[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Eccles gives another smoothly clued crossword
As is usual with Eccles, the grid was full of everyday words. Perhaps only NEPENTHE and NEEPS could be queried as slightly unusual.
I was slightly surprised to note as I wrote the blog that in every down clue, the definition is at the beginning.
I liked the reference to Miss United States, although I would query whether it is always models who win titles of that nature.
My last one in was BREATHER with the definition ‘rest’ being well disguised.
There was also excellent misdirection with mention of Hill in the clue looking for a racing driver. I wonder how many people tried to do something with Damon or Graham before realising it was a completely different driver’s name we were after.
The snooker clue was very simple but very clever.
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| Across | |||
| 1 | Hunts and shoots (6) |
STALKS (stems of plants; shoots) STALKS |
STALKS (hunts game) double definition |
| 5 | School to avoid backing plan (8) |
SCH (school) + ELUDE (avoid) reversed (backing) SCH EDULE< |
SCHEDULE (plan) |
| 9 | Find dance extremely short (8) |
DISCO (dance) + VER DISCO VER |
DISCOVER (find) |
| 10 | Wife of America’s top model (6) |
MISS US (Miss United States; winner of a beauty pageant in America; America’s top model?) MISS US |
MISSUS (informal term for the lady of the house or wife) |
| 11 | Allow in Western criminal – an informer (10) |
LET (allow) contained in (in) an anagram of (criminal) WESTERN NEWS (LET) TER* |
NEWSLETTER (an informative sheet or booklet distributed to members of a group or community) |
| 12 | Bill runs out of crack (4) |
B BEAK |
BEAK (bird’s bill) |
| 13 | Grounds to force son to accept terms on a regular basis (8) |
(PRISE [force] + S [son]) containing (to accept) EM (letters 2 and 4 [on a regular basis] of TERMS) PR (EM) ISE S |
PREMISES (propositions stated or assumed for the sake of argument; grounds) |
| 16 | Notice boring exhibit in darkness (6) |
AD (advertisement; notice) contained in (boring) SHOW (exhibit) SH (AD) OW |
SHADOW (darkness) |
| 17 | Walker better, but not good (6) |
AMBLER |
AMBLER (walker) |
| 19 | Currently working after retirement, always inspired by piles of cash (8) |
ON (working) reversed (after retirement) + (AY [always] contained in [inspired by] WADS [bundles of banknotes; piles of cash]) NO< WAD (AY) S |
NOWADAYS (at the present time; currently) |
| 21 | Not in favour of frantic snuggles (4) |
ANTI (hidden word in [snuggles] FRANTIC) ANTI |
ANTI (not in favour of) |
| 22 | Pupil eager to take test with thug, oddly (3,7) |
ARDENT (eager) containing (to take) TSTU (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [oddly] of TEST THUG) AR (T STU) DENT |
ART STUDENT (pupil) |
| 25 | Reckon Earl pays for wheels (6) |
E (earl) + MEETS (pays for) reversed (wheels) E STEEM< |
ESTEEM (consider; think; reckon) |
| 26 | Rest of Belgium somewhat encapsulating Spain (8) |
B (International Vehicle Registration for Belgium) + (RATHER [somewhat] containing [encapsulating] E [International Vehicle Registration for Spain]) B R (E) ATHER |
BREATHER (rest) |
| 27 | One lacking love to write article as means to forget (8) |
NE PEN THE |
NEPENTHE (drink or drug causing sorrow to be forgotten) |
| 28 | Liverpudlian beginning to pine for Charlie’s partner (6) |
S SPOUSE |
SPOUSE (partner) |
| Down | |||
| 2 | Clichéd part of last rites (5) |
TRITE (hidden word in [part of] LAST RITES) TRITE |
TRITE (stale; hackneyed; clichéd) |
| 3 | Place in which insect gets end away (5) |
LOCUS LOCUS |
LOCUS (place, locality) |
| 4 | Union members compete to punch drunkards (7) |
VIE (compete) contained in (to punch [into]) SOTS (drunkards) SO (VIE) TS |
SOVIETS (former members of the SOVIET Union) |
| 5 | Cloud begins receding, claims university (7) |
