An Eccles puzzle for our entertainment today.
I enjoyed this puzzle which contained some very good clue surfaces.
The one that defeated me longest was my last one in, 4 down IN SECRET. I was convinced that ‘fly’ was part of the definition for a long time.
The clue for SODA using 7Up was excellent in my eyes. Did Eccles put ADOS in 7 down by chance and then see what could me made of it, or did he have the idea well in advance and ensure that ADOS went at 7 down?
I was a bit puzzled by the Spoonerism clue at 16 down. It was fairly obvious that the entry was TIRED OUT but I can’t see IRED TOUT meaning terrible solicitor. The solicitor bit is fine, but ‘terrible’? No doubt someone will spell out to me what is going on there.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 6 | Wild horse’s complaint: it is lacking love (7) |
BRONCHITIS (medical complaint) excluding (lacking) IT IS + O (zero; love score in tennis) BRONCH O |
BRONCHO (alternative spelling of BRONCO [a wild horse]) |
| 7 | When guards release family members (7) |
AS (when) containing (guards) UNTIE (release) A (UNTIE) S |
AUNTIES (family members) |
| 9 | At last, getting rid of boundaries altogether (2,3) |
FINALLY (at last) excluding (getting rid of) the outer letters (boundaries) F and Y IN ALL |
IN ALL (altogether) |
| 10 | Lucky escape from stifling demand (5,4) |
CLOSE (airless; stifling) + CALL (demand) CLOSE CALL |
CLOSE CALL (narrow escape) |
| 11 | Young women most elegant when naked (7) |
CLASSIEST (most elegant) excluding the outer letters (naked) C and T LASSIES |
LASSIES (young women) |
| 13 | Fairly narrow-minded Republican is welcomed (6) |
PETTY (narrow-minded) containing (is welcomed) R (Republican) P (R) ETTY |
PRETTY (fairly) |
| 15 | Divine movement in pants tires Tom out (13) |
Anagram of (out) PANTS TIRES TOM PROTESTANTISM* |
PROTESTANTISM (religious or divine movement) |
| 19 | One has left the country before boxing Russian fighter (6) |
ERE (before) containing (boxing) MIG (Russian fighter jet) E (MIG) RE |
ÉMIGRÉ (one who has left the country) |
| 20 | Anger because deposing leader requires consent, essentially (7) |
SINCE (because) excluding (deposing) the first letter (leader) S + NSE (central letters [essentially] of CONSENT) INCE NSE |
INCENSE (anger) |
| 23 | Stimulant is deep in her bum (9) |
Anagram of (bum) DEEP IN HER EPHEDRINE* |
EPHEDRINE (stimulant used in treating hay fever, asthma etc) |
| 24 | Force Italian to pop by (5) |
VIS (power, force) + IT (Italian) VIS IT |
VISIT (pop by) |
| 26 | What in Spain has fight over bunch of flowers (7) |
QUE (Spanish for ‘what?’) contained in (has … over) BOUT (fight) BOU (QUE) T |
BOUQUET (bunch of flowers)
|
| 27 | Adjust wee Tim’s cap at the front (7) |
T (first letter of [cap] TIM) + WIDDLE (urinate; wee) T WIDDLE |
TWIDDLE (play with; adjust) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | State of unconsciousness that punctuates a molar being extracted (4) |
COMMA (punctuation mark) excluding (being extracted) M (molar) I can’t find M as an abbreviation in an dictionary for ‘molar’ in the dental sense. All I can find is reference to molar mass or molarity that may have the symbol M in science. COMA |
COMA (state of unconsciousness) |
| 2 | Eyes some vaudeville comedians up (6) |
OCELLI (hidden word (some) reversed (coming up; down clue) in VAUDEVILLE COMEDIANS) OCELLI< |
OCELLI (simple eyes) |
| 3 | Extremely short criminal is Parisian, stashing coins, oddly (9) |
(CON [criminal] + EST [French{Parisian} for ‘is’]) containing (stashing) CIS (letters 1, 3 and 5 [oddly] of COINS) CON (CIS) EST |
CONCISEST (extremely short) |
| 4 | Touring the outskirts of Rome? Perhaps fly privately (2,6) |
INSECT (a fly is an example of an INSECT) containing (touring) RE (first and last letters [outskirts] of ROME) IN SEC (RE) T |
IN SECRET (privately) |
| 5 | Second-class craftsman absorbs international pressure from both sides (10) |
(B [second class] + ARTISAN [craftsman]) containing (absorbs) (I [international] + P [pressure]) B (I P) ARTISAN |
BIPARTISAN (consisting of members of, two parties; from both sides) |
| 6 | Rein in British waste (6) |
BR (British) + IDLE (waste) BR IDLE |
BRIDLE (halter; rein) |
| 7 | Fusses about nothing terribly sad (4) |
Anagram of (terribly) SAD containing (about) O (zero; nothing) AD (O) S* |
ADOS (fusses) |
| 8 | Shows inspector missing spreads (6) |
DISPLAYS (shows) excluding (missing) DI (Detective Inspector) SPLAYS |
SPLAYS (spreads out) |
| 12 | Really dreadful thugs trap head of Interpol (8,2) |
Anagram of (dreadful) THUGS TRAP containing (trap) I (first letter of [head of] INTERPOL) TRAP seems to be doing double duty in this clue being part of the anagram fodder and also indicting the containment. STRA (I) GHT UP* |
STRAIGHT UP (honestly; really) |
| 14 | Plan for a party (9) |
