Phew, we found this a tough puzzle to complete! It took several days of coming back to it for us. Very nice cluing as ever, and good “a-ha!” moments when we finally understood some of the answers. Many thanks, Paul.
Across
1. Bath hot, dealer lying back, maybe (7)
PERHAPS
SPA = “Bath” + H = “hot” + REP = “dealer” all reversed
Definition: “maybe”
10, 17. Shape of course about right for figure immediately before square? (9)
FOURSCORE
(OF COURSE)* around R = “right”
Definition: “figure immediately before square?” – FOURSCORE is 80, which is one less than 81, which is a square (9 squared)
11. Cover dirty path frantically, king passing through (5,5)
THIRD PARTY
(DIRTY PATH)* around R (Rex) = “king”
Definition: “Cover” – this feels like an unindicated DBE to me since “third party” is a type of cover, not that other way round. Ignore me, I was getting confused…
12. See man again before short journey (6)
BISHOP
BIS = “again” + HOP = “short journey”
Definition: “See man” – an amusing definition – a see is the jurisdiction of a bishop, so he’s a “See man”
13. Builder’s coat put on, hold buttons up (8)
CLADDING
ADD = “put on” inside CLING = “hold” (CLING “buttons up” ADD)
Definition: “Builder’s coat”
16, 14. Study in small hotel, say, sustained income (5,3,6)
BREAD AND BUTTER
READ = “Study” in B AND B = “small hotel” + UTTER = “say”
Definition: “sustained income”
19. Most definitely gone and done wrong instead? (5,4)
STONE DEAD
(DONE)* in STEAD (you have to split “instead” into “in stead”)
Definition: “Most definitely gone”
23. Fail to deliver breakfast? (3,2,3)
LAY AN EGG
Double definition: “Fail” (US slang) and “to deliver breakfast?”
24. Island, unduly round land (6)
TOBAGO
TOO = “unduly” around BAG = “land” (in the sense of to get something sought-after, like a new job, or a fish)
Definition: “Tobago”
26. Daughter behind vehicle in problem with brakes, initially shocked (6,4)
STRUCK DUMB
D = “Daughter” after TRUCK = “vehicle” in SUM = “problem” + B[rakes] = “brakes, initially”
Definition: “shocked”
27. African lions in captivity might go here, did you say? (4)
ZULU
Sounds like “zoo loo”, where lions in captivity might “go”, euphemistically!
Definition:
28. Strange and foolish? (7)
UNCANNY
To be smart is to be “canny”, so cryptically “un-canny” might be to be foolish
Definition: “Strange”
29. Cheat bedding former lover, sordid practice? (7)
SEXTING
STING = “Cheat” (as a verb) around EX = “former lover”
Definition: “sordid practice?” – bit of a value judgement there…
Down
2. English nation’s poor rich kid? (7)
ETONIAN
E = “English” + (NATION)*
Definition: “rich kid?”
