Bradman steps up to the crease this morning.
When I got up this morning, I realised I didn't have a lot of time to get this blog done, so was hoping for a straightforward, no-nonsense puzzle and that is what I got, although a little general knowledge was required to complete it (ARRACK had to be dredged from the back of my mind, and I don't think I've come across MENHADEN or CASHUT before). These three were all clearly clued, so are fair game though.
Thanks Bradman.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CUSHAT |
Pigeon getting copper’s helmet? (6)
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Cu's ("copper's") + HAT ("helmet"). Cushat is a Scottish/Northern English word for the common wood pigeon. |
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| 5 | KILOWATT |
Power of tot – I walk all over the place (8)
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*(tot I walk) [anag:all over the place] |
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| 9 | WIMPLE |
Wife not sophisticated, wanting head covered – this cloth could hide it (6)
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W (wife) + (s)IMPLE ("not sophisticated") [wanting (i.e. lacking) head] |
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| 10 | EINSTEIN |
One German saint and one German genius (8)
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EIN ("one" in German) + St. (saint) + EIN ("one" in "German") |
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| 11 | CHEERILY |
Church in weird style exhibiting happy-clappy mode? (8)
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Ch. (church) + EERILY ("in weird style") |
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| 12 | SHRIKE |
Flier getting hit, needing hospital for short time (6)
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S(t>H)RIKE ("hit", needing H (hospital) instead of [for] T (short T(ime)) |
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| 13 | PISA |
A little drink knocked back in Italian city (4)
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<=A SIP ("a little drink", knocked back) |
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| 15 | UNMASKED |
A Parisian maiden getting questioned becomes exposed (8)
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UN ("a" in "Paris") + M (maiden, in cricket) getting ASKED ("questioned") |
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| 18 | HOPELESS |
In despair, having lost American Bob? (8)
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The lost American Bob is of course Bob HOPE. |
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| 19 | DOSH |
Parties needing hard cash (4)
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DOS ("parties") needing H (hard) |
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| 21 | ARRACK |
Jeer, first off, showing spirit (6)
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(b)ARRACK ("jeer" with its first off) Arrack is an alcoholic drink, popular in South Asia, made from fermented coconut sap or sugar cane. |
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| 23 | IMPUNITY |
One politician wanting harmony and protection (8)
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I (one) + MP (politician) wanting UNITY ("harmony") |
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| 25 | DISTRAIT |
Princess’s characteristic to be absent- minded (8)
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DI's ("princess's") + TRAIT ("characteristic") |
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| 26 | EXACTS |
Demands of old lover met with deeds (6)
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EX ("old lover") met with ACTS ("deeds") |
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| 27 | MENHADEN |
Fish chaps brought to port – last of fish netted (8)
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MEN ("chaps") brought to ADEN ("port") with [last of] (fis)H netted A menhaden is a small saltwater fish. |
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| 28 | DRYING |
Milk business not excellent – if cows are this? (6)
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D(ai)RYING ("milk business", not A1 ("excellent")) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 2 | URIAH |
A husband that you might get after superior religious instruction! (5)
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A H (husband) after U (superior) + RI (religious instruction) and &lit. |
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| 3 | HYPHENATE |
Join up with the fellow, then yap freely inside (9)
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HE ("the fellow") with *(then yap) [anag:freely] inside) |
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| 4 | THESIS |
Unproved statement in submission for PhD? (6)
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Double definition |
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| 5 | KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON |
Calm down – I don’t want to see that chest! (4,4,5,2)
