Given the theme, it’s perhaps ironic that at the time I came to solve this puzzle, I was suffering from Covid-induced tinnitus.
Covid does give you plenty of time for crosswords and fortunately my cognitive faculties don’t seem to have been too badly affected by the virus. In the circumstances I can put my slightly longer than usual solving time down to the fact that I had to tackle it solo, without Timon’s assistance (although he did help with some of the parsings afterwards).
The theme was obvious from the clues, and Brendan found lots of different ways to use it, often by subtraction. It’s remarkable quite how many clues incorporate ears in either the clue wording, or the wordplay, or both.
| ACROSS | ||
| 5 | FLUTES |
Fear, being tone-deaf etc, some instruments or others (6)
|
| F(ear) – if you’re tone-deaf, you have “no ear”; LUTES. | ||
| 6 | LEARNT |
Discovered a bit of corn planted in line, not cut (6)
|
| EAR (a bit of corn) in L(ine) N(o)T. | ||
| 9 | ARGOTS |
Particular kinds of speech — ear got some, but only some (6)
|
| Hidden in “ear got some”. | ||
| 10 | UNAWARES |
A point going in one (non-English) ear’s garbled, inadvertently (8)
|
| A W (a point) inside UN (non-English “one”) *EARS. | ||
| 11 | HERE |
At this point, use your ears, by the sound of it (4)
|
| Sounds like “hear”. | ||
| 12 | ATTENDED TO |
Finished in a triple time tempo, finally dealt with (8,2)
|
| ENDED inside A |
||
| 13, 8 | IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER |
Entering and leaving canals? Not 12 or 24 (2,3,3,3,3,3,5)
|
| A cryptic definition which took me far longer than it should to solve, given the helpful enumeration. | ||
| 18 | CEREBRATES |
Uses what’s between ears, has fun with left to right shift (10)
|
| CELEBRATES with R instead of L. | ||
| 21 | TIER |
Visibly less happy lacking attention — hence row (4)
|
| T(ear)IER. | ||
| 22 | BRISBANE |
Note echoed later, splitting ears in disturbed city (8)
|
| B, B (repeated note) in *(EARS IN). | ||
| 23 | ETCHED |
End of list that guy had permanently fixed in memory, metaphorically (6)
|
| ETC (end of list) HE’D. | ||
| 24 | HEEDED |
Lacking lead, the editors considered (6)
|
| (t)HE ED ED. | ||
| 25 | TENNER |
Note from one kind of singer heard (6)
|
| Sounds like “tenor”. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | EUROPEAN |
Like Van Gogh, for instance — messed up, with one ear (8)
|
| *(UP ONE EAR). | ||
| 2 | GEISHA |
Attentive female occupying stage is happy (6)
|
| Hidden in ” stage is happy”. | ||
| 3 | RETAINER |
Servant who doesn’t let things go 13 8? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition. | ||
| 4 | ARCANE |
Know how to put in anagram of ear in cryptic (6)
|
| CAN (know how) inside *EAR. | ||
| 5 | FORMED |
Composed, having prepared in advance without hearing organ (6)
|
| FOR(ear)MED. FORE-ARMED might be a obsolete version of “prepared in advance”. | ||
| 7 | TREATY |
Hear about breakfast or lunch, or possibly tea? It’s a deal (6)
|
| EAT (breakfast or lunch, or *TEA) inside TRY (hear – e.g. as a judge). | ||
| 8 |
See 13
|
|
| 14 | NARRATES |
Recounts how ears could be disturbed with rant (8)
|
| *(EARS RANT). | ||
| 15 | NOTICING |
Becoming aware of, in a form of cognition, once nothing’s omitted (8)
|
| *COGNITION less one of the Os. | ||
| 16 | SEARCH |
Comb what protrudes from head in school (6)
|
| EAR (what protrudes from head) in SCH. | ||
| 17 | REHEAR |
That woman’s rising musical ability makes us listen again (6)
|
| HER (rev), EAR (musical ability). | ||
| 19 | EASTER |
One that hears about eg Joan of Arc in French festival (6)
|
| STE (French feminine form of abbreviation for “saint”) inside EAR. | ||
| 20 | STEREO |
Piece from austere orchestra in enhanced sound system (6)
|
| Hidden in “austere orchestra”. |
Thanks bridgesong. I think 5 is a reference to “fore-warned is fore-armed”. Great puzzle Brendan.
Great puzzle, a lot of fun. The theme was ear, there and everywhere!
Thanks Brendan and brigdgesong. I failed on FLUTES and FORMED
I was expecting otic to turn up somewhere … it did, in noticing, but then I suppose ning is awkward to clue. Otoh, poor messed up Vincent was a cert to make an appearance. Sorry. Yeah no, fun puzzle thanks B and b.
