Knut’s puzzles generally present interesting challenges, and today’s is no exception.
We assumed that there would be a theme to today’s puzzle, partly because it’s Tuesday and partly because of the Setter. However, we didn’t tumble to the theme untill after completion of the grid. There was a strong hint in 1ac that this was the gateway clue to the theme, but intiilally we could see no reference to it apart from 12/20/22.
Bert then remembered a song featuring 13ac,15ac, 18ac and 24ac but couldn’t remember all the words or who had recorded it – not one of his favourite tracks. An electronic search soon led to The Jacksons’ ‘Blame it on the Boogie’, released in 1978. Are there other ‘blame’ references in the grid?
We wondered whether we should highlight part of 28ac as the person to blame for the mess Brexit has got us into? The clue certainly seems to suggest a nod in that direction.
We had some difficulty parsing a few of the clues and it took some research to confirm the prounciation of the Belgian politician’s first name in 24ac, but as ever with Knut this was an enjoyable challenge.
Across
1 Reckless gamble a feature of theme, when it comes to pointing the finger? (3,5,4)
THE BLAME GAME
An anagram of GAMBLE A (anagrind is ‘reckless’) ‘featuring’ in THEME – the gateway clue for the theme – thanks Hovis @2 for pointing out the ‘A’ missing earlier
10 A bit of Malbec; not all Argentinians knock it back in a single gulp! (3,2,4)
ALL AT ONCE
Hidden (‘a bit of’) and reversed (‘knock it back’) in MalbEC NOT ALL Argentinians
11 Where Putin says “yes” to a cuppa? (5)
DACHA
Cryptic definition – DA (Russian for ‘yes’) CHA (tea – ‘a cuppa’)
12/20/22 Pet excuse used by student? (3,3,3,2,8)
THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK
Cryptic definition – the pet being the dog
13 Spurn Point, according to Spooner, a great source of vitamin D (8)
SUNSHINE
A Spoonerism of SHUN (spurn) SIGN (point)
14 Post office engaging worker – it’s for the Xmas season (5)
PANTO
PO (Post Office) round or ‘engaging’ ANT (worker)
15 Low note suggestive of frivolty in Beethoven sonata (9)
MOONLIGHT
MOO (low) N (note) LIGHT (suggestive of fiolity)
18 Happy days for Godot, newly semi-retired (4,5)
GOOD TIMES
An anagram of GODOT (anagrind is ‘newly’) + SEMI reversed or ‘retired’
20 See 12
22 See 12
24 Take steps to heckle Verhofstadt loudly (6)
BOOGIE
BOO (heckle) + a homophone (‘loudly’) of GUY (apparently the first name of Mr Verhofstadt, a Belgian politician, whose name when pronounced in Belgian sounds like the GIE in boogie)
26 Terminated FBI agent being probed by the taxman in the past (5)
FIRED
FED (FBI agent) round or ‘probed by’ IR (Inland Revenue – ‘taxman in the past’)
27 Violent uni bovver for Jacob Rees-Mogg? (3,6)
BON VIVEUR
An anagram of UNI BOVVER – anagrind is ‘violent’. Did Knut have to choose him as an example?
28 T. May’s predecessor taking on Europe following article in best-selling Florentine work (3,9)
THE DECAMERON
D CAMERON (‘T May’s predecessor’) round or ‘taking on’ E (Europe) after THE (article)
Down
2 Painter, after short vacation, to live at home (7)
HOLBEIN
HOL (‘short’ vacation) BE (live) IN (at home)
3 Leave dive showing a moon (6,3)
BOTTOM OUT
If someone is mooning he or she will have his or her BOTTOM OUT
4 Tossing this old coin won’t make a difference (4)
ANNA
As a palindrome, ANNA won’t change when reversed or ‘tossed'< Any reference to palindromes reminds of us BOLTON and the Monty Python parrot sketch.
