Regulars will know that Tuesday is usually ‘Theme Day’. Hob’s offering today was no exception.
There was an intricate mix of interconnected thematic entries based around GAME (22AC) and FAIR (13AC) in various senses and FAIR GAME as a fairground game. At the end of the solve we are sorry to say that this wasn’t our favourite Hob puzzle, although we liked 9A and 18d and there are some excellent surfaces. We feel that in several instances, the surface reading seemed to take over the clue, rendering the definition or the parsing somewhat contrived (1d and 17d in particular). However, we expect Hob’s clueing to be ‘inventive’, and this puzzle certainly fitted that description!
We’re still looking forward to the next one!
Across
1 Lesbian orders a pie that is taken with chips (7)
SAPPHIC
An anagram of A Pie and CHIPS but ie (that is) is omitted or ‘taken’ – anagrind is ‘orders’
5 One working girl entertained by another in hotel bar? (7)
TAPROOM
A (one) PRO (working girl) inside TOM (working girl)
9 Model behind potential 22 winner (5)
TRUMP
T (model) RUMP (behind) – a trump card being a potential game winner
10 Relative’s friend is 13 22 (4,5)
AUNT SALLY
AUNT’S (relative’s) ALLY (friend) referring to a FAIR GAME (13 22)
11 22 found in hotel kitchens (3)
ELK
Hidden or ‘found’ in ‘hotEL Kitchens’ – another sort of GAME
12 Class act’s back in action (5)
CASTE
T (last letter or ‘back’ of ‘act’) inside CASE (action)
13/22 Slaughtered Ira Gershwin’s first input to a musical? It’s a legitimate target (4,4)
FAIR GAME
An anagram of IRA G (‘Gershwin’s first’) in FAME (musical) – anagrind is ‘slaughtered’
14 22 featuring slightly drunken emoticons (11)
TIDDLYWINKS
TIDDLY (slightly drunk) WINKS (emoticons)
19 On which vehicles are assessed in a Surrey town, say (11)
WEIGHBRIDGE
Sounds like (‘say’) WEYBRIDGE (Surrey town)
22 See 13
23 Musical 22 (5)
CHESS
Double definition
25 22 of convenience (3)
LOO
Double defintion – LOO (convenience)
27 Extemporisation in 22’s first half: a writer’s point German tabloid backed (2-7)
AD-LIBBING
GA (‘game’s first half’) around NIB (writer’s point) and BILD (German tabloid newspaper) – all reversed or ‘backed’
28 Daughter stripped at start of blue film, to tell the truth (3,2)
OWN UP
dOWN (blue) with D (daughter) omitted or ‘stripped at start’ + UP (cartoon film)
29 Source of protein derived from bone, say (7)
SOYBEAN
An anagram of BONE SAY – anagrind is ‘derived from’. We could not think of a one word answer for this clue and ended up using a wordsearch in Chambers. Chambers has it as two words which is how we would write it. However, Collins has it as one word.
30 May perhaps finesse hearts, securing 22 ultimately (7)
THERESA
An anagram of HEARTS around or ‘securing’ E (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of GAME) – anagrind is ‘finesse’
Down
1 Where you’ll find an i in the capital’s high street (6)
SETTER
An anagram of STREET – anagrind is ‘high’. When i is written as a capital letter in a clue it refers to the SETTER – very original – maybe a little too original? Hob does help us with the parsing by referring to 1D in 7D and 20D, but this was not our favourite clue!
2 Palace’s first chance, at end of dreary 22 (6)
PLUCKY
P (first letter of ‘Palace’) LUCK (chance) Y (end of ‘dreary’) – ‘Game’ in the sense of ‘up for it’
3 Some beer and whisky? I’m 22 (9)
HOPSCOTCH
HOP (some beer) SCOTCH (whisky)
4 Very poor second 22 (5)
CRAPS
CRAP (very poor) S (second)
5 As Christmas tree might be lit, drained lights need changing (9)
TINSELLED
An anagram of LIT LightS (first and last letter only or ‘drained’) and NEED – anagrind is ‘changing’
6/26 Backing singer has soft drink outside 13 (8)
PASSABLE
BASS (singer) reversed or ‘backing’ with P (soft) ALE (drink) outside
7 Medium sort of ponytail worn by 1D? That’s not unknown (3,5)
OIL PAINT
An anagram of PONyTAIL without Y (unknown) around or ‘worn by’ I (setter – 1D) – anagrind is ‘sort of’
8 Public official might, arguably, at Roses 22 (8)
MAYORESS
MAY (might – arguably) and anagram of ROSES – anagrind is ‘GAME’ (22)
15 North possibly has a way of speaking about first of ruffs by East (9)
DIRECTION
DICTION (way of speaking) around R (first letter of ‘ruffs’) and E (East)
16 West on the playing that’s unlikely to make one a card sharper (9)
WHETSTONE
An anagram of WEST ON THE – anagrind is ‘playing’ – we’re not convinced about the definition here – is Hob pushing there surface reading a bit far?
17 Apologised, two 22s both having these boobs on show (3,5)
OWN GOALS
This was our last one in and after a word search in Chambers we convinced oursleves that it had to be OWN GOALS. Looking at the clue in more detail and eliminating the (rather tenuous) definition, we found OG (short for ‘own goal’) hidden in apolOGised and twO Goals. Sorry Hob, we really didn’t like this clue.
18 Sadly homework has little content (8)
DISMALLY
DIY (homework) around SMALL (little)
20 70s band 1D dismissed as “13” (6)
BLONDE
BLONDiE (70s band) missing I (setter)
21 Polo? A fresh horse needed first, for a 13 22 (6)
HOOPLA
An anagram of POLO A – anagrind is ‘fresh’ – with H (horse) at the beginning
24 Those starting every international 22 hated The Cube (5)
EIGHT
First letters or ‘starts’ of Every International Game Hated The – 8 is 2 cubed or 2x2x2
26 See 6
I agree about 17 down.
Well, we got it all without recourse to any help but it took quite a while, even though we spotted the theme very quickly. We agree about 17dn and a few other clues being too contrived; several parsings only became clear well after we guessed the answers.
A lot to enjoy, though. We liked AUNT SALLY, TIDDLYWINKS and, despite the rather contrived clue, AD-LIBBING.
Thanks, Hob and B&J
Thanks Hob, B&J
I couldn’t get to the bottom of 17d, ta for that.
I also couldn’t get to the bottom of WHETSTONE. I didn’t notice it was an anagram of west on the. I was going with W for west on (THE)*playing and then trying to get ‘that’s unlikely to make one a card’ to give stone. Well, stone doesn’t make cards, anyway. Otherwise I enjoy this sort of linked game, and I liked all the bridge clues.
Yes, even though I completed it without even having to pick up a dictionary, let alone go online, there were an awful lot of answers that were more guesswork that working out. Quite a few I couldn’t parse, and as 1dn was one of them, that confused me in the two referring to it. Thanks for all the explanations.