A rare chance for me to blog a Monk puzzle – he doesn’t often crop up on a Monday.
I found this a medium difficulty puzzle (there’s one clue I’m not sure of, but I’m sure someone will come to my rescue), with a couple of definitions that I wasn’t aware of. But as always with the Indy, a sound and entertaining offering. And unusually for a Monday (well, it is a bank holiday) there is a theme. Across the fourth row we have PUGH, PUGH; across the eighth McGREW (with BARNEY AT 8ac); elsewhere we have CUTHBERT, DIBBLE and GRUBB. So we are back in Trumpton. Which will be bringing back childhood memories for many; if you aren’t familiar with the TV series, or just want a pleasant reminder, find out all about the firemen here.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Celebs inching extremely close to John Virgo, say
STAR SIGN
A charade of STARS, I and G for the outside letters of ‘inching’ and N for the final letter of ‘John’. John Virgo, not that it matters for the purposes of the clue, was a snooker player and is now a commentator for the same sport.
5 Unctuous host pursuing controlling sex
SMARMY
A charade of SM and ARMY. Sexual activity involving sado-masochism involves an element of control (and, more importantly, a safe word).
10 Gas from uncontained fart expanded to the max?
ARGON
I think this is [F]AR[T] and knowing that Monk is a mathematician, I will hazard a guess that the second particle is something to do with GO to the nth degree. That is most likely bollocks, though.
Edit: It was indeed bollocks. Memo to self: don’t overthink clues. AR, when expanded to the max, gives you ARGON. Thanks to Hovis for the elucidation.
11 Use coasts to manoeuvre? We might
SEA-SCOUTS
(USE COASTS)* A cad.
12 Row by inlet secreting navy base
BARNEY
An insertion of RN and E in BAY. E is the ‘base’ of the natural logarithm in mathematics.
13 Dog leash may hurt
SEALYHAM
(LEASH MAY)* with ‘hurt’ as the anagrind.
15 Uncle abroad cross about annual holiday
XMAS
A reversal of SAM and X. Uncle SAM may be found in the United States.
17 Arguably highbrow point in unnoted opening talk
WIDOW’S PEAK
A charade of WI[N]DOW and SPEAK. If, like me, you didn’t know what one of these is, it’s a V-shaped hairstyle.
19 Gang deployed Emile to pinch house trailer
MOBILE HOME
A charade of MOB and HO inserted into (EMILE)* The anagrind is ‘deployed’ and the insertion indicator is ‘to pinch’.
20 Equipment cut by northern contract
KNIT
An insertion of N in KIT. The sense is of a wound knitting together.
23 Concise when penning article about British conchie
CUTHBERT
An insertion of B in THE, all inserted into CURT. The two insertion indicators are ‘when penning’ and ‘about’. A ‘conchie’ is a conscientious objector, and Chambers has:
Cuthbert (n) a derisive name given to someone suspected of evading military service
I never knew that one.
24 Creator of said Holy Land?
DIBBLE
A DIBBLE is a tool that gardeners use to make holes in soil in which to plant plants, so it’s a cd. The ‘said’ is there as a homophone indicator, since if it really was that sense, you’d need to write ‘holey’.
27 They travel gratis to arrange half of league fixtures
STOWAWAYS
A charade of STOW and AWAYS, which would indeed be by definition half of your league fixtures.
28 Bouquet inamorata holds back
AROMA
Hidden reversed in inAMORAta.
29 Patent legend in US returned for end of rugby match
NO-SIDE
A reversal of EDISON.
30 These stir soil, ultimately making uneven places
GRUBBERS
Plenty of gardening this morning (which definitely wouldn’t be my specialist subject on Mastermind). It seems to be a charade of G for the last letter of ‘making’ and RUBBERS, but I can’t equate the second particle with ‘uneven places’. Over to you, please.
Down
1 Neighbours, as one, going on strike for campaign platform
SOAPBOX
A charade of SOAP, referring to the Australian TV series, and BOX.
2 Conjecture sport will return after one month
AUGUR
A charade of AUG and RU for Rugby Union reversed.
3 Take a cocktail, having time out for a chat maybe
SINGER
S[T]INGER. Chats are songbirds, often with a harsh, chattering call. OPBL not allowed, since the bird has to be the answer.
4 Cut good wood
GASH
A charade of G and ASH.
6 Spotted poor soul being restrained by staff
MACULOSE
An insertion of (SOUL)* in MACE. The anagrind is ‘poor’ and the insertion indicator is ‘being restrained by’.