5 Poor excuse about flipping rubbish estate managers (9)
EXECUTORS
An anagram of EXCUSE (anagrind is ‘poor’) round ROT (rubbish) reversed or ‘flipped’
6 Chain up small, inebriate woman (5)
ANDES
A reversal (‘up’ in a down clue) of S (small) EDNA (inebriate woman, as in the 1971 ‘Play for Today’ TV drama)
7 Eating out, being sick having thrown up starter (7)
ETCHING
rETCHING (being sick) without or ‘having thrown up’ the first letter or ‘starter’
8 Apr. 8. Shot aardvark (5-3)
EARTH-PIG
An anagram of APR EIGHT – anagrind is ‘shot’
9 It could have layers of cracknel at regular intervals (4)
CAKE
Alternate or ‘regular’ letters of CrAcKnEl
15 Never to be forgotten, Mike’s Elba/Rome trip (9)
MEMORABLE
M (Mike in the phonetic alphabet) + an anagram a reversal (‘trip’) of ELBA ROME – thanks Hovis @2 for pointing this out
16 First steer hide Henry dropped in the compound (4,5)
LEAD OXIDE
LEAD (first) OX (steer) hIDE without or ‘dropping’ the h (Henry)
17 Thanks to Mary – she of the 9s – embracing yen for soft fruit (8)
TAYBERRY
TA (thanks) BERRY (Mary Berry of ‘cake’ (9) fame as in the Great British Bake Off) round or ’embracing’ Y (yen)
19 Apprentice head over heels about music mag – deservedly so (2,5)
ON MERIT
TIRO (apprentice) reversed or ‘head over heels’ round NME (New Musical Express – ‘music mag’)
21 Toledo resident composer not a novelist (2,5)
EL GRECO
ELGaR (composer) without the ‘a’ ECO (Umberto Eco, Italian novelist)
22 With which one wields the axe (that’s funny!) over newspaper (4)
HAFT
HA (‘that’s funny’) FT (newspaper)
23 BBC boss invested in small Scottish club (5)
WEDGE
DG (Director General – BBC boss) ‘invested’ in WEE (Scottish word for ‘small’)
25 One formerly from the 6 stored in tin can (4)
INCA
Hidden or ‘stored’ in tIN Can – the Incas formerly inhabited the Andes (6d)
*anagram
I thoroughly enjoyed this without ever having heard of the 1a-or noticing a theme.In fact 1a was LOI.
Really liked BON VIVEUR and FIRED.
Thanks Knut and B&J
Small typo in 1a. It is an anagram of GAMBLE + A in THEME. Also, I think 15d is a little cleverer in that it is not so much an anagram but a reversal.
Missed the theme though I well remember the song.
I think 12/20/22 fits the ‘blame’ theme.
Thanks to Knut and Bertandjoyce.
Thanks Hovis for your comments – you are correct on all three counts. When we have access to the computer again later today we will make the corrections.
We found this fairly straightforward with lots to like, but failed to spot the theme and couldn’t parse BOOGIE, our LOI.
In 15dn we initially thought it was an anagram but then saw it as M + (ELBA ROME)< with ‘trip’ as in ‘trip up’ as a reversal indicator.
Thanks, Knut and B&J.
Really enjoyed the puzzle and the themage. Many thanks Knut and Bertandjoyce.
Is Jacob Rees-Mogg merely ironic or am I missing something? Sorry to have to ask.
I’d never heard of Spurn Point – looks like an atoll in most of the google pics. Very satisfying clue.
Also, not sufficiently aware of Verhofstadt to get Guy without looking him up, then spent a stupid minute trying to think of words rhyming with high. Pleased to say I knew the song, though. 1a last one in, which made it all click into place beautifully.
Thanks Knut, Bertandjoyce
James@6. JRM is highly unlikely to ever face the humiliating realisation that, despite working your rear end off, your children won’t eat unless you go to a food bank.
Despite the inclusion of JRM we enjoyed the solve, thanks Knut , Bert and Joyce.
Thanks to Bert&Joyce for the blog and to those kind enough to have commented. And here was me thinking of B&J carving graceful shapes on the floor of the Leicester Mecca ballroom back in the day to the sound of the Jacksons; how wrong I was.
@James. When I were a lad, my dad used to take me fishing from the beach at Spurn Point – it’s the shifting sandbar at the northern side of the mouth of the Humber. Atlases have it as Spurn Head but the locals all call it “Point” (not that it matters much).
I think the story about JRM’s minder being in a bit of a punch-up with some students at a speech of his at Oxford was in the news while I was writing this.
Best wishes to all, Rob/Knut
A bit late in the day, but corrections now included as pointed out by Hovis @2.
Thanks to Knut for stopping by – we did actually meet in 1965 at a dancing class in Bristol, our home city, but by 1978 we were into rather heavier music than the Jacksons!
Meant to comment on this earlier – a very enjoyable crossword.
Thanks to K B & J
Excellent puzzle (again) from Knut.
Really enjoyable.
Unfortunately, not 100% as E (in 28ac) is not an accepted abbreviation for ‘Europe’ (unlike ‘European’ and ‘Euro(s)’). We all think it is but it is not [Europe seems to be ‘not’ anyway]. But let’s not start 1ac.
Missed the theme, happy to have missed it.
Many thanks Bertandjoyce & Knut.