Paul makes his weekly appearance on Thursday this week.
A bit of a mixture of straightforward clues and a few trickier ones, including a couple of amusing ‘homophones’ and one or two where the wordplay is rather intricately entwined with the definition.
An enjoyable solve – thank you, Paul.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Queen of puddings? (9)
CHARLOTTE
Rather nifty double / cryptic definition: charlotte is a pudding made of fruit and crumbs of cake or bread, presumably named after the queen – and then queen of puddings is an entirely different dessert, topped with meringue
6 Say, have you any idea who’s the love goddess? (4)
JUNO
Sounds like [say] ‘D’you know’ [have you any idea] – Venus is more usually known as the goddess of love – Juno is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Hera, goddess of [love and] marriage
8 Mother better organised, chaps devoured by her (8)
MANEATER
MA [mother] + NEATER [better organised]
9 Time on river that captures special moments (6)
CAMERA
CAM [river] + ERA [time]
10 Unfortunate windy sound on loo, girl may be heard? (6)
WHEEZE
Sounds something like [may be heard] what a girl does on the loo [I think – but please see comment 1 😉 ]
11 Haunt accommodating lucky character (retired), oh for the bottle! (8)
DEMIJOHN
DEN [haunt] round a reversal [retired] of JIM [Kingsley Amis’ lucky character] + OH
12 Some steps taken, figured out puzzle (6)
JIGSAW
JIG [some steps taken] + SAW [figured out]
15 Watch muscle gets into condition (8)
SPECTATE
PEC [muscle] in STATE [condition]
16 Matter involving educating appalling children, primarily? (8)
TEACHING
THING [matter] round initial letters [primarily] of Educating Appalling Children – having been a teacher, I daren’t call this &lit, so educating must do double duty
19 Always playing music, supreme on the fiddle (missing you) (6)
SEMPRE
Anagram [on the fiddle] of S[u]PREME minus u [missing you] – a musical direction that a piece should be played in the same manner throughout
21 Free deer trapped by heartless relation (8)
UNBUCKLE
BUCK [deer] in UN[c]LE [heartless relation]
22 Metal chain, ounce perhaps? (6)
FELINE
FE [iron – metal] + LINE [chain] for the familiar crossword snow leopard
24 Cool Belgian briefly spoken? (6)
PHLEGM
Sounds like [spoken] a contraction [briefly] of Flem[ish] or Flem[ing] [Belgian] – ‘cool’ as a noun, as in ‘to lose one’s cool’
25 Something read thus in lecture (8)
CLASSICS
SIC [thus] in CLASS] [lecture] – another neat one: CLASSICS [Latin and Greek] is a subject to be read for a degree and SIC is Latin for thus
26 Creative wake, say, to see off leader (4)
ARTY
[p]ARTY [wake, say]
27 In brief drop, royal character getting permission to fly (9)
CLEARANCE
LEAR [royal character] in CANCE[l] [drop]
Down
1 Pound in money jar (5)
CLASH
L [pound] in CASH [money]
2 Forever youthful wrinkly gal, see, heading for Scotch (7)
AGELESS
Anagram [wrinkly] of GAL SEE + S[cotch] – this made me laugh, being rather close to home, except that I don’t like Scotch [Sauvignon, perhaps 😉 ]
3 In general, it helps to be supple (5)
LITHE
Hidden in generaL IT HElps
4 Ultimately, subject raised stirred up passionate outbursts (7)
TIRADES
[subjec]T + an anagram [stirred up] of RAISED
5 Broken by premier of chefs, code of added ingredients proves a hindrance (9)
ENCUMBERS
E NUMBERS [code of added ingredients] round C[hefs]
6 Harrier bound to get black (4,3)
JUMP JET
JUMP [bound] + JET [black]
7 PM once great leader? (5,4)
NORTH STAR
[Lord] NORTH [PM once] + STAR [great] – the North Star guides sailors
13 Arctic hooker, she was scuppered by me, I said? (3,6)
ICE ANCHOR
Sounds like [I said] ‘I sank ‘er’ [she was scuppered by me]
14 Rose that needs cutting, heavens mother inspired! (6,3)
WHISKY MAC – see here
WHIC[h] [that, cut] round SKY [heavens] + MA [mother – for the second time]
17 With little manners, curled snakes on top of you (7)
CRUDELY
Anagram [snakes] of CURLED + Y[ou]
18 Officer in triumph observing Scottish valley (7)
GLENCOE
NCO [officer] in GLEE [triumph – I wondered about this definition but Collins has ‘great merriment or delight, often caused by someone else’s misfortune’] – the scene of the infamous massacre
20 Old curse, fifty squeezed into French accommodation? (7)
MALISON
L [fifty] in MAISON [French acconnodation] – the opposite of benison [blessing] which may be more familiar
22 Original character in lady encapsulated by bright talent (5)
FLAIR
L[ady] in FAIR [bright]
23 Some garden perhaps under final flicker of sun, which shines (5)
NACRE
ACRE [some garden perhaps] under [su]N – NACRE = mother-of-pearl
Thanks both. I think that the girl in 10a is Louise (loo + wheeze)
Thanks, Shirl – I stared at that one for ages and that was the best I could do!
