Many thanks to Andrew for standing in for me last week.
Other bloggers have said that they’ve run out of things to say about Picaroon’s puzzles and I’m in the same boat. This puzzle has all the top-class features we know to expect and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Many thanks to Picaroon.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Composed a line and had American musicians play (2,5,7)
AN IDEAL HUSBAND
An anagram [composed] of A LINE and HAD + US [American] + BAND [musicians]
9 Acquire debts interest-free (9)
INCURIOUS
INCUR [acquire] + IOUS [debts]
10 The Guardian plugs reduced transport fare from the East (5)
SUSHI
US [The Guardian] in [plugs] SHI[p] [reduced transport]
11 Nincompoops, many losing face (5)
ASSES
[m]ASSES [many] minus the initial letter – ‘losing face’
12 Bolder men stripped off clothing (9)
BRASSIÈRE
BRASSIER [bolder] + [m]E[n] [stripped off]
13 Man put on sham cover for crown jewels (8)
CODPIECE
PIECE [man – chess] after COD [sham]
14 Shock time to emerge (6)
THATCH
T [time] + HATCH [emerge]
17 A queen accepts Meghan’s No 1 fashion icon (6)
ARMANI
A RANI [a queen] round [accepts] M[eghan] [first letter – No 1] – neat misdirection here: I first tried to make R = queen and NI = No 1
19 Kind of stock car feature with pine at the front (8)
LONGHORN
HORN [car feature] with LONG [pine] at the front
22 A rum task involved a sensual work (4,5)
KAMA SUTRA
An anagram [involved] of A RUM TASK + A
24 Caught London gangsters making crack (5)
CRAZE
Sounds like [caught] Krays [London gangsters] – more misdirection: C [caught] + RAZE [London gangsters??] – Doh!
25 Sierra raced outside of Grenoble (5)
RANGE
RAN [raced] + G[renobl]E – I winced at ‘of’ in the surface reading but it’s needed for the cryptic
26 Lord’s helper needs a switch between sides (9)
ARCHANGEL
A + CHANGE [switch] between L and R [sides]
27 Capital radio’s bum tune (11,3)
LONDONDERRY AIR
LONDON [capital] + DERRY AIR [sounds like – ‘radio’s’ – ‘derrière’ {bum}] – I first laughed at this joke when I was at school but I still laughed again at this clever take on it
Down
1 Spinning plate with dotty, funny picture (6,8)
ANIMAL CRACKERS
A reversal [spinning] of LAMINA [plate] + CRACKERS [dotty]
2 Native Americans journalist’s covered (7)
INCASED
INCAS [native Americans] + ED [journalist]
3 Genesis or Kinks making an appearance (9)
EGRESSION
An anagram [Kinks] of GENESIS OR
4 Want to pen new book to reminisce (4,4)
LOOK BACK
LACK [want] round [to pen] an anagram [new] of BOOK
5 Not firm catching a throw (6)
UNSEAT
UNSET [not firm] round A
6 Again touring empty apartments’ grounds (5)
BASIS
BIS [again – musical notation] round [touring] A[partment]S
7 Fledgling cuckoo can nest (7)
NASCENT
An anagram [cuckoo] of CAN NEST
8 Academic failing to turn up entertaining prospect (4,10)
VICE CHANCELLOR
VICE [failing] + a reversal [up] of ROLL [turn] round [entertaining] CHANCE [prospect]
15 One raises issue about breaking smashed lock (4,5)
HIGH CHAIR
C [about] in [breaking] HIGH [smashed – drunk] HAIR [lock] with a cryptic definition
16 Officer and staff oppressing revolutionary native Americans (8)
COMANCHE
CO [officer] + MAN [staff – as verbs] + CHE, the familiar revolutionary
18 Token internet phenomenon not funny (7)
MEMENTO
MEME [internet phenomenon] + an anagram [funny] of NOT
20 Setting a goal? It’s a pain (7)
OTALGIA
An anagram [setting] of A GOAL IT
21 Make an effort in special school (6)
STRAIN
S [special] + TRAIN [school]
23 Rush in rising river banks in Powys (5)
SPEED
A reversal [rising] of DEE + P[owy]S – and the river Dee flows through Powys
Thanks to Eileen for the blog, and to Picaroon: I seemed to be on the setter’s wavelength today, finding this a rewarding workout. Maybe an over-reliance on ‘Americans’ in the clues, and setters could lay off the old ‘journalist’ = ‘ed’ device for a while, but much wit and ingenuity (eg HIGH CHAIR) to admire.