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If you keep your shirt on, I won't see your chest. |
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| 6 | LONESOME |
Wanting company to advance money, as you might say? (8)
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Homophone [as you might say] of LOAN SUM ("advance money") |
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| 7 | WATER |
I may be poured out by server at table (5)
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I removed from [poured out by] WA(I)TER ("server at table") and &lit. |
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| 8 | THICKNESS |
A measure of Violet Elizabeth’s malady? (9)
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THICKNESS is how Violet Elizabeth, a lisping adversary of William in the Just William stories, would have pronounced SICKNESS ("malady"). |
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| 14 | IN OUR TIME |
Nowadays Bradman’s getting into fixed routine (2,3,4)
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I'M ("Bradman's") getting into *(routine) [anag:fixed] |
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| 16 | SEDENTARY |
Any rested drunk could be this (9)
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*(any rested) [anag:drunk] and semi &lit. |
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| 17 | DECKHAND |
Pack bananas as one of the ship’s crew (8)
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DECK ("pack" as in playing cards) + HAND (bunch of "bananas") |
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| 20 | SPREAD |
Two pages – second page gets looked at (6)
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S (second) + P (page) gets READ ("looked at") |
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| 22 | AITCH |
A longing to be the leading character in horticulture (5)
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A + ITCH ("longing") |
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| 24 | TITAN |
Celestial object – it turned brown (5)
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<=IT [turned] + TAN ("brown") Titan is the largest of Saturn's moons. |
CUSHAT and MENHADEN were unknown to me too. The former was parsable and the crossers confirmed it. Not a chance with the latter though which was my LOI. Was pleased to have spotted SHRIKE at least.
5D, 6D, 9A and 10A were my picks of the day.
An enjoyable exercise ahead of the Easter hols. Thanks both to Bradman and Loonapick.
Pleasant puzzle prior to the Easter break. Thanks to previous setters for introducing me to MENHADEN and ARRACK, but CUSHAT was new, though solvable. I guessed that 8d referred to someone with a lisp, but couldn’t remember ‘Violet Elizabeth’ from the long ago read “Just William” stories.
Favourites were the URIAH and particularly WATER &lits, and the ‘lost American Bob?’, even if he was born in England.
Thanks to Bradman and loonapick.
Enjoyable puzzle, but at 8d, wouldn’t Violet Elizabeth have said THICKNETH?
Thanks, Bradman and loonapick. CUSHAT and ARRACK were new, and I got hung up thinking 23a could be “immunity” so SPREAD was last in. MENHADEN I knew from an old Marx Bros. quip – “Smelt? Menhaden?” “Sure I smelt Manhattan, and it ain’t so hot.” The &lits were clever, as was SHRIKE.
good point Tom_1@3!… a couple of lookups as already mentioned.. and never had occasion to write DISTRAIT before, altho have used it in conversation! so some learning as usual..
thanks BRADMAN n loonapick
CUSHAT was new to us but gettable; MENHADEN (sounds more like some sort of prehistoric monument than a fish) we also worked out and then remembered encountering it before. No real problems although we’re not sure that IMPUNITY is equivalent to protection.
Favourites were HYPHENATE and DECKHAND (the latter because ‘bananas’ wasn’t an anagram indicator).
Thanks, Bradman and loonapick
Failed in the SW corner but no matter – 75% enjoyable! Thanks to Bradman and loonapick.
Seldom can I complete a Bradman crossword and this was no exception. CHEERILY, THICKNESS, CUSHAT, and ARRACK just wouldn’t fall for me. I still enjoyed this due to clues like EINSTEIN, DECKHAND, AITCH, and my favourite, the &lit WATER. I learned about MENHADEN on a Chesapeake Bay sailing trip that brought us near to a plant that processed menhaden into fertilizer — it’s a smell you never forget. Thanks to both.
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
Did this on the day but got caught up with an Easter visit to mum in the country and only got to check it off this morning (here). The standout from the puzzle were the clever &lits and clues, such as CHEERILY and URIAH, where the surface put into context what the answer was about.
As with others, CUSHAT and MENHADEN were new terms, but both clearly gettable from the word play. Finished in the NW corner with HYPHENATE (liked the definition), WIMPLE (always remember it from the nuns in the convent of the town that I grew up in) and HOPELESS (after twigging to which ‘Bob’).