Very fun with some very smooth and tricky surfaces. Favourites included 25ac, 3dn, 13dn, and 22dn. Many thanks to Brendan
The completed grid has a theme around GLOBAL TRAVEL, with airports going clockwise around the edge of the grid: LHR (London Heathrow); CDG (Paris Charles de Gaulle); CPT (Capetown); LIM (Jorge Chavez International near Lima, Peru); SYD (Sydney); DEL (Indira Gandhi International, Delhi); SFO (San Francisco); and JFK (John F Kennedy International, New York)
| Across | ||
| 7 | KILOTONS | They measure explosions in furnaces too badly packed inside (8) |
| KILNS=”furnaces” with (too)* inside | ||
| 9 | ACIDIC | Unlike base with a forensic force in charge (6) |
| a “base” or alkali is a chemical substance that can neutralise acids A + CID=Criminal Investigation Department=”forensic force” + IC (in charge) |
||
| 10 | FIND | Judicially determine how one may be legally punished in hearing (4) |
| homophone/”in hearing” of ‘fined’=”how one may be legally punished” | ||
| 11 | BUTTONED UP | Like coat securely put on, or pulled off (8,2) |
| double definition: =’fastened up’; or =’carried out successfully’ | ||
| 12 | JINGLE | Joking line not OK, in verse for ad (6) |
| the letters from JokING LinE minus OK and in | ||
| 14 | POLITEST | Civil in the extreme, fired European in job (8) |
| LIT=”fired” + E (European); all inside POST=”job” | ||
| 15 | GLOBAL | Comprehensive school finally featured on a blog, possibly (6) |
| final letter of schooL after (a blog)* | ||
| 17 | TRAVEL | Composer appearing after end of last movement (6) |
| RAVEL=”Composer” after the end letter of lasT | ||
| 20 | OBSTACLE | Twisted cables to form barrier (8) |
| 22 | CASUAL | Off-hand, cold and, as usual, ignoring us (6) |
| C (cold) + AS usUAL ignoring us | ||
| 23 | FLORENTINE | Eg Dante let Inferno become convoluted (10) |
| (let Inferno)* | ||
| 24 | DELI | Eastern capital once proclaimed source of exotic food (4) |
| homophone/”proclaimed” of ‘Delhi’=”Eastern capital once” | ||
| 25 | SUBTLE | It gets lost in translation on screen? Fine (6) |
| SUBTitLE=”translation on screen”, with the it getting lost | ||
| 26 | IDEALISM | One male without understanding is showing lack of practicality (8) |
| I=”One” + M (male); around DEAL=”understanding” + IS | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LIAISING | From Australia is ingeniously networking (8) |
| hidden in AustraLIA IS INGeniously | ||
| 2 | HOOD | Protective cover for outlaw or gangster (4) |
| triple definition, with ‘outlaw’=Robin Hood | ||
| 3 | ROUBLE | Pound caught up in disruption of euro or other currency (6) |
| LB=”Pound” inside and reversed/”caught up in” (euro)* | ||
| 4 | CAROLLER | Caught a bird, one that sings in December? (8) |
| C (caught, cricket abbreviation) + A + ROLLER=type of “bird” | ||
| 5 | DIRECTIVES | Rich man concealing anger over court orders (10) |
| DIVES=Biblical “Rich man” [wiki] around IRE=”anger” and CT (court) | ||
| 6 | GIGUES | Belligerent American visitor cut short dance music (6) |
| GI=”Belligerent American” + GUES[t]=”visitor cut short” | ||
| 8 | SET-UPS | Taking part in dispute, suddenly reversed arrangements (3-3) |
| Hidden/”Taking part in” and “reversed” inside: diSPUTE Suddenly | ||
| 13 | GHOST-WRITE | Create work for another growth site being redeveloped (5-5) |
| (growth site)* | ||
| 16 | ASCENDED | While century drew to a close, was upwardly mobile (8) |
| AS=”While” + C (century) + ENDED=”drew to a close” | ||
| 18 | LEAFLESS | Fall sees changing trees becoming this (8) |
| (Fall sees)* | ||
| 19 | GEMINI | Star group from, perhaps, Emerald Isle? Part of it (6) |
| GEM=”perhaps, Emerald” + I (Isle) + NI (Northern Ireland)=”Part of it [the Emerald Isle i.e. Ireland]” | ||
| 21 | BULBUL | Singer found in clubs endlessly, repeatedly turning up (6) |
| =a bird cLUBs without the end letters, repeated twice and reversed/”turning up” |
||
| 22 | CHEWED | Prepared to swallow Conservative cut (6) |
| C (Conservative) + HEWED=”cut” | ||
| 24 | DULY | Conclusions from board you will ratify in an appropriate way (4) |
| Conclusions or final letters from boarD yoU wilL ratifY | ||
Well spotted on the theme Manehi! Another that passed me by but a fun solve with some unusual words. Better homophones than many and well-disguided methods here I thought, making a very enjoyable solve which seemed harder than it was in many cases. Thanks Brendan – ticks for me on 15, 23 (because I had the wrong anagram for ages), 25, 1,3 and 18 for the lovely surface/anagram. 13 had a very clever definition I thought.
