It’s been over a year since we last had the pleasure of blogging a Hoskins.
There weren’t so many of his trademark clues which include sex, drugs, rock and the Queen this time, but that didn’t spoil the enjoyment.
There was one clue (29ac) which has us somewhat puzzled but maybe we can see more than one possible parsing. It did however give us an opportunity for a bit of nostalgia as did 17d.
Across
1 I notice dad working, showing this (10)
DEDICATION
An anagram of I NOTICE DAD – anagrind is ‘working’
6 Takes drugs and ponders when out of head (4)
USES
mUSES (ponders) missing first letter or ‘out of head’
10 One’s tucking into rubbish Italian (5)
PISAN
I’S (one’s) inside PAN (rubbish)
11 A rocky romance with I and drink (9)
AMERICANO
A with an anagram of ROMANCE and I – anagrind is ‘rocky’. We won’t go into the story again about the first time we went into a ‘coffee bar’ and said, “All we want is a coffee!” We had no idea what all the different items were on the menu.
12 What Maggie mostly dismantled is awful (3,4)
THE PITS
A double definition. Early in the solve, Joyce said, “Could 12ac be THE PITS?” it took most of the solve to realise that Hoskins was also referring to Maggie’s show-down with the coal miners in the 80s which resulted in a year-long strike. Living in Nottinghamshire, we well remember the dispute, especially at Ollerton where relations between strikers and non-strikers were very tense. If you are unfamiliar with the miner’s strike click HERE.
13 Hanging out of windows, essentially with Rod above a canal? (7)
ANGLING
dANGLING (hanging) without D (middle or ‘essential’ letter in ‘windows’)
14 One that might pick up a bird (5)
CRANE
Double definition
15 High temperature, suffering in 12? (8)
OFFTRACK
OFF (high) T (temperature) RACK (suffering)
19 Paper covering a newly-wed couple? (8)
CONFETTI
Cryptic definition
21 One that sheds light on Catholic vice (5)
CLAMP
LAMP (one that sheds light) on C (Catholic)
23 V & A acquires original piece of Tiffany (7)
AGAINST
A + GAINS (acquires) + T (first letter or an ‘original piece’ of ‘Tiffany’)
26 Practical labourer at work carrying bit of shelving (5-2)
HANDS-ON
HAND (labourer) ON (at work) around or ‘carrying’ S (first letter or a ‘bit’ of ‘shelving’)
27 Pants of a friend suspended by shower? (6,3)
RAINED OFF
An anagram of OF A FRIEND – anagrind is ‘pants’
28 Like to stuff rubbish cook in the oven (5)
ROAST
AS (like) inside or ‘stuffing’ ROT (rubbish)
29 One chap in plot might want to eliminate? (4)
WEED
We are somewhat puzzled by this one and the surface reading is very poor by Hoskins’ usual standards. we think it may be intended as a cryptic definition – certainly, a gardener usually wants to eliminate weeds. Could ‘one’ = ‘WE’ as spoken by HER MAJ? (One of Hoskins’ regular features) and chap = ‘ED’? Or could WEED be connected to the ‘Flowerpot men’ one of the programmes for children on the BBC many years ago. But we then realised that WEED in the ‘Flowerpot Men’ was female! If you have no idea of what we are talking about or just want a touch of nostalgia have a look at THIS. Before anyone comments – yes, we really did watch this and it was one of Joyce’s favourite programmes. However, it may just be a cryptic defintion with WEED referring to a ‘weak, ineffectual or unmanly man’ (Chambers – 8th definition of weed)
30 Demanding task for a load of lofty brothers? (1,4,5)
A TALL ORDER
If a lot of monks or brothers in a monastery were above average height, it could well be described as ‘A TALL ORDER’
Down
1 Rod is an idiot (8)
DIPSTICK
Double definition
2 Road speed to be changed, which is criminal (9)
DESPERADO
An anagram of ROAD SPEED – anagrind is ‘to be changed’
3 Okay to support prisoner put in a cell? (7)
CONFINE
FINE (okay) underneath or ‘supporting’ CON (prisoner)
4 Ferry managed to enter front of terribly small harbour (9)
TRANSPORT
RAN (managed) inside or ‘entering’ T (first letter or ‘front’ of ‘terribly’) and S (small) PORT (harbour)
5 Last part of a series is nothing brilliant (5)
OMEGA
O (nothing) MEGA (brilliant)
7 Old police tests brought up by institute (5)
STASI
SATS (tests, as used in UK schools) reversed or ‘brought up + I (institute)
8 Bog of despair (6)
SLOUGH
Double definition
9 Spice Girl (6)
GINGER
Double definition although one of the Spice Girls was also nicknamed GINGER
16 Just sat on by female, that’s terrible (9)
FRIGHTFUL
RIGHTFUL (just) underneath or ‘sat on by’ F (female)
17 Don’t act as silly as Pole suspending Afghans? (9)
COATSTAND
An anagram of DON’T ACT AS – anagrind is ‘silly’. The Afghans refer to a sheep or goat-skin coat which had the fleece on the inside. They were very popular in the late 60s and 70s. We shared one for a while, but it smelt dreadful when it was wet. You certainly didn’t want to sit next to us in the cinema.
