Knut fills the Tuesday slot in the Independent this week.
Knut is a setter who often focuses on political stories of the day and he continues to do so in this puzzle, although this time there is slight subtlety in places. We have the upfront references to PRIME MINISTERIAL (12 across and 29 across) and the instruction to DE-BORIS in the clue at 7 down. The three word phrase (3 down, 23 across, 21 down) and the homophone of (18 across, 20 across) both appear in an article Boris Johnson
wrote in the Daily Telegraph in 2002 that has been widely referenced in the press recently. The term LOGROLLER (at 26 across could be applied to politicians in many countries at the moment..
There are also a few allusions to the X-MEN comics and films in the clues and the grid. The Independent published an article by Mark Steel on 25th July this year likening the new Cabinet to X-MEN in some form
I think the clue at 7 across refers to Liam Fox, who was sacked from the Cabinet when our new Prime Minister took office recently. SLOGAN (22 down), LANGUAGE (1 down) and The SUN (28 across) could also be linked to words or support for Mr Johnson. Possible VOTED (27 across) and SPIV a(15 across) are also related. There may
be other entries that I haven’t highlighted so far, e.g.. KREMLIN?. Solvers can decide for themselves whether I have suggested too few or too many allusions.
ECTOMORPH is not a word I use regularly, but the entry was well signposted in the constituent parts of the clue. ASPHODEL is a fairly common crossword plant.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1 | Ground offensive left Rwanda struggling with food (4,7) |
L (left) + an anagram of (struggling) RWANDA + FARE (food) L AND WAR* FARE |
LAND WARFARE (fighting on the ground; ground offensive) |
| 7 | Spot Fox going into retirement (3) |
TOD (fox) reversed (going into retirement) DOT< |
DOT (very small spot)
|
| 9 | Sing of confidence in acrobat group? (5) |
NO NET (If a trapeze artist or acrobat performs with NO NET then he or she is showing confidence) NO NET |
NONET (instrumental group of nine players) |
| 10 | Through which to deliver improved hair, according to Spooner (9) |
LETTERBOX (a Spoonerism of this would be BETTER [improved] LOCKS [hair]) LETTERBOX |
LETTERBOX (slot or receptacle for receiving or delivering mail and other goods, such as political leafclets) |
| 11 | Secure app developed written as FORTRAN? (5,4) |
Anagram of (developed) SECURE APP UPPER CASE* |
UPPER CASE (the word FORTRAN [a programming language] is written in upper case characters) |
| 12 | First-rate, formal English (5) |
PRIM (formal) + E (English) PRIM E |
PRIME (of the highest quality) |
| 13 | Began a cheesecake filled with chocolate cream (7) |
GANACHE (hidden word in [filled with] BEGAN A CHEESECAKE) GANACHE |
GANACHE (mixture of chocolate and cream in equal parts, used to make truffles and as a filling in cakes and biscuits) |
| 15 | A-list rejected an oik like Pte Walker (4) |
VIPS (very important persons; A-listers) reversed (rejected) SPIV< |
SPIV (flashy black-market hawker; someone who makes money by dubious means; also an oik or an idler. Private Walker in Dad’s Army was an example) |
| 18 | Select a tool (4) |
PICK (select) PICK |
PICK (tool for breaking ground) double definition |
| 20 | Simple souls process number two, having spent a penny (7) |
Anagram of (process) NINEPINS (entry at two down [number two]) excluding (spending) P (penny) NINNIES* |
NINNIES (simpletons; simple souls) |
| 23 | Chaps downing limoncello on vacation – it’s quite sweet (5) |
MEN (chaps) containing (closing down) LO (letters remaining in LIMONCELLO when all the central letters IMONCELL are removed [on vacation]) ME (LO) N |
MELON (a fruit whose edible flesh is quite sweet)) |
| 24 | Skinny bloke to sit more than half of next day in city pub (9) |
TOMOR (five of the eight [more than half] letters of TOMORROW [next day]) contained in (to sit … in) (EC [post code of the City of London] + PH [public house; pub]) EC (TOMOR) PH |
ECTOMORPH ( person of light and delicate build; skinny bloke) |
| 26 | One scratching the back of lumberjack? (9) |
LOGROLLER (one who gives mutual aid to other politicians, etc, especially in relation to trading in votes to secure the passage of legislation; one scratching the back of) LOGROLLER |
LOGROLLER (lumberjack) |
| 27 | Very old Irish priest made his mark (5) |
V (very) + O (old) + TED (reference Father TED, the title character and priest in the television sitcom Father TED) V O TED |
VOTED (made a mark in favour of a candidate in an election) |
| 28 | Star is suing every now and again (3) |
SUN (letters 2, 4 and 6 [every now and then] of IS SUING SUN |
SUN (an example of a star) |
| 29 | After conversion, I’m saintlier (like the vicar) (11) |
Anagram of (after conversion) I’M SAINTLIER MINISTERIAL* |
MINISTERIAL (descriptive of a vicar [minister]) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | Heartless Soviet camp "in the way", in a manner of speaking (8) |
GULAG (Soviet camp for political prisoners) excluding the middle letter (heartless) L contained in (in) LANE (oath; way) LAN (GUAG) E |
LANGUAGE (any manner of expressing thought or feeling; a manner of speaking) |
| 2 | Skittles record I held in Northern pubs (8) |
(EP (Extended Play record] + I) contained in (held in) (N [northern] + INNS [pubs]) N IN (EP I) NS |