I was not sold on the surface of 9 but the other surfaces were lovely.
This was very enjoyable, even though I failed to spot the theme. My favourites were subtle and hood.
New for me was Dives = rich man.
I was unable to parse 19d.
Thanks manehi and Brendan
Whilst I gave myself a pat on the back for spotting the theme yesterday, none today. I saw GLOBAL TRAVEL and suspected that was the theme, so tried FLORENTINE and ROUBLES, but that led nowhere; I even tried looking at the perimeter letters, but couldn’t spot anything. So, well done manehi, and thanks Brendan for the crossword and for pleasantly defeating me.
Yesterday (too busy to post) I missed the theme despite having worked with TBL and the WWW Consortium in the 90’s. Today I missed it despite having remembered to look for it, and having been to the majority of those airports. However in this case, I don’t think that recognition would necessarily have speeded things up much.
25a is interesting, since SUBTLE could also be clued as something that “gets lost in translation”. Brendan should probably be applauded for not trying to force-fit an &lit. here, but it’s so close it seems a shame not to be able to make it happen.
Thanks to everyone.
Vaguely remembered the rich Dives, probably learnt here, not in RE, and knew one bird, bulbul, but not the other, thinking ‘roller?..surely not’, but there it was! Buttoned up is unfamiliar, ‘succeeded in’ being more like nailed down. Wondered about gigues plural as music singular, but it sort of works I spose. And dnp the NI bit of Gemini… very neat, along with lots of others. Thanks Brendan and Manehi.
Thanks Brendan and manehi
Great fun, if quite easy. I didn’t parse GIGUES (though should have). I missed the theme, of course, but I don’t think it was ever likely that I would see this one.
Among many nice clues were those for FLORENTINE (misleading definition), SUBTLE, GHOST-WRITE and LEAFLESS (a genuine &lit?).
“Dives and Lazarus” is quite well known as a folk song. Vaughan-Williams based “Five variants on Dives and Lazarus” on it. (Clip 11 1/2 minutes.)
A treat of a Brendan, even though (as nearly always happens) I missed the theme.
Thanks to him and Manehi
Hi at first posting. Haha – the LHR was well dangled, but the theme lost against not so well known abbrevs. Looked around the letters to conclude ‘there’s no Nina here’ !
6D neat, ‘Dives’ lesson for the day, 1D suits this solver.
Far too clever a theme for me, but would it have helped? I now wonder if Deli was slipped in deliberately?
Anyone else try fugues for 6d? Guessed the guest bit + fu ! Though I don’t think a fugue has anything to do with dance.
Enjoyable puzzle!
Since no one else has mentioned it, the anagram fodder is missing “to” in the blog for 20a.
Thanks, manehi and Brendan – a treat, as crypticsue says.
I went down a similar track to David Ellison when I saw GLOBAL TRAVEL but it didn’t lead me anywhere. I think, perhaps, if I had managed to spot LHR, CDG, I would have been put off by CPT and thought I was wrong – I’d have expected CPH, the only one of the rest, apart from JFK, that I’ve been to!
Once again I’ll go along with manehi’s favourites, with the addition of 15ac and 4dn – but they were all good clues, in a most enjoyable puzzle.
A good puzzle made into a great one as the theme was revealed when I came here. Yes, I was convinced the fodder was “eg Dante let” until GHOST WRITE (also ticked) went in – clever definition and misdirection. I also had CHEWED ticked and was pleased to get the unknown GIGUES from the wordplay. I’d also never heard of rich man DIVES either in the bible or folk song but the IRE and CT meant it had to be right. Many thanks to Brendan and manehi for the blog and the colour coded grid.
Great puzzle as to be expected from Brendan. It was only when I saw JFK followed by LHR and CDG that i chased up the rest.
I feel jetlagged.
Thanks Brendan and manehi
Looked for a theme but couldn’t see one: didn’t stop me from enjoying the puzzle thoroughly though.
