The puzzle is to be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27583.
A pleasant solve from Brummie, which I found not too difficult, and, after chasing several wisps of a possible theme, I settled on To KILL a MOCKING BIRD, Harper Lee’s book with characters ATTICUS FINCH, SCOUT, BOO, and TOM ROBINSON – very definitely a ghost theme.
| Across | ||
| 8 | DOMINANT | Refrain from taking out main ruling (8) |
| An envelope (‘taking’) of MINA, an anagram (‘out’) of ‘main’ in DON’T (‘refrain from’). | ||
| 9 | FINCH | Bird following edge (5) |
| A xharade of F (‘following’) plus INCH (‘edge’, move slowly and carefully). | ||
| 10 | See 26 | |
| 11 | MAISONETTE | Fancy items on tea house (10) |
| An anagram (‘fancy’) of ‘items on tea’. | ||
| 12 | US OPEN | A major‘s free to go after crossword setters! (2,4) |
| A charade of US (‘crossword setters’) plus OPEN (‘free’). The ‘major’ championship could be either tennis or golf. | ||
| 14 | UNBUTTON | Loosen up large body, only to gain weight (8) |
| A charadem of UN (United Nations, ‘large body’, rather loose) plus BUT (‘only’ – “Life is but a dream”) plus TON (‘weight’) | ||
| 16 | INGRATE | One who doesn’t appreciate where a fire might be started (7) |
| IN GRATE (‘where a fire might be started’). | ||
| 18 | MOCKING | Derisory marriage of convenience initially imposed on ruler (7) |
| A xharade of M O C (‘Marriage Of Convenience initially’) plus (‘imposed on’) KING (‘ruler’). | ||
| 21 | BECHAMEL | Drunken celeb about to act badly — sauce! (8) |
| An envelope (‘about’) of HAM (‘to act badly’) in BECEL, an anagram (‘drunken’) of ‘celeb’. | ||
| 23 | SCRAWL | Unreadable stuff from singular creep (6) |
| A charade of S (‘singular’) plus CRAWL (‘creep’). | ||
| 24 | WAX LYRICAL | Polish and protect car Lily pranged — show enthusiasm! (3,7) |
| A charade of WAX (‘polish and protect car’) plus LYRICAL, an anagram (‘pranged’) of ‘car Lily’ | ||
| 26, 10 | BOOT HILL | Salvation Army man, unwell, is for the cemetery (4,4) |
| A charade of BOOTH (William, ‘Salvation Army man’, the founder, or his son Bramwell and other descendants) plus ILL (‘unwell’). | ||
| 27 | SCOUT | Pack content cut, so destabilised (5) |
| An anagram (‘destabilised’) of ‘cut so’. I take the definition to refer to Boy Scouts. | ||
| 28 | BANKROLL | Aircraft tilt and turn support (8) |
| A charade of BANK (‘aircraft tilt’) plus ROLL (‘aircraft’ ‘turn’). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ROBINSON | Tony‘s unfinished birdsong? (8) |
| ROBIN SON[g] (‘unfinished birdsong’), for Sir Anthony, whom I know as Baldrick in Blackadder. | ||
| 2 | KILL | Top knight run down (4) |
| A charade of K (‘knight’) plus ILL (‘run down’). | ||
| 3 | LAWMAN | Sheriff of a US state wearing linen (6) |
| An envelope (‘wearing’) of MA (Massachusetts, ‘a US state’) in LAWN (‘linen’). ‘Sheriff’ is an indication by example. | ||
| 4 | ATTICUS | Room taken by American correspondent with Cicero (7) |
| A charade of ATTIC (‘room’) plus US (‘American’). A collection of Cicero’s letters to his friend Titus Pomponius Atticus survives. | ||
| 5 | AFRO | Out for a cut (4) |
| An anagram (‘out’) of ‘a for’. | ||
| 6 | UNDERTAKER | You’d be done for, being laid out by such a professional (10) |
| Not very cryptic definition. | ||
| 7 | GHETTO | Got the shakes? Here’s a quarter (6) |
| An anagram (‘shakes’) of ‘got the’. | ||
| 13 | PERIHELION | Masculine person of courage following fairy’s orbital point (10) |
| A charade of PERI (‘fairy’: G&S Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri) plus HE (‘masculine’) plus LION (‘person of courage’, perhaps better taken in conjunction with HE), for the point of nearest approach in the orbit of a planet or other body circling the sun. | ||
