We have a Tees to blog this Thursday.
A number of topical clues and answers in today’s puzzle – some nice digs at the current ‘government’.
A play on JOHNS (underwear as in long johns) ON
AM (before noon) in HI (greeting) TUP (sheepish mate)
Alternate letters (‘regularly’ – 15d) in iS jUsT gReAt
S (Society) HANG (suspend) and an anagram (‘travelling’) of RAIL
PRY (enquire too intrusively) around or ‘holding’ OPEN (obvious) SIT (pose)
Hidden (‘some’) in abstemiouS LUMinaries
CEP (mushroom) with an anagram (‘spattered’) of CROUTE IS outside or ’round’ – ‘en’ seems superfluous
An NUS RAT could be described as a ‘student traitor’ + GHANa (country) needing I (one) instead of A
Double definition. Cressida DICK had to leave the MET earlier than she planned recently. JOHNSON (1a) and DICK are both vulgar words for penis although the former is not in Chambers.
CLOSES (seals) HAVE (experience)
HE (male) DR (doctor) within TRIAL (hearing)
B (bishop) inside or ‘plunged into’ O (old) ELI (priest)
DynastY (first and last letters only or ‘extremely’) NASTY (disagreeable)
T (first letter or ‘principal’ in Tories) REASON (motivation)
EP (record as in extended play) inside or ‘breaking’ JOSH (banter)
An anagram (‘cooked’) of THe (missing last letter or ‘endlessly’) and GOOD
A clue as definition. An anagram (‘potentially’) of AS EATS MICE
NETS (scores) around S (south)
HEALS PA (makes old man better) with H (hospital) after T (time) inside or ‘admitted’
TRIPLE TS (three lots of TS as in TS Eliot)
Y (unknown) CAMRA (ale drinkers) reversed or ‘up’ after PH (pub or public house)
SET (class) INST (this month) ONE
A play on the fact that the letters R Y and E are found ‘REGULARLY’ in aRgYlE
UNITED (joint) with ED (‘serious hack’) inside or ‘dividing’
SECT (denomination) I (one) in CON (argument against)
You have to know that Dorothy Leigh’s surname is SAYERS
REIGN (rule) around or ‘including’ S (singular)
SPL (Scottish Premier League) I (one) T (first letter of Team)
An anagram (‘thrown’) of MORE EGGS
This was quirky and good fun as usual with this setter.
Parsing 21a involved an unindicated Americanism; and, if I have understood it correctly, I don’t think the definition for 25a quite works. I think it would have been OK, if it had said, “two-faced? No, three!”
Nevertheless, thanks to Tees for lots of laughs, and to B&J.
The usual wit and wisdom, apart from what appears to be a doubled-up container indication at 14. One imagines the cheeky ‘en’ would be the one to keep.
As RD says, lots of funny clues. The one, or part of one, that made fall about was the ‘sheepish mate’ in 5 across!
Thanks to Tees and B&J for their lovely blog.
Yes oops sorry about that. I’m feeling great as there’s one in the FT Neo puzzle as well (not my fault as it goes, but even so). Anyway thanks B&J! Hope it’s still lots of fun for y’all.
Thanks both. In 14 I took ‘en’ as the inclusion indicator and ‘splattered round’ as the anagrind, but only after struggling to remember CEP is mushroom, which is a regular mental block. I wonder if the fodder for NUSRAT GHANI was the basis for the entire grid
Took me a long time to recall the dismissed minister and also to parse 17d – thought a sect was a part of a denomination rather than one in its own right.
Plenty to enjoy – think CLOSE SHAVE was my favourite.
Thanks to Tees and to B&J for the review.
Anagram-based incitement to political violence? (more eggs thrown). What will the metropolitan elite stoop to next. Double indicators or not, I liked the mushroom en croute.
Okay good I’m claiming ‘splattered round’ as the anagrind (thanks TFO!).
Tell us how you feel, Tees, don’t hold back!
Good fun but had to cheat on the dismissed minister at 18 and to Google Dorothy Leigh at 19 so did not quite finish.
Childish as we are we had a giggle at the Boris/Cressida synonym.
Thanks Tees and B&J
A fun puzzle and one I managed without much help (I had to check the full name for 18, I was another that forgot cep = mushroom, and several other details).
Of course 5A was the clue that really stood out for me…
LOL @ #9. I liked that use of tup also.
I wasn’t bothered by the anagrind at 14, thinking ‘splattered around’ did the job well. Good puzzle whose gags are overshadowed slightly by today’s events. I’m sure the Indy will make up for this in forthcoming offerings
Well beaten – too topical for me; nobody’s fault, just me. Much to enjoy nonetheless – I thought TRIPLETS was very good.
Superb political commentary, full of amusement and lovely elegant clues, great pleasure in today’s crossword.
Thought that REGULARLY might have started as an anagram of ARGYLE,(plus something) which would have been doubly clever, but a fine clue anyway.
Thanks Tees, and b and j
The most enjoyable of my day’s 4 puzzles (DT & Graun) & by a margin. Love this setter’s mischievous sense of humour. The theme was right up my street which helped enormously. I am frequently guilty of not reading clues properly which is my only explanation for reading an IN after another at 21a. Failed to parse REGULARLY but the answer was obvious. HAM IT UP, PHARMACY & EUROSCEPTIC were my picks from a very fine bunch.
Thanks to Tees & B&J
Ps I’ve never understood why Indy puzzles get so few comments compared to the Graun.
4 puzzles! I only had time to do this, and I couldn’t finish it. And I’m retired. Too many other interests.