Thanks Paul and Eileen
I didn’t come up with a girl for WHEEZE either. “Rose” was a pretty specialist definition for WHISKY MAC – I had to Google to make sense of it.
Favourite was ICE ANCHOR.
10 ac: I think ‘louise’ (girl may be heard) fits better to ‘loo-wheeze’
Sorry – didn’t see Shirl’s earlier comment!
I read “original character” as the definition in 22 and couldn’t work out where “talent” was coming from. 10a is a nice triple (wheeze/wees/Louise). Thanks!
Thanks Eileen. As a Paul admirer, I didn’t initially feel this was one of his best. The strangeness of some of the surfaces signalled the definitions a bit too clearly for me. But going back over it after finishing, I think the overall cleverness more than makes up for such reservations. So, thank you Paul.
Thanks, Eileen.
Bullhassocks @7 first comment rather nails it for me. I, too, am a long-term fan of Mr Halpern but I feel he’s become less careful with his surfaces than he once was. There’s plenty to admire here too but, rather than just throw out that comment, I thought it fairer to give examples. “Watch muscle gets into condition” and “With little manners, curled snakes on top of you” make for clunky reading at best. There are a few more but I won’t labour the point.
Ticks at SEMPRE & CLASSICS.
Nice week all.
I got the Lou – ise bit, but why ‘unfortunate’? We’ve had ‘wheeze’ recently with a British meaning I didn’t know then and now can’t remember. Does it ring a bell? 🙂
paddymelon @9: I thought ‘unfortunate’ was just part of the def. Meaning a wheeze is something you’d rather not have.
I tend to agree with Bullhassocks@7 and William@8, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I usually enjoy Paul’s puzzles. It just didn’t seem as neat as usual, or else I couldn’t get on his wavelength properly.
I had to smile at the additional ideas re 19a LOU-WHEEZE that have been added. Thanks Shirl@1. Like muffin@3 I needed Google to check WHISKY MAC 14d – I thought it was a cocktail made with whiskey and didn’t know it was a rose as well. I liked 25a CLASSICS and when I solved it I hoped you would be the blogger, Eileen, as I know you would have enjoyed that one when you saw it.
Thanks to Paul and all contributors.
…PS I must admit not quite seeing the Lou – ise gag but now that I do, it’s one of my favourites.
Yes RogerGS re 10a, and it’s Paul riffing on scatology to create misdirection, quite neat, and quite him. Similar reflexivity in 25a, as Eileen notes.
The top half rattled in, then a bit more of a slog. I liked Juno as I find texting tedious and use dju for did you, cnu for can you, vue for have you, etc. And I liked phlegm for impeturbability/coolness, tho can’t quite imagine substituting them. I was happy to nut out the rose from wordplay tho as I said it’s just slog, no pdm. That said, I like Paul, his devices are sort of straight.
Thanks Paul and Eileen.
PS: biffed ‘clearance’ from crossers, didn’t revisit, so completely missed Lear in cance[l].
13A. ‘she’ and the letters in ‘me, I said’ led me, unthinkingly, to fill in ICE MAIDEN. I realised my mistake when PHLEGM struck me as the answer for 24A.
An enjoyable solve indeed. Thank you to Paul and Eileen
6a reminded me of my mother who, if one of us said didn’t say ‘do you know’ correctly, would always say ‘Juno was the wife of Jupiter’!
