A nice puzzle, but with one guess I can’t explain. Thanks Monk.
I have no idea about the Nina, I assume there is something.
UPDATE: The theme is The Two Ronnies hardware shop sketch.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | PELOSI |
Nancy possibly in camisole, prancing around (6)
|
| found inside camISOLE Prancing reversed (around) – US politician Nancy Pelosi perhaps | ||
| 9 | EUPHORIA |
Plant left by bishop causes elation (8)
|
| EUPHORbIA (a plant) missing B (bishop) | ||
| 10 | SUSPICION |
South American shot chief over trace of whisky? (9)
|
| S (south) US (American) PIC (picture, shot) then NO I (number 1, chief) reversed (over) | ||
| 11 | FORK |
Branch in favour of bank’s closure (4)
|
| FOR (in favour of) banK (closing letter) | ||
| 12 | JERBOA |
King of Israel briefly missing first love, a little animal (6)
|
| JERoBOAm (king of Israel) missing last letter (briefly) and O (love, the first one) | ||
| 15 | GAME PLAN |
Strategy using pressure in instrumental gathering overseas (4,4)
|
| P (pressure) in GAMELAN (instrumental gathering, in Asia) | ||
| 16 | CANDLES |
Literary luminaries caught with Ol’ Blue Eyes at the end (7)
|
| C (caught) AND (with) then oL bluE eyeS (last letters, at the lend) | ||
| 17 | HANDLES |
Names Henry as well as Dennis, for example (7)
|
| H (Henry) AND (as well as) LES (Les Dennis TV presenter, for example) | ||
| 21 | BICYCLER |
One making progress through chain reaction? (8)
|
| cryptic definition – is this a word in British English? I can imagine it as an Americanism. I’m not 100% sure about this answer. | ||
| 24 | BARNEY |
Row caused by old English composer appearing in Times (6)
|
| ARNE (Thomas Arne, old English Composer) inside BY (times, multiplication) | ||
| 25 | FOUR |
Pro going round university square (4)
|
| FOR (pro) contains (going round) U (university) – a square number | ||
| 26 | UPMANSHIP |
Using which, pip humans when sporting? (9)
|
| anagram (when sporting) of PIP HUMANS – definition is extended: Using which, pip humans… | ||
| 29 | RANCHERO |
Managed female superstar, beginning to offer a hand in the US (8)
|
| RAN (managed) CHER (female superstar) and Offer (beginning to, first letter) | ||
| 30 | NASSAU |
Twice curtailed attack on northern capital (6)
|
| ASSAUlt (attack) missing last two letters (twice curtailed) following (on) N (northern) – capital of the Bahamas | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PEES |
Leaks ooze from its bottom (4)
|
| SEEP (ooze) reversed (from the bottom, in a down light) – euphemisms for urination | ||
| 2 | HOES |
Weeds hookers regularly visited (4)
|
| every other letter (regularly visited) of HoOkErS | ||
| 3 | TITIVATE |
Touch up odd bits of this old 25 in a gallery (8)
|
| odd bits of ThIs then IV (four,25 across) inside TATE (a gallery) | ||
| 4 | HEWINGS |
Whinges about cuts (7)
|
| anagram (about) of WHINGES | ||
| 5 | EPONYM |
Cardigan, perhaps around £25, yours truly returned (6)
|
| PONY (£25, slang) inside (…is around…) ME (yours truly) reversed (returned) – the type of jumper, definition by example | ||
| 6 | WOLF SPIDER |
Profiles extremely wicked, evil killer hunting prey off web? (4,6)
|
| anagram (evil) of PROFILES and WickeD (extremes of) | ||
| 7 | SIERRA |
Unlimited Asian sin within range (6)
|
| aSIAn (unlimited, not outer letters) contains (has…within) ERR (sin) | ||
| 13 | ERA |
Age of Eric Arthur Blair seen progressively (3)
|
| Eric aRthur blAir (1st, 2nd and 3rd letters, seen progressively) | ||
| 14 | BUDDY GRECO |
Jazz legend urged by doc to reform (5,5)
|
| anagram (to reform) of URGED BY DOC | ||
| 18 | ALBINONI |
Historically, England finally promoted new international who scored in Italy? (8)
|
| ALBION (England, historically) with N (albioN, finally) moved forward (promoted) then N (new) I (international) – who wrote musical scores | ||
| 19 | EYE |
Look on 21 fully removing braces systematically (3)
|
| 20 | CRIMSON |
Red fences maybe acceptable (7)
|
| CRIMS (criminals, fences maybe) and ON (acceptable) | ||
| 22 | ISOBAR |
This lad can make sailboard curve at a constant pressure (6)
|
| an anagram (…can make) of ISOBAR (this) and LAD is SAILBOARD | ||
| 23 | LAUREN |
Girl’s unreal bust (6)
|
| anagram (bust) of UNREAL | ||
| 27 | HOSE |
Store out of uniform pipe (4)
|
| HOuSE (store) missing U (uniform) | ||
| 28 | PEAS |
Seeds training with Serena Williams in finals? (4)
|
| PE (training) with serenA williamS (final letters of) |
The theme is hinted at in the in the bottom row and very good fun it is, too…
The bottom line gives the clue to the theme: RONNIES. We have: FORK HANDLES, FOUR CANDLES, HOES, HOSE, PEES, PEAS. Brilliant!