Loads of ears and (as a result) loads of “E”s especially in the crossers which always makes things a bit more difficult.
I wasn’t sure what the “etc” was doing in FLUTES as a quibblet but there was lots to like hear including my favourite CEREBRATES.
I think in 12a it’s triple time (TTT) then tempo finally (O).
Thought this was a lovely crossword. Even though the theme appeared quickly, a rare occurrence, there was still much to enjoy. Nearly all brought a smile which is rare with a Prize, so many thanks to Brendan and to bridgesong for the clear analysis.
Thanks bridgesong. A pleasant interlude which was over perhaps a little too quickly. I see 12a the same way as Andy Luke @ 6 and like Tim C @ 5 I wondered about the etc in 5a, tried unsuccessfully to link it with ‘others’ in the clue.
Ear, ear! I agree with the general praise, and with Andy Luke @6 on the triple time. Lots of fun hunting down the ears. The big crossed phrase was a delight. Van Gogh, the beautifully hidden geisha… I could go on. Thanks, Brendan and bridgesong.
Thanks bridgesong, including for explaining (as Gonzo above) the parsing of 5D. Tour de force of Brendan’s – though the theme is broader that ear/hear, as in 12 and 24 across. Big tick for FLUTES although like Tim #5 I couldn’t fathom the etc. ETC reappeared very nicely though in 23A as the ‘end of list’.
me @5… I’ve just spotted that I misspelled “here”, but given the theme you’d think I was just punning.
Remarkable just how many words have ‘ear’ in them! I found I had to keep coming back to this several times, despite a quick start, getting the long enumeration almost immediately. I find subtractive clues hard; my LOI was FORMED but I couldn’t see the parsing and was wondering if it might be FORGED, and then finally thought of ‘forearmed’ – not a word I normally associate with ears! Hard work but enjoyable. Thanks, Brendan, thanks bridgesong.
Even I got the theme almost immediately.
After looking at 13/8 I solved ATTENDED TO (a favourite) and worked out that 24ac must mean considered (although didn’t get it till later). But it wasn’t until I got NARRATES and RETAINER that the penny dropped for 13/8 – what a lovely clue and misdirection.
Other favourites were ARCANE, BRISBANE
Like Dave @ 3 I did not get FLUTES and FORMED
Thanks Brendan and bridgesong
Like others I parsed 12ac like Andy Luke @ 6 which I thought was very neat.
What a lovely, clever and fun puzzle! Thanks, Brendan.
And, bridgesong, thank you for the blog and I hope you’re feeling better and don’t have long-term side-effects.
Tim C @11: it worked – I skimmed the dozen or so comments here whilst the kettle was boiling for my first coffee and spotted yours about mis-spelling. I re-read the comments before writing my own post and, in so doing, came to your original post first and thought ‘hear’ – nice riff on the theme!
‘Fraid I’m another one left with those two intersecting blanks in the top corner – FLUTES and FORMED – the first being particularly good. As with any Brendan, this felt like being wrapped in a warm towel after a cold swim. Comforting, enjoyable and just a delightful way to start a Saturday morning. (Though, unlike Roz, I would choose puzzle over swim every time.) Hard to pick a favourite – Brendan’s clues are all pretty superb – but the hidden GEISHA is very neat.
Thanks Brendan for the puzzle and bridgesong for the blog. With no Guardian blog on a Sunday, I suppose it’s fitting to close with that famous Van Gogh quotation: ‘ear today, gone tomorrow’
Another who really enjoyed this crossword. I filled it in quarters, clockwise, with the top left quadrant last as it took me a while to spot the well-hidden GEISHA and think of forearmed to parse FORMED. I too parsed 24a with triple T and the O from the end of tempO and was solving this with the end symptoms of COVID19.
Thank you to bridgesong and Brendan.
Thanks for the blog and hopes for a swift recovery. I liked the ETC in ETCHED for end of list, the triple time was good as noted by several, the double ED is neat in HEEDED. I liked the accuracy for NOTICING , an O is removed ONCE from cognition.
[ MrPostMark @16, a little cheat, especially for winter, make a hot water bottle before you go and wrap your towel in it while you swim , not needed this morning ]
Dear bridgesong, I hope you recover rapidly from the tinnitus and that it is only a short-term COVID side effect. Sorry you had to keep being reminded of ears throughout your blog. [Best wishes also to Shanne@17 for a full recovery – and commiserations to all other participants and family members here who have been affected by the virus.]
The theme of listening and hearing was well executed in last week’s Prize, and again I was very impressed at how many thematic references Brendan manages to weave into his puzzles; in this case all those hidden EARS made for a fun solve. For me, the bottom half was easier and I completed it more quickly than the top half. I was chuffed to have my state capital BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia, referenced in 22a, though I suspect Brendan was thinking of another Brisbane, in California (near San Francisco) which would be closer to home for him in Oregon.
