We always look forward to a mid-week Eccles – and this was up there with the best.
As we have come to expect, plenty to enjoy, good surfaces, a variety of clue-types and some smiles along the way. Too many good clues to choose a favourite, but we must mention 11ac for it’s originality and misdirection.
adJUST (alter) without ‘ad’ (notice)
An anagram (‘unexpectedly’) of CHARM EBBED
A homophone (‘heard’) of CLAMMER (a rather fanciful description of a gatherer of clams or ‘shellfish’)
A ‘finely crafted work’ by Una Stubbs might fancifully be described as UNA-WARE – great misdirection towards George Stubbs, the artist renowned for his finely-crafted paintings of horses
AMPS (‘current measures’) round or ‘protecting’ an anagram (‘designed’) of THE EARTH I – although, if we’re being picky, amphitheatres are not used solely for events involving combat – but it makes a good surface!
wALLIES (fools) missing ‘w’ (with)
N (new) GEN (dope) in or ‘inhaled by’ PUCE (deep purple)
G (German) in EMIRATE (Abu Dhabi perhaps)
E (English) MOT (‘test’ as in the roadworthiness test for cars) ES (Spanish for ‘is’)
BUDGE (move) T (first letter or ‘leader’ of Tory) + TIC (jerk) IF ED (journalist) reversed or ‘recalled’
O S (rings) BORNEo (island) without the last letter or ‘most of’ – a reference to John Osborne, the playwright who was renowned as one of the ‘angry young men’ in the 1950s
OP (work) 101 DalmatianS without the middle letters or ‘content released’
A clue-as-definition: An anagram (‘fluid’) of P (first or ‘prime’ letter of product) and IN NUT TREE – turpentine is a distillation of resin from living trees
READy (prepared) without the last letter or ‘nearly’
JACK (‘Jill’s friend’) cANAPES (appetisers) without the ‘c’ (caught)
P (priest) in or ‘cutting’ SCALE (shin up) L (large)
HEART (centre) with the ‘h’ moved to the back or ‘cycling’ + Y (unknown)
A homophone (‘announced’) of CAUCUSES (political blocs)
AHAb (‘captain with a prosthetic leg’ – Captain Ahab, a character in ‘Moby Dick’) without the last letter or ‘foot’
BRANStON (the brand of pickled chutney) without or ‘short of’ the ‘t’ (time). A reference to Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group
lEEK (Staffordshire town) with the ‘l’ (left’) ‘changing hands’ to R (right)
An anagram (‘shifts’) of DENIED MORE
RUFFIaN (thug) without the ‘a’ (first letter or ‘bit’ of attention) round or ‘admitting’ MAGA (Trump’s ‘make America great again’ slogan) reversed or ‘twisted’
SEND (broadcast) round or ‘claiming’ SIT (settle) IS E (last letter or ‘close’ to Carlisle)
ST ST (two streets or ‘ways’) round or ‘holding’ EPEE (sword) reversed or ‘up’
I’M BIeBER (claim that might be made by Justin Bieber – Canadian singer) without or ‘short of’ ‘e’ (energy)
ACT (perform) in or ‘wearing’ TILE (hat)
A + J (judge) in or ‘overwhelmed by’ DO IN (murder)
aBOUT (roughly) missing or ‘throwing out’ the first letter
A homophone (‘caught’) of ROW (line)
I really like Eccles Wednesdays and this particular crossword was, I thought, an excellent example of his best work
My particular favourite, although I did briefly consider 11a for top spot for the reasons cited by B&J, was 28a as the clue perfectly described the product
Thanks to Eccles and B&J
Once again, I agree entirely with crypticsue.
Lovely puzzle and I can do little more than agree with the two weighty opinions that precede mine! And, furthermore, I’d agree with both – assuming they are aligned in this too – on nominating TURPENTINE as COTD. Beautiful in its completeness.
I am sure I have seen Hoskins pop in and comment on Eccles before. I must confess to wondering if he’d recognise some aspects of himself in a mixture of the clues and solutions. Now that would be an intriguing ghost theme…
Apologies – oversight – my thanks, of course, to Eccles and to B&J
Agree with crypticsue and Eileen
Far be it from me to disagree with the august posters above – so I won’t except to say that I didn’t realise how apposite the clue for TURPENTINE was until I read the blog, so thanks BandJ and Eccles.
I thought there was going to be a naughty boy theme with Jackanapes and ragamuffin, but, apart from the angry young man, I can’t see any others.
Another first rate puzzle from Eccles, I do look forward to his appearances.
Top of the tree for me today were UNAWARE and the simple ROE, which made me smile.
Thanks to Eccles for another treat and to B&J for the review.
Jane often comments that she agrees with me. Today she has posted before me, and I can return the compliment and say I agree completely with her comments including her choice of top clues.
Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J.
Lots to enjoy. I especially liked the fishy ones – Clammer and Roe. Thanks to Eccles and Bertandjoyce for the entertainment.
Was enjoying it greatly but bottom left I found tricky… 19dn surely should have been IMBIBES from the def…? Not going to let that ruin the pleasure of being able to get RAGAMUFFIN n JACKANAPES into the same crossword..
Thanks Eccles n Bertandjoyce
Like Undrell we struggled in the SW corner, although we’d no problem with IMBIBER – we read the definition with an implied ‘who’ after ‘one’ – but we were trying for ages to fit BAL[i] as the island into something to give ‘angry’.
Otherwise a straightforward enough puzzle. We liked JACKANAPES and RAGAMUFFIN, too, as well as BEDCHAMBER and AMPHITHEATRES.
Thanks, Eccles and B&J.
Undrell @ 10: an imbiber takes in, the ‘one’ is part of the definition.