| 15 | BOO | Report male going to express disapproval (3) |
| BOO[m] (‘report’) minus the M (‘male going’). | ||
| 17 | TOM | Large bell or half of a drum? (3) |
| Precisely ‘half’ of a TOM-TOM (‘drum’). | ||
| 19 | NEW WORLD | Term not used before, includes Latin America (formerly) (3,5) |
| An envelope (‘includes’) of L (‘Latin’) in NEW WORD (‘terrm not used before’). | ||
| 20 | PLACEBO | Spot a personal problem that makes you feel better in your head (7) |
| A charade of PLACE (‘spot’) plus BO (body odour, ‘a personal problem’) | ||
| 22 | ELAPSE | Run out of circuits to go in opposite ends of electronic device (6) |
| An envelope (‘to go in’) of LAPS (‘circuits’) in E E (‘opposite ends of Electronic devicE‘). | ||
| 23 | SPLINT | Arm support, possibly made from special fabric (6) |
| A charade of SP (‘special’) plus LINT (‘fabric’). I am not sure what ‘arm’ is doing, beyond being an example. | ||
| 25 | RITZ | It’s very expensive to get legal papers heard (4) |
| Sounds like (‘heard’) WRITS (‘legal papers’). | ||
| 26 | BIRD | Swift‘s time? (4) |
| Double definition, the second being rhyming slang for birdlime, prison time. | ||
Peter, thanks for spotting the theme.
Had an idea something was afoot; but couldn’t quite get there.
Long time since I’ve heard BOOT HILL.
Always wondered why it was called that.
Took as long to remember Sir Tony as the rest of the puzzle despite the kids being avid Blackadderphiles and mrs ginf being a great fan of Time Team; sometimes the synapses just don’t fire. Somewhat ditto for afro, which is a chestnut. I thought the ‘taken’ in 4d was a bit redundant, but no other quibbles, and the surface for placebo, feel better in your head, was very witty.
Thanks PeterO and Brummie.
Oh, and totally missed the rather glaring ghost, as per usual. [Note to self: have a ******* look!]
What a wonderful theme based on one of my favourite novels and films of all time! I had a few theme words including 18a MOCKING, but it was only when I solved SCOUT at 27a that I spotted the links. The remaining clues like 1d ROBINSON and 4d ATTICUS were then a bit of a write-in.
Thanks for the fun, Brummie. Aside from the theme words, I really liked 24a WAX LYRICAL and 26,10a BOOT HILL. And I agree with your tick for 20d PLACEBO, grantinfreo@2. My only very minor quibble was the use of ILL in both 10a HILL and 2d KILL. 13d PERIHELION was a TILT.
I appreciated the blog, PeterO, so thanks.
PS Best film Gregory Peck ever made, I reckon. Favourite quote: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his (sic.) point of view…until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.” A great maxim for life.
I enjoyed this, particularly after spotting the theme with Scout; this after thinking surely scouts are in a troop and Cubs in a pack. Agree with Julie about the film as so often films spoil a favourite book – not with this one.
Needed help from PeterO with quite a few..including the simple Afro which indeed, in spite of what I said yesterday, seems more of a TTM than a PDM! Thanks for explaining the difference, DaveMac. I prefer dropping the tray to hitting myself on the head with it.
Thanks Brummie and PeterO for a good start to the day.
Thanks Brummie and PeterO
ATTICUS led me to look for the theme, which unusually I got – I was mostly done by then, so wasn’t tempted to try to shoehorn RADLEY in somewhere.
I found the bottom much harder than the top. SCOUT, BIRD and BECHAMEL favourites.
I really enjoyed that – some quite sneaky clues in places – and I’m delighted to report that I spotted the theme!
Thanks to Brummie and PeterO
There was a theme? Got Atticus and Finch in rapid succession but didn’t click!