3. Rough pot filled with rubbish, primarily (5)
HARSH
HASH = “pot” (as in hashish) around R[ubbish] = “rubbish, primarily”
Definition: “Rough”
4. Rhythmic beating of 16 14 (3-1-3)
PIT-A-PAT
This took a while to figure out! BREAD might be PITA (the flatbread) and you might have a PAT of BUTTER
Definition: “Rhythmic beating”
6. An ecclesiastic residing near Machu Picchu, for example (6)
ANDEAN
AN + DEAN = “ecclesiastic”
Definition: “residing near Machu Picchu, for example”
7. Very drunk, run into item of furniture (9)
BLADDERED
LADDER = “run” (e.g. in a pair of tights) in BED = “item of furniture”
Definition: “Very drunk”
8. Italian city isn’t built up around area south of walls in Corsica (7)
CATANIA
AINT = “isn’t” reversed around A = “area”, all below (“south of”) C[orsic]A = “walls in Corsica”
Definition: “Italian city”
9. Malevolent woman, mean having severed head, eats Australian native (9,4)
WITCHETTY GRUB
WITCH = “Malevolent woman” + [p]ETTY = “mean having severed head” + GRUB = “eats” (as a noun, like “that was good eats”)
Definition: “Australian native”
15. Predatory fish from Scottish island a bird cut up (9)
BARRACUDA
BARRA = “Scottish island” followed by A DUC[k] = “a bird cut” reversed
Definition: “Predatory fish”
18. Correct number finishing short race (7)
CHASTEN
CHAS[e] = “short race” + TEN = “number”
Definition: “Correct” (as in “to correct someone”)
20. Celebrity eating off lap then? (7)
NOTABLE
Cryptic definition – if you’ve NO TABLE you might have to eat off your lap
Definition: “Celebrity” – if someone is a notable, they’re a celebrity of sorts
21. African relative carrying wood uphill (7)
ANGOLAN
NANA = “relative” around LOG = “wood” all reversed
Definition:
22, 5. Pretender in stream, gaining benefit in fighting at the front (6,7)
PERKIN WARBECK
BECK = “stream” with PERK = “benefit” + IN + WAR = “fighting” at the start
Definition: “Pretender” (Being very poor at history, this only very vaguely rang a bell for me…)
25. Audibly, second note’s the first for composer (5)
BIZET
BIZET sounds like “B’s A” – the second and first musical notes (alphabetically, or in A minor)
Definition: “composer”
It’s now mainly the ‘Prize’ puzzles that I get to solve, and this was possibly the toughest in an excellent series of such puzzles this year.
I filled the top left and then the opposite corner first (ZULU was a great clue) but struggled a bit in the other two corners, being slow to get BLADDERED and UNCANNY, among others. As well as ZULU, I liked FOURSCORE, TOBAGO, ETONIAN and BISHOP very much.
I didn’t know LAY AN EGG with that meaning, but I eventually found it in Collins as a ‘slang, chiefly US and Canadian’ phrase.
I didn’t know WITCHETTY GRUB either but managed to work it out from the clue – a good one, with ‘eats’ misdirecting me for a while.
As you pointed out, mhl, BIZET works if you select the A minor key (also A major, incidentally), which is perhaps a rather arbitrary choice.
Thanks to Paul and mhl.
Thanks mhl. Another typically enjoyable offering from Paul with just the right amount of difficulty for me and some entertaining clues. The NW corner delayed me in the end but for no good reason that I can now see.
Funny how people’s perceptions of difficulty can vary, as I completed this relatively quickly for a Paul – much quicker than Friday’s, and with no parsing difficulties. For example, ‘pretender’ had me immediately thinking of PERKIN WARBECK; I thought of GRUB for the last part of 9d and the word play soon gave me the partly-remembered WITCHETTY; UNCANNY was clever but easy to solve; and ‘might go here’ was a giveaway for LU. Not that I’m complaining!
CLADDING resisted the longest, as I was looking for ‘builder’s coat’ to provide BR, and once the crossers had eliminated that I didn’t know how to the read the clue. Walking away for half an hour changed the picture, as the crossers now made the answer obvious, though the construction was still devious, and this would be my clue of the day.
I don’t think that mhl’s quibble with the definition in 11a is justified. ‘Cover’=THIRD PARTY is not a definition by example; it’s like ‘footballer’=KANE, or ‘car’=ROVER, surely. If it was ‘third party’ in the clue with COVER the answer, a hint of a DBE would then be required.
Thanks to Paul and mhl.
No prize for me, I got this quite quickly, though resorted to a wikipedia search of Pretenders. I had started off thinking the definition was the other end of the clue and that TRENCH WARFARE ( I had almost no crossers at the time) or some other military jargon was the answer. Annoyingly I could see BECK for stream but thought it would encompass the rest of the wordplay. Once this one had been found with some research the remainder slotted into place with LOI being the amusing BLADDERED followed by CLADDING. Ironically I’d spent a lot of time being convinced PLASTERED (wearing a builders coat?) was the intoxicated one.
SO good fun, but no prize as I bished in PAT-A-PAT and didn’t look at it again. Clever clue now I see it explained!
