Every second Wednesday, Eccles usually appears to tease us.
I thought there were some excellent surfaces in this puzzle. I enjoyed the clues for SCARAB and UP THE ANTE in the acrosses and PICADOR and YOBBERY in the downs.
I wonder how many younger solvers are aware of George FORMBY? I remember him mostly for playing the ukulele.
Eccles puzzles are usually theme and Nina free, so I wasn’t surprised to find nothing obvious when I looked.
| Across | |
| 1 |
A ‘Special One’ helping to produce body fluid (12) PERSPIRATION (sweat; body fluid) PER (for each or a) + SP (special) + I (Roman numeral for one) + RATION (a helping) PER SP I RATION |
| 9 |
Are vocal expressions able to start to express language? (9) CANTONESE (the dialect of CANTON; language) CAN (able to) + TONES (vocal inflections) + E (first letter of [start to] EXPRESS) CAN TONES E |
| 10 |
Go into business half-cut (5) ENTER (go into) ENTERPRISE (business) excluding the final 5 (of 10; half) letters PRISE ENTER |
| 11 |
Visit doctor and mostly express one’s personal belief (4,2) DROP IN (visit) DR (doctor) + OPINE (express one’s personal belief) excluding the final letter E (mostly) DR OP IN |
| 12 |
One’s wearing orange pants? Run! (8) ORGANISE (coordinate and prepare for; run) (I [Roman numeral for one] + ‘S) contained in (wearing) an anagram of (pants) ORANGE ORGAN (I S) E* |
| 13 |
Stopped wanting Arab to be relaxed (6) RESTED (relaxed) ARRESTED (stopped) excluding (wanting) AR (Arab) RESTED |
| 15 |
Time to stop evil lasting forever (8) IMMORTAL (living in perpetuity; lasting forever) T (time) contained in (to stop) IMMORAL (evil) IMMOR (T) AL |
| 18 |
Maximum speed when horizontal? (4,4) FULL TILT (maximum speed) FULL TILT (completely leant over to lie flat; horizontal) cryptic definition FULL TILT |
| 19 |
Man perhaps follows American females into battle (6) AFFRAY (fight; battle) A (American) + (F [female] + F [female] to give females) + RAY (man’s name) A F F RAY |
| 21 |
Cowboy from Oregon thrown out of introduction to radio presenter (8) RANCHMAN (cowboy on a cattle RANCH) R (first letter of [introduction to] RADIO) + ANCHORMAN (on television, the person responsible for smooth running of a dialogue or discussion between or among others; presenter) excluding (thrown out) OR (US State of Oregon) R ANCHMAN |
| 23 |
Six-footer in mascara blushes (6) SCARAB (dung beetle; insect with six feet) SCARAB (hidden word in [in] MASCARA BLUSHES) SCARAB |
| 26 |
Black Country is uninspiring (5) BLAND (dull; uninspiring) B (black) + LAND (country) B LAND |
| 27 |
He put neat rum in to increase risk (2,3,4) UP THE ANTE (increase risk) Anagram of (rum) HE PUT NEAT UP THE ANTE* |
| 28 |
Hurry up, or skip a payment at work (4,2,6) MAKE IT SNAPPY (hurry up!) Anagram of (at work) SKIP A PAYMENT MAKE IT SNAPPY* |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Choose an entrance for dictator and Spanish provocateur (7) PICADOR (mounted bullfighter with a lance; Spanish provocateur, bullfighting being primarily a Spanish activity) PICADOR (sounds like [for dictator] PICK [choose] + A [an] + DOOR [entrance]) PIC A DOR |
| 2 |
Piece of music about infiltrating Republican Party (5) RONDO (musical composition whose principal subject recurs in the same key in alternation with other subjects) ON (with reference to; about) contained in (infiltrating) (R [Republican] + DO [party]) R (ON) DO |
| 3 |
With timely preparation, professional books inspiring film with nothing omitted (9) PROVIDENT (seeing beforehand, and providing for the future; with timely preparation) (PRO [professional] + NT [New Testament]) containing (inspiring) VIDEO (film) excluding [with … omitted]) O (character representing zero or nothing) PRO (VIDE) NT |
| 4 |
Rock and roll dance? (4) REEL (rock) REEL (roll) REEL (dance) triple definition REEL |
| 5 |
Propositions those desperate to introduce rock band (8) THEOREMS (propositions to be proved) Anagram of (desperate) THOSE containing (to be introduced) REM (reference American rock band R.E.M formed in 1980) THEO (REM) S* |
| 6 |
Welsh girl shaving bottom following love letter (5) OMEGA (letter of the Greek alphabet) O (character representing zero or love score in tennis) + MEGAN (Welsh girl’s name) excluding (shaved) the final letter (bottom of this down entry) N O MEGA |
| 7 |
Excited at talk, pointlessly (8) ATWITTER (excited) AT + WITTER (talk or mutter peevishly or ineffectually) AT WITTER |
| 8 |
Gold transaction is nightmare (6) ORDEAL (torment; nightmare) OR (gold tincture) + DEAL (transaction) OR DEAL |
| 14 |
Farewell a son provided (2,4,2) SO LONG AS (provided only that) SO LONG (farewell) + A + S (son) SO LONG A S |
| 16 |
