For the first time for ages, this has to be a DNF for us.
We were really puzzled by 24d down. We tried a word search but there were a quite a number of alternatives and none seemed to work. We ended up pressing ‘reveal’ and realised that the only answer we could come up with FLIT using the definition – was the correct answer. However, we have no idea how the parsing works so would appreciate some help.
At the end, we hoped that a theme might appear which would at least help us to complete the puzzle unaided but cannot find anything in the grid.
Thanks Phi – we found this tougher than usual. Not just because of the clue we couldn’t parse but we had to check a few answers – RAGUSA, PALMER and DOROTHEA – perhaps they are thematic?
A clue-as-definition – an anagram (‘dirty’ as in ‘stormy’) of WORD BELIES – although we knew the word, we had to check precisely what ‘bowdlerise’ means, and found that it is ‘to expurgate a bool or writing by removing whatever might be considered indelicate’ – i.e. ‘dirty words’
TE (last two letters or ‘couple’ in ‘invite’) inside or ‘covered by’ an anagram (‘possibly’) of PLUS ONE
DO (have a go at) S S (first letters of sleeping soundly)
A reversal (perversely seen’) of A SUGAR (source of carbohydrates) – we had never heard of this city
An anagram (‘wasted’) of IE ON MULL
W B (first letters or ‘traces’ of white and black) in BALE (bundle). 7 refers to 7d – gewgaw – we hadn’t come across this spelling of ‘bauble’ before
RAFTER (building support) around or ‘penning’ UN (French or ‘Figaro’ article). With his architect’s hat on, Bert could be pernickety and argue that a rafter supports the roof rather than the entire building….
IN (occupying) VAN (leading group) around or ‘staying’ SO (very much) around I (island)
U (united) and a reversal (‘get back’) of AI (highest rated) POT (trophy). The ‘More work required’ refers to the political romance or satire novel written by Sir Thomas More.
MERRy (happy) missing last letter or ‘almost’ with CATO (the Roman censor) inside or ‘intervening’
LET (allowed) after BOG (toilet) reversed or ‘put back’
FT (newspaper as in Financial Times) after or ‘linked to’ WE (our group)
H (Henry) ALL (everyone) ON (working) around or ‘holding’ WEE (minor)
PLY (work) around or ‘involving’ REGNANT (governing)
BAT (cricketer) HALTS (stops) around or ‘bringing in’ S (special)
WOO (court) L (last or ‘latest’ letter of trial)
U (university) SCI (science) inside or ‘getting stuck into’ an anagram (‘transmigration’) of SOUL
R (runs) ADO (business) around or ‘importing’ I (first or ‘foremost’ letter of Italy)
SECT (group) around or ‘adopting’ USP (unique selling point – a key marketing element)
OP (work) on PROBe (investigation) missing last letter or ‘curtailed’ and I (one) inside RUM (curious)
W (women) after or ‘associated with’ GE (Georgia – the country) and GA (Georgia – the state) ‘repeatedly’
MARK (observe) and TON (fashion) in ANY
An anagram (‘excited’) of GOT ROYALS
ROD (staff) reversed or ‘upheld’ O (over) THE and A (articles). Dorothea Brooke was the heroine in George Eliot’s Middlemarch.
VEER (change course) around or ‘touring’ RoME (classic city) missing the ‘o’ or ‘nothing less’
M (first letter or ‘heading’ to Madrid) in or ‘surrounded by’ PALER (less colourful) – we had never come across this word for a pilgrim, apparently carrying a palm-leaf in token of having been in the Holy Land
AN (article) on TIG (children’s game)
This one defeated us. We used a word search but that didn’t help. We assume the parsing might be L (line) in FIT but have no idea how ‘fit’ is ‘access of poetic inspiration’.
Also defeated by FLIT,and the only parsing I can see is the same as yours B&J.
I did find this under artistic inspiration on Wikipedia.
In Greek thought, inspiration meant that the poet or artist would go into ecstasy or furor poeticus, the divine frenzy or poetic madness. He or she would be transported beyond his own mind and given the gods’ or goddesses own thoughts to embody.
Thanks Phi and B&J
Lots of unknowns for me but mostly clued so that I could guess and then check. Needed a cheat to get ANTI-G, which led to PREGNANTLY and I finally bunged in FLIT and hoped someone would explain it. Blah’s explanation looks possible.