Thanks Paul, you got me (again), and thanks mhl for super ecplication.
Best wishes all solvers and contributors to 15^2.
I liked this one a lot, despite getting in my own way.
The first clue I read was 1a (naturally), and I thought, well, I’ll come back to this, but you know one of these days a setter is going to stop using “maybe” to express doubt or definition-by-example, and make it the entire definition. I moved on and didn’t get it till the end. Not my proudest moment.
Had a simlar thing with loi cladding as did sh @3, making hard work of what turned out to be a simple inclusion. Knew the Oz grub of course, and both the predatory fish and bladdered for drunk were familiars. So, not too high on the tuffometer I thought. The pretender, otoh, like for mhl, was a very vague memory, but piece-togetherable. Catania took a bit of nutting out, though I’ve been there years ago. All good fun, thanks both. Now back to today’s!
Couldn’t parse 10,17 or 26 so thanks there mhl , but a lot of this made me smile broadly and thanks for that Paul. Never heard of “lay an egg” to mean fail, but got it from the crossers. All in all a lot of fun and no doddle.
PS pot and hash are distinctly different forms of cannabis 😉
New for me: LAY AN EGG = fail, PERKIN WARBECK (loi).
Favourites: PERHAPS, FOUR SCORE, STONE DEAD, NOTABLE, BLADDERED.
* groaned at ZULU.
Did not parse: 25d.
Thanks to Paul and mhl.
Lovely crossword, excellent blog thank you. Did not know PERKIN WARBECK but fortunately very well clued so I wrote it in anyway. ” instead ” is an old Paul trick along with other words beginning with in.
I wonder what our paper boy will bring today ?
Many thanks mhl. Your summary captures it perfectly except that hours taken here likely squared yours. I take my @ off to Paul and to graintinfreo’s concise x-ref to sheffield hatter.
This took two sessions with a tea break in between, but was very rewarding as the pennies dropped one by one, punctuated by the occasional OUCH for the zoo loo and B’S A and the poor chap with NO TABLE. I only know BLADDERED=drunk from crosswords (and specifically from Paul’s, I think) so like Epee Sharkey@4 I spent quite a while trying to force PLASTERED into the space, and even longer working out CATANIA.
Thanks Paul and mhl
Yes, it all depends on what you know. PERKN WARBECK was a write-in for me, but I am interested in that period of history. (He was an interesting character, and probably was a royal relation, though not the one he claimed to be. A contrast to the rather sad and stupid Lambert Simnel!).
I’ve seen it suggested that the enumeration is part of the wordplay for 10,17 – i.e square (9). This would be an innovation, but apparently Paul said is was just coincidence.
Oh Roz @10, I so envy you having a paper boy! Ours, and our milko, pulled the pin some years ago… couldn’t compete. And, before the engines, loved the old Clydesdales that were the original ‘motors’. Nostalgia, sigh.
Oh, sh one t, the software isn’t remembering me and I hit the wrong button… not to worry.
[ Grant Wignall@ 14, we just get deliveries at the weekend, good for the Azed too . In the week I buy the paper on my way out and do the crossword on my way home, so I am always late to the blog. We still get milk delivered every day except Sunday and I think there is a bit of a resurgence in milk delivery. ]
I must have been on the Paul wavelength, as I found this easier than yesterday’s offering, it wasn’t easy but the clues really flowed, LOI was appropriately uncanny, and who is Doug in the bottom right?
It must be something about the way we were taught history but, like sheffield hatter and muffin, as soon as I see the word ‘pretender’, I think of Perkin Warbeck (followed immediately by Lambert Simnel and then the Old/Young duo.) I wonder if I would remember them so well had they been christened Tobias Smith or Henry Jones. Mind you, had I been born a few years later, I would be thinking of Chrissie Hynde as soon as I heard the word.