Thanks for a very good blog, bridgesong, and a very good puzzle, Brendan.
I’ve amended the parsing of ATTENDED TO to reflect the correction by Andy Luke @6 and others – many thanks. And I should have remembered “fore-warned is fore-armed”, as Gonzo @1 points out.
I am pleased to report a negative LFT this morning, so normal life can now resume after over a week of self-isolation. The tinnitus is now much less troublesome than it was. Many thanks for your good wishes.
Thanks Bridgesong.
Even I spotted that theme.
13,8 was a common expression used by my mum, no less relevant today. So that was a good start point.
I really enjoy Brendan’s puzzles and have done since he did the Sunday slot in the Telegraph.
HYD @21 my mother often said 13,8 and “fore-warned is fore-armed” .
[Roz – Can’t get my pesky towel through that little hole at the top 😉 ]
Nice crossword. Thanks to B&B
[Sorry Trish IN = Round , my fingers were too cold for typing ]
Roz @22 I was also called ‘bolshie ‘ and ‘conchie’, how times change!
[ HYD @25 I am still called “bolshie” , I do not know conchie though?? . ]
LFT bridgesong@20… I think we here (in Aus) can claim the better acronym, RATs for Rapid Antigen Tests.
I’m also puzzled by ‘etc’ in 5a. And as it’s come up in 23A’s solution, I’m wondering if it’s got something to do with the archaic word ‘list’ for listen (end of). Drawing a long bow?
[Roz @26: short for conscientious objector and used as a term of abuse]
Thanks, Brendan and bridgesong. The parsing of ETCHED and TIER had escaped me. Couldn’t quite fathom why this puzzle left me cold. Guess my approach to solving is often driven by letter patterns in the grid so far completed. With 16Es as crossing letters and lots of other “uninformatives” … I longed for a bit of CHINTZ or QUOITS. I can’t fault the setter but it was a struggle for this solver.
[HYD A conchie bolshie or a bolshie conchie? A studious left-winger?
I have no idea about the modern equivalents. I don’t think they exist.]
[PM @29 or mark of respect. Depends what side you’re on. Cue Pete Seeger.]
Call me dim, (many do!), but I still don’t understand the function of ‘etc’ in 5ac.
Anyone able to enlighten me?
Apart from that, I enjoyed the puzzle.
[pm @32: fair enough, I guess. Haven’t personally encountered it in a positive usage context but can’t pretend to have come across it that often, full stop.]
Anna @33: if you’re dim, then so am I, as I can’t explain it either. Perhaps Brendan will drop in and offer an explanation?
to bridgesong @ 35
I appreciate your replying. Thanks.
It may just be one of those Grauniad things. Or perhaps Brendan’s clue originally had ‘etc’ in it, then he rewrote it, and the ‘etc’ never got deleted.
Thanks for the blog.
Brendan is remarkably consistent, entertaining, inventive and enjoyable whilst still remaining challenging and accessible for me.
I had to wait until midweek to get FLUTES and FORMED but got there in the end.
Thanks Brendan and bridgesong.
Thanks Bridgesong, and glad to hear you’re on the mend. Really needed your explanation today of what remained an unfinished puzzle for me. Having seen the various explanations, I remain in the “this one left me cold” camp I’m afraid (and that’s not just sour grapes for being unable to finish it!). Not on the same wavelength at all, and even the theme seemed a very odd and uninspiring topic to choose. Glad to see others on here did enjoy it though – each to their own, as they say!
Could the unexplained ETC have been Brendan giving a prompt in the first clue that EAR was going to crop up again … rather a lot?!
I always like a Brendan puzzle and this was no exception. I like Choldunk’s explanation for etc.
Bit of a boring theme but Brendan inventive as ever. Another one to get FLUTES and FORMED last. CEREBRATES was new and my favourite along with EUROPEAN and GEISHA. Glad to hear you’re on the mend bridgesong.
Ta both
Always a treat to get a crossword from Brendan and this themed one was a joy to solve
Thanks to him and to bridgesong – hope you return to full health soon
Good to see Anna@33 in the blog, ETC is a bit of a puzzle. Choldunk@39 has the best explanation so far .
[PM@ 39 thanks for the reminder, I do recall the term after your explanation. I associate it with WW1 and the white feather really, HYD is far too young. ]
Maybe the “etc” is just to say that tone-deafness is just one type/example of not “having an ear”.
Roz @ 43
Thanks, Roz.
I don’t darken these pages so much these days (smile!) as I don’t usually start the crossword until the evening.
And we’re all slightly worried about the situation with the Big Bother on our (very long) eastern border.
Brendan is a favourite but not this time, I’m afraid. I found the theme made some of the entries rather forced.