I notice definition 3 of FIT in Chambers is a division of a poem.
One of the definitions of “access” in Chambers is a fit (of illness or passion). Perhaps this is a poetic use of the word? In which case “fit” is (loosely) defined by the last four words of the clue. Seems like a clue more suited to Azed than a daily puzzle, though.
Can I suggest we have a combination of both Hovis’s and cruciverbophile’s explanations? Certainly a ‘fit’ Is an ‘access’, in the sense of an access of rage. And it is also a poetic division. Lewis Carroll’s ‘The Hunting of the Snark’ is punningly subtitled ‘An Agony In Eight Fits’.
A DNF for me too, 24D times four. I couldn’t see 25A, 27A or 22D either. Spent far too long on them and ran out of time – a pity as I had been enjoying it until then! But thanks Phi and B&J.
I thought ‘fit’ was bit vague but in it went…
“(Gioni) had been asked to do a single portrait but in a fit of inspiration he had made at least 15.”
(New York Times).
(I had to cast around for the quote).
I had to reveal FLIT and RAGUSA. Otherwise a pleasant tussle. Liked BOWDLERISE. Thanks Phi and B&J.
Hard going for me too. I had no idea how the wordplay for FLIT worked while DOROTHEA and PALMER had to go in from the wordplay alone. Worth it though for the ‘More work required’ def and learning a new word in GEWGAW.
Thanks to Phi and B&J
This is what Wiki has to day
In the Middle Ages, a palmer (Latin: palmarius or palmerius) was a Christian pilgrim, normally from Western Europe, who had visited the holy places in Palestine and who, as a token of his visits to the Holy Land, brought back a palm leaf or a palm leaf folded into a cross. Palmers were often highly regarded as well-natured holy men because of their devotion to Christ along the pilgrimage. The word is frequently used as synonymous with “pilgrim”.
The original Bowdler produced a “family” Shakespeare, with all the rude bits taken out. I think RAGUSA is the town where Montalbano is filmed. I had the same tentative parsing of FLIT as cruciverbophile. I enjoyed this despite needing a bit of help. PREGNANTLY was my favourite.
This was definitely one of those days when I was relieved to discover even the seasoned hands struggled! I got hardly any on my first pass and ended up with a lot of use of the reveal button, though a few of those turned out to be obvious in retrospect.
So overall a slog rather than a joy, but the benefit of learning a few new words.
More work required – top clue. 1a a close second, and all very enjoyable. A fit of inspiration is a phrase I’ve often heard and used, so it went in as parsed as that. Didn’t know the Lewis Carroll reference, though, so thanks to Gervase for that one. Thanks also to Phi and Bertandjoyce. I never expect to spot a Phi ghost theme, so I didn’t.
I could have left ‘fit’ purely as ‘access’ (and how often does that use of ‘access’ turn up as ‘excess’?) but thought a bit of extra help might be in order. Certainly Carroll is punning on the double meaning of ‘fit’ in Snark’s subtitle.
No hidden theme this time, in case anyone is still looking.
We got all the answers but had some problems in parsing. For 10ac we initially guessed RAGU + AS< but then thought hang on, ragu is the sauce not the pasta. We didn't know PALMER as meaning a pilgrim and were wondering if a palmer was a character in the Canterbury Tales (and hence a pilgrim in that sense) until we checked by googling. We did parse FLIT, though, being vaguely aware of the meaning of 'fit' as a poem or song.
Favourites were BOWDLERISE and MERCATOR.
Thanks, Phi and B&J.
Thanks Phi, that was satisfying and it added to my knowledge base with RAGUSA, WEFT, DOSS, PALMER, and DOROTHEA previously unknown to me but mostly gettable from the wordplay. Favourite was WOOL. Thanks bertandjoyce for the blog.
We managed it all despite lots of unknown words. Still don’t really get “fit”. Never heard of tig, what is it?
Erocw @17 Tig’s a playground/ wide open spaces children’s game also known as tag. One child is ‘it’ , and chases after the others, who all run off in different directions. If the one who’s it catches and touches someone, that child becomes ‘it’ instead, and the whole thing can go on for hours, or until the end of the break. No idea if kids still play it.
“Palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss” – was that deleted from Bowdler’s Shakespeare?
Grant Baynham @ 7: Are you THE Grant Baynham from “That’s Life”?