As so often, one wonders how Paul keeps up the standard. Plenty to tick from last Saturday including FOURSCORE, THIRD PARTY, BREAD AND BUTTER, PIT-A-PAT, BLADDERED and NOTABLE with ANDEAN being my favourite for the definition. BISHOP/see man is a lovely combo – though on its way to being outdated with half a dozen female bishops in England alone. I needed to check WITCHETTY GRUB even though the fauna of Australia have become familiar to a global TV audience mainly, it appears, through being either eaten by or poured over minor celebrities.
Thanks Paul and mhl
[Roz @10: I do hope your paper boy doesn’t get blown away in a strong wind].
I was definitely on Paul’s wavelength and finished it on the day with a bit of revisiting. Like some, PERKIN WARBECK was a write-in but my favourites were the twinned PIT-A-PAT and BREAD AND BUTTER. WITCHETY GRUB was new and I also tried to force in PLASTERED.
Ant @17: I too noticed Doug and also sated, ate and edible across the grid but I can’t see any significance. Another fabulous offering from the maestro.
Ta Paul & mhl.
Very satisfying, and BISHOP was an excellent clue. Thanks to setter and blogger.
As usual with Paul, I really liked this, though it took several visits and I still never got PERKIN WARBECK, which is a name I’m not conscious of ever having known, even though I was raised and educated in Ayr, a town which I find plays a minor part in his story.
Many favourites including HARSH, ETONIAN, STONE DEAD, BISHOP.
[ginf@8 – slang terms often mean different things to different folk. When I was interested in such things, around 1970 in Scotland, “pot” was a term used by newspapers for any form of cannabis – the term was considered old-fashioned by people who actually used the stuff, whose main distinction was between “hash” and “grass”.]
I was convinced that the pretender in 22, 5 was going to be an actor or an impersonator and spent too long trying to remember whatshername Tarbuck’s first name, went away and, while watering the tomato seedlings PERKIN WARBECK suddenly came to mind. Like Dr. Whatson, I was misled by PERHAPS for some time.
ZULU was a fun and I enjoyed BREAD AND BUTTER / PIT-A-PAT thing once I let go of pitta having two ‘t’s.
I agree with PostMark @18, the memorable names mean that if you see ‘pretender’ and (6,7) then it’s PERKIN WARBECK and if it’s (7,6) then it must be Lambert Simnel. Piece of cake.
Thanks Paul and mhl
I thought this was going to be a dns never mind a dnf but it eventually fell into place and was a much more enjoyable solve than yesterday’s for me. I didn’t know PW but MrsW did, I didn’t parse PIT-A-PAT and ZULU was a lovely pdm among many excellent clues. Thank you Paul and mhl.
Abandoned this with the pretender un-looked-up, but enjoyed the rest. Thanks, P&M.
ginf@8, beaulieu@21: By the 90s ‘pot’ was so uncool that it came out the other side, so to speak, and was used with some irony – but never for a specific variety of the stuff.
Very enjoyable. This is what 1066 and All That has to tell us about the fates of Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel:
The punishment of these memorable Pretenders was justly similar, since Perkin Warmnel was compelled to become a blot on the King’s skitchen, while Perbeck was made an escullion. Wimneck, however, subsequently began pretending again. This time he pretended that he had been smothered in early youth and buried under a stair-rod while pretending to be one of the Little Princes in the Tower. In order to prove that he had not been murdered before, Henry was reluctantly compelled to have him really executed.
Even after his execution many people believed that he was only pretending to have been beheaded, while others declared that it was not Warmneck at all but Lamkin, and that Permnel had been dead all the time really, like Queen Anne.
Many thanks Paul and mhl.
Lord Jim: Thanks for the reminder about 1066 and All That. “Perbeck was made an escullion”, indeed! This book should be required reading before taking a history exam.
10,17. Worked this out from the wordplay but needed help with the definition. The reverse of my usual “solve first, then parse”.
22,5. For his history see 1066 and All That, chapter XXX.
Hard but definitely worth the struggle.
Thanks to Paul and mhl.
Challenging but fun. Went through square numbers early on for 10,17 but none fitted – only when I had crossers did it dawn on me. Thinking of beck eventually nudged the deepest recesses of my brain to spill out Perkin.
