Hoskins is occupying the mid-week slot today.
I found this to be a medium-to-difficult puzzle by Indy standards, one which contained a good few clues to get me started but which kept me guessing until the end and left me with a few doubts regarding the wordplay.
The biggest of these doubts concerns 7, where I just don’t see the connection between “columnist” and “double agent”. I look forward to being enlightened during the course of the day – thank you (see below)!
As on previous occasions, I rather like the sauciness in many of Hoskins’ clues, hence my favourite clues today were 1A, 4, 9 and 30. At times it felt like I was solving a Cyclops in the Private Eye!
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BANDIT | Criminal ring associated with Congress
BAND (=ring, as in band of gold) + IT (=congress, i.e. sexual intercourse!) |
| 04 | CANOODLE | A cold one must be aroused to do this
*(A COLD ONE); “must be aroused” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. |
| 10 | BALLPOINT | With re-write required, bill panto writer
*(BILL PANTO); “with re-write required” is anagram indicator; a ballpoint (pen) is a writing implement, hence “writer” |
| 11 | STUNG | Good and mad about getting fleeced
G (=good) + NUTS (=mad, crazy); “about” indicates reversal |
| 12 | OBESE | Very heavy spades wielded by old worker
S (=spades, i.e. suit in cards) in [O (=old) + BEE (=worker)] |
| 14 | TRIATHLON | Model-type excited harlot in racy event
T (=model-type, i.e. Ford) + *(HARLOT IN); there is a lot of racing involved in a triathlon, hence “racy event” |
| 15 | HORSES | Nags founding member of Stones to get on heroin
HORSE (=heroin) + S<tones> (“founding member of” means first letter only) |
| 16 | DEGRADE | Successful student jumps into river in disgrace
GRAD. (=successful student, i.e. graduate) in DEE (=river, i.e. in Chester) |
| 19 | GRINDER | Toothy type picked up in gay dating app
Homophone (“picked up”) of grindr (=gay dating app); a grinder is a tooth that grinds, hence “toothy type” |
| 21 | ADDLED | Beer-covered theologian Darwinism initially confused
[DD (=theologian, i.e. Doctor of Divinity) in ALE (=beer)] + D<arwinism> (“initially” means first letter only) |
| 23 | PATROL CAR | A parrot flying around extremely lethargic panda?
L<ethargi>C (“extremely” means first and last letters only) in *(A PARROT); “flying around” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | ACTOR | Rubbish Conservative a flipping professional liar?
ROT (=rubbish, drivel) + C (=Conservative) + A; “flipping” indicates reversal |
| 26 | ASCOT | Bit of wear in a bed broken by swingers ultimately
<swinger>S (“ultimately” means last letter only) in [A + COT (=bed)]; an ascot is a type of tie, hence “bit of wear”, item of clothing |
| 27 | EASY MONEY | What might be made by sexually available brass?
EASY (=sexually available) + MONEY (=brass, colloquially); semi- & lit. |
| 29 | TOLERATE | Put up with half-cut Tory queen getting in around 1am?
TO<ry> (“half-cut” means 2 of 4 letters only are used) + [ER (=queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina) in LATE (=around 1am?)] |
| 30 | STUPID | Thick dick grabbed by boss
PI (=dick, i.e. private investigator, detective) in STUD (=boss, on shield) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BABOON | Bishop a godsend for primate
B (=bishop, in chess) + A + BOON (=godsend) |
| 02 | NIL | Short row about nothing
LIN<e> (=row, rank; “short” means last letter dropped); “about” means last letter dropped |
| 03 | IMPRESSED | Admission of one short of time made an impact
I’M PRESSED (for time) (=admission of one short of time) |
| 05 | ANTBIRD | Soldier with time for flapper
ANT (=soldier) + BIRD (=time, i.e. stretch in prison); an antbird is a South American ant thrush, the “flapper” of the definition being a bird species |
| 06 | ONSET | Start working and make crosswords
ON (=working, e.g. of machine) + SET (=make crosswords, compile) |
| 07 | DOUBLE AGENT | Large drink a chap gets columnist who goes both ways?
DOUBLE (=large drink) + A + GENT (=chap); the “columnist” of the definition must refer to the fifth column of traitors. |
| 08 | ENGINEER | Driver // seen in Mastermind?
Double definition: an engineer is an engine-driver in the US AND to engineer a plot or scheme is to mastermind it |
| 09 | HIATUS | Request from group of masochists to take a break
A in HIT US (=request from group of masochists!) |
| 13 | EGOTISTICAL | I got elastic pants, being swollen-headed
*(I GOT ELASTIC); “pants (=rubbish)” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | GODDAMMIT | I’m very annoyed at odd GM I’m playing
*(AT ODD GM I’M); “playing” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | EGGPLANT | Online, Girl Guides gasp about large aubergine
L (=large, of sizes) in [E- (=online, as in e-commerce) + GG (=Girl Guides) + PANT (=gasp)] |
| 20 | RACIEST | A cold one during pause from work can be most zingy
[A + C (=cold, e.g. on tap) + I (=one)] in REST (=pause from work) |
| 21 | ARREST | A tip to re-wire support for bust
A + R<e-wire> (“tip to” means first letter only) + REST (=support, stand); colloquially, to bust is to arrest, nick |
| 22 | FRAYED | US agent collaring swimmer became irritated
RAY (=swimmer, i.e. fish) in FED (=US agent, working for FBI) |
| 24 | OTTER | Slim-bodied beast more turned on without husband
<h>OTTER (=more turned on); “without husband (=H)” means letter “h” is dropped |
| 28 | NIP | Little drink // of pop
Double definition: a nip is a little drink of spirits AND to nip somewhere is to pop somewhere |
I wondered whether “columnist” was as in “fifth columnist” but wasn’t convinced. I assumed the REST in 21d was in reference to snooker.
