Well it’s a Hoskins’ puzzle today, so it will be entertaining and will probably generate comments.
Hoskins tends to the use of colourful language in both his clues and his ‘in your face’ entries. Today we have smack dealers, plenty of alcohol and body parts in the clues as well as the names of forthright people in the entries.
I prefer intricate wordplay to cryptic definitions so there were a couple of clues that didn’t enthuse me today, those being the ones for AIR GUITAR and NIGELLA which didn’t seem to have any wordplay at all. I am sure there will be solvers who disagree and think that cryptic definitions are excellent. On the other hand I did like the clues for EVILDOERS and AILERON.
I can’t see any theme or nina.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
1000 smack dealers with time off for good behaviour (7) MANNERS (good behaviour) M (1000) + TANNERS (people who smack) excluding (with … off) T (time) M ANNERS |
| 5 |
Tumbler drunk actor filled with Bass and drop of Armagnac (7) ACROBAT (tumbler) Anagram of (drunk) ACTOR containing (filled with) (B [bass] + A [first letter of [a bit of] ARMAGNAC) ACRO (B A) T* |
| 9 |
Who cares if princess punches drunk? (3,2) SOD IT (expression of annoyance or exasperation, often meaning ‘I don’t care any more’) DI (reference Diana, Princess of Wales [1961 – 1997]) contained in (punches) SOT (drunk person) SO (DI) T |
| 10 |
One closely involved with Labour Lord (9) DELIVERER (Christ, Lord; there are many references in the Bible linking Lord and DELIVERER) DELIVERER (a person, such as a midwife, who is a DELIVERER of babies) double definition DELIVERER |
| 11 |
An insubstantial axe? (3,6) AIR GUITAR ([the playing of] an imaginary guitar to music, especially rock music) AIR (akin to AIRY [insubstantial]) + GUITAR (AXE is a term for a GUITAR in the rock music field) AIR GUITAR |
| 12 |
6-1 … right, Hearts must be in the lead! (5) RHONE (name of a RIVER [entry at 6 down]) R (right) + H (hearts) + ONE (1) R H ONE |
| 13 |
Will group of lawyers bow to DA? (3,4) THE BARD (William Shakespeare [1564-1616]; Will) THE BAR (In the UK, barristers collectively; in America, the legal profession [group of lawyers]) + D (first letter of [bow to] DA [District Attorney, a senior legal official in America]) THE BAR D |
| 15 |
Academic rejected passes for dunces (7) NODDIES (simpletons; dunces) DON (academic) reversed (rejected) + DIES (passes [on]) NOD< DIES |
| 17 |
Predict death will come after strong wine (7) PORTEND (predict) PORT (strong wine) + END (death) PORT END |
| 19 |
Get stuck in toilet with individual snorting bit of Dexedrine (3,4) BOG DOWN (to be impeded physically or mentally; to get stuck) (BOG [slang term for the toilet] + OWN [belonging to oneself; individual]) containing (snorting) D (first letter of [bit of] DEXEDRINE) BOG (D) OWN |
| 21 |
Pale ales finally necked by a Scottish woman (5) ASHEN (very pale) S (last letter of [finally] ALES contained in (necked by) (A + HEN [Scottish term for a lady]) A (S) HEN |
| 23 |
All by myself and, oh, need to get jiggy! (3-6) ONE-HANDED (with, by or for one hand, hence all by oneself) Anagram of (to get jiggy) AND OH NEED ONE–HANDED* |
| 25 |
Really bad seeds spoilt red olives (9) EVILDOERS (people [seeds; descendants] who are really bad) Anagram of (spoilt) RED OLIVES EVILDOERS* |
| 26 |
A couple of feet? Hoskins is bloody sizable primarily! (5) IAMBS (more than one, which includes a couple, foot [division of a line of poetry] of two syllables) I AM (Hoskins [the setter] is) + BS (first letters [primarily] of each of BLOODY and SIZABLE) I AM B S |
| 27 |