(PS Eileen, you seem to have lobbed a ‘B’ into LONDONDERRY!)
Thanks, Bullhassocks – I can’t think of a witty riposte. 😉
Thanks both. With Mr Miliband and Mr Balls not in front line politics any more, there are no famous “Ed”s I can think of, so I forgive the overuse of “journalist”
Great stuff. Particularly liked the clever wording of 13a
Pickers on absolutely top form – a great start to the day. I didn’t think I had a cat in hell’s chance but the clues kept revealing themselves.
27 a classic plus 15 and 9 to name but a few. A big Carry On Arf Arf for 13.
Thanks also to Eileen for the comprehensive blog.
Thanks both,
More smiles than usual. My lovely wife got 1a for me and said, ‘Just like you, dear’.
Once again left staring and muttering at the last couple, this time in the NE. Brassier plus e, d’oh, and unseat, ditto. Otherwise an enjoyable and steady unpic(k). Asses would have been FOI, but needed some crossers before egression popped out to confirm it. Ious and laminae are popular lately, and bis=again is relatively recent too. Theologically challenged, I liked getting archangel, and vice plus reverse roll entertaining chance. Took a while to grok issue=child for high chair. Lots of piratical invention.
Thanks Picaroon and Eileen, back from Mallorca.
27 ac LONDONDERRY AIR: I’ve long believed that the “correct” pronunciation is something like LONDONDREE AIR, but that would spoil the excellent joke.
Thanks Picaroon for another super puzzle and Eileen for the blog
This was such a pleasure, even if all the answers slipped in easily this morning. Particular smiles for 27 across and loi 24 across…
Thanks Eileen, and welcome back. Good stuff from Picaroon as usual, but I’m puzzled how “making an appearance” (or maybe just “appearance”) can define EGRESSION (Chambers: “The act of going out; Departure”)
Hi Andrew @10 – hmm, yes, I didn’t add the underlining of ‘making an’ until I posted the blog. Collins has both ‘coming out’ and ‘going out’ as a definition – and so has my Latin dictionary for ‘egredior’, its Latin root. I think it works if you think of it as a flower coming out / making an appearance.
PS: I’ve just looked up ‘come out’ in Chambers and it gives ‘to emerge, appear’.
A real gem from Picaroon. Loved the four perimeter clues, not least for their elegant and economic wording. Other stand-out clues for me were 12, 13, 19a, and 15d. Did anyone else think ‘from the east’ in 10a was a reversal indicator?
Thanks to Picaroon for the entertainment, and to Eileen for the usual comprehensive blog.
What a delightful crossword; thanks Picaroon.
Good blog from Eileen; Andrew @10, my ODE has ‘Astronomy: another term for emersion,’ so I think the definition is ‘an appearance.’
Some super clues; I particularly liked INCURIOUS, CODPIECE, HIGH CHAIR and LONDONDERRY AIR.
Andrew, my Collins says “the act of going or coming out, emergence”; close enough?
Thank you Picaroon and Eileen.
This was a most enjoyable puzzle – I did not know the LONDONDERRY AIR joke!
Andrew @10, my 1963 COED gives for egression “going out or forth” and for forth 2. into view, might this work?
Crossed with Eileen’s, much more thorough.
I seem to have crossed with Eileen @11, Robi @13 and grantinfreo @14, apologies.
Dawkins coined ‘meme’ in 1976, since hijacked by netspeak. Hey ho.
This spoiled my run of DNFs this week, but I’m glad it happened with this excellent crossword, which was full of good clues. I too didn’t know the ‘joke’ at 27a but was delighted to discover it. That was my first in, thanks to guessing London as a capital and seeing ‘(11,3)’ at the end of the clue. AN IDEAL HUSBAND was nearly my last in (only INCASED and UNSEAT followed it), readily emerging (or egressing) once BASIS went in.
Thanks to Picaroon and Eileen.
Great puzzle. Lots of clever clues and all work-outable.
Many thianks to Picaroon and to Eileen.
Also, are basis and grounds substitutable? What IS the basis/ ARE the grounds for your belief?
Re 8d. Is “roll” entertaining “chance when the two words are simply next to each other?
Hi IanSW – it’s VICE…LLOR that’s entertaining CHANCE. Sorry if that wasn’t clear in the blog.
I enjoyed this very much too. Top smile moment went to 27a
Thanks to Picaroon and Eileen
grantinfreo @21 – how about, ‘Can you explain more fully the basis / grounds for your complaint?’
