Thank you to Hoskins. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
We have Hoskins’ trademark sex and drugs references and innuendos in the clues and answers. In addition, this puzzle is in memory of the motor-racing commentator who died one year ago today. His name appears in the top and bottom rows of the grid and there are various references to racing in the puzzle.
Across
7. Master of arms messing about with toe (7)
MAESTRO : Anagram of(… messing about …) [ARMS plus(with) TOE].
8. Acquiring new apartment? That’s swell! (7)
INFLATE : [ N(abbrev. for “new”) + FLAT(an apartment/an accommodation consisting of a set of rooms) ] contained in(Acquiring …) IE(abbrev. for “id est”/that is).
10. Aristocrats taking on old, but inexperienced folk (5)
NOOBS : NOBS(aristocrats/persons of high social position) containing() O(abbrev. for “old”).
Defn: … in a particular activity such as computing, say.
11. Criminal beds lad with a thousand rolls of fat (9)
SADDLEBAG : Anagram of(Criminal) BEDS LAD plus(with) A + G(abbrev. for “grand”/a thousand dollars or pounds).
Defn: … around the hips and thighs.
12. Bloke making love mostly to make bread (7)
CHAPATI : CHAP(a bloke/a guy) + “at it”(making love/in the course of/at having intercourse/sex/it, in slang) minus its last letter(mostly).
14. Tips for narc: experts pull hot rocks on nice tube (7)
NEPHRON : 1st letters, respectively, of(Tips for) “narc: experts pull hot rocks on nice“.
Defn: … in the kidney.
15. Power and sex will be mine! (3)
PIT : P(symbol for “power” in physics) plus(and) IT(cf. 12 across).
Defn: …/a hole in the ground from which minerals are extracted.
What is it they say? Three things make the world go round – wealth, power and sex: if you have one, you can have either or both of the other two.
16. Slime having pleasing qualities? Not quite! (3)
GOO : “good”(having pleasing qualities/giving enjoyment or satisfaction) minus its last letter(Not quite).
18. Not all call back to get help (3)
AID : Last letter deleted from(Not all) reversal of(… back) “dial”(to call, on the phone by dialling a phone number).
22. Excitement as Raoul spun out (7)
AROUSAL : Anagram of(… spun out) AS RAOUL.
25. In hearing, launderer’s confession is nonsense (7)
EYEWASH : Homophone of(In hearing) “I wash”(a launderer’s confession/how a washer man or woman might describe his/her actions).
26. Obstruct prurient fools heading for threesome (9)
INTERRUPT : Anagram of(… fools) PRURIENT + 1st letter of(heading for) “threesome“.
27. A way to stop our man getting speed (5)
HASTE : [A + ST(abbrev. for “street”/a way to travel along) ]contained in(to stop) HE(our man, refering to a male by using the third person pronoun).
28. Worthy old relative drugs grasping duke (7)
GRANDEE : GRAN(an informal term for one’s grandmother, an old relative) + EE(2 x abbrev. for the drug Ecstasy) containing(grasping) D(abbrev. for “duke”).
Defn: …/a person of high rank or eminence.
29. Catty drinkers knocked back Bud with a soprano (7)
LAPPERS : Reversal of(knocked back) PAL(a friend/a bud/buddy) plus(with) PER(a/each, as in “$100 per trick”) + S(abbrev. for “soprano”).
Defn: What you might call felines from the way they drink.
Down
1. Some home ‘so’ carpeted in tasteful bit of peach? (8)
MESOCARP : Hidden in(Some) “home ‘so’ carpeted“.
Defn: The fleshy edible part of a fruit, such as a tasty peach.
2. Vehicles in Perth you briefly examine (4)
UTES : U(“you” in texting) + “test”(to examine/to probe) minus its last letter(… examine).
Defn: What utility …, Australia are called.
3. Extremely hot organist needs to get jiggy (8)
ROASTING : Anagram of(… needs to get jiggy /to be uninhibited) ORGANIST.
4. Send up Fife hooligan princess royal dominated (6)
RIDDEN : Reversal of(Send up, a down clue) [ NED(what you would call a hooligan in Fife, Scotland) + DI(short for Diana, the late Princess) + R(abbrev. for “royal”) ].
Defn: …, as in “he was ridden with remorse”.
5. Too much on? Felt a pull to travel around America! (1,4,5)
A FULL PLATE : Anagram of(… to travel) FELT A PULL containing(around) A(abbrev. for “America”).
6. In Oz, rabbit and retired horse live by river (6)
YABBER : Reversal of(retired) BAY(a brown horse) + BE(to live/to exist) plus(by) R(abbrev. for “river”).
Defn: …/chatter in the language of Oz/Australia.
7. Revolutionary prison in low European territory (6)
MONACO : Reversal of(Revolutionary) CAN(slang for prison/jail) contained in(in) MOO(to low, as when a cow makes its characteristic sound).
9. Nurse with spirit sat on top of express locomotive (6)
ENGINE : EN(abbrev. for “Enrolled Nurse”) plus(with ) GIN(a spirit/an alcoholic sprit) placed above(sat on, in a down clue) 1st letter of(top of) “express“.
13. A sad tutor going wild on a road abroad (10)
AUTOSTRADA : Anagram of(… going wild) A SAD TUTOR placed above(on, in a down clue) A.
