We always look forward to tackling Hob’s puzzles, so were really pleased to be blogging this one.
It was immediately apparent that there was a theme, due to the number of references to the gateway clue at 23across, but we couldn’t solve this until we had some crossing letters. Having solved 13across and 9across, we assumed that the theme had something to do with the Navy, but it soon became clear that the RAF was the service referred to in the majority of thematic clues, particularly when the motto at 16across revealed itself.
Unfortunately we didn’t enjoy the puzzle as much as we had hoped. While there were many very good clues, as we expect from Hob, there were some that seemed almost too easy, particularly once the theme became apparent, and others that we felt were a bit ‘clunky’ (e.g. 16ac, 5d and 18d). Although the way the theme was exploited was unusual, and the grid construction was very ingenious in managing to accommodate so many ‘RAF’s (and the occasional ‘RN’), we felt that it tended to spoil the surfaces of some of the clues and thus the enjoyment the solve.
We had to check 14ac in Chambers and had never heard of the extraordinarily spelt capital at 6d – something for the next pub quiz?
Maybe we weren’t in the right frame of mind for this one, but we’re still looking forward to the next Hob!
Across
9 Lively work in Channel Islands, feeding goat after dropping 23A (9)
CAPRICCIO
CI (Channel Islands) in or ‘feeding’ CAPRICOrn (goat) without or ‘dropping’ rn (Royal Navy – ‘service’ – 23across)
10 Backing Irish politician over 23A plan (5)
DRAFT
TD (Teachta Dála – Deputy to the Dáil or ‘Irish politician’) reversed or ‘backing’ round RAF (Royal Air Force – ‘service’ – 23 across)
11 Try cooking meat to provide tasty starters (7)
ATTEMPT
An anagram of MEAT and the first letters or ‘starters’ of To Provide Tasty – anagrind is ‘cooking’
12 Group taking time to 23A football club around lunchtime (7)
TRAFFIC
T (time) RAF (‘service’ – 23across) FC (football club) round I (one – ‘lunchtime’, as in 1pm)
13 The Stones, all in a heap about “first-class” 23A (5)
CAIRN
C (circa – ‘about’) AI (first class) RN (‘service’ – 23across)
14 Help RAF at new illuminated airstrip (5,4)
FLARE PATH
An anagram of HELP RAF AT – anagrind is ‘new’. A new phrase for us.
16 “Drama doesn’t have to go to bed with high art”, as a rude RADA motto (3,5,2,5)
PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
Play (drama) without ‘lay’ (go to bed) + an anagram of ART AS A RUDE RADA – anagrind is ‘high’. The motto of the RAF
19 Strip, having at last removed one’s cloak (9)
DISMANTLE
D (last letter of ‘removed’) I’S (one’s) MANTLE (cloak)
21 Skill landing 23A in court (5)
CRAFT
RAF (‘service’ – 23across) in CT (court)
22 African native ruminating online on girlfriend hosting one 23A (7)
GIRAFFE
E (‘online’) after or ‘on’ GF (girlfriend) round or ‘hosting’ I (one) RAF (‘service’ – 23across)
23 Receives this, perhaps, playing after loss of point? (7)
SERVICE
A Clue-as-definition – an anagram of RECEIVeS without or ‘losing’ one of the ‘e’s (east – point) – anagrind is ‘playing’
24 With reference to a sergeant flying primarily with other ranks in 23A (2,3)
AS FOR
A + first or ‘primary’ letters of Sergeant Flying + OR (other ranks in military ‘service’ – 23across)
25 Fever? Dose is wrong – gives too much for stomach to digest (9)
OVERFEEDS
An anagram of FEVER DOSE – anagrind is ‘wrong’
Down
1 Score with a flat note written here, perhaps, in LA? (7,3)
SCRATCH PAD
SCRATCH (score) PAD (flat)
2 Comparatively uneven EP? Sort it out! (8)
SPOTTIER
An anagram of EP SORT IT – anagrind is ‘out’
3 Flyer showing a current mother holding 23A? On the contrary (6)
AIRMAN
A I (current) + MA (mother) in RN (‘service’ – 23across) – not MA round or ‘holding’ RN as the clue reads – hence ‘on the contrary’
4 Dropping improvisation in jazz (4)
SCAT
Double definition – although we had to check the second meaning
5 This is set to flap around, eating a little apple (4,6)
SOFT PALATE
Another (rather dodgy, in our opinion) clue-as-defintion – An anagram of SET TO FLAP (anagrind is ‘around’) round or ‘eating’ A (first letter or ‘a little’ of ‘apple’)
6 Radio broadcaster has last word in North American capital (8)
NDJAMENA
DJ (radio broadcaster) AMEN (‘last word’) in N (North) A (America) – the capital of Chad
7 Model getting out of car under 23A tree (6)
RAFFIA
FIAt (car) without the ‘t’ (model, as in Model T Ford) under RAF (‘service’ – 23across)
8 Skunk with damaged coat (4)
ATOC
An anagram of COAT – anagrind is ‘damaged’
14 Literary lord dressing neatly (plus fours, mostly) (10)
FAUNTLEROY
An anagram of NEATLY and FOURs (without the last letter or ‘mostly’) – anagrind is ‘dressing’
15 Bloomer involving footballers and drugs, say (10)
HEARTSEASE
HEARTS (Scottish football club) + a homophone (‘say’) of Es (drugs)
17 State once more taking income finally secured by 23A company (8)
REAFFIRM
E (last or ‘final’ letter of ‘income’) in or ‘secured by’ RAF (‘service’ – 23across) + FIRM (company)
18 From which baby eats, half served up in both late afternoon and early evening? (8)
TEATIMES
TEAT (‘from which baby eats’) + SEMI (half) reversed or ‘served up’. We’re not sure about babies ‘eating’ from a teat – sounds very painful!