Like grantinfreo@13 the top half went in quickly (NW corner especially), but then a struggle ensued. Yes, some clues were a bit clunky, but made up for by DEMIJOHN, ICE ANCHOR and ENCUMBERS. Many thanks to Paul and Eileen.
Thank you Paul and Eileen, and others who got the Louise WHEEZE.
The clue for GLENCOE made me smile, my late husband was a brilliant classicist, but rather uncoordinated, at his kindergarten the children were taught to knit, it was beyond him, when the teacher asked “do you want to give up knitting, Bobby” he replied “With glee”.
The aspect of 18D that held me up for a bit was that Paul fits three kinds of officer into seven letters, including Col and Gen, but used the NCO in the clue.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen. My experience similar to grantinfreo@13 and drofle@17. Top half went in quite readily and when I looked top half virtually complete and next to nothing in the bottom half. Eventually the SW went in, but then spent ages on the SE. Another who had to google whisky mac, and never fully parsed Glencoe or clearance. Last two classics and nacre (certainly no acres in my garden). That said still an enjoyable challenge and liked ice anchor in particular. Thanks again to Paul and Eileen.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen. I enjoyed this and the eternal schoolboy in me part ig clearly enjoyed the scatalogical interpretation of WHEEZE.
But the main reason I’ve come onto this board so much earlier than my usual habit is that I’d like to comment on the furore a couple of days ago – the FIONA SHAW saga. In particular I’d like to endorse your comments, Eileen, and those who supported you. I found some of the contrary opinions expressed about the theme of that puzzle rather churlish. There seems to be a view amongst some people that goes something like this: “My general knowledge is reasonable fodder for a setter to use but if I haven’t heard of some fact or am ignorant of the subject then it’s boring and somehow illegitimate.” Speaking personally, and as someone who has worked in the performing arts for most of my life, I enjoyed that particular theme a lot and was grateful to read more about Fiona Shaw’s fascinating career. If, on the other hand, the theme had been on the sporting Langers, for example (whether Bernard, Alfie or Justin), well, that would have been great too. Intellectual snobbery, inverted or otherwise, should not be a part of crosswording.
(IMHO) Rant over!
“part ig” = “particularly”, don’t you know.
One of Paul’s tougher ones, particularly the bottom half. MALISON and the WHISKY MAC rose were new to me, and PHLEGM took me ages to see.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen
Like several others, I whizzed through the top half but hit a drought down under. Got there in the end though. I’m with the drinkers who didn’t know the bloom, only the cocktail. New words for me were SEMPRE and NACRE but the clues made it a fair contest. As in a previous puzzle, I completely forgot about ounce = snow leopard and so took ages to get FELINE. I really must try and remember that one.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen. I got off to a very slow start with little success on my first pass but did pick up the pace thereafter. Like others I did not know WHISKY MAC and PHLEGM was my LOI.
Gert Bycee@22 I agree on the Fiona Shaw question. I have frequently been led to good things via crosswords and that was one of them.I am now determined to get a DVD or something of her doing HG, Electra
Harry Potteror Medea.It was a puzzle that led me to Wendy Cope too.AS FOR Paul today-like the football-the top half sailed in while we were 1-0.
But the bottom half was slower as things started sinking in Moscow.
At least I finished this- I never knew Whisky Mac was a rose but wasnt surprised. Sounds like a good way to make use of a “budget” scotch.
Many tanks to Eileen and Paul.
My wife had heard of the rose and I got the sic in the class, so between us we got there! Tough but fair and we both loved the ‘cool’ clue! Thanks to everyone.
I enjoyed this, notwithstanding a smattering of awkward surfaces, as noted by others. I thought the homophone clues — JUNO, ICE ANCHOR, PHLEGM, and my CotD, [loo-]WHEEZE — were great fun. I also liked FELINE.
I was not previously familiar with WHISKY MAC, MALISON, or the “E numbers” portion of ENCUMBERS, but once the crossers were in, the clueing for each was so precise that there was no guesswork involved, only a few TILT Google searches to perform after the puzzle was done.
Many thanks to Paul and Eileen and the other commenters. Special nod to Gert Bycee @21 – well said!