Cryptic definition of MANIFESTO as a policy statement (plan) for a political party MANIFESTO |
MANIFESTO |
| 16 | Spooner’s terrible solicitor is knackered (5,3) |
TIRED OUT – I’m not sure what is happening here. A Spoonerism of TIRED OUT would be IRED TOUT [solicitor] I think, but I don’t see how terrible relates to IRED TIRED OUT |
TIRED OUT (knackered) |
| 17 | Electronic device that never ever bakes cakes (6) |
REVERB (hidden word in [cakes {covers}] NEVER EVER BAKES) REVERB |
REVERB (electronic device that creates an effect of REVERBeration, used in recording or with electrically amplified instruments. |
| 18 | Condition affects talker from time to time (6) |
FETTLE (letters 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 [from time to time] of AFFECTS TALKER) FETTLE |
FETTLE (condition) |
| 21 | Fissure beneath California leads to collapse (4,2) |
CA (abbreviation for the State of California) + VEIN (fissure or cavity) CA VE IN |
CAVE IN (collapse) |
| 22 | Pass time fast (4) |
DIE (pass) + T (time) DIE T |
DIET (eat less; fast) |
| 25 | 7Up is just fizzy water (4) |
ADOS (entry at 7 down) reversed (up; down clue) SODA< |
SODA (water [now commonly without sodium bicarbonate] charged with carbon dioxide; fizzy water) |
16d is simply a Spoonerism of DIRE TOUT (admittedly not a great one).
Also couldn’t find M for ‘molar’ for 1d. C for ‘canine’ is fine so it looks reasonable.
Messed up parsing 3d. Saw anagram of ‘coins’ (coins oddly) in C + EST and thought C could maybe stand for ‘criminal’. D’oh!
For some reason, took me ages to get FETTLE, my LOI.
My first one in was 6a but hadn’t seen that spelling before.
Favourites include IN SECRET & EPHEDRINE. Lots of great surfaces and also liked the clever 7d, 25d pairing.
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan.
I’d agree that this is an enjoyable crossword with good surface readings. I particularly liked the d’oh moment inducing 25d
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan
Good fun, even though our setter can’t resist a wee joke. Great surfaces too which always adds to the enjoyment for me.
25d was my favourite with 4d also in contention.
Many thanks to Eccles and to Duncan.
A slight twist on the usual AABACA routine with a chromatic ascending sequence in the middle………..Nice!
Apologies to “Louis”
Another pair of paws joining in the round of applause for the lovely SODA. While I’m here I’ll also mention a few others: IN ALL, TWIDDLE, BIPARTISAN, REVERB (the surface of which really tickled me for some reason) and DIET.
I can’t remember which was my last in, but like Hovis, I took longer to see FETTLE than might be expected. I wondered if our setter’s wee joke (or indeed EPHEDRINE!) would get comments but am happy to see only positive ones so far, as I love the lighter tone and variety in content of the Indy puzzles.
Thanks Eccles and Duncan.
Nice one Eccles; I’m another tickled by TWIDDLE, which reminds me that I need to go soon …
LOI was FETTLE; lots of possibilities for ?E?T?E.
I don’t understand any of copmus @5’s comments.
Thanks to Duncan for a good blog.
Here it comes, Kitty – I didn’t like 27a!
Not to worry, I did enjoy others, notably 14,22&25d.
2d was new to me as was 23a.
Thanks to Eccles and to Duncan for the blog.
Thanks to Duncan and Eccles
One of my bugbears is INSPECTOR being used to represent whatever the setter chooses it to on any particular day. INSPECTOR (if it has a standalone abbreviation) is I. If we are to choose which INSPECTOR to omit (DI, CI, etc.) then it should AN INSPECTOR or ONE INSPECTOR or some such.
Whinge over, nice crossword.
@12d I thought the anagrind, DREADFUL, applied to THUGS TRAP I, so no double duty necessary.
Took longer than it should have as I just didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength. Loi was 6a in contrast to Hovis. Didn’t know that spelling. Bronco always makes me think of the dreadful shiny toilet paper, appropriately enough in view of our setter’s fondness for lavatorial references. Thank you Eccles and Duncan.
Dansar@9. Agree with you on 12d.
Thanks to Duncan and to all who commented.
Usually when I cross reference it is by chance, but this time I saw the clue opportunity (after seeing one of BigDave’s rookies go by the handle @7UpisLemonade on Twitter – I then worried I had just nicked his idea, but thankfully not, it was just a statement) and then hunted for a grid with a 4-letter 7D.
Dansar, I nearly included the Detective as I tend to agree with your sentiment, but decided that would be too obvious. I will bear it in mind though, and might well go the other way if I need it again.
Lots to enjoy here: EMIGRÉ, INCENSE, the wee joke and ADOS/SODA to name but a few. But we needed a wordfinder for our LOI, 22dn (after wondering if we’d spelt 23ac correctly) and it was a real facepalm moment when we saw it.
Thanks, Eccles and Duncan.