18 Unmarried woman in a DJ, you could say (8)
SPINSTER
A DJ ‘spins’ records so could fancifully be described as a SPINSTER
20 Digital spirit measure (6)
FINGER
A cryptic definition
21 Tory writer sending up Republican with spirit (3,4)
CON BRIO
CON (Tory) BIRO (writer) with the R (Republican) moving ‘up’ one place as it is a down clue
22 Spoil series, revealing the vital part (6)
MARROW
MAR (spoil) ROW (series)
24 Beer US soldier opens with nimble movements? (5)
AGILE
ALE (beer) round or ‘opened by’ GI (US soldier)
25 Grumpy sort of communist that you must punch (5)
TROUT
TROT (Communist) round or ‘punched by’ U (you). We’d forgotten that TROUT could refer to ‘an unpleasant, interfering old person’.
I wondered about ‘eliminate’ in 29a being a euphemism for ‘to urinate’ or WEE, but that doesn’t account for the D, so I ended up parsing it as a cryptic definition. I was surprised to see ‘Grumpy sort’ and the Chambers entry for TROUT as ‘An unpleasant, interfering old person, esp a woman’. I’ve always used this term in the sense of a slightly eccentric, indefatigable old woman, but not necessarily an unpleasant one. Wrong again.
AMERICANO seems to be the coffee of choice for our esteemed setters these days.
Don’t know why, but I like DIPSTICK as an almost affectionate term for an ‘idiot’. My other favourite bit was the not obvious ‘V’ def. for AGAINST.
Thanks to Hoskins and B&J
For me TROUT is a quintet.There is a great you tube of Jacqueline du Pre and co playing it-Zubin Mehta on bass-honest.Easy to google. Im useless at links.
Thanks Hoskins, B&J
Hoskins always sends you the wrong way, very enjoyable. Loved the pants hung up by the shower.
I think the clue for WEED is a double cryptic definition; primarily for the plant, but also for the ineffectual man (who a co-conspirator would want to get rid of?)
Great fun as ever. My favourite was 23a for its very neat definition.
Many thanks to Hoskins and to B&J.
Most enjoyable despite, or possibly because of, the lack of sex and drugs! A raised eyebrow over the surface of 11a but that’s a minor point.
I’ll join RD in putting 23a at the top of the pile, very neatly contrived.
Thanks to Harry and also to B&J for the review.
Thanks for the blog, B and J.
I’m with Rabbit Dave and Jane re 23a and also very much liked RAINED OFF and COATSTAND.
Many thanks, Hoskins, for the fun [apart from 11ac – Ouch! Not a minor point for me.]
I thought the definition in 29A was “One”; not entirely dissimilar to the cluing of the first definition of CRANE (“one” that might pick up) in 14A.
CRANE was actually my LOI as I I could see was CRAKE before a wordcheck.
Good fun. Thanks to Hoskins and Bertandjoyce.
Just a thought – isn’t it one (thing) chap in plot (gardener) might want to eliminate – ie a weed? Just a thought.
Ah, sorry, see that BertandJoyce already explained that. Too much speed reading….
A fairly quick solve but with some headscratching along the way. We too decided 12ac had to be THE PITS from the definition ‘awful’ but then took ages to twig the cryptic definition. In 29ac we parsed it simply as what a gardener wans to eliminate. We thought 9dn was a bit too obvious, almost a straight definition by example.
But we liked ANGLING and ROAST for their surfaces, and our favourite was AGAINST.
Thanks, Hoskins and B&J.
A special pleasure finding Hoskins here today. Favourites were 23a, 27a, 28a.
many thanks Harry
And many thanks B&J, now I have to think about you sharing an afghan in the cinema