Defn: …, in Italy, that is.
17. Mad at lover? Head to khazi and emit much gas! (8)
OVERTALK : Anagram of(Mad) AT LOVER + 1st letter of(Head to) “khazi“.
Defn: …/talk excessively about trivial matters.
19. Racy type pulls Her Maj? About time! (8)
DRAGSTER : [ DRAGS(pulls along forcefully) + ER(abbrev. for “Elizabeth Regina”, Her Majesty/Maj the Queen) ] containing(About) T(abbrev. for “time”).
Defn: …/a participant in a drag race.
20. Cartel bringing in a bit of C4 for bombing (6)
RACING : RING(a cartel/a gang) containing(bringing in) 1st letter of(a bit of) “C4“.
Defn: …/moving very quickly.
21. Women’s stilettos can be instruments of torture (6)
WHEELS : W(abbrev. for “women”) + HEELS(… of shoes, examples of which are stilettos).
Defn: …, to which the person was tied and tortured.
23. Criminal exposed by Parisian article on wife (6)
OUTLAW : OUT(exposed/in the open) plus(by) LA(“article” in French grammar, as spoken by a Parisian) placed above(on, in a down clue) W(abbrev. for “wife”).
24. Gold soldiers stashed in empty Liverpool plant (6)
LAUREL : [ AU(symbol for the element, gold) +RE(abbrev. for “Royal Engineers”, soldiers in the British military) ] contained in(stashed in) “Liverpool” minus its inner letters(empty …).
27. Climber stuck on top of Everest might have this (4)
HOPE : HOP(a climbing plant whose flowers are used in brewing beer) placed above(stuck on, in a down clue) 1st letter of(top of) “Everest“.
Defn: A mountaineer having climbed and got stranded/stuck on the top of Mt. Everest might have this of being rescued.
A nice tribute to the legendary motor-racing commentator, with the related answers down the left and right sides of the grid and in a few other places.
Not too difficult though I had to put in MESOCARP from the def (thanks for pic), hadn’t heard of RIDDEN for ‘dominated’ and didn’t know YABBER was an Australian term.
Lots to like, but worth doing for ‘Power and sex will be mine!’ by itself.
Thanks to Hoskins and scchua
99% on the app. RACING = bombing, EYEWASH = nonsense and NED from Fife all new to me. Yabber known but I spent some time trying to parse the Yarra (Melbourne). I liked OVERTALK – spent misdirected time contemplating bowel movements – and NEPHRON because I got tip or tips in a damascene moment. Must be improving despite missing he theme. Lot of fun for a Sunday morning 10 hours ago now. Thanks.
My goodness. I actually spotted the theme AND the Nina! This was great fun as usual for this setter with PIT my favourite – short and sweet with a great surface.
I don’t understand the relevance of C4 in the surface of 20d. What am I missing?
Many thanks to Hoskins and to scchua.
RabbitDave, C-4 is a specific explosive.
I was a bit confused by C4 too. I thought it was horning in a thematic reference, but I stand corrected. I liked PIT among a number of fine clues. Pole position on the grid for this puzzle.
Not my favourite puzzle from Harry but much of that could be down to not having appreciated the theme until after the grid was filled.
Thought the clue for HOPE was a little weak but it was more than made up for by the brilliant PIT – clue of the day by far.
Thanks to Hoskins and to scchua for the review and the explanation of C4.
Thanks, scchua @4. But in that case shouldn’t the clue say C-4?
Is it adding any clarity to suggest that NOOBS is a contraction of ‘newbies’?
scchua @4 I’d parsed C4 as a reference to Channel 4, and a quick Google revealed this
“Channel 4 F1, commonly abbreviated to C4F1, is a British television programme dedicated to the coverage of Formula One motor racing and has been aired by the British broadcaster Channel 4 since 2016.”
so it looks like it was part of the theme.
Sheepish @9. Channel 4 did occur to me but I ruled that out as Murray Walker was only associated with the BBC and ITV.
Sheepish and Rabbit Dave Murray Walker did also work for C4 later in his career which is why I thought it was shoehorning in a thematic reference.
Thanks Hoskins, that was fun even though I missed the theme, not knowing Murray Walker. PIT seems to be the popular favourite and it was mine as well. It also fits the racing theme along with DRAGSTER, LAPPERS, AUTOSTRADA, as well as the aforementioned left and right sides. I thought the surface for WHEELS was great. Thanks scchua for the blog.
Many thanks to scchua for the usual informative blog and to all who solved and commented.
I can’t claim to have used C4 as a nod to the channel, but I like the idea. In actual fact it is just Indy setters go from Collins as our main dictionary and C4 is not hyphenated there.
In addition to the nina, I included about 20 related thematics here related to racing, cars or Murray Walker’s propensity to talk, overtalk and talk endearing guff as well as his former life as a competitive motorcyclist. Of course, not likely anyone other than an MW fan would spot those – my dear departed dad was one of those who would so I hope he is out there somewhere digging on it, then again he was pretty non-plussed when Serpent and I did a barred puzzle based on Donington racetrack so perhaps its better that he doesn’t see this!
Anyhoo, nuff ramble from me – I’ll be back in two weeks time with a very old-school Sunday puzzle, but until then it only remains for me to say goodnight and good luck to all. 🙂