NINEPINS (form of skittles) |
| 3 | Matthau dropping line in lake (5) |
WALTER (reference WALTER Matthau [1920 – 2000], American actor) excluding (dropping) L (line) WATER |
WATER (lake, as in UllsWATER in the Lake District) |
| 4 | Free to sign a new rental agreement (7) |
RE LEASE (take out [sign] a new rental agreement) RE LEASE |
RELEASE (set free) |
| 5 | Current Hair star? (7) |
AC (alternating current) + TRESS (plait or braid of the hair) AC TRESS |
ACTRESS (leading ACTRESSes are referred to as stars) |
| 6 | Former English politician into new kind of relief (9) |
EX (former) + E (English) + MP (Member of Parliament; politician) + an anagram of (new) INTO EX E MP TION* |
EXEMPTION ( relief from any service, duty, burden) |
| 7 | Get rid of the new PM – reject old rubbish! (6) |
DE– (away; get rid of) + BORIS (reference BORIS Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as of 13th August 2019) excluding (reject) O (old) DE BRIS |
DEBRIS (rubbish) |
| 8 | They have a revenue stream, thanks to Magneto et al (6) |
TA (thanks) + X-MEN (Magneto and others [et al] are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men fantasy film) TA XMEN |
TAXMEN (people who work for Inland Revenue departments worldwide) |
| 14 | Organic bananas planted on random, deserted peak in the highlands (9) |
Anagram of (bananas) ORGANIC + RM (letters remaining in RANDOM when all the central letters are removed [deserted]) CAIRNGO* RM |
CAIRNGORM (mountain peak in the Scottish highlands) I think the mountain range is the one word CAIRNGORMs but the individual peak is two words CAIRN GORM |
| 16 | Revolting, bitter bile uncovered in lyrical works (8) |
Anagram of (revolting) BITTER and IL (letters remaining in BILE when the outer letters B and E are removed [uncovered]) LIBRETTI* |
LIBRETTI (the words [lyrics] of an opera, oratorio, ballet etc; lyrical works) |
| 17 | Being a plant, I must leave "Hail, Spode!" movement (8) |
Anagram of (movement) HAIL SPODE excluding (must leave) I ASPHODEL* |
ASPHODEL (a plant of the lily family) |
| 19 | Merkel getting the shakes, taking a tablet in government building (7) |
Anagram of (the shakes) MERKEL excluding (taking) E (ecstasy tablet) + IN KREML* IN Either E could be excluded from MERKEL |
KREMLIN (government building in Russia) |
| 20 | Humours original word for buttocks being circulated (7) |
UR– (primitive; original) contained in (being circulated) NATES (buttocks) NAT (UR) ES |
NATURES (dispositions; humours) |
| 21 | Girlie regularly featured in text looks happy (6) |
ILE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [regularly] of GIRLIE) contained in (featured in) SMS (short message service; text message) SM (ILE) S |
SMILES (looks happy) |
| 22 | Second Wolverine catchphrase … (6) |
S (second) + LOGAN (James Howlett also known as LOGAN and Wolverine are, I think, the same character in different guises. Both have been played by Hugh Jackman in a couple of films) S LOGAN |
SLOGAN (advertising catchphrase) |
| 25 | … second to struggle with film (5) |
MO (moment; second) + VIE (struggle) MO VIE |
MOVIE (film) |
I saw enough of the PRIME MINISTERIAL references to at least spot the theme, even if most have passed me by. I did wonder if the ‘Current Hair star’ at 5d might be referring to Boris’ equivalent on the other side of the Atlantic. There’ll probably be plenty of material in the coming months for another Boris based theme, even if it is by the time he’s an ex-PM.
I didn’t know X-MEN or LOGAN but they weren’t hard to guess. I liked the reminders of Walter Matthau and especially Private Walker from “Dad’s Army”; ‘oik’ fits the surface better, though I’d describe him as more of a ‘shifty rogue’.
Thanks to Knut and Duncan
Knut in typical and enjoyable form – my only real problem came in trying to write a solution in the wrong place plus not knowing who Magneto et al are.
Thanks to Knut for the fun and Duncan for the blog.
Gradely,lad!
10ac is a reference to another bit of gratuitous offensiveness on the part of BJ in another Telegraph article written in August 2018.
I saw 16D as ‘bitter bile’ reversed and the first and last letters removed, or uncovered. I guess it works both ways, but the setter deserves recognition of his effort if I’m right.
Anyway, good puzzle, some X-Men references I’ve never seen in crossword land before; and yes I’ve heard of them. Plus some subtle digs at Alexander de Piffle.
Thanks to setter and blogger. All good stuff.
There’s another (perhaps unintentional) mini-theme of fictional characters in clues and answers, six of them at least: Tod Fox, Private Walker, Father Ted, Magneto, Roderick Spode and Wolverine. Very enjoyable, thanks Knut and Duncan.
Thanks Knut and Duncan
GeordyGordy @ 5: I suspect you are right, as unusual embeds are one of Knut’s specialities.
So much fun again today. I wanted to cite some favourites but couldn’t prune the list to a sensible size. Not the worst problem to have!
Purrs and SMILES of thanks to Knut and Duncan.
Thanks to DuncanShiell for the blog, and of course to those kind enough to have commented on the puzzle.
I can confirm that the intended parsing for LIBRETTI is as GeordyGordy suggests.I tend to use upsetting/revolting/flipping as reversal indicators in down clues.
Best wishes Rob/Knut