Was there a bit of a Nina here? I can see SATED in row 4 and EDIBLE in row 14. With BREAD AND BUTTER, LAY AN EGG, BARRACUDA and WITCHETTY GRUB, there are some comestibles floating about….
mhl @24 The definition of TOBAGO is “island.”
What does the BIZET clue have to do with A minor? It seems to me just to say “B’s A,” which it isn’t, of course.
I knew PERKIN WARBECK, but had never heard of BLADDERED.
This was hopeless for me. I got a few last night and wallowed this morning in the Check button. Thanks for a real workout, Paul, and for the elucidations, mhl.
Valentine @31
I assumed ‘second note’ and ‘first’ referred to a musical scale. In the key of A or A minor, B is the second note and A the first. This is not so in other scales – which is why I suggested @1 that one first has to choose a particular scale for the clue to work.
I found this tough. I’ve only vaguely heard of LAY AN EGG and, as others have pointed out, it’s an American expression. It’s traditional to indicate Americanisms in a cryptic clue, but I find Paul includes many and never indicates them. I’m not sure whether this is because he thinks any variety of English is fair game or that he is so immersed in American media that he doesn’t realize he’s referring to foreign expressions. He could look in a dictionary if so.
I don’t think we did PERKIN WARBECK at my school, or if we did, I wasn’t listening. Quite possibly the latter as it was a subject I found extremely boring at the time (and the passage of time hasn’t really increased my interest in PW much). I did read 1066 and All That, but a lot of it went over my head. As a result, it took me several days to fill in that final answer.
ZULU is much more my sort of clue and made me (literally) literally lol.
I’m pretty sure Paul only meant that A and B are the first and second notes alphabetically and those referring to the scales starting with A are just showing off 🙂
Having consulted a reference, can I outdo the show-offs by mentioning the Dorian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Lydian flat-seven, Whole-tone, and Pentatonic major scales? Pretty sure Paul wasn’t referring to any of them, either.
[So, why did they call the note that we know as A, “A”? Wouldn’t it have been more logical to call C “A”?]
Tony
Regarding ‘second note’, I’m sure Paul must have meant that, but I did want to make the point that first, second, etc, notes in music always mean notes in a scale, and you cannot give the note a name (like B, B flat or whatever) unless you know the scale. Both the A and A minor scales suit Paul’s purpose perfectly, but no others do.
Alan, if I’ve understood my reference (The Gig Bag Book of SCALES for all Guitarists) correctly, the A Dorian scale, for example, goes:
A B C D E Fsharp G A
Tony @34, me @36
[Sorry, that wasn’t quite clear. I meant you cannot give second note a name like B, B flat or whatever unless you know the scale.]
[Aah, 1066 And All That – the printed version of Horrible Histories. Looking up Perkin Warbeck led me to some interesting articles about theoretical alternative lines of succession to the British throne: apparently the current Yorkist claimant lives in Australia. I was surprised to find that there still was one – Henrys VII and VIII did a pretty efficient job of wiping them out. ]
[Alan@38, … or you are referring to alphabetical order …]
[Tony
We crossed. I’m not too familiar with the Dorian mode, but your example of a scale looks like a (cyclic) example of the scale of G. In that scale the first note is G and the second is A (the third is B and so on).]
[I remember a quote from a musicologist about a collected folk song – “How would an uneducated countryman know about the Dorian mode when most of our musical scholars don’t?.” I think (I may be wrong) the song was “Searching for lambs“.]
[Alan, yes, if you start with D and play all the white notes on a piano till you get to the next D, that is the Dorian mode. Those are also all the notes in the C-major scale, of course. See here for further information.
Muffin, thanks for that link, whether or not it’s the song referred to by the musicologist.]
Perkin Warbeck isn’t so difficult if you were raised on Sellars & Yeatman’s “1066 and All That”. Both my parents used to quote it endlessly.
Colin, it doesn’t really help unless you’ve already heard of him, as they never use the real name in 1066. See Lord Jim@26. Also, me &33.