There should be more pianolas in the world.
10a Pianola was my first in from the clear anagram and cheeky definition.
A schoolfriend’s mum had a pianola and I loved playing it. Everybody did. It is true you didn’t need hands but just pumped away with you feet to make the mechanism process the roll and play the actual piano. (It could also be used as an standard upright piano.) However, best results were achieved when operating a few levers to determine the music’s speed and volume. Some rolls showed instructions as they fed through, so not entirely hands-free.
Overall, solving proved quite easy. I didn’t expect a fast time after failing to get the down clues in column 1 or the first couple of across clues, until reaching 10a Pianola. Then clues fell at a steady rate.
One little hiccup when I wrote in Down Below at 13A, but it soon became apparent it was wrong and corrected and didn’t mislead any crossers.
Before I knew it I had finished the “first pass” (all clues attempted) with only 3 left to do, all in the top right hand corner, and they were no trouble with a few significant crossing letters now available.
Not a record time, but pretty quick
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8 | INDUSTRY | Application to work with elected, grubby, rotten leader on the inside (8) IN (elected) R[otten] inside DUSTY (grubby) |
| 10 | PIANOLA | One’s inserted in complex anal op (for which no hands required) (7) (ANAL OP + I (one))* AInd: complex |
| 11 | STRINGS | Limitations of street bands (7) ST[reet] RINGS (bands) |
| 12/3 | SPLIT ENDS | Acrobatic manoeuvre, holding object, causes hair problem (5,4) END (object) in SPLITS (acrobatic madness) |
| 13 | DOWN UNDER | Fine hair insufficient in the nether regions? (4,5) DOWN (fine hair) UNDER (insufficient) |
| 16 | SCORER | One who obtains drug, the one who’s on top? (6) Double Definition. The question mark covers the fact that if someone scores they aren’t necessarily winning the game, but I suppose on average they are more likely to be |
| 18 | NUDIST | Not a person of habit, I would reverse and separate crushed nuts (6) I’D< inside (NUTS)* AInd: crushed |
| 21 | RESIDENCE | Insurrectionists start to invade screened off White House? (9) I[nsurrectionists] inside (SCREENED)* AInd: off Superb surface referencing the failed Trump coup |
| 22 | SNOOP | Spy‘s negative input to concession (5) NO (negative) in SOP (concession) |
| 23 | DIVULGE | Princess once very stuck with catastrophic glue leak (7) DI (princess once) V[ery] (GLUE)* AInd: catastrophic |
| 26 | OMITTED | ‘Love glove’ hack is missed out (7) O (love) MITT (glove) ED (hack) |
| 27 | ABSTRUSE | Republican America in grip of volatile beast? Hard to fathom (8) R[epublican] US inside (BEAST)* AInd: volatile |
| 28 | STONES | Ageing rockers‘ singular tempers (6) S[ingular] TONES (tempers) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | DREADLOCKS | Dark, closed off hairy things (10) (DARK CLOSED)* AInd: off |
| 2 | DEPORT | Donald, contrite finally, left in exile (6) D[onald] [contrit]E PORT (left) |
| 4 | SURROUND | You texted “Right Rex” wearing sturdy girdle (8) U (you, texted) R[ight] R[ex] all inside SOUND (sturdy) |
| 5 | STUN | Balls-up shock (4) NUTS< |
| 6 | EYESORE | Organ’s gold, possibly – but it’s not much to look at (7) EYE’S (organ’s) ORE (gold, possibly) Last one in. |
| 7 | TYPIST | Handy employee gets Truss drunk we hear (6) Homophone of “Tie” (truss) “pissed” (drunk) |
| 9 | MANDARIN | Orange tongue? (8) Double Definition |
| 14/15 | WINTER OF DISCONTENT | We stir, not confident about what we’re going through? (6,2,10) (WE STIR NOT CONFIDENT)* AInd: about The “Winter of Discontent” was 1978/79 – as far as I’m concerned this is much worse |
| 17 | RED ALERT | Premier’s right wing altered, in disarray – prepare for the worst! (3,5) ([premie]R + ALTERED)* AInd: in disarray |
| 19 | TRUDEAU | Prime minister makes real money it’s said (7) Another homophone : “true” (real) “dough” (money) |
| 20 | SPADES | Diggers or Trumps, perhaps (6) A couple of definitions: Equipment for manually shifting earth etc. and a suit from a pack of cards |
| 22 | SHIFTY | Furtive as an item of female underwear (6) Cryptic Def: “like a shift (item of female underwear)” |
| 24 | VEST | ‘Fraudulent votes’ (Ohio excepted), so a Republican traitor’s needs to be bullet-proof? (4) (VOTES – O[hio])* AInd: fraudulent Not sure why the definition is so long – I probably missed a specific story about Mike Pence’s vest or something |
| 25/7 | EASY TARGET | Archer would find it a doddle, developing a grey state (4,6) (A GREY STATE)* AInd: developing Long time since Jeremy A has gratuitously appeared in the Eye’s clues. |
On Valentine’s Day I found grown-up son No.1 making a graph representing past partners and relationships.