Faves were wax lyrical (what a delightful phrase) and the orbital point (I get great satisfaction from getting an unknown from clever wordplay alone).
Thanks to Brummie and PO.
Thanks Brummie and PeterO.
Not too difficult, I thought. I didn’t spot the theme, but that’s not surprising, since as usual I didn’t look for one. In common with others above, I wasn’t sure about a pack of SCOUTs, and would quibble mildly about two ‘ills’. PERIHELION was my favourite, PERI=fairy being a TILT.
23d: I took ‘arm’ as indeed being an example, as indicated by ‘possibly’.
Thanks both. Enjoyed this, but the theme (as usual) sailed over my head.
Trovatore @ 1 – I believe the cemeteries called BOOT HILL contain dead gunfighters, who “died with their boots on”
A very pleasant, satisfying solve. Theme flew over my head too, unnoticed…
What a missed opportunity to put in Dill at 2d particularly as it was such a poor clue as Julie in Australia has already pointed out. Fun otherwise. Thanks Brummie and PeterO.
Cant find TOM as a bell in Chambers but a google search led me to TOM Tower in Oxford.
As for the Tom Robinson band-was that his real name or was it based on the book?
Back on form for Brummie with a theme everyone likes.
copmus @14
Great Tom could be one of several bells; the most well-known being the one in Tom Tower, Oxford.
There’s the Boo Radleys, too….
I had HARRISON at 1D – HARRI(s) (hawk) + SON(g), ref Tony H poet. Meant I couldn’t complete the whole diagram
For an extra thematic answer, Atticus Finch could perhaps be described as a LAWMAN.
Xjpotter@13 what a good spot – I was looking for Dill and then busy congratulating myself on remembering that n is knight not k! All to no avail.
Hedgehog @18
I knew that it chess a knight is now N (and used to be Kn), so I checked, and K for knight is there in Chambers – obviously not in a chess context. (KCMG perhaps?)
Xjplotter @13. I’m not sure that choosing to have kill, mocking and bird rather than dill, mocking and bird can be classed as a missed opportunity in this particular crossword!
Hedgehog @6. Probably not what Brummie intended by ‘cut’ but (cub) SCOUT(s) do come in a pack so it just about works (like many of his clues)!
p.s. @ PeterO Thanks for the blog. On the needlessly pedantic front parsing of 28 should be (aircraft tilt) (roll), bank and roll are essentially the same in flying terms and ‘aircraft turn’ as in left or right would be yaw.
Good point Robert. Suitably chastised.
me @21 (aircraft tilt) (turn) why do I always spot the typos just after hitting the post button?
I probably mean suitably chastened. Or perhaps both. Still think Dill would have fitted in neatly in a couple of other places.
Xjplotter @24 Neither hopefully, it would have been a good addition. Possibly betraying my lowbrow nature but Dill brings a different author to my mind – the late, great Michael Bond via Dill the dog!
Thanks to Brummie and PeterO. I spotted the theme for the second time this week, although not quite as easy as ABC this time.
I adored the book as a teenager, when my Penguin (book not biscuit …) copy had “6 million copies sold” on the front. My younger daughter adores the book too and says she would call any daughter she has Scout. And I agree that Gregory Peck never did a finer performance.
PS now “over 30 million sold”
As ever I missed the theme. Even after filling in ATTICUS and thinking “I don’t know this classical Atticus, the only one I know is Finch.” D’oh!
A few tiny points, which don’t take away from the fine blog: I don’t think you need “car” twice in the explanation for WAX LYRICAL. WAX can be just “polish and protect.” AFRO is an anagram of “for a”, not “a for.”
Thanks, Brummie and PeterO.
Thanks to Brummie and PeterO. I spotted the ghost theme only after completing the puzzle. I got ATTICUS from my reading of the Robert Harris Imperium trilogy but did not know Tony Robinson or TOM as a bell. MAISONETTE was my LOI (I needed all the crossers).
Thank you Brummie for a lovely and PeterO for a super blog.
My favourite 20th century book in English – I thought 23d was a hint for Jem who had his arm broken.
