Hob is filling the compiling slot this Tuesday, and, as you might expect, we have a theme to contend with.
I found this puzzle to be both challenging and entertaining, as it gradually revealed itself to me. And yet Hob still had the last laugh on me today, as I wrongly solved the perfectly fair 19. How often do I fall at the last hurdle, but perhaps that’s what keeps me coming back for more?!
The perimeter of the puzzle lends itself to a Nina, which reads “MORSE CODES” across top and bottom and “DIT DAH” down the sides. Knowing nothing about Morse code, it was only when I looked up dit and dah in Chambers that I could understand the wordplay at 27. My suspicion that there was something going on here regarding Morse code had already been raised by the references to dots and dashes in clues at 2, 7 and 11. However, I’m still not sure why there is an “s” at the end of “codes” in the Nina – is it to indicate that difference versions of Morse code exist, perhaps?
My favourite clues today were 11, for smoothness of surface; 22, for the unexpected use of the three dots in the wordplay; and above all 4, for the ingenious splitting of “Steve” and “Cram” between wordplay and definition.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 06 | PRIMULA | Pull bat away regularly after proper bloomer
PRIM (=proper) + <p>U<l>L <b>A<t> (“away regularly” means alternate letters are dropped) |
| 07 | WIRED | Uncanny, Dot (single) making right move twice in highly-strung state
WEIRD (=uncanny); “dot (single)” (=letter “e” in Morse code); “making right move twice” means letter “e” moves two places to the right |
| 09 | IMP | Setter’s power as mischief-maker
I’M (=setter’s) + P (=power, in physics) |
| 10 | SHORT-LIVED | His older TV’s repair is not long-lasting
*(HIS OLDER TV)”; “repair” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | TEASE | Guy more than once needing to make a dash for it, reportedly
Homophone (“reportedly”) of Ts (T=dash in Morse code; “more than once” means Ts) |
| 13 | EPHEMERA | Recording that male setter’s given 6D 10 things
EP (=recording) + HE (=male) + ME (=setter, i.e. Hob in this case) + RA (=painter (=entry at 6D), i.e. Royal Academician); ephemera are insects whose adult life is very short, hence “short-lived (=entry at 10) things” |
| 15 | DRIED UP | Stopped talking and // did postprandial chore?
Double definition; drying up comes after washing up! |
| 16 | SKY-HIGH | Excessive as cost might be, if broadcaster under influence of a drug?
SKY (=broadcaster) + HIGH (=under influence of a drug) |
| 20 | INVENTOR | Creative person gets home by taking second north out of IOW town
IN ((at) home) + VENT<n>OR (=IOW town; taking second north (=N) out of” means second letter “n” is dropped |
| 23 | MORES | Manners shown by Dr. Dre? Not at first, in today’s theme …
MO (=DR, i.e. medical officer) + <d>RE (“not at first” means first letter is dropped) + S (=…, in Morse code!) |
| 24 | TELEGRAPHS | Unusually large pets receiving hard – 7 messages?
H (=hard, as in HB pencils) in *(LARGE PETS); “unusually” is anagram indicator; telegraphs are “wired (=entry at 7) messages” |
| 27 | USA | Country where setters introduce thematic content in left/right columns
US (=setters) + A (=dit (=dot) + dah (=dash) in Morse code; dit and dah appear in the left and right columns respectively) |
| 28 | DYING | On the way out, Indy’s recycled? Good
*(INDY) + G (=good); “recycled” is anagram indicator |
| 29 | EL GRECO | Creative use of e.g. Corel 6D
*(E.G. COREL); “creative use of” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the Greek-born painter El Greco (1541-1614) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | MISPLACE | Having lost case, simply with no case to lose
*(LOST + <s>IMPL<y>); “with no case” means that first and last letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “having lost” |
| 02 | OURS | Setters’ pleasure trips no longer starting with a thematic dash
<t>OURS (=pleasure trips); “no longer starting with a thematic dash (=letter “t” in Morse code)” means initial letter “t” is dropped |
| 03 | RAN OVER | German city’s missing hotel by river, previously knocked down
R (=river) + <h>ANOVER (=German city; “missing hotel (=H, in radio telecommunications)” means letter “h” is dropped) |
| 04 | SWOT | Pull up after taking the lead from Steve Cram
S<teve> (“lead from” means first letter only) + WOT (TOW=pull; “up” indicates vertical reversal); to swot (up) is to cram for an exam |
| 05 | ERBIUM | Element nitrogen is missing from compound number 1
*(<n>UMBER 1); “nitrogen (=N) is missing” means letter “n” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “compound” |
| 06 | PAINTER | Portrait’s head isn’t the Queen, according to artist
P<ortrait> (“head” means first letter only) + AIN’T (=isn’t, colloquially) + E.R. (=the Queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina) |
| 08 | DREAR | Read out, say, writing that’s depressingly dull in literary terms
*(READ) + R (=say, writing, i.e. one of the three Rs); “drear” is a literary synonym for “dreary” |
| 12 | ERUPT | Burst of letters from higher up, thematically
Hidden (“letter from”) in “highER UP Thematically” |
| 14 | HOKUM | Stink is about fine? That’s nonsense
OK (=fine) in HUM (=stink) |
| 17 | HERCULES | Very strong man in Cheers playing university lecturer
[U (=university) + L (=lecturer)] in *(CHEERS); “playing” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | GESTAPO | Suggest a possible case for secret police
Hidden (“case for”) in “sugGEST A POssible” |
| 19 | TRAPPED | Stuck bug on leads of peripheral electronic devices? That’s about right
R (=right) in [TAP (=bug, on telephone) + P<eripheral> E<lectronic> D<evices> (“leads of” means first letter of each only)] |
| 21 | NO END | Very much recovered at last, after tuning up gas
NOEN (NEON=gas; “turned up” indicates vertical reversal) + <recovere>D (“at last” means last letter only) |
| 22 | EMETIC | Wasted time during last two-thirds of second half? It makes you sick!