Another epic fail for me in terms of not spotting the theme, and a dnf to boot. Didn’t know 6d GIGUES or 21d GULGUL. Pity – I guess I could have cheated if I was online, but I am still old school enough to be a print-off and pencil person (feeling it is justified by my subscription to The Guardian, though I wish I could just pop down to the corner shop and buy the paper, and complete it on newsprint paper.). Even if someone had said, Julie, look for a theme, I still don’t think I would have spotted this one. I did like 1d LIAISING (Natch!). Thanks to Brendan for enjoyment along the way, even though you beat me in the end. (You are such a clever and tricksy setter!) And gratitude to manehi for the explanatory blog.
[Interesting politics in your part of the world, UK solvers, as well as some very small measure of justice for abuse survivors of the Catholic Church in our part of the world.]
Like others, I spotted GLOBAL TRAVEL, but I’m not enough of a traveller to know all those airports, even though I live under the LHR flightpath.
Brendan 1: Gladys 0.
Some GK let me down, especially those in the nina. But very timely with planes falling out of the sky closer to home.
manehi — props for finding the theme in the Ninas. I never would have spotted that one! I’ve used JFK occasionally, SFO was my home airport for some years, and I’ve been to a few of the others, but wouldn’t have recognized their codes. Eileen, you’ve never been to Heathrow? How did you get to JFK and CPH?
JFK was renamed for Kennedy after his assassination. Before that it had the beautiful name of Idlewild, and I’ve regretted the loss ever since.
Didn’t know the figurative meaning of “buttoned up.”
Manehi, thanks for the explanation of “subtle,” my LOI, which I just biffed, as I did GEMINI. Both of those were neat constructions!
Thanks to Brendan and manehi. Lots of fun. For once I did spot the theme after spotting JFK, SFO,and LHR though I had to check the others to get the full GLOBAL range. I did know Dives but not BULBUL, GIGUES, and roller=bird.
Well, now I’ve seen the NINA, it explains a few somewhat obscure words – I thought the Don had popped in for a while!
I missed the theme but admired nearly all the clues. SUBTLE was extremely so, and I also particularly liked GHOST-WRITE.
Thanks Brendan and manehi.
Valentine @19 – you need to read my whole sentence: I’ve been to Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle – I said, ‘The only one of the rest …’ 😉
Lovely puzzle. GIGUES was my LOI; favourites JINGLE, CASUAL and SUBTLE. I now see that I made a mess of IDEALISM (had idealist, and couldn’t parse). Many thanks to B & m.
As always, a lovely puzzle from Brendan, who never fails to provide something special. Am I the only one, however, who is not convinced that the cryptic grammar in 20A is correct? Should “form” not be “forms” to give the sense “anagram of fodder” provides “answer”? I appreciate that “form” is being used for the surface, but would Brendan have let this through when he was editing the Times crossword, I wonder? Happy to be put right on this.
I’m much earlier to the forum this time, but again it’s all been said! I actually left FIND and HOOD, believing that if I didn’t get them in two minutes (which I didn’t) I wouldn’t get them in twenty, but I see now they are both sound, accessible clues.
I enjoyed this puzzle throughout, and I once again savoured many excellent clues from this setter. I could see that GLOBAL TRAVEL made a phrase, but as usual I didn’t see anything at all to connect with any theme. My loss!
Many thanks to Brendan and manehi.
Thanks to Brendan and manehi. Most of this went in very readily, though missed the theme, even though I suspected it had something to do with global travel. However, then I got into a mess in the NE. I did not know gigues and guessed at minuet, which in turn gave me a problem with 14a. Therefore a DNF for me today, though I did enjoy the rest of it. Hey ho there is always tomorrow and my favourites were jingle and subtle. Thanks again to Brendan and manehi.
I could have stared at that grid all day and not seen the theme (I only knew 3 of the 8), so thanks for explaining it! Definitely one of Brendan’s tougher ones – a fine puzzle
Thanks to Brendan and manehi
I really enjoyed this, though I dnf as I didn’t get GIGUES. I’ve never heard the word but I should have got it from the clear clueing. In fact, I’d toyed with GUEST as a potential part of the solution, before I had any crossers and then promptly forgot it. Fool. 🙂 It was probably my favourite clue, along with POLITEST, DULY and SUBTLE. Special mention to BULBUL too, which I could get despite having never heard of it – good, fair clueing. I never considered BUTTONED UP as an alternative to ‘carried out successfully’ but the answer was clear from the ‘coat’ half of the clue. I needed the blog to parse DIRECTIVES as DIVES was new to me, as was the bird ROLLER. I didn’t spot the theme. Yet again!
If Pierre had been blogging, I’m sure that he would have given images of rollers (they’re pretty spectacular) and bulbuls.
Thanks muffin @29. Agree, the rollers are lovely – and similar colouring to kingfishers. Loving the bulbuls too; I had a haircut like that as a teenager!