Celebrity chef who uses loads of sauce? (7) NIGELLA (reference celebrity chef NIGELLA Lawson [born 1960]) NIGELLA (the only wordplay I can think of is related to the slight sauciness of NIGELLA‘s chat when she is presenting her cookery programmes. I have heard of NIGELLA seeds but I haven’t heard of NIGELLA sauce in cookery ingredients) NIGELLA |
| 28 |
Cads pinching nurse and daughter’s butts (3-4) DOG-ENDS (cigarette butts) DOGS (cads) containing (pinching) (EN [{enrolled} nurse] + D [daughter]) DOG (EN D) S |
| Down | |
| 1 |
In haze, bag up, but put in the wrong hams? (7) MISCAST (engage actors [hams are actors who rant and overacts] who are really unsuitable for a particular play) SAC (pouch or bag-like structure) reversed (up; down entry) contained in (in) MIST (haze) MIS (CAS<) T |
| 2 |
A bottom one couldn’t possibly get beneath? (5) NADIR (the lowest point of anything) NADIR (if it is the lowest point, then you can’t possibly get beneath it) NADIR |
| 3 |
Topless chap having 45 mins with mature escort (9) ENTOURAGE (group of followers or attendants; escort) ENT OUR AGE |
| 4 |
Dope mostly found in Stone shot full of barbiturates (7) SEDATED (calmed or quietened with drugs, possibly shot full for barbiturates to achieve the necessary effect) DATA (information; dope) excluding the final letter (mostly) A contained in (found in) SEED (pip or stone in a fruit) SE (DAT) ED |
| 5 |
Trouble at work with Her Maj in a flap (7) AILERON (flap on an aeroplane wing tip for lateral balancing) (AIL [trouble] + ON [working; at work]) containing (with … in) ER (Elizabeth Regina; queen; Her Majesty) AIL (ER) ON |
| 6 |
Waterway in Phoenix? (5) RIVER (waterway) RIVER (reference RIVER Phoenix [1970-1993], American actor, musician, and activist) RIVER |
| 7 |
Red robin lad released close to gazebo (9) BARDOLINO (an Italian red wine) Anagram of (released) ROBIN LAD + O (last letter of [close to] GAZEBO) BARDOLIN* O |
| 8 |
Old jailers ignoring last of warden’s failures (7) TURKEYS (plays, films, etc that are complete failures) TURNKEYS (archaic [old] term for a keeper of the keys especially in a prison , warder and jailer) TURKEYS
|
| 14 |
Worldly-wise Hoskins is one hot to open shaken-up lager tin (9) EARTHLING (person living on the earth; a worldly-minded person, which describes Hoskins) H (hot) contained in (to open up) an anagram of (shaken-up) LAGER TIN EART (H) LING* |
| 16 |
Unfortunately, ginger dad can be humiliating (9) DEGRADING (humiliating) Anagram of (unfortunately) GINGER DAD DEGRADING* |
| 17 |
Place to secure almost all hash and E, then start using gradually (5,2) PHASE IN (gradually make use of) PIN (put in place) containing (to secure) (HASH excluding the final letter [almost all of] H + E) P (HAS E) IN |
| 18 |
Couple upset a Scottish hooligan? That takes guts! (7) DUODENA (portions of the small intestine; guts) DUO (couple) + NED (Scottish term for a young hooligan) reversed (upset) + A DUO DEN< A |
| 19 |
In God’s favour or damned? (7) BLESSED (invoked divine [God’s] favour upon) BLESSED (accursed; damned) double definition BLESSED |
| 20 |
We don’t like dressing fruits around plate endlessly (7) NUDISTS (people who go naked, or approves of going naked; we don’t like dressing) NUTS (fruits) containing (go around) DISH (plate) excluding the last letter (endlessly) H NU (DIS) TS |
| 22 |
Revolutionary network of computers downs commercial server (5) NADAL (reference Rafael NADAL [born 1986], very successful Spanish professional tennis player [server]) LAN (local area network) reversed (revolutionary) containing (downs) AD (commercial) N (AD) AL< |
| 24 |
Hill, perhaps, rambler goes up (5) DAMON (reference DAMON Hill [born 1960], Formula 1 racing driver [World Champion in 1996] NOMAD (rambler) reversed (goes up; down entry) DAMON< |
Great fun! You know what to expect from Hoskins, and that is exactly what we got today.