It had an ex-axis and a why-axis
I assumed scorer and on top, was a sexual reference. Maybe it is just me.
Thanks beermagnet and Cyclops. I can’t remember ever seeing a pianola in ‘the wild’. Interesting that there was a foot operated malarkey, I didn’t know that until now -just assumed it was all automated. In 12/3 you have SPLITS = acrobatic madness, which I certainly agree with the sentiment, but the clue has the word manoeuvre.
My favourites were 18a and 5d. WARNING both of these contains nuts.
See what you mean Phil @1, I must admit I thought of the beermagnet option but yours might be more ‘Cyclopsean’.
You must be right, Phil. Must’ve solved that one in the few minutes gap between times I think about sex.
Franko: Madness in the wordplay description for 12/3 was intended as a joke – I’ll have to signal jokes more blatantly in future.
Seeing people do the splits gives me the willies – how is it in any sense necessary to do this to yourself – shudder.
Thanks Beermagnet. I, too, fell into the Down Below trap…then realised it mihgt be wrong but then fell into Down There…….until crossers started to come on.
Beermagnet @3 ha ha no need to signal. I’ll take that as a must try harder on my part. Thanks again.
In 21, “insurrectionists” seems like it should have an apostrophe when referring to its start. Cryptically, the clue actually works without that word, as “start to invade” could supply the I which is just added, charade style, to the anagram fodder.
Loved the double def for 9dn , MANDARIN.
I dn , DREADLOCKS had a clever definition/anagram combination.
19d TRUDEAU was a great homophone.
I too was about to enter DOWN BELOW for 13ac when the right answer struck me.
Belated thanks beermagnet, funnily enough Pianola was one of my last as I knew it had to be an anagram but wasn’t familiar with the item itself, and now I know it is the same as a Player piano which is a Vonnegut novel that I never got round to reading. Good analysis Tony@6 (though I see no need for an apostrophe in cryptic grammar as given) and agree with your picks with Trudeau getting my vote as it’s nice to see a politician outside the usual range.
Gazzh,
“I see no need for an apostrophe in cryptic grammar as given”
The “cryptic grammar as given” is “I[nsurrectionists]”, i.e. the start of insurrectionists — or to put it another way, insurrectionist‘s start (possessive ‘s). “Insurrectionists start”, otoh, is a statement about something that insurrections do.
Actually “I[nsurrectionists]” suggests the start of Insurrectionists (plural), which is Insurrectionists‘ start (apostrophe after the S.
)
beermagnet is right in his gloss on Archer in 25d. He last occurred in #675, and it looks as if we may now be past Archer peak. Within the 3/4/5/600s he’s appeared in a clue 17/21/14/5 times, and once as a solution in #500, as one of the names celebrated in it as long-term clue fodder. But he is a Jeffrey innit. I don’t know where the Jeremy came from.
“But he is a Jeffrey innit. I don’t know where the Jeremy came from.”
It was all so long ago …