I reckon EYE is parses as every third letter of TWENTY ONE (21 fully).
The theme is in the middle of the top row, row 3 and the bottom row
I too wondered about 21a – I thought they were ‘ists’ not ‘ers’
Thanks to Monk for the entertainment and PeeDee for the blog
I had the same parsing of EYE as Hovis. Just waned to be first in with the theme. Pathetic, really.
What a lovely puzzle. Thanks to both.
P.S.
THE TWO is central to the 1st & 3rd rows.
Thanks all for explaining EYE and for the theme. I have seen the theme use before in a crossword, I should have spotted it!
Oops, sorry, Sue. Crossed. I feel I’m getting a bit too inappropriately competitive.
I read 19 as regularly (systematically) removing pairs (braces) of letters from (tw)E(nt)Y (on)E to leave EYE.
Stupidly, even after posting @2, I only just cottoned on to “braces” being “pairs”, so “pairs removed systematically” gives every third.
Hah, we crossed.
Thanks Monk and PeeDee
I think 3dn works without “up” doing double duty if “odd bits of this” gives you the first two letters of the answer, and then “old 25” gives IV – the “old” indicating Roman numerals – included in TATE, so it is TI + T(IV)ATE.
Thanks Pelham, that is better. I have updated the blog.
One of these days I’ll be able to complete a Monk crossword but not today. At least I got further than I did with his last one. Being ignorant of the theme doesn’t help. There was enough to enjoy, however with UPMANSHIP, NASSAU, and the simple ERA being notable. I also found PELOSI amusing despite the frightful image suggested by the clue. Thanks to both.
Too much for me.. worst moment discovering BUDDY GRECO was apparently a jazz legend?. he didn’t make it onto anybody’s top 100 list ..
Thanks Monk n Peedee
Yes, like Undrell I struggled for a long time to get BUDDY GRECO, the ‘jazz legend’; and ALBINONI was also reluctant to come forward. Probably just tired after a long day watching the cricket, but I found some of the clues totally impenetrable, with ‘progressively’ in 13d and ‘removing braces systematically’ in 19d seeming particularly obscure to my fuddled brain; I suppose it’s ok for the clues to three-letter words to be difficult, but golly gosh.
Theme and nina just whooshed over my head, sorry. Missed all the puns, too – there was just too long between the solves to remember PEAS after solving PEES. Failed on BICYCLER, which I do not recognise as a word, so I suppose it must be in Chambers; and ‘chain reaction’? Action and reaction equal and opposite, hmm.
CRIMSON was much too difficult for me and I just bunged it in in the end – I don’t think I’ve seen ‘acceptable’=ON before; is this a standard synonym? And CRIMS?
Well, anyway, thanks to Monk for occupying some time that I would otherwise have struggled to fill, and to PeeDee for the great effort with the blog.
Gave up. Too hard.
Sheffield @15. I didn’t get it either but now i see “it’s not on” = “it’s not acceptable”. thanks Monk & PeeDee.
Thanks Monk and PeeDee
A quite tough but really enjoyable assignment from this setter here. Needed some external help with a couple of words but was able to complete the grid and fully parse everything in the end. Spotted the RONNIES across the bottom and could see the homophones, skilfully positioned in symmetrically opposite parts of the grid, but failed to see THE TWO or to know the particular sketch that it all came from. Brilliant stuff !!
Liked the innovative devices at 12a (think that the O should be referenced by ‘missing first love’) and 19d. Enjoyed the construction of SUSPICION and in a moment of serendipity “If I Could Turn Back Time” just happened to be playing in the background when I was able to work out RAN CHER O – amazing when that happens.
Finished on the fourth sitting just before bedtime with ALBINONI, BARNEY and EYE (guessed it was such much earlier, but didn’t understand the word play until right at the end).
Monk certainly did justice to a great comedy favourite
Thanks to Pee Dee and him
As a fan of The Two Ronnies I feel bad about missing the theme – very cleverly done, Monk.
As a jazz fan I don’t feel the least bad about not knowing the legendary singer (Hear hear, Undrell and sheffield hatter @ 14 and 15).
In addition to the theme, I especially liked 18d ALBINONI (devious misdirection), 13d ERA and 19d EYE (ingenious devices).
Thanks Monk for the challenging amusement, and PeeDee, Hovis and john for the parsing help that I needed.
Thanks for that Bruce, first love is fixed now.