Another well crafted puzzle from Klingsor for the weekend.
There were a few crafty misdirections and a few we needed to check. We had no idea that Modest could be someone’s name (13ac). We particularly liked 11ac for the anagram and capital city and the misdirection in 1d.
Across
1 One dumb spy novel? Not book for Le Carré, maybe (9)
PSEUDONYM
An anagram of ONE DUMb SPY – anagrind is ‘novel’ without B (book) or ‘not book’. The author’s real name was David John Moore Cornwell.
6 Bust, or the opposite of bust around start of season (5)
BOSOM
BOOM (opposite of bust) around S (first letter or ‘start’ of season)
9 Singer, one with piano in place of orchestra (5)
PIPIT
I (one) P (piano) in PIT (place of orchestra)
10 The only one in a suit wearing vest? (9)
SINGLETON
A play on the fact that if you are wearing a vest you may have a SINGLET ON
11 Reproduction of Stonehenge repositioned in capital (15)
PARTHENOGENESIS
An anagram of STONEHENGE – anagrind is ‘repositioned’ inside PARIS (capital)
13 How Mussorgsky introduced himself, being vain? (8)
IMMODEST
The composer’s full name was MODEST PETROVICH MUSSORSKY so he may well have introduced himself as – I’M MODEST
14 Harrier is British bird (6)
BEAGLE
B (British) EAGLE (bird)
16 Japan, say, wants river to evaporate (6)
VANISH
VArNISH (Japan is a type of varnish) without or ‘wanting’ R
18 Score equally split between Liverpool and Sunderland? That shows doggedness (8)
TENACITY
A score of 20 shared equally between the two clubs would give TEN A CITY
21 His nice shop can supply haggis finally? Buy it! (4,2,4,5)
CASH IN ONES CHIPS
An anagram of HIS NICE SHOP CAN – anagrind is ‘supply’ + S (last letter of haggis or ‘finally’)
23 Lay to rest a recurrent worry, among other things (5,4)
INTER ALIA
INTER (lay to rest) A and AIL (worry) reversed or ‘recurrent’
25 Mission accomplished, leave and move on, first of all (5)
ALAMO
First letters of Accomplished Leave And Move On
26 Rave about entertaining Latin composer (5)
ELGAR
RAGE (rave) reversed or ‘about’ around or ‘entertaining’ L (Latin)
27 Hard-headed idiot in charge holds yearly meeting (9)
PRAGMATIC
PRAT (idiot) IC (in charge) around or ‘holding’ AGM (yearly meeting)
Down
1 Like some kids’ books from Jerry Springer when young? (3-2)
POP-UP
PO (Jerry) PUP (a springer is a type of dog and would have been a pup when it was young). A good bit of misdirection here.
2 Specialist’s keeping me in, when ill, for tests (11)
EXPERIMENTS
EXPERT’S (specialist’s) around an anagram of ME IN – anagrind is ‘when ill’
3 Felt irritation following daughter getting dumped (7)
DITCHED
ITCHED (felt irritation) after or ‘following’ D (daughter)
4 Snooping has one boy up before head (8)
NOSINESS
I (one) SON (boy) reversed or ‘up’ as it is a down clue before NESS (head)
5 Animal disease besets European riding school (6)
MANEGE
MANGE (animal disease) around or ‘besetting’ E (European)
6 Perch can be swimming round a lake (7)
BALANCE
An anagram of CAN BE – anagrind is ‘swimming’ – around A L (lake)
7 Lay some false trails (3)
SET
Hidden (‘some’) in falSE Trails
8 Star with money playing Glastonbury? (9)
MONASTERY
An anagram of STAR and MONEY – anagrind is ‘playing’
12 Important instruction to proxy about ratifying document? (11)
SIGNIFICANT
SIGN IF I CAN’T (‘instruction to proxy about ratifying document’)
13 Conservative coming in for new, original abuse (9)
INVECTIVE
C (Conservative) replacing or ‘coming in’ for N (new) in INVEnTIVE (original)
15 Rum is sweet stuff (8)
DEMERARA
Double definition
17 It’s about basic education disrupted by English troublemaker (7)
STIRRER
IT’S reversed or ‘about’ RRR (three R’s or ‘basic education’) around or ‘disrupted by’ E (English)
19 Praise a double century, first for Moeen Ali possibly (7)
ACCLAIM
A CC (double century) and an anagram of M (first letter of Moeen) and ALI – anagrind is ‘possibly’. Moeen Ali is an international English cricketer who scored a double century when he was playing for Worcestershire against Yorkshire in 2018.
20 Lump party together with voting upset (6)
DOLLOP
DO (party) and a reversal or ‘upset’ of POLL (voting)
22 Surrounded by most of family, I resigned (5)
STOIC
STOCk (family) missing last letter or ‘most of’ surrounding I
24 Stomach-turning jerk (3)
TUG
A reversal or ‘turning’ of GUT (stomach)
Easy for a Klingsor I thought. He once agains demonstrates that he is one of the very best setters with beautiful clueing throughout.
Favourites include: POP-UP (the Jerry Springer usage was brilliant); TENACITY (perhaps blog should make it clearer that score=20); and SIGNIFICANT.
Strange how DEMERARA pops up again. Recently it was the sugar and the river rather than the rum. 17d also fits with Brendan’s recent offering.
Thanks to Klingsor and Bertandjoyce.
I didn’t get 1D at all, but guessed the answer, so thanks for the explanation. At 21A, I presume ‘cash in one’s chips’ and ‘buy it’ are euphemisms for ‘die’, though I hadn’t heard either used in this connection before. I thought ‘significant’ at 12D was brilliant. Thanks Klingsor for an excellent set of clues and B&J for the blog.
As for “Modest” as a name, the composer Constant Lambert used to say that “apart from Modest Mussorgsky, no composer had ever had a less appropriate first name than himself”. Tchaikovsky had a younger brother also called Modest.
This puzzle deserves more comments. I also thought 12D was hilariously good. Couldn’t parse POP-UP (Jerry??). Agree with @2Tatrasman on the definition of 21A now that he suggested it, was a little puzzled by it at the time. 1A pretty good too, not easy to think of an anagram for pseudonym that reads well.
@3Andrew, thanks for the link – I must fish out Rio Grande and play it again after many years.
Thanks to Klingsor for the entertainment and Bertandjoyce for the blog.
Thanks to Bertandjoyce and Klingsor
Not as tough as Klingsor can be but another masterly demonstration of the art of wordplay and definition. Gems everywhere.