I’m not sure that the server in 22d would be very impressed to be referred to as simply that, but it made me smile.
Many thanks to Hoskins and to Duncan.
I got slightly derailed by putting ‘fag-ends’ at 28A, and trying to work in a non-existent ‘bandoliro’ at 7D, but soon rectified, and very entertaining, so thanks Hoskins and Duncan.
I enjoyed this as always but I was hoping for some enlightenment re NIGELLA…
many thanks to Hoskins & duncanshiell
Agree pretty much with duncanshiell… I’d add 6dn to the list.. happy with the language but less so with some of the cluing.. I found 12ac strangely annoying even though it was a straight write-in given the crossers… enjoyed the misdirection of 5dn, 24dn &13ac particularly…hats off to duncansheill for parsing of 4dn!
Thanks Hopkins n duncanshiell
Good fun!
I took AIR GUITAR at 11 as just being a cryptic definition.
As for 27, NIGELLA Lawson is noted for her innuendos, intentional or otherwise. Google “Nigella Lawson innuendos”, and you’ll see what I mean.
NIGELLA seems to be the one weaker clue amongst an otherwise excellent set. Unless there is something I’m missing – which is entirely possible! I’ve been musing on what else Hoskins could have done. Seedy chef is probably a bit obvious. Since the seeds come from a flower, Plant-based chef possibly? Or go down a different path entirely: Issue involving past Chancellor: ‘cooking’ and ‘books’ come to mind.
I enjoyed the naughty surfaces of PHASE IN, DOG ENDS and ENTOURAGE, the definitions for MISCAST and NADAL, SOD IT brought a smile and BOG DOWN a snort. COTD is a toss up between two excellent pieces of misdirection – RHONE and THE BARD. We seem to have had a lot of ax/axe/guitars across the G and the I in recent weeks.
Thanks Hoskins and duncan
Don’t know if a woman of a certain age should admit it but I was totally on Hoskins’ wavelength today. Romped through this in record time, laughing all the way. Thanks to Hoskins and Duncanshiell.
A puzzle of two halves for me: got through a lot of answers quickly, then when I returned to it later struggled with the rest. Didn’t get all the parsings till coming here. Not keen on 45mins as OUR, but that’s just taste.
Nigella are onion seeds
Unlike Sheepish, I rather liked the use of 45 mins in 3d but each to their own – there’s often quite a lot I don’t like in puzzles! I think the reference to ‘loads of sauce’ was probably a comment on Nigella’s somewhat flirtatious behaviour in her cookery shows.
Hoskins in cheeky chappy mode today but he rarely causes offence.
Top two for me were SOD IT & THE BARD.
Thanks to Hoskins and to Duncan for the review.
For 14d I think the intention is that “worldly-wise Hoskins is one” means that with respect to which world he inhabits, he is an EARTHLING. The normal meaning of worldly-wise is a misdirection. I was trying to remember the chef who drank while cooking for NIGELLA, but Floyd didn’t fit.
Interestingly I also really enjoyed 45 min for OUR, as it provided an “aha” moment. Frustratingly couldn’t solve 11A, having forgotten AXE = GUITAR, and there wasn’t much other help in the clue. But overall very funny.
I find Hoskins clues to look impenetrable on first viewing but once I got into the SE corner I enjoyed it – dnf as ever but fun set of clues and answers
TURKEYS and DUODENA my favourites
Thanks Hoskins and duncansheill