Great fun and typically raunchy as ever from Hoskins.
As suggested by Hovis @1, 7d must surely be referring to a “fifth columnist”.
BANDIT was my favourite.
Many thanks to Hoskins and to RR.
The perfect puzzle for me, full of saucy humour and head-scratching but not too difficult and completed over breakfast. At 28D in the blog there’s a small typo, should be ‘nip somewhere’. Thanks Hoskins and RatkojaRiku.
I may be the fourth poster but I was another fifth columnist. Yet another collection of ribald wit and dangerous surfaces from the specialist in the art. EGGPLANT, OTTER, EASY MONEY, TRIATHLON, CANOODLE…it’s like a Carry On film. But all very enjoyable. I’m certainly not complaining. Though, if there were to be complaints, I can imagine the surface for STUPID inspiring them: once I’d wiped the spluttered coffee from my laptop, I’m afraid to say it went down as COTD, narrowly pipping Rabbit Dave’s suggestion of BANDIT.
Thanks Hoskins and RR
Well it appears I get to be the fifth to ‘second’ fifth columnist, which I did think perhaps a little loose as a def but that pales into insignificance with the rest of this. Brilliant and cheeky as always.
I’m with PM on STUPID being COTD.
Thanks Hoskins and RR.
Have to bow to the superior knowledge of others where the gay dating app is concerned but have no excuse to offer for why it took me so long to register the second definition of 28d.
Harry at his cheeky best, my favourites being CANOODLE, STUPID & HIATUS.
Thanks to Hoskins for the chuckles and to RR for the review.
An enjoyable puzzle with some ribald humour, especially STUPID! Thanks Harry and RR
Does 27ac also refer to brass as prostitute? If so, I feel it’s a less appropriate bit of cheekiness than the other gems.
Thanks to Tatrasman at 3 for pointing out the typo, and to everyone who mentioned the fifth column.
I agree with Petert at 8 that “brass” in the surface reading refers to a prostitute.
I’ve never heard brass as a term for a prostitute before, it’s in Chambers though, any theories other than Cockney rhyming slang as to the etymology?
Many thanks to RR for a great blog and to all who solved and commented.
I had some reticence about putting that brass clue in, my first thought that making money by sex work is not easy money – but then I thought there would be some in the industry who had the opposite view so left it in. My thoughts now are I shoulda nixxed it for something else. As for the PI being accosted for his boss, I think you should all go and wash your naughty minds out with soap to think it was anything else!
Hope to see you all next time around which should be in 18 days time on Sunday the 21st, but until then its cheers and chin chin from me. 🙂
Blah@10 Some say brass nail (tail) others brass flute.
I’ve been a bit off in my solving this week and this is the first puzzle I’ve been able to complete since Saturday. (Ironically, the last puzzle I completed was last Saturday’s Paul in the Guardian, a setter I usually have difficulty with.) Still, it took me ages to complete, especially the top right corner.
Petert & Blah @12 & 10, I’ve also seen brass-rubber, but the OED agrees it’s nail/tail with citations.
Not great when you hear Cressida Dick described as Met top brass.
Corker of a puzzle. Eyelids drooping & revealed a letter to get ANTBIRD which was last in. Great fun as ever from Hoskins – not many puzzles where you’ll get a gay dating site & the equine slang for heroin featured. Thanks all.
Forgot to say STUPID raised a big smile.
I shall never again, be able to see or hear Cressida Dick, without thinking she’s well named for being Met top brass! Thanks for a proper belly laugh Blorenge.
Enjoyed this. The Hoskins I know.
Most enjoyable. I wondered about the “brass” clue, but only from the pov expressed by Hoskins (is it really “easy” money?). I don’t see why anyone should get antsy about a slang term for what we must apparently now call a “sex worker”. There’s nothing particularly perjorative about the term “brass”, afaics. I do wonder what rhymes with “brass flute”, though, Petert@12.
Blorenge@14, do you think Cressida would be more hurt to be thought of as a brass than a dick?
Tony, I think “brass flute” is meant to be prostitute. Seems highly unlikely though, and there’s already whistle [and flute] for suit.
Blorenge, der, of course! Thanks. “Whistle and flute” is rendered as “whistle”, though: it’s always the non-rhyming element that’s used as the short form (that’s how outsiders are kept in the dark).