Hypnos is occupying the mid-week slot this time, offering me just my second opportunity to solve and blog one of his puzzles.
I found this a fairly straightforward but nonetheless entertaining solve. I didn’t know the actor at 14 but could work out his name confidently from the wordplay. I must also admit to only vaguely knowing the composer at 19, which, once again, could be satisfactorily arrived at from the wordplay.
My favourite clues today are 8, for “young offender”, and 16, for what for me was a surprising definition.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | FASTEN | Secure fellow a weapon
F (=fellow) + A + STEN (=weapon) |
| 04 | DELE ALLI | With no end of knowhow, ideal well trained footballer
*(IDEAL <w>ELL); “with no end of knowhow” means the last letter “w” is dropped from the anagram, indicated by “trained”; the reference is to Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Dele Alli (1996-) |
| 09 | ASTUTE | Smart person that’s second in Paris occupying fantastic seat
TU (=person that’s second in Paris, i.e. the second person pronoun in French) in *(SEAT); “fantastic” is anagram indicator |
| 10 | STARSHIP | Joint faced by celebs putting vehicle in space?
STARS (=celebs) + HIP (=joint, i.e. body part); e.g. the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek |
| 11 | SUPERNOVA | Very brilliant body spun over wild area
*(SPUN OVER) + A (=area); “wild” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | HERON | Flier, brave type ending in squadron
HERO (=brave type) + <squadro>N (“ending in” means last letter only) |
| 14 | MARK RUFFALO | Notice neckwear considerably restricted for actor
MARK (=notice, as verb) + RUFF (=neckwear) + A LO<t> (=considerably; “restricted” means last letter dropped); the reference is to American actor Mark Ruffalo (1967-), best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of films |
| 18 | LUCIAN FREUD | Chance almost to transform fair nude for noted painter
LUC<k> (=chance; “almost” means last letter dropped) + *(FAIR NUDE); “transformed” is anagram indicator; the reference is to British painter and portraitist Lucian Freud (1922-2011) |
| 21 | AGONY | Game among some brings pain
G0 (=game) in ANY (=some) |
| 22 | AUTHORISE | Sanction arthouse works to tour Italy
I (=Italy) in *(ARTHOUSE); “works” is anagram indicator |
| 24 | LOMBARDY | See doctor, retired doctor, in a yard in Italian region
LO (=see) + MB (=doctor, i.e. Bachelor of Medicine) + {RD (DR=doctor; “retired” indicates reversal) in [A + Y (=yard)]} |
| 25 | DENOTE | Mean to remove memorandum, as it were
Cryptically, “to remove a memorandum” (=note) would be to “de-note“! |
| 26 | SUNBEAMS | Young man, we hear, smiles – evidence of good weather?
Homophone (“we hear”) of “son (=young man)” + BEAMS (=smiles) |
| 27 | PAST IT | Step taken by fool in decline?
PAS (=step, in ballet) + TIT (=fool, colloquially) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | FEARSOME | Frightening retainer, say, protecting Arab in this way over month
[AR (=Arab) + SO (=in this way) + M (=month, on calendar)] in FEE (=retainer, say) |
| 02 | SET APART | Keep distinctive group with a role in staged production
SET (=group) + A + PART (=role in staged production) |
| 03 | ENTER | Record kept in recent era
Hidden (“kept”) in “recENT ERa”; to record, as a verb, is e.g. to enter in a register or log |
| 05 | EXTRAVAGANT | Minor player, one in unsettled state, right away being wasteful
EXTRA (=minor player, in cast) + VAG<r>ANT (=one in unsettled state, i.e. homeless; “right (=R) away” means that letter “r” is dropped) |
| 06 | EARTHWOLF | African mammal trampling flower that time forgot
*(FLOWER THA<t>); “that time (=T) forgot” means that letter “t” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “trampling”; an earthwolf is a hyena-like wolf of Africa, also known as the aardwolf |
| 07 | LAHORE | Collective wisdom about a hot Asian city
[A + H (=hot)] in LORE (=collective wisdom, as in folklore) |
| 08 | IMPEND | Threaten to stop supporting young offender
IMP (=young offender, i.e. mischievous child) + END (=to stop) |
| 12 | OFFICIALDOM | Not wanting review of claim? I do in a realm of authority
OFF (=not wanting, as in to be off one’s food) + *(CLAIM I DO); “review of” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | RELAY RACE | Broadcast by Republican expert in event round circuit?
RELAY (=broadcast, transmission) + R (=Republican) + ACE (=expert) |
| 16 | HELIPORT | Place for taking off other exotic clothing left in pieces principally
[L<eft> I<n> P<ieces>] in *(OTHER); “principally” means first letters only; “exotic” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | ADHERENT | Commercial man gets payment for follower
AD (=commercial, as noun, i.e. advert) + HE (=man) + RENT (=payment) |
| 19 | TALLIS | Composer of quite lofty standing leaving hotel
TALLIS<h> (=of quite lofty standing, i.e. physically); “leaving hotel (=H, in radio telecommunications)” means that letter “h” is dropped; the reference is to English composer Thomas Tallis (1505-85), best known for choral music |
| 20 | COMMON | Ordinary // stretch of open land
Double definition |
| 23 | OPERA | Element of hope raises work by Britten, maybe
Hidden (“element of”) in “hOPE RAises”; the reference in the definition is to English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-76) |
Enjoyed the challenge. Didn’t know the footballer in 4a but guessed it from the anagram. Also didn’t know the composer at 19d but this was easy to get. EARTHWOLF was new to me and took some doing to work out, followed by a quick check in my Chambers. A good day for crosswords – for me at least.
Thanks to Hypnos and RatkojaRiku.
We got there with some googling to check answers worked out from wordplay and crossers. Never heard of Dele Alli, ditto Mark Ruffalo, but we were OK with the painter and the composer.
Favourites were AUTHORISE, LOMBARDY, EXTRAVAGANT and OFFICIALDOM.
Thanks, Hypnos and RatkojaRiku.
A brief follow-on from Hovis. What is the convention about dictionary usage in blocked cryptic Indy puzzles? Is it normally allowed to have answers which are words that don’t feature in either Collins or the ODE, but which do appear in Chambers?
Fine crossword from this reliable setter. perfectly pitched for mid-week.
Surprised to see 2 out of 3 commenters not having heard of Dele Alli. I must be living in a different world then. And don’t tell the editor, he’ll put you on his blacklist …. 🙂
The only thing I would like to see fully explained is how ‘that time forgot‘ leads to THA.
Many thanks to RatkojaRiko & Hypnos.
Collins gives a dialect or archaic usage of “forgot” as a past participle. So, as the word “lost” is used in “lost property”, “time forgot” means “time forgotten” as used here in the clue.
Another one to confess to a DELE ALLI knowledge deficit I’m afraid. My only excuse is that I’m in a different hemisphere, if not a different world.
I didn’t have a problem with ‘that time forgot’ in 6d and parsed it as explained by RR. Never heard of the ‘mammal’ in question though.
Not very exciting, but I liked the hidden OPERA which brought back memories of doing Britten’s ‘Noah’s Flood (Noye’s Fludde)’ at school in the late 60’s. Not the sort of music you’d usually associate with that era!
Thanks to Hypnos and RR.
Thanks, Richard, that explains it all.
Should perhaps have looked in Chambers et al before asking the question.
I had heard of the footballer (may even have seen our editor wearing a shirt bearing his name) but without the checkers I could have been there all day trying to spell his name! However, I didn’t know the actor, the lofty composer or the alternative name for an aardvark.
No stand out favourite but thanks to Hypnos and to RR for the blog.