Hob sets today’s challenge – it’s going to be interesting.
We found most of the clues to be rather more straightforward than we had anticipated for this setter, and were amazed that there were no less than six double definitions. There were also a couple of very original (and tricky) clues (25ac & 26d), where we had to rely on the crossers to find an entry that matched the definition and sort out the parsing afterwards.
There is usually a theme in Hob’s puzzles and this was no exception – we realised fairly early on that 17ac was the key – neatly located in the centre the grid. But it was not until we started to write up the blog that we realised how many thematic entries there are: an amazing 12 different types of worm (counting 11d as two) plus 10ac as Italian for ‘little worms’, 18ac as the assembly of the Holy Roman Empire in the city of Worms, and 3d as the developmental stage of inch worms.
Quite an extraordinary grid-fill – many thanks to Hob.
An anagram of DEATH (anagrind is ‘suspect’) round R (right)
Hidden or ‘dressed’ in whiTE CHIEfly
Double definition – the first a reference to Eric Idle of Monty Python fame
An anagram of EVIL CRIME (anagrind is ‘involved’) round or ‘getting hold of’ L (student)
F (first letter or ‘leader’ of felons) LUKE (book, as in the Gospel in the New Testament)
N (new) ET (film)
Double definition
Another double definition
ROW (disagreement) reversed or ‘about’ M S (first letters or ‘openings’ of Marks and Spencer’s)
DIE (‘the’ in German) T (model, as in the Model T Ford) – the assembly is the Diet of Worms
An anagram of AFTER HALT – anagrind is ‘for refreshment’
YOUng (inexperienced or junior) without or ‘abandoning’ ‘ng’ (no good)
LADDER (run – as in hosiery) after or ‘on’ STEP (stage, as in a series)
We struggled with the parsing of this, but we think it must be: G (good) LOW (moo, as in the sound a cow makes, being ‘mood’ with the last letter or ‘final 25%’ omitted or ‘off’)
POP (fizzy drink) PER (for each) – a reference to Sir Karl Popper, a philosopher we had to google as we had never heard of him before
Another double definition – even though we’re a bit old for it, we had heard of the boy band
SIR (teacher) round or ‘eating’ T (first letter or ‘starter’ of tasty)
DR (doctor) + an anagram of COY (anagrind is ‘about’) + UGH (that’s disgusting)
An anagram of A (second letter of variations) and RAVEL – anagrind is ‘composed’ – a reference to Inchworms (16/17ac), the caterpillar or Larvae of the geometer moth
An anagram of MET and A SIDE – anagrind is ‘misbehaving’
Hidden in hoME ALone
Another double definition, the second being in the sense of a despicable person or ‘worm’ (17ac)
Zoom ‘unlimited’ or without the first and last letters gives two ‘o’s which could be described as a RING and ROUND
Hidden in or ‘potential selection’ of beeF IN A Lasagne
C (circa – ‘about’) in or ‘wearing’ HEELs (8d) without the last letter or ‘shortly’ and reversed or ‘getting up’
WAY (considerably) + a homophone (‘reported’) of FAIRER (finer and drier)
DER (‘the’ in German) + a homophone (‘on air’) of EIGHT (8) after OG (own goal)
An anagram of the alternate or ‘regular’ letters of PeTrOl (anagrind is ‘working’) + even letters of pUmP
fEARFUL (afraid) with the first ‘f’ (female) omitted or ‘unleashed’
Yet another double definition
h, e and s are the ODDS (odd letters) in ‘heels‘ (8d)
Always pleased to complete a Hob. Glad I wasn’t the only one who spent too long in parsing glow. I felt it was glaringly obvious once I spotted it with low = moo being a crossword standard. Liked the construction for ODDS and RING ROUND. Marvellous to get so many themed entries. Thanks to Hob and Bertandjoyce.
Believe it or not, there’s a book called Eric the Earthworm! Though I suspect that’s not part of Hob’s intended collection.
I certainly felt this was a little easier than Hob’s usual – it seemed to flow this morning, helped by spotting the theme early (but also not helped in that I carelessly bunged in an unparsed but possibly thematic EARWIG for 22d from the first two crossers and had to reappraise when BUSTED appeared). And I only learned today that busted means searched; I always assumed it meant searched and caught. It does seem odd to be busted but not caught. And I hadn’t heard of the band which didn’t help.
The Zoom device was utterly superb and a lol moment. Likewise the ODDS in Heels, the Moo/LOW (which I parsed as B&j) and the cleverly hidden TECHIE. Lovely to fit in DIET which I can’t avoid thinking of whenever WORMS is mentioned. And I enjoyed the definition of STEP LADDER.
Thanks Hob and B&j – especially for getting the blog out at a time appropriate for us early birds!
Brilliant! ‘Diet of Worms’ came to mind very early on, as a source of much hilarity during school history lessons, and so this puzzle proved to be. At 5D I originally put ‘nest’, which is also hidden, and this held me up a little, but soon resolved. I don’t understand how ‘eric = ‘rich’ – I can’t find this anywhere online – but of course this is what it had to be. Thanks Hob and B&J.
This was a whole lot of fun!
DIET of WORMS appeared early on – it always makes me smile, remembering our amusement when we first met it in History and it wasn’t long before the other worms started emerging, with VERMICELLI raising a real chortle.
As B&J say, this is an extraordinary grid-fill, with lots of witty clues. I enjoyed the clever FLAT EARTH anagram and the link between 3dn and 16 17ac. and lots more besides,
I’m surprised that I haven’t met ERIC = fine before, so thanks for that – and the parsing of ODDS.
Many thanks to Hob and B&J – set me up for the day!
I’ve only just seen your post Tatrasman!
We are a little confused by Tatrasman’s comment about eric = rich. Rich doesn’t feature in the clue. Fine and eric are both penalty payments in the second definition.
Well! We saw it was Hob and thought we were in for a struggle, so were amazed to rattle through it in two passes, only needing to confirm our guess for 28ac by googling. ‘What’s going on?’, we thought – the theme, of course, which we utterly failed to spot!
A very enjoyable solve, nevertheless, and we too liked the Zoom device – our CoD.
Thanks, Hob and B&J
A very amusing puzzle, excellent use of the theme! In aggregate it was not too hard, but some individual clues might have been a lot trickier in another context. RING ROUND was brilliant, took much longer to parse than to solve. I hadn’t heard of the boy band or that eric = fine.
I don’t think Eric Idle needed explaining in the blog, but eric (eraic) = “a payment imposed for homicide in medieval Irish law upon the slayer and his kin” (thanks to Google) was somewhat esoteric.
A fine crossword. Thanks to Hob, Bert and Joyce.
We are very surprised about the comments around eric = fine. It’s one of those words which we only remember because of its use in crossword clues!
It is a term I can vaguely recall splatting onto my consciousness (most likely in a crossword), but it didn’t stick as it so rarely comes up in my daily life. In any event, I doubt there are many people who know the mediaeval Irish legal term but not the Python.
I wasn’t sure how to take the unnecessary “or junior” in 21 down, maybe I should take it as an age compliment.
i thought LOW could be a mood and wondered what the rest of the clue was about, thank you B&J.
Very impressed with the theme which i had missed, but shouldn’t have.
I hadn’t heard of the fine Eric, but there it was in Chambers
many thanks Hob & J&B
A few more worms, which may or may not have been intended:
EARworm – tune you can’t get out of your head
DRYworm – type of bird or fish food
NETworm – type of computer virus
For the record, I meant eric = fine. Sorry for the confusion.