A relatively straightforward preamble this week.
In MUSICAL THEME AND VARIATIONS, the THEME (16dn) is a musical work — probably its composer’s best-known piece — and the VARIATIONS are literally based on its title. Solvers must listen to the composer before entering the answers to across clues; the resulting entries are not real words. Down entries are entered normally. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended, but does not contain 36dn, which can be found in Webster’s.
Over at The Listener, Jago has had a few 15×10 grids, including one at the end of last year which he blogged at Listen With Others. They are generally on the easier side of hard and, starting on the down clues since the entries were undoctored, this proved to be the case here with many slotted in.
Trying the acrosses, 1 and 12 made me consider swapping the positions of A and B. That idea was soon rubbished, and it looked as though Bs were just replaced by As, but exactly why had to wait. When 16dn CARMEN was revealed, it brought a smile to realise that the composer BIZET was the cause of the change in the grid such that every B’s A!
The six variations were thus founders of current car companies: PEUGEOT, OPEL, FERRARI, FORD, CITRÖEN and PORSCHE.
Good fun, as usual, from Jago.
Solving time: less than an hour.
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | PASO DOBLE | This may be heard at bullfights – ‘Blood please!’ … it’s all rubbish (excuse the French!) (9, two words) (BLOOD PLEASE – LE (the, French))* |
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| 9 | BECK | Bow seen in a small river (4) 2 meanings |
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| 12 | BEL PAESE | Peel base off soft cheese (8, two words) (PEEL BASE)* |
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| 13 | DUMPBIN | It’s a container, stupid – holding first of produce within (7) DUMB (stupid) containing P(roduce) + IN (within) |
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| 14 | HEBENS | Fowl eating live trees, in the olden days (6) HENS (fowl) containing BE (live) |
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| 17 | BIRTH | Origin of Man – or is it bunk, as they say? (5) sounds like BERTH (bunk) |
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| 19 | OFFBEAT | Whacky feat of bravery: primarily, weird! (7) (FEAT OF B(ravery))* |
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| 21 | BURP | Disgusting sound coming from alehouse; regurgitating last of beer imbibed (4) PUB< (alehouse, regurgitated=reversed) containing (bee)R |
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| 23 | BEGAT | Produced large headgear for Cockneys, reportedly? (5) sounds like BIG ’AT (large headgear, Cockney) |
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| 24 | ENROBE | Dress for the Archbishop of York, possibly? Not! (It’s all about-face) (6) (EBOR (York, possibly) + NE (not))< |
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| 27 | BREMEN | Munchen gutted: beer brewed in another German city! (6) (M(unche)N BEER)* |
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| 28 | TUBER | Underground root, initially? (5) TUBE (Underground) + R(oot); &lit. clue |
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| 29 | IGBO | Nigerian fellow in big boots (4) in bIG BOots |
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| 30 | TRUE RIB | I reckon it’s a bone that’s attached correctly: but I err badly (7, two words) (BUT I ERR)* |
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| 34 | BEAUT | Fine and dandy – to a T! (5) BEAU (dandy) + T |
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| 36 | BIOTIC | Double the amount of ears on living things? (6) BI- (double the amount, prefix) + OTIC (of the ears) |
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| 37 | BOLLARD | Two lengths supplied in sawn timber post (7) LL (two lengths) in BOARD (sawn timber) |
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| 38 | BUM’S RUSH | American asses stampede, making an unceremonious exit (8, two words) BUMS (asses, American) + RUSH (stampede) |
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| 39 | STAB | Guess flying creatures will return (4) BATS< (flying creatures) |
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| 40 | USE-BY DATE | You’ll find this on food packets: tips to utilise, plus best day for cooking (9, two words) (U(tilis)E BEST DAY)* |
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| DOWN | |||
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | PAHLAVI | Ancient writing I revealed behind toilet after cover up lifted… (7) I after LAV (toilet) after HAP< (cover up, reversed) |
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| 2 | SLANGY | … ‘sly nag’: corrupted, like thieves’ jargon (6) (SLY NAG)* |
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| 3 | OPEL | Variation Make of car; Adam Opel started with sewing machines, then bicycles, then cars |
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| 4 | OES | Footwear quietly being removed for Ian’s grandchildren… ? (3) SHOES (footwear) – SH (quiet) |
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| 5 | AS OF | … from wrecked sofa (4, two words) SOFA* |
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| 6 | EDGE | Very gradually push, to eject student from rock shelf (4) LEDGE (rock shelf) – L (student) |
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| 7 | PUNAANI | One taking bread on horseback; getting it all taken up to certain West Indian women (7) (I + NAAN (bread) + UP (on horseback))< |
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| 8 | AMATE | Dismay a colleague (5) A MATE (colleague) |
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| 9 | APIAN | A nasty pain – to do with certain insects? (5) A + PAIN* |
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| 10 | EAR | Polar animals, perhaps: just the centre of attention? (3) (b)EAR(s) (polar animals, just the centre) |
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| 11 | CITRÖEN | Variation Make of car founded by André-Gustave Citroën |
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| 15 | NOT | Weight raised? Absolute denial! (3) TON< (heavyweight) |
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| 16 | CARMEN | Theme Opera by Georges Bizet |
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| 18 | PEUGEOT | Variation Make of car; company founded by Émile Peugeot, starting with coffee mills then bicycles |
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| 20 | FERRARI | Variation Make of car; company founded by Enzo Ferrari |
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| 22 | PORSCHE | Variation Make of car; company founded by Ferdinand Porsche |
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| 25 | MANTUA | Chap has short season coming up to create this gown (6) MAN (chap) + AUT(umn)< |
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| 26 | DOULA | She cares for new mother – and gets work by raising the spud! (5) DO (work) + ALU< (potato, reversed) |
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| 27 | ATTAR | Oil obtained from coal by-product, after a time (5) TAR (coal by-product) after A T (time) |
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| 28 | TAI | Fish caught by staithes (3) in sTAIthes |
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| 31 | URDU | Such language – from upstanding leaders of university deputy registrars’ union! (4) first letters of University Deputy Registrars’ Union |
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| 32 | ROUE | Regret hugging old, debauched bloke (4) RUE (regret) containing O (old) |
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| 33 | FORD | Variation Make of car; company founded by Henry Ford |
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| 35 | ALA | In the manner of winglike projection (3) A LA (in the manner of) |
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| 36 | AMA | Japanese woman searching for Pearl Jam album covers (3) in jaM Album |
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