Sorry Eccles – it’s us again blogging your puzzle (we’ve blogged four of the last eight Eccles puzzles). We are definitely not complaining though – your puzzles always raise a smile.
…and we weren’t disappointed by this one.
We really appreciated the excellent surfaces and found it an enjoyable, not too taxing, Wednesday solve. We’re looking forward to the next one!
Across
1 Royal sycophant is cooking local delicacy (7,5)
CORNISH PASTY
An anagram of R (Royal) and SYCOPHANT IS – anagrind is ‘cooking’
9 Healthy cycling myth is beyond words (9)
INEFFABLE
FINE (healthy) with first letter moved to the back or ‘cycling’ + FABLE (myth)
10 Mark and others lead as one (5)
METAL
M (mark) ET AL (and others)
11 Vessel with drink that has no head (6)
WHERRY
W (with) sHERRY (drink) without first letter or ‘head’
12 Look drunk, beyond question (8)
AIRTIGHT
AIR (look) TIGHT (drunk)
13 Leave Indian coastal path? (2,4)
GO AWAY
A play on GOA WAY – a coastal path in Goa
15 Tackle difficult conflict with European (8)
HARDWARE
HARD (difficult) WAR (conflict) E (European)
18 Maybe disarm a friend’s hiding place (8)
AMPUTATE
A MATE (friend) around or ‘hiding’ PUT (place)
19 Stray fibres in underwear (6)
BRIEFS
An anagram of FIBRES – anagrind is ‘stray’
21 Egg-based treat provided by farmer in Guernsey (8)
MERINGUE
Hidden in or ‘provided by’ farMER IN GUErnsey
23 13 taking ecstasy for a laugh (6)
SCREAM
SCRAM (go away – 13ac) around or ‘taking’ E (ecstasy)
26 Lad in charge of sound (5)
SONIC
SON (lad) IC (in charge)
27 Language in France established by craftsmen and labourers, originally (9)
PROVENCAL
PROVEN (established) C A L (first or ‘initial’ letters of craftsmen and labourers)
28 Dear for one to provide paper knife? (6,6)
LETTER OPENER
A play on the fact that ‘Dear…..’ is an example of how a LETTER might OPEN
Down
1 Women breaking crockery good for gossip (7)
CHINWAG
W (women) inside or ‘breaking’ CHINA (crockery) G (good)
2 Comic actor is concerning First Lady (5)
REEVE
RE (concerning) EVE (first lady). We were puzzled by the ‘comic’ at first. The comic we thought of was Vic Reeves but he is not known as an actor and anyway it didn’t fit. The only possibility was Christopher Reeve which we discounted until we suddenly remembered he played Superman – a comic superhero.
3 Disdain for man trying to smuggle grass (9)
INFORMANT
Hidden or ‘smuggled’ in disdaIN FOR MAN Trying
4 Rings Tramp (4)
HOBO
HOB (ring on an oven) O (ring)
5 Two continents like supporting destruction of Crimea (8)
AMERICAS
AS (like) underneath or ‘supporting’ an anagram of CRIMEA – anagrind is ‘destruction of’
6 Entice politician to visit street regularly (5)
TEMPT
MP (politician) inside or ‘visiting’ sTrEeT (alternate or ‘regular’ letters)
7 Gets a tan at sea, being idle (8)
STAGNATE
An anagram of GETS A TAN – anagrind is ‘at sea’
8 Uncaring bastard set fire to what on return? (6)
BLITHE
B (bastard) LIT (set fire to) EH (what) reversed or ‘on return’
14 Clear Italian drink Greek is wanting opening (8)
APPARENT
grAPPA (Italian drink) without or ‘wanting’ GR (greece) RENT (opening)
16 Chapter I’d rewritten for next to nothing (4,5)
DIRT CHEAP
An anagram of CHAPTER I’D – anagrind is ‘rewritten’
17 Prostitute‘s position when US President enters (8)
STRUMPET
SET (position) with TRUMP (US President) entering
18 Not totally relaxed, compere going completely topless (6)
ALMOST
cALM (relaxed) hOST (compere) both missing first letters or ‘completely topless’
20 Like two peas in a pod? Nearly – essentially comparable (7)
SIMILAR
We’re hedging our bets on this one. We have two alternative definitions and parsings. ‘Like two peas in a pod’ is an example of a SIMILe – without the last letter or ‘nearly’ + AR (middle or ‘essential’ letters of ‘nearly’). However, ‘nearly’ is doing double duty if this is the case. Could it be ‘like’ as the definition with ‘ar’ coming from ‘comparable’. The definition in Chambers of a simile says that it is usually preceded by ‘as’ or ‘like’. If ‘two peas in a pod?’ is seen as a simile then the clue works fine.
22 Corner relative when drunk? (5)
NICHE
A drunk may end up pronouncing NIECE (relative) as NICHE
24 She used to serve porridge once, prepared around ten (2-3)
EX-CON
An anagram of ONCE – anagrind is ‘prepared’ around X (ten). We are more familiar with the expression ‘do porridge’ as in ‘serving a jail sentence’
25 Jeer Republican oaf (4)
BOOR
BOO (jeer) R (Republican)
As B&J say, very enjoyable, excellent surfaces and lots to smile at – my particular favourite being 28a
Thanks to Eccles and B&J
Very nice. I took 20d as an &lit.
Took a while to spot the inclusion at 3d and ALMOST took me ages to get. The rest went in fairly quickly.
My favourite was the slightly naughty 17d.
Thanks to Eccles and Bertandjoyce.
I was stumped by the ‘Comic actor’ at 2d as well, assuming this had to be a comedian. SIMILAR was bunged in unparsed as an ‘it must be right’ answer. Despite first thoughts, ‘Maybe disarm’ turned out to be not all that charming.
Favourite and first in was CORNISH PASTY, my customary Tuesday evening fare.
Thanks to Eccles and to B&J
The usual mix of clever clues and those bordering on the unacceptable that we’ve come to expect from Eccles!
Pleased to see that I wasn’t alone in pondering over the comic actor despite the info was staring me in the face.
Think my favourite was the topical 15a.
Thanks to Eccles and to B&J for the blog.
I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one to be uncertain about SIMILAR.
All pretty straightforward with not too much headscratching, although we found the hidden answers to be well hidden. Favourites were CORNISH PASTY, PROVENÇAL and LETTER OPENER.
Thanks, Eccles and B&J.
AR is the “essence” of comparable, &lit.
Ian@7. Hadn’t spotted that it didn’t say that in the blog. Your parsing matches mine.
Thanks to Bertandjoyce and Eccles
Very good.
Happy with the indicator (COMPLETELY) in 18d showing that the TOPLESS instruction covered both words.
Not so happy with the lack of SAY/SAID ETC in 22d
Always a pleasure, B&J, thank you, and to commenters as well.
20d was meant to be an &lit, as Hovis and Ian have suggested.