Rank Stones "close to perfection" in real life (3-6) OFF SCREEN (in real life, often used to describe the real lives of film and television actors) OFF (in deterioration; rank) + SCREE (stones on the side of a hill) + N (last letter of [close to] PERFECTION) OFF–SCREEN |
| 17 |
Pale bum certain to provide amusement (8) PLEASURE (enjoyment; amusement) Anagram of (bum) PALE + SURE (certain) PLEA* SURE |
| 18 |
Class times for George? (6) FORMBY (reference George FORMBY OBE [1904 – 1961], an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s.) FORM (class) + BY (multiplied by; times) FORM BY |
| 20 |
Run away from raid after youth initially displays thuggishness (7) YOBBERY (thuggishness) Y (first letter of [initially] YOUTH) + ROBBERY (raid) excluding (away from) R (run) Y OBBERY |
| 22 |
Jeopardy host returned holding aquatic creature (5) HYDRA (water monster with many heads, which when cut off were succeeded by others ) HYDRA (reversed [returned] hidden word in [holding] JEOPARDY HOST) HYDRA< |
| 24 |
Accumulate in period prior to event (3,2) RUN UP (incur increasingly; accumulate) RUN-UP (approach; period prior to an event) double definition RUN UP |
| 25 |
State itself rejected after leader rejected (4) ETAT (state or rank) STATE (the word STATE itself) excluding (rejected) S (first letter; leader) and then reversed (rejected) ETAT< |
Another in a very long line of fine puzzles from this setter with all his usual cunning, accurate clueing, and super-smooth surfaces on display.
Many thanks to Eccles and to Duncan.
I thought hydra was just a reference to the actual creature rather than the mythical.
Thanks both
Lots to enjoy as usual on an Eccles Wednesday
Thanks to him and Duncan
I have no idea whether this forum is a way of catching the attention of the Indy’s crossword team but I am not a fan of the recent run of unattributed puzzles. I really like to know which setter I am taking on and am nowhere near good enough to recognise them from style alone. If anyone from the team is looking at this, please do return to normal practice asap.
RD has said it all @1 and, as I’m on holiday and about to leave for a day’s drive onto the Isle of Skye, I shall leave it at that. An absolute PLEASURE this morning.
Thanks Eccles and Duncan
A very concisely clued puzzle offering much to enjoy. Think my favourite was the simple BLAND.
Thanks to Eccles for another Wednesday treat and to Duncan for the review.
@PostMark
If you’re doing the online puzzle you can find the setter in the ‘puzzle info’ section of the menu. I agree though, it is annoying!
There is always a pleasant smoothness to Eccles’ puzzles. I liked the economy of REEL, ENTER, IMMORTAL and BLAND; also the surface of YOBBERY. I almost entered ‘Theories’ unparsed at 5dn, just lazily using the crossers, but then realised I needed to take more care in Choosing My Decision.
Great surfaces as always from Eccles. I got very lost on the top left quadrant until I remembered a=per and the rest fell into place.
In fact, once I’d got Perspiration, I was able to say “that’s me in the corner”!
Thanks Eccles for the fun puzzle! Lots of great surfaces, including 6d!
Binsie @6: thanks for that. Having never needed to look there, I didn’t know it was there. Much appreciated.
Lovely crossword. Excellent clues & great surfaces throughout. Fell a couple shy of an unaided completion unfortunately.
Thanks Eccles & Duncan.
Ps does anyone know why the Indy online has stopped telling us who the setter is ?
Doesn’t help if you do it online, but I print it off and though the setter’s name wasn’t visible on the screen, it appeared on the print. As others have said, it’s nice to know who you’re tackling. Always glad to see an Eccles and this was true to form, very enjoyable. Favourites yobbery and Formby among other riches. Thanks to Eccles and Duncanshiell
@4@12 if you’re using the subscription Independent online then it’s been like this for a couple of years, with no sign of the setter’s name on the puzzle itself, but it is shown when you press the question mark on the left. Yes, it’s really annoying especially when the setter refers to their name in the clues!
I almost came unstuck with this at the end with HYDRA (not having RANCHMAN either). Then I remembered some wise words from a commenter on this forum: if you can’t figure out how a clue works, it’s a “hidden”. Very much enjoyed this: thanks to Eccles and Duncanshiell.
I completed most of this early this evening but I still had a few to get. 1ac held out to the end and then I saw it. I got 1dn fairly quickly but it took a while to see how it worked.
Thanks to Duncan for the usual excellent blog, and to all who commented. in 19a, Ray was meant to refer to the artist and photographer Man Ray, rather than just being a man’s name, but that also works.
Eccles @17. You know you would have had a comment from me about 19a, if it had simply been a vague man’s name! 😉