7 When could it be this uncouth?
ROUGH-HEWN
A reverse anagram thingy, or rat. ‘When’, if made into an anagram, ‘could be’ HEWN.
8 Husband may ask to alter veil
YASHMAK
(H MAY ASK)*
9 Parasites found in stream POW churned up
TAPEWORMS
(STREAM POW)*
14 Take a deep breath and oppress play despite not knowing the score
SIGHT-READ
A charade of SIGH and TREAD.
16 Challenging circuit is to lap old university
AMBITIOUS
A charade of AMBIT and OU inserted into IS. The insertion indicator is ‘to lap’.
18 Priest perhaps secure in St. James’s area
CLUBLAND
Once more Chambers to my rescue:
priest (n) a club or mullet for killing fish
So it’s that, plus LAND for ‘secure’: ‘Monk has landed/secured a contract with the Indy for a monthly crossword.’ St James’s is an area of London renowned for clubs for rich folk.
19 Shares with awfully sick miners, backing shelters
MUCKS IN
An insertion of (SICK) in NUM for National Union of Mineworkers reversed. The reversal indicator is ‘backing’ and the insertion indicator is ‘shelters’.
21 Ancient citizens in bar finish off these when getting round
THEBANS
An insertion of BAN in THES[E]. The insertion indicator is ‘when getting round’.
22 Source of fizz in cellar originally acquired by fluke
BICARB
An insertion of I and C for the initial letters of ‘in’ and ‘cellar’ in BARB. A ‘fluke’ is the barb of an anchor. Bicarbonate of soda, as part of baking powder, when added to water reacts with the acids present to produce carbon dioxide, or ‘fizz’. Here’s the chemistry you might have forgotten:
NaHCO3 + H+ = Na+ + CO2 + H2O
25 Chap with no money having switched sides
BLOKE
Monk is asking you to substitute L for the R in BROKE.
26 Addict given bum steer off and on
USER
The even letters of bUm StEeR.
Many thanks to Monk for the Monday puzzle. My last Indy blog of the year, so a chance to send best wishes for 2022 to all Indy setters (including the editor of course), fellow bloggers and contributors.
Great entertainment, where spotting the theme was the only way we were able to complete the SE corner.
Can’t help with any of the missing parsings, and indeed until reading the blog we didn’t know that meaning of Cuthbert either.
Thanks to Monk and Pierre (pity that the rules don’t allow for the bird link in 3d!)
Have to admit I gave up on this with only about half of it completed.
For 10a, I have AR (fARt) when expanded fully is ARGON.
In Chambers, definition 7 of RUBBER is “an uneven place”.
Another entertaining crossword from Monk – and let’s face it any crossword with the Trumpton firemen hiding in it has to be a bonus
Many thanks to Monk and Pierre
I wasn’t familiar with the theme, though saw PUGH PUGH and wondered what it meant. Sounds a charming series
I was going along quite nicely until I reached a terminal roadblock in the SE with DIBBLE, GRUBBERS and BICARB unsolved despite staring at the grid for ages, hoping for inspiration which never came.
Not quite the post-Christmas, not so difficult Monday puzzle I was hoping for but very enjoyable and good to learn about “Trumpton” as a bonus.
Thanks to Monk and Pierre
Thanks Hovis @2, that explanation of ARGON seems right.
Not a normal Monday and I though yippee when I saw Monk’s name.
The first sailed in rather quickly so I was reassured on the bottom half that he hadnt gone soft around the manner
Groan for HOLY LAND-I have no ideas about Trumpton-the name makes me sick
Thanks Monk and Pierre
Sorry about typing
Couldn’t do a lot of it. DIBBLE seems unfair, no wordplay and not even a proper definition for a thing I’m not familiar with. BICARB also hard, GRUBBERS another unknown with clue I didn’t understand. Altogether a lot of revealing. Never mind, thanks both
I needed the help of the firemen to complete the SE, and to steer me away from “albatross” at 16d (now that would have been an OPBL opportunity).
Thanks to Pierre and Monk
Thanks Pierre and Monk. Went off like the poverbial train then got a bit stuck. My wife who loves gardening hadn’t heard of the holy instruments as other than dibbers but the Nina nearly passed me by until the Cuthbert dibble came into view.
I could only get about half of this, too. I didn’t get DIBBLE but it is a word I’m familiar with. Officer Dibble was a character on Top Cat (or Boss Cat if you were a BBC programmer) and I came across the definition once and it stuck.
Roughly half of this was fairly easy and the half I’d not have got in a million years. Quite a lot of very tenuous definitions. Still don’t really understand rough hewn.