20 Second 23A in film about attack with flying arms (6)
STRAFE
S (second) + RAF (‘service’ – 23across) in ET (film) reversed or ‘about’
21 A 23A in church, in which one has wine? (6)
CARAFE
A RAF (‘service’ – 23across) in CE (church)
22/23 Letter about 23A’s source of personnel for battleship (4,4)
GRAF SPEE
GEE (letter) round RAF (‘service’ – 23across)’S and P (first letter or ‘source’ of ‘personnel’)
A bit air-heavy on the theme with the poor old army not getting a look in as FAR as I can see.With the gateway we could have had MASS EVENSONG even VAT (service charge)
Nevertheless my pick of the day .
Thanks BJ and Hob.
I’m still occasionally surprised by how a clue that looks pretty bland is transformed by its solution. It happens the other way round, too – the answer’s sometimes an anticlimax for a clue that looks great. Anyway, 5d I was cursing until I got it, then it was my favourite.
N’djamena, who knew? Atoc, too. Nor do I understand group for traffic.
Thanks Hob, B&J
I took quite a while to get the gateway answer and only solved it with the help of a couple of the referenced clues. I agree it was a bit of a pity about the army missing out. Managed to solve all the thematic clues but I had no idea about the ‘Skunk’ for which I put the vowels the wrong way round.
I happened to like SOFT PALATE, my last in and was chuffed to remember NDJAMENA as the capital of Chad.
Thanks to Hob and B&J.
Apologies to James@ 2 – we should have added that Traffic were an English rock band, formed in Birmingham, in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason.
Anyone unfamiliar with Traffic should immediately purchase the john barleycorn album, preferably on vinyl.
“Traffic were an English rock band, formed in Birmingham, in April 1967” (Wikipedia) – well, the setter is Brummie like me.
This was mega hard. I always mark words that are new to me but the list is way too big to give here.
Mostly finished without cheating but had to look up the motto at 16a, the capital at 6d and failed to get the battleship. Also had to check whether 8d was ATOC or OTAC.
Fairly enjoyable but just a bit too much of a slog for my liking. Learnt lots though (probably forget most before the day is out mind you).
Thanks to Hob and Bertandjoyce.
Meant to add that I assumed 23a clue related to squash which was the only game I could think of were you are at the receiving end of a service after loss of point.
Good use of themed material. One or two words I was not familiar with, including the capital.
Of course, an army appears in ATOC; don’t know whether that was deliberate or not.
I got into the SERVICE via GRAF SPEE with a nod to the fine service of Steffi GRAF.
Thanks to Hob and Bertandjoyce
Hovis, that’s how I parsed 23A, but the sport I thought of was Badminton.
PG @10. I did once play Badminton (badly) but have since forgotten the rules so thanks for that.
FLARE PATH a wonderful play written by Terence Rattigan in 1941, set at an English airfield, that I had the pleasure of seeing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2013.
Cheated, then cursed myself, on N’djamena. LOI 5D, which took me more time than it should have. A bit of a struggle at times, but enjoyable overall.
Thanks to Hob and Bertandjoyce.
Well, Hob has a reputation for difficulty but we absolutely breezed through this, only needing to confirm in Chambers whether 8dn was ATOC or ‘otac’. We got off to a flying start with 1ac guessing the answer to be CAPRICCIO and on parsing it realised what 23ac had to be; then we were well away. Favourite was 14ac.
Returning to 8dn, ATOC is also the abbreviation for the Association of Train Operating Companies. We couldn’t possibly comment further.
Thanks, Hob and B&J
Got there in the end through sheer determination. Didn’t know the capital or the skunk and had no idea how drama fitted in to 16a,so thanks to bertandjoyce for that. Thanks to Hob for the workout.
Having first looked at this at ten this morning and finally giving up with three to get a few minutes ago, not the most enjoyable of slogs. (OK, I was out for a few hours in the evening, but still, very slow progress.)