertaining – and Manehi.

    *don’t bother!

  27. Quite an enjoyable puzzle, mostly straightforward and a theme that didn’t exactly jump out (do these bands have anything more specific in common?)

    Thanks to Brummie and manehi

  28. This was fun!  Great puzzle, loved the ghost theme.  I think there is at least one other (obscure) band name lurking in the answers: ACID PORTAL.  I only found them by Googling these terms because they sounded like plausible words for a band name.  You can see a very interesting video from them here.

    Fun fact:  The Acid Portal initially performed under a different name:  The TESTICLE SITUPS.  (Or maybe not.)

    DISINHERIT was my favorite today.

    Many thanks to Brummie and manehi and the other commenters.

  29. Thanks to Pethay@24 for the context for “men in grey suits.” A quick Google search reveals a band named Men in Grey Suits classified as “surf rock” with a 2014 song “Pray for Sex.”

  30. I wondered whether EXTRA TESTICLE might have had their musical claim to fame unjustly withheld.

    Great puzzle, enjoyable from start to finish. Excellent entertainment. It took me too long to get from EARL to GREY.

  31. Didn’t think much of this cryptically, though at least the theme didn’t require clues to be worked half to death to incorporate it.

    Worst offender? ‘That are (etc.)’ to define dire straits.

  32. Well, I got the theme- I missed RADIOHEAD though and please don’t tell me that IDEALISTIC BROCCOLI is a band! The puzzle was rather good and not at all tough. LOI was COMMIE. I hadn’t heard of CIDERKIN but it was easy enough to get.
    Thanks Brummie.

  33. Its not a bad name for a band but I seem to remember that album was titled “Les Plumes des Chevaux”
    But Commie are struggling for a release in their home stretch of West Virginia.

    I really think I should hit the hay-but in all fairness a recent puzzle with LED ZEP and maybe DIRE Straits did include some weird band names , some not worth knowing about but whoever set it included Matchbox and I was delighted to see a You tube of Rockabilly Rebel

  34. Loved this puzzle. Too many good clues to list. Favourites were Iron Maiden, Disinherit(wonderfully concealed)..though got a wiff of the theme but have only heard Zepplin & Dire Straits. Thanks Brummie & Manehi.

  35. Jolly good fun apart from Commie.
    Didn’t even spot the theme. And actually it wouldn’t have helped.

  36. Thanks to both. Four out of four before lunch this week! Today (well it is here as it is breakfast time) will probably be a stinker.

    Reply to Laccaria@26. Byrd was a famous polar explorer of a century ago so that use is definitely within GK expectations.

    Theme took me ages as usual as I sat thinking I remember RADIO attached to HEAD and then it dropped.

  37. The ‘whoever set it’ was Chalmie in the FT who on March 23rd set a superb crossword with no less than 15 bands in it.

    Whether I agree with copmus @33 when he says “some weird band names , some not worth knowing about” is another matter. Mostly a matter of taste.

    Good Brummie crossword, made quite easy by having spotted the theme almost immediately.

    Many thanks to blogger & setter.

     

     

  38. Thanks manehi. I have to say I didn’t like 18a, as I thought “exotics” fit just as well. I’m one of those people who detests the lazy one-letter clue stratagem, so I tokk “advanced” to refer to the technical term “otics”

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