Bluth sets this week’s Tuesday challenge.
This was a setter’s tour de force, with multiple references in the clues to characters and scenes from Only Fools and Horses.
The theme did tend to make one or two of the clues rather convoluted, but we can forgive that when there were no unusual words in the completed grid – quite an achievement in a themed puzzle.
We had to seek help for the parsing of 26ac, but when it was explained we kicked ourselves for not figuring it out.
Thanks to Bluth for yet another great challenge!
Last or ‘ultimate’ letters of helP BoyciE deliveR motorS tO NelsoN MandelA HousE
P M (first and last letters or ‘outsiders’ of Peckham) round or ‘drinking’ HighbalL (without the middle letters or ‘on vacation’) EG (say)
START (trigger) + a homophone (‘on the radio’) of EARNS (gets)
DOLL (figure) round or ‘without’ A – we weren’t sure about doll = figure, but lo and behold, it is in Chambers Thesaurus
First (‘of all’) letters of Inches Are Measurements British Insist
END (consequence) + RUE (regret) round or ‘eating’ OVA (eggs) reversed or ‘on the counter’
U (affected) EN (enrolled nurse) after INN (house) + DO (party)
RICe (what may be thrown at wedding) without the last letter or ‘detailed’ after L (last letter or ‘back’ of Raquel) in CE (church)
ThE with the middle letter or ‘content’ missing or ‘leaving’ + N (first letter or ‘head’ of Nag) + A + piNT (last two letters or ‘half’)
PRO (reason for) CU (copper) REaR (bring up) without or ‘free of’ the ‘a’
CID (police unit) reversed or ‘in retrospect’ + KEY (Del – delete is an example of a key) BOy (without the last letter or ‘brief’) W (first or ‘original’ letter of was)
STY (home for pigs or ‘trotters supported animals’) after RU (middle or ‘essential’ letters of altruist)
Hidden or ‘skirted by’ medioCRE PEncil
We gathered that this was the answer from the crossing letters and definition, and we assumed that SPAR was ‘quarrel’ although we weren’t convinced. We were defeated by the rest of the parsing. With some help, we have been enlightened – the rest is K (1000 – grand) PLUG (ad, as in advert) – Grand ad is separated or ‘in bits’ – too devious for us!!
RA (Sun god) + RodneY without the middle letters or ‘gutted’ round IT
PASSiON (enthusiasm) with the ‘i’ (independent) replaced by ED (editor – journalist)
Hidden (somewhat) and reversed (stuck up) in habiTS I MISS EPisode
An anagram (‘fancy’) of MARLENE
OUTSIDE IN (reversed, same as ‘inside out’) + an anagram (‘hooky’) of STREET
AID (help) round or ‘stuffed by’ RHEA (bird)
As with 26ac, we arrived at the answer from the crossing letters and definition, but struggled with the parsing. After much trial and error we realised it is an anagram (‘polishing’ – rather dubious?) of the alternate or ‘occasional’ letters of cRyStAl ChAnDeLiEr Is HaRd and BUlKY without or ‘misplacing’ the ‘l’ (initial letter of ‘ladders’) – rarther convoluted, but a very crafty reference to one of the episodes of ‘Only Fools and Horses’
NAME (celebrity) with the last letter moved to the front or ‘cycling’ + OUR
M (Mike in the phonetic alphabet) + pOLAR (very cold) without the first letter or ‘cap’
SO (consequently) DAmien without or ‘barring’ ‘mien’ (bearing)
CAR (Reliant Robin, say) + an anagram (‘supply’) of ANY RUG
An anagram (‘eccentric’) of UNCLE + A (Albert’s capital letter or ‘big character’) R (right)
RAW (inexperienced) DA (District Attorney – lawyer) TA (Territorial Army – volunteers)
RUST (sign of neglect) + DEL reversed or ‘in retirement’
IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome – ‘painful condition’) round or ‘overwhelming’ I (international)
DEl with the ‘l’ (last letter or ‘final instalment’) representing 50 in Roman numerals doubled to C (100) + OR (gold)
This was great fun to solve with the theme providing some very fond memories of a marvellous TV series.
I hadn’t heard of DO-ALL. Collins online suggests it is American and it seemed a bit incongruous to have one word of the answer in the clue.
As usual there are a few unconvincing surfaces although the majority are very good. Deserving a special mention is HYDRAULIC BRAKES. This was my favourite and Bluth has managed to create a relevant 16-word story which describes one of the iconic moments from the show.
Other contenders for favourite were STAR TURNS, INNUENDO, OUTSIDE INTEREST and DICKEY BOW.
Many thanks to Bluth for the entertainment. Thanks also to B&J and to whoever helped them with the parsing of SPARK PLUG which defeated me too.
I was pleased as punch to eventually parse 6d and 26a. How on earth Bluth managed to craft the clue for 6d is beyond me. Superb (but, if you aren’t aware of the relevant episode of OFAH, then it may well seem too convoluted). I found this crossword very reminiscent of Tramp crosswords of old.