*(TIME) in <s>EC-<ond> (“last two-thirds of second half” means second and third letters of the first three letters (“half”) of 6-letter word only are used) |
| 25 | REGO | Gregory’s car registration? Sydney’s, actually
Hidden (“’s”) in “gREGOry”; the rego is an Australian vehicle registration document, hence “Sydney’s” |
| 26 | SAGE | Avoiding 27, maybe Frankfurter is wise
SA<usa>GE (=maybe Frankfurter); “avoiding USA (=entry at 27)” means letters “usa” are dropped |
Totally brilliant puzzle. I managed to finish (bar one) without twigging the theme and having several clues unparsed of course. Then I saw the nina but was still stupid enough to fail on 11A. Never heard of REGO either, but it had to be that.
Agree it’s brilliant, but it’s above my pay grade. Didn’t spot the nina and couldn’t work out the theme so gave up with two unsolved and others unparsed. Enjoyed the struggle though, so thanks to Hob and much appreciation to RR for the enlightenment.
Goodness! Haven’t used Morse code in decades. What fun! Thanks, Hob & RR.
P.S. I think the Nina is plural just because the grid required five letters. Still works for me.
Don’t always enjoy Hob crosswords but this was a delight. A couple of unknowns but all clued so that I could deduce them and then check: REGO & ERBIUM.
My favourite was the sublimely constructed clue for EMETIC. Interesting that 23a is an anagram of Morse.
Thanks both. All very clever….I identified the theme, but knew little about it, so a few at least partially unparsed before coming here. I am still struggling with ‘having lost’ being an anagram indicator
Thank you for explaining all the subtleties for the dots and dashes. A minor typo in blog for 1d. MISPLACE = *(CASE+
IMPL) ?How did the strike through appear?
MISPLACE = *(LOST + (s)IMPL(y))
bit of a struggle… with notable exceptions such as PAINTER, not a fan of puzzles which rely heavily on something you can only see at the end.. not aware of GUY= TEASE either.. undoubtedly clever stuff..
thanks Hob n RatkojaRiku
On the subject of the plural in the bottom line, is it not correct to say this puzzle provides the Morse codes for various letters, for example?
We normally think of Hob’s puzzles as hard, but we fairly romped through this, helped by spotting the nina and theme. One of us being a chemist we liked the surface for ERBIUM. We liked the surface for SWOT as well.
Thanks, Hob and RatkojaRiku.
Thanks to RR for the blog and to others for your comments.
There is some further anniversary related thematic content yet to be mentioned, over and above the Nina and Morse codes.
We have just completed the puzzle and came here to check out the finer points of the theme. We noticed TELEGRAPH in the grid as well. After reading Hob’s comment we noted that Morse was also a PAINTER. Not sure whether there is more to be found in the grid.
Thanks to Hob and RR.
Thanks Hob and RR
Could the further related items include WIRE[d], T[r]APPED and USA INVENTOR?
This was great fun. I realised the theme early on and had the nous to check Samuel Morse’s birthday: 27 April 1791. I spotted the single dash meaning T, but overlooked the … in 23 and so didn’t parse to full satisfaction.
Stupidly though I didn’t look for the Nina!
A stimulating range of clues/answers. Didn’t know to guy = tease, nor the rego document (and having missed the Nina I was adrift on 25) but otherwise could give myself a little pat on the back after a trying day.
Am not over the moon about USA being clued as three letters, but I can swallow it.
Many thanks Hob and RR
A few painters here. Paula Rego, El Greco, Morse, but not enough for a theme
Only worked out the theme at the very end, and spotted the Nina, which helped get the last few.
Graham@7: Your attempt to correct your own typo reverted to the original typo.
Thanks Hob, brilliant as usual. I spotted the theme with INVENTOR and TELEGRAPHS as well as the side ninas DIT and DAH. I also noticed Dot and dashes in the clues. I’m sure there are deeper ninas but I’m not fluent in Morse code … thanks RR for the comprehensive blog.
Samuel MORSE was indeed both an INVENTOR (MORSE CODE and TELEGRAPH) and a PAINTER (One of his famous paintings is DYING HERCULES).
Very cool to omit Endeavour from the answers-but I first thought PAINTER and EL GRECO might be another branch-saw the nina-didnt check the DIT DAH as something was probably boiling over on the stove. DIT DAH sounds like an InXs lyric
Thanks RR and thanks Hob for puzzle and for dropping in