On a specific point, the wordplay in 1d is clever but I’m not so happy with the definition. Van Gogh was indeed European as I and many million others are but I wouldn’t think being a European is a noteworthy characteristic of his. Hard to think of an instance that would work – Ted Heath or Kenneth Clarke at a push I suppose. I do know that he was Dutch and lived in England and France.
Roz @43 – you are obviously not in a country that was involved in the Vietnam War. Conchie was a label of pride here – at least, in the circles I, as a draft resister, moved in.
What is “breakfast or lunch” doing in the wordplay for TREATY?
This puzzle was fun. Unlike some others, I got the FLUTES and FORMED pair, but was stuck on LEARNT/ARCANE and BRISBANE. Found those this morning with the help of the check button one letter at a time.
Thank you, Brendan, this ws clever and engaging. And thanks to bridgesong for the accompaniment. I’m glad you’re feeling better.
Valentine@48 it is breakfast or lunch as a verb – TO EAT , eat is actually clued three times but it does say …. or …. or …..
[Anna@45 I hope Finland will be okay , I do not think the Russian army will be keen on another conflict ]
[ TassieTim@47 I do not remember the Vietnam War, think I was 4 when it ended, fortunately it was one war we managed to stay out of. I did not realise conchie was still used , I thought the modern term was draft dodger. We have conscription here although not for a very long time, someone will surely know when?? ]
Very enjoyable puzle. Liked HEEDED, ATTENDED TO, ARCANE (loi).
I could not parse 21ac or 5d.
New: CEREBRATES (well-clued).
Thanks, both.
Count me among those who did not think that this was Brendan at his best but sub-par Brendan is still better than most other setters. I enjoyed clues like EUROPEAN, NOTICING, and REHEAR (great surface). I missed FORMED and BRISBANE so no prize for me. Thanks to both.
Thanks bridgesong and everyone. Tim C at 44, yes that was my rationale for etc (based on some of the dictionary definitions of “ear” in that context). More generally, I don’t share the view sometimes expressed here that superfluous words in clues must be avoided at all costs and will often, for example, add an adjective to make a definition more precise.
Thanks bridgesong and good to hear that you are back in circulation. Found this to be a puzzle of two halves with the bottom all done fairly sharply but the top holding out for two more days and several visits. I didn’t help myself as, despite reading all the clues and being aware of the theme, I managed to enter IN ONE END AND… at first. But the EAR did help for a few eg LEARNT and the parsing of TIER. Thanks also grantifreo for reminding me of the word “otic” as I kept thinking that there must be a fancy word that would have helped me solve some clues. I like FORMED, though it was almost last, because that EAR changes the sound of the word completely, those ones always throw me. Pino @46 yes it is only one step away from clueing “Human being” that way BUT it worked well for the surface and theme and I did eventually get it with a wry smile so I can’t quite generate any aggro there. Thanks Brendan for stretching me and finding so many ways to use or mislead with the theme in clues and solutions, TREATY wins it for me.
Thanks to Brian Greer @52 (aka Brendan) for dropping in and clarifying the parsing of that clue, and explaining your approach. Always appreciated when a setter takes the trouble to do this.
5a FLUTES was my favourite clue of this delightful puzzle. I parsed the “etc.” as Brendan explained@52, as I thought of a three other “no ear” meanings: a missing ear (a la Van Gogh), deaf (as distinct from tone-deaf), and not willing to listen (“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” – “No!”)
Thanks Brendan, and bridgesong for the excellent blog under trying circumstances.
[Roz @ 49: Draft dodger = someone who tries to avoid being drafted, e.g by not registering, or faking a medical condition. Conchie (conscientious objector) = someone who registers as having a belief – often but not always religious – that does not allow them in conscience to serve in the military and therefore seeks an exemption. Draft resister = somone who publicly refuses to go along with the whole conscription charade and hence risks being jailed.]
HoofItYouDonkey @21
My Mum might have used 13,8 too. I don’t know, I wasn’t listening ; )
Thanks to Brian Greer @52 (aka Brendan) for giving us an ear-full.!
Favourites: HEEDED, ATTENDED TO, ARCANE, TREATY, CEREBRATES, and the big crossed phrase 13,8 which brought a smile to my face as I remembered my mother’s scolding.
Thx also to Birdsong for the blog, stay well.
Funniest thing was that in first pass, I guessed that 21ac was TIER from “row” and that there must be a word meaning ‘attention’ that could be added to it to make a word meaning ‘visibly less happy’, but couldn’t think what it might be. Hilariously, I still couldn’t come up with it when I had passed and solved all the other clues with all those ears in!
Forgot to do this until now and being late, rushed a bit and didn’t see the hidden in full sight…GEISHA and ARGOTS.
Thanks to Brendan and Birdsong.