STARTS (begins) reversed (receding) containing (claims) U (university) STRAT (U) S< |
STRATUS (wide-extended horizontal sheet of low cloud) |
| 6 | Bone found in vegetarian spread: without hesitation, Mike leaves (7) |
HU HUM (ER) US |
HUMERUS (bone in the upper arm) |
| 7 | Panel of directors supporting career (9) |
DASH (run; race; career) + BOARD (informal term for a group of Company Directors) DASH BOARD |
DASHBOARD (panel) |
| 8 | Approving of racing driver Hill by end of day (9) |
LAUDA (reference Niki LAUDA [1949 – 2019], Austrian racing driver) + TOR (rocky outcrop or hill) + Y (final letter of [end of] DAY) LAUDA TOR Y |
LAUDATORY (expressing praise) |
| 14 | Remember I’m sincere when upset (9) |
Anagram of (when upset) I’M SINCERE REMINISCE* |
REMINISCE (remember) |
| 15 | One crawls in earth, below ground, eating bits of insects and plants (9) |
(MILLED [{of corn etc}ground] + E [earth]) containing (eating) IP (first letters of [bits of] each of INSECTS and PLANTS) Because this is a down entry, the E of earth is below MILLED MILL (IP) ED E |
MILLIPEDE (many legged insect; one crawls) |
| 18 | Allow back in to study with German (7) |
READ (study) + MIT (German for ‘with’) READ MIT |
READMIT (allow back in) |
| 19 | Remarkable reason snooker can’t be played (7) |
NO TABLE (it would be quite difficult to play snooker without a TABLE) NO TABLE |
NOTABLE (remarkable) |
| 20 | See foolish nationalist replacing liberal (7) |
WIT WITNESS |
WITNESS (see) |
| 23 | The aforementioned heads of department interrupted trade talks occasionally (5) |
DITTO (first letters of [heads of] each of DEPARTMENT, INTERRUPTED, TRADE, TALKS and OCCASIONALLY) DITTO |
DITTO (as aforesaid) |
| 24 | Scottish side observed to absorb pressure when retreating (5) |
(SEEN [observed] containing [to absorb] P [pressure]) all reversed (when retreating) (NEE (P) S)< |
NEEPS (turnips; mashed neeps are frequently served as a side dish with haggis in Scotland) |
Eccles, as ever, brings us another top notch puzzle – nicely challenging and a lot of fun with the brilliant 8d my favourite (yes, I did toy with Damon at first, but not Graham!)
Many thanks to Eccles and to Duncan.
What Rabbit Dave said.
NOWADAYS was another favourite. My first guess for 7d was DARTBOARD but didn’t think “panel” worked so left it until MISSUS gave me the correct answer. NEPENTHE was new to me but the clue made it clear.
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan.
Thank you to Eccles for another great Wednesday puzzle and to Duncan for the equally great and informative blog
What crypticsue said + more praise, appropriately, for 8dn LAUDATORY.
NEPENTHE was new to me and I always dither when it comes to spelling the vegetarian spread but I certainly enjoyed this puzzle.
My favourite was the simple STALKS.
Thanks to Eccles for his hard work and thanks also to Duncan for the blog.
Lovely crosswordand blog, thanks. If you struggled with NEPENTHE (or even if you didn’t) I recommend rereading The Raven.
There’s quite a spread (sorry!) of spellings of the vegetarian spread – on the tub in our fridge at the moment it’s ‘houmous’ – so we had a little difficulty parsing HUMERUS. Our LOI was MISSUS, where we’re with Duncan as to whether Miss US is necessarily a model.
Our favourite, though, with its surface suggesting a football or rugby team was NEEPS. (Though we would point out that the turnips are actually swedes.)
Thanks, Eccles and Duncan.
Nepenthe was new to me too – a nice word to learn. I struggle to think of an example of using ‘esteem’ for ‘reckon’ or vice versa, but will let it pass. Very enjoyable, so thanks Eccles and Duncan.
Tatrasman@8: The only example that I can think of offhand is in old-fashioned commercialese, as in ‘I would esteem it a favour if …’ and even then it’s a bit indirect.
Many thanks to Duncan, and all who commented. There is a QM on 10, which perhaps might allow the stretch, but point taken.