PS
Isn’t ‘vice-chancellor’ usually hyphenated rather than two words? OED only has hyphenated examples.
Touche (with acute) Eileen; yep that’ll do, ta.
Thanks to Picaroon and Eileen. As others have said, a very enjoyable solve. For me it was generally a steady solve with only a few holding me up at the end. Last ones were Londonderry air and codpiece. I enjoyed both the long down clues along with codpiece and craze. Thanks again to Picaroon and Eileen.
Like in the Tyngewick@6 household it was MrsW who got 1a – but she didn’t follow it with the brownie point earning comment 🙁 As everyone has said this was an excellent puzzle and all my ticks have been mentioned – although I had one BT THATCH as well for its elegant simplicity – and it was my second to last in which led to 8d. I’m continually impressed by setters’ abilities to come up with inventive ways of defining things with “one raises issue” being an outstanding example – virtually impossible to interpret it as HIGH CHAIR until you see the answer and then blindingly obvious – genius.
Thanks for another gem Picaroon and for an equally sparkling blog Eileen.
By – I don’t know where BT came from.
The definition doesn’t have to identify the solution uniquely, but a reference to an instance of a group should not be too obscure. “Musical” as a definition, for example, identifies a fairly small set that are reasonable general knowledge. There would be a reasonable chance of getting the answer by making a mental list of well known ones.
Or maybe I’m just miffed because there are thousands of plays that would be fair general knowledge and I’ve never heard of “an ideal husband”.
Tyngewick @6. Lovely. You’re as fortunate as I am with my ‘ideal husband’ who is not a cryptic nut but ‘gets’ it/me.
Greensward @12. I also fell for the Eastern orientation.
As for the crossword. Brilliant. Great fun, too many tick-les to mention.
Thanks to Picaroon and Eileen. Very enjoyable. I knew about the Krays but (as has happened before) at first I did not spot “caught” as a homophone indicator – and I needed all the crossers to get THATCH, my LOI. Yes, LONDONDERRY AIR was a delight – and new to me was the connection to “Danny Boy” (and only recently have I discovered a second verse).
Picaroon is one of the best setters, and this was another cracker. All of the perimeter long ones fell fairly early, but there were still some tricky ones after that, though in retrospect I should have seen my last in (CODPIECE) earlier. Favourite was LONDONDERRY AIR.
Thanks to Picaroon, Thanks and Welcome back to Eileen.
Thanks Pickers and Eileen.
I’m sure youve heard the Londonderry joke involving a sexy speech therapist and some stuttering candidates.Or you could make one up on those lines.
No problem with 3a – apart from the word itself being unfamiliar. An appearance presumably requires a witness, so if this witness is outside when you leave the house, your EGRESSION is an appearance.
I puzzled over EGRESSION along with some others. It was all I could get as it was obviously an anagram but I don’t think I’ve noticed the word before. I puzzled over CRAZE too- obviously the answer but I couldn’t quite parse it despite “caught” staring me in the face. Anyway,it was LOI.
I did like the puzzle though despite a slow start but the four long answers opened it up nicely. I liked 27ac,CODPIECE and BRASSIERE.
Thanks Picaroon.
Delightful puzzle. A joy to solve. I admired the light touch (LOOK BACK, INCURIOUS, NASCENT, THATCH etc.), creativity (HIGH CHAIR, my favourite, BRASSERIE etc.) and overall elegance (MEMENTO, STRAIN etc.)
Thank you, Picaroon. Also, thanks to Eileen for her solid blog.
[Gaufrid – Site’s appearance now changed on my ‘phone. I like it. Thanks.]
Forgot to mention that I had thought, on solving, that “making an appearance” was a witty off-the-wall way of nicely defining EGRESSION perfectly – and smiled (inwardly). It’s that kind of thing which makes Picaroon’s crosswords so rich.
Well, that was hard for me, only achieved with much use of the cheat word button. But in 24, ‘craze’ simply means ‘crack’, as in crazed glaze on a pot.
As everyone has said, excellent fare. Thanks to Picaroon and Eileen. Technically a DNF for me – CRAZE.
Howard @31 had not heard of An Ideal Husband. It’s a good one from Oscar Wilde – very popular in its day, but it seems to have disappeared from the repertory in the last 20 years. The pity is that there was a recent remake with among others, I believe, Kate Winslet. Nowhere in the credits did Wilde or the original title appear. Full of wit, for example the exchange:
Father: Son, do you know what you are saying?
Son: Yes, father – if I listen very attentively.