1a reminded me of the joke about a Japanese delivery man leaving a pile of car tyres and exhausts at Nelson Mandela’s house. When asked why, he replied “you not Nissan Main Dealer?”.
That must have been great fun to write and it rubbed off. Was it written following Boycie’s death?
I know most of the names, but not a lot of the events. If someone can be bothered to spell out which clues are related to actual episodes, I at least would be grateful.
Combination of tiny phone, failing eyesight and long clue with long words meant the font for 6d was literally too small to read, so had to wait to come here for that one.
Thanks Bluth, B&J
I thought someone by now would have said ‘lovely jubbly’ but as they haven’t I will 🙂 I’m also quite chuffed that I parsed SPARK PLUG all on my own
Thanks to Bluth for the great crossword and to B&J for the blog
My knowledge of “Only Fools and Horses” is minimal, so I couldn’t appreciate all the references in the clues, but I still managed to get this out, albeit with 26a and 6d unparsed – well done B&J and Hovis.
My favourite was the reference to the ‘Reliant Robin’ (presumably it was the preferred transport for one of the characters in the TV series), which I remember seeing every now and then in the UK many years ago. Probably worth a lot of money now.
Thanks to Bluth and B&J
OFAH pedants love to point out that Del Boy’s van was a Reliant Regal, not a Robin.
Thanks both. Entirely agree some convoluted clues are excused by the overall quality and to accommodate the theme, notably SPARK PLUGS which was beyond my alertness to parse, but it is brilliant. In 14 where ‘U’ = ‘affected’ I can’t find dictionary confirmation, unless it is a stretch from upper class?
As Bert & Joyce said, what a tour de force. I did struggle after getting about half way through, but some of that was down to rookie errors like forgetting supply is an anagram indication.
I did recognise polishing as anagrind, but couldn’t see how crystal chandelier and (I assumed) alternate letters of is hard could be reduced to the right length, so I was another who only got it when I had all the crossers.
Overall loved the inventiveness of the cluing and memories of a much loved series.
Alas, I have no knowledge of the theme, but I still enjoyed solving this! Failed to parse SPARK PLUG though.
Never having seen OFAH (apart from snippets when waiting for the next programme) we were not familiar with the references to particular episodes we only knew the names of the main characters, etc but even those we didn’t really need. This was just a straightforward solve for us. Our CoD was 24ac, although we were a little surprised at ‘rust’ appearing as part of two intersecting answers – maybe a constraint of the theme.
Thanks, Bluth and B&J
Some original constructs and defs as we have come to expect of Bluth. Never been a fan of OFAH but picked up Del, Trigger, and the Reliant by osmosis so could appreciate the construction. I thought PESSIMIST, ENDEAVOUR and CARRY A GUN very clever.
John Challis was in Bluth’s show, so I think this must be a tribute, and it’s a fine one.
Great crossword. Really liked the references to the show and the inventiveness of the clueing. CARRY A GUN was beautifully misdirected.
I had a busy day ahead today – skimmed through the clues and realised that this was right up my street, so left it as a treat to savour later.
Came back later than I expected so little to add, except to echo Hovis’ comment ( the puzzle immediately reminded me especially of Tramp’s first Fawlty Towers puzzle) …
… until I saw James’ comment @12 – the icing (and the cherry) on the cake.
Huge thanks to all.
I was never a fan of the show but so much of it has entered the public consciousness that I could see most of the references. Alas, this was one of those days where I hit a brick wall half-way through and failed to finish.
Thanks for the blog B&J – and for the kind words.
I’m not sure if, in discussing SPARK PLUG, you’re unconvinced by quarrel = spar, or whether you got that far and were unsure of it as you couldn’t see the rest, but it doesn’t seem too contentious. Politicians spar over issues all the time etc etc.
Polish as an anagram indicator doesn’t feel much of a stretch to me either – in the sense of ‘polishing a script’ – ‘to bring to a finished state’ as Chambers defines it.
I was expecting 6D to be more contentious, to be honest. I started the grid with a few ideas for words that I knew I could clue with OFAH references – but the two long lights were both there. Having lucked out with Hooky Street in 3D it felt like it wouldn’t be satisfying if 6D wasn’t also on topic but it felt more like wrestling it into submission than anything else. Cheers, all!
Another themed crossword where the setter invites us to consider how clever they are at the expense of just trying to produce a decent crossword.
6 down, the antithesis of a good clue, with the theme being crowbarred into the wordplay and a solution that bore no reference to a classic piece of comedy.
I had planned to save this for the weekend, but as having a bout of insomnia thought what the hell.
Bad idea! I’m not sleepy but I must be tired as this wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as I hoped, and although I expected convoluted wordplay, I did think it was overdone, culminating in a rather unfair 6D.
On a positive note, the use of the theme in the surfaces was excellent, and did bring a few smiles and chuckles, also thought DECOR and CARRY A GUN were spot on cluing
Thanks Bluth and B&J.