@30, that, of course, should be “Thank you Brummie for a lovely puzzle” – and thank you again.
ACD @ 29: MAISONETTE was my FOI. How different we all are! I didn’t find the puzzle particularly easy though. It took me a couple of sessions, with the NW corner holding out longest. Also, being largely ignorant of literature and despite “over 30 million sold”, I missed the theme.
Thanks to Brummie and PeterO.
I can’t believe that I only spotted the theme after getting ATTICUS, my penultimate one (DOMINANT was last). Found this a little tough in places, but enjoyed the challenge.
Thanks to Brummie and PeterO
Very nice. Clever to include Mocking Bird Hill – very popular song late 50s or 60s – Patti Page among many who recorded it. Pardon this VOAP intrusion.
I’ve got on quite well with the last few Brummies but I found this rather hard going. I did get the theme though. I haven’t read the book I’m ashamed to say, but I have seen the film and I seem to remember a radio dramatisation. I have read the Robert Harris Cicero trilogy which is where I got Atticus from and it was this that gave me the theme. I liked BOOT HILL and GHETTO and ROBINSON and US OPEN were the LOI.
Thanks Brummie
Just one quibble – I’d say 18a is derisive, rather than derisory…
Thanks to Peter O for clearing up those difficult points and Brummie for a superb puzzle.. Loved the theme which I spotted early on with Atticus ( most unusually!). and this helped a lot.
Loved maisonette and bechamel and all the linked clues.But struggled with boot hill and perihelicon.. New word for me.
I have to add I always love to read all your comments, especially Julie in Australia, yours are always and fair often coincide with my own thoughts. Thanks to all in the Guardian crossword community..
Sorry that should be perihelion I think!
Loved loved LOVED the ghost theme today! I had the good fortune of spotting it early on, as I got ATTICUS shortly after FINCH (looking back, I think BOO and MOCKING were already in by then also), and that made it much easier to spot TOM, SCOUT, KILL, BIRD and ROBINSON.
Like Xjpotter @13 (etc.) I thought there was a missed opportunity to get DILL in there — not at 2d, given the need to have KILL in the puzzle, but rather at 10 ac (in which case Brummie would have needed to find some other answer and/or clue for 26ac), given that BOOT HILL was not thematically related. The fact that other possible TKAM-related words that I looked for hopefully — such as Jem, Calpurnia, Jean Louise, Radley, Arthur, Ewell, Heck Tate, Harper Lee, Maycomb, and the positively epic Tim Johnson (the key character of one of my favorite episodes from both the book and the movie) — were not in the puzzle did not detract in any way from my enjoyment of this ghost theme.
Like Cookie @30, I was willing to think of SPLINT as a possible reference to Jem’s broken arm (although I do not recall whether a splint is actually part of that episode).
I enjoyed the musical references from copmus @14 and muffin @15, although I am less familiar with the Tom Robinson band than with the Boo Radleys. But the song I immediately cued up on YouTube, once I spotted the theme and as I continued solving, was this.
Many thanks to Brummie and PeterO and the other commenters.
I was all set to grumble about Tony being the definition for ROBINSON but after having the theme pointed out to me, all is forgiven. Despite being raised in the South, somehow TKAM was never required reading for me, something I regretted once I finally took time to read it (much) later in life.
I enjoyed reading the blog and comments more than doing the puzzle, despite getting the theme straightaway as my first two in were ATTICUS and FINCH! About half of the clues went in without too much difficulty and the other half was a real struggle. I did like INGRATE which I don’t think has been mentioned. I thought (and still do) think the clue for ROBINSON is dreadful. On that grumpy note I think I should take myself off to bed!
Robert, I agree that bank and roll are the same thing but yaw on its own will not turn an aircraft, if you yaw and keep the wings level you will just fly sideways. To turn you need both roll and yaw (stick and rudder together).
Mmmm – years ago I saw the film and thought “this isn’t a book I want to read”. After the eulogies here, I thought that I might try it. I gave up about 1/3 of the way through – I’m really not seeing it. The conceit of having the story narrated by a six-year old really dosn’t work for me.