Can I agree with Gert Bycee @21. After finally managing to crack WHISKY MAC it did occur to me that that was a far more obscure reference than anything mentioned in the Fiona Shaw debate. But no complaint on my part.
As for GLENCOE, I can’t help remembering the story of the American tourist arriving late in the evening at Ballachulish and trying unsuccessfully to find something to eat. “But surely there must be McDonalds near here?” The answer came: “Not any more there aren’t”.
I love it, g larsen. 😉
Oh Blimey, we’re still on about Fiona Shaw are we? I certainly didn’t say she was illegitimate as a crossword clue, only that I’d never heard of her and I didn’t particularly enjoy the crossword in which the lady featured. Fair enough,surely?
Anyway,I found this rather more difficult to get into than is usually the case with Paul and it certainly took me longer to complete.I didn’t get the girl in WHEEZE and, while I knew WHISKY MAC,I didn’t realise I knew it until I looked it up if you see what I mean. I had them in the garden when I live d in Cornwall.
Nice to see my mate the OUNCE showing up again in 22ac and equally nice to to add MALISON to my vocabulary.
Thanks Paul.
This was a north then south project for me too. When I stopped being fixated on ‘thus’ = SO in 25a CLASSICS, and allowed the equally obvious possibility ‘thus’ = SIC, NACRE and CLEARANCE quickly followed, then game over.
All in all, a very satisfying solve, completed in two sessions in beautiful parkland without any online or print references getting in my way. There was a lot to enjoy, although I didn’t really get the two homophonic clues WHEEZE and ICE ANCHOR until I came here. The other homophone, for JUNO, was easy enough, though, and was great fun.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen
My experience has been voiced by others – clunky surfaces offset by neat clues (and 2 TILTS); top half straightforward, bottom half a struggle; fixated on SO like AlanB; loi was ARTY and I liked the homophones.
Re the FS debate – if humans can get into a tizz over something as trivial as a crossword it’s not surprising we’ve got the stand offs we have in the world. If only the consequences were as insignificant as a difference of opinion over the crossword!
Thanks to Paul and Eileen.
Not too happy with ‘some garden’ for ‘acre’ but otherwise OK.
LOI was WHEEZE and even then I failed to understand it properly.
Thanks to Paul and to Eileen.
13d. First thought at 13d was Eskimo Nell as the arctic hooker but it didn’t fit, unfortunately, and maybe rugby club rhymes wouldn’t have been GK enough for some.
Thanls to Paul and Eileen.
Had to give up here, dnf not knowing whisky mac, demijohn, nacre or phlegm in this sense…so lots I learned today
Wanted to add though that based on my experience of teaching, 16 does qualify as &lit ?
‘?’ should read 😉 [winking smiley face emoji]
I was held up a bit looking for something extra-punny due to the question-mark at the end of 20d. Wouldn’t the clue work just as well without it?
Dr. Whatson @38 – that’s what I thought.
[Eileen – I know it’s a day late (have had problems accessing, and posting to, fifteensquared) but wanted to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I didn’t need Ms Hayes to remind me that it, and the Bastille, fell on the same day. That must have been a lovely surprise (Saturday’s prize, not the storming!) – isn’t she kind and thoughtful? I didn’t want to wait ’til next weekend to wish you very many happy returns and thank you for all your generosity in helping to keep this site thriving.
William x ]
William F P @40
Apologies for the delay – I’ve been out all day at yet more celebrations.
Many thanks for your kind wishes. As you know, I can’t possibly comment on this weekend’s prize puzzle until next Saturday, when, coincidentally, it happens to be my blog, would you believe?
Fantastic! What great timing (or subtle planning?!). I imagine, therefore, you will receive many good wishes next weekend; a possible record for belated birthday wishes? You will, of course, not hear them from me – it can remain our little secret that, for once, I was an early (albeit late) contributor!
I had a feeling your celebrations would carry through the weekend – and next. Remember life begins at forty – and that your age now is most likely the new forty!
I know this is a very late comment (I am a rather slow solver) and that no-one will probably read it. However, I am surprised that no-one has pointed out that 18 down should be two words (4,3) and not one. This is because the name of the dale is Glen Coe (as shown in the link in Eileen’s parsing). The name of the settlement in it being Glencoe.
Thanks to Paul for the crossword, thanks to Eileen for the parsing and thanks to g larsen for the joke.