Back in the 1960’s we had use of a little dinghy with the name Bulbul on the side, while on holiday on the Norfolk Broads Never come across a Bulbul since, but wouldn’t possibly have solved this clue without that dimly remembered memory…
I had no chance of getting the theme even if I’d looked for it, which I didn’t. I had to look up both BULBUL and ROLLER even if the answer in both cases was obvious. DIVES, on the other hand,I’d never heard of, so DIRECTIVES went unparsed. Despite the above, I enjoyed this puzzle very much. I liked FLORENTINE.
Thanks Brendan.
Nothing interesting to say here but I’m compelled to thank Brendan for an excellent puzzle. I agree with all the praise above. I loved the misdirection for GIGUES and GHOST-WRITE. TILTS for me were dives and rollers – gorgeous creatures! I failed to get BULBUL but it was fairly clued – and gorgeous as well.
BlueDot @33
The bulbuls I’ve actually seen, in South Africa, are much more boring – I thought I would post a prettier example.
Failed on GIGUES only. Brendan foxed me there by ‘belligerent American’ instead of ‘American soldier’ which we are used to. COD BULBUL.
I’ve taken to calling this setter “Brendan the Theme” (a la Ivor the Engine) but I still failed to spot the central banner and the perimeter Ninas, despite the grid crying out for me to look. My loss, as this is another fine puzzle from the master.
Many favorites including FIND, SUBTLE, JINGLE, HOOD (I missed the middle element of the triple), GEMINI and LEAFLESS. I missed GIGUES, so a DNF. The plural seems not very clearly defined to my mind.
I agree with RichardCV22@24 about 20 (!). Having “Twisting” would make me feel more comfortable.
Great fun, as usual.
Thanks manehi (not least for the visual for the theme) and Brendan.
Thought this was excellent. Remembered to look for a theme – and failed to spot it (beyond “Global Travel”). Never heard of BULBUL amd ROLLER but nicely clued, Enjoyed the misdirection in 23 and the beautiful surface for 18. Thanks Brendan and manehi
BTW: The central down Nina “TO TND” will take you to Alberto Delgado Airport in Trinidad, Cuba. Surely intentional!!
Very enjoyable – one short with Gigues which I’ve never heard of…I also don’t understand why GI = belligerent American? Why are American soldiers belligerent? I must be missing something as no one else has commented!
Belligerent as in bellicose?
As a minor quibble, having heard bulbuls in Africa, ‘singer’ wouldn’t be the first thing to come to mind. They have a rather dull call rather than much of a song, and I think bird would have been adequate as a definition for such an obscure bird.
Late to comment, but I want to express my appreciation for a beautiful puzzle. I was unfamiliar with GIGUES and both birds, but in each case the clues pointed fairly to the answer. I’m in awe of a setter who can create a theme like today’s, and also of any solver who can spot it, so thanks to both Brendan and Manehi.
Pottsy@41 Actually, bulbul is the Farsi (old Persian) word for nightingale, so definitely a singer! It seems now to be used for a different species of bird.
Late to this one, since my phone was acting funky and it was a busy day at work.
I failed to spot the theme, even though I’ve been to four or five* of the eight airports. But then Ninas always elude me.
I didn’t know Dives the biblical character, so thanks for elucidating.
*[My one trip to the Bay Area as an adult was cross-country by car. But I spent a brief time living in Berkeley as a two-year-old, and I can’t swear my parents never put us on a plane out of SFO during that period. Hence the uncertainty.]
Stuart @39 – I thin it’s ‘belligerent’ as in someone takin gpart in a war/conflict
An enjoyable and well constructed puzzle as ever from Brendan.
Of course I didn’t see the theme as I never look for them as they don’t interest me.
This theme was however a little odd.
During my career I did an awful lot of flying around the world. (I’m talking many hundreds of flights over my working life) The only airport code I actually know is LHR which I think I learned in crosswordland. Luckily it was not ever necessary to know the airport code of my destination. It was however important that the baggage handlers were familiar with these codes. Obviously they did as I never arrived anywhere without my luggage.
I must have travelled to one particular airport at least 250 times and I am still ignorant of its code.
A very straightforward puzzle from Brendan, I found, but still enjoyable.
muffin – I’m afraid that LEAFLESS is not an &lit since “trees becoming this” does not form part of wordplay. For a clue to be an &lit, its whole must be both definition and wordplay.
ROLLER is also a type of (trained?) pigeon which rolls in flight, as far as I recall.
I ticked CASUAL, HOOD, GIGUE, GHOST-WRITE and LEAFLESS.
Many thanks, both and all.
“Bulbul was a famous Azerbaijani and Soviet opera tenor” (Wikipedia). Perhaps an alternative, more acceptable definition for 21d.
“Bulbul” always reminds me of this.