Buccaneer’s turn to try to lift our moods.
This was in many ways a typical Buccaneer puzzle, with some clever clues and a little general knowledge. I particularly liked the topical nature of the clue for EDEN, however I was originally less impressed with the clue for OPUS, where I thought “opening words” is not the same as “opening letter” at first, then realised (later, while having a shower) that actually this was a very clever clue.
Thanks, Buccaneer.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BRAINSTORM |
Think Britain has terrible wet weather (10)
|
| B (Britain) has RAINSTORM (“terrible weather”) | ||
| 6, 29 | DOWN IN THE DUMPS |
Blue drinks bottles where rubbish is left (4,2,3,5)
|
| DOWNS (“drinks”) bottles IN THE DUMP (“where rubbish is left”) | ||
| 9 | LE CARRE |
Writer about to conclude clear novel (2,5)
|
| RE (“about”) to conclude *(clear) [anag:novel] | ||
| 10 | POLECAT |
Weaselly type of European given lash (7)
|
| POLE (“European”) given CAT (“lash”) | ||
| 12 | SUBHEADING |
Manoeuvring has begun to secure duke one minor title (10)
|
| *(has begun) [anag:maneouvring] to secure D (duke) + I (one) | ||
| 13 | PAR |
Strokes leopards around the middle (3)
|
| Around (i.e. roughly) the middle of “leoPARds” | ||
| 15 | DATING |
Seeing daughter feeling animosity towards Cockney (6)
|
| D (daughter) + ‘ATING (“feeling animosity towards”, in the style of a Cockney (i.e. dropping the H)) | ||
| 16 | TEETOTAL |
How many driving aids there are on the wagon (8)
|
| The TOTAL number of TEEs is “how many driving aids there are”. | ||
| 18 | MAINSTAY |
Anchor to remain beside sea (8)
|
| STAY (“to remain”) beside MAIN (“sea”) | ||
| 20 | HIPPOS |
Might they be cool by river, beginning to soak? (6)
|
| HIP (“cool”) by PO (“river”) + [beginning to] S(oak) and semi &lit. | ||
| 23 | ALI |
One known for fighting got off without time (3)
|
| ALI(t) (“got off” the ground) without T | ||
| 24 | UPBRINGING |
Struggling pub calling for training targeted at issue (10)
|
| *(pub) [anag:struggling] + RINGING (“calling”) | ||
| 26 | POACHER |
Maybe Gary Lineker is a menace to the game! (7)
|
| Double definition, the first referring to a footballer who scores goals by spending a lot of time in the penalty area, as Gary Lineker did, and the second referring to people who shoot game illegally. | ||
| 27 | AIRDROP |
Show eg obstetrician medical procedure for delivery (7)
|
| AIR (“show”) + Dr. (doctor, so “e.g. obstetrician”) + OP (operation, so “medical procedure”) | ||
| 28 | EDEN |
Etonian PM partied energetically, covering this up (4)
|
| Hidden [covering this up] in “partiED ENergetically” | ||
| 29 |
See 6
|
|
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BOLT |
Fast runner to run fast (4)
|
| Double definition, the first referring to Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt. | ||
| 2 | ACCOUNT |
Reckon a number gets divided by one hundred (7)
|
| A + COUNT (“number”) gets divided by C (one hundred, in Roman numerals) | ||
| 3 | NORTH AND SOUTH |
Partners who bid for a literary work (5,3,5)
|
| Double definition, the first referring to the game of bridge, and the second to an 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell | ||
| 4 | THE LAW |
Coppers gained by redistribution of wealth (3,3)
|
| *(wealth) [anag:redistribution of] | ||
| 5 | REPAIRED |
Grass skirts couple stitched up (8)
|
| REED (“grass”) skirts PAIR (“couple”) | ||
| 7 | OCCIPUT |
Head’s back in charge, firm about position (7)
|
| <=(IC (in charge) + Co. (company, so “firm”), about) + PUT (“position”) | ||
| 8 | NATURALIST |
Scientist’s funny turn, penning article on stars (10)
|
| *(turn) [anag:funny] penning A on A-LIST (“stars”) | ||
| 11 | LIGHT-FINGERED |
Like a thief with torch, say, implicated in crime (5-8)
|
| LIGHT (“torch”) + FINGERED (“implicated in crime”) | ||
| 14 | ADAM’S APPLE |
Chap’s outstanding feature very gently covered in water (5,5)
|
| PP (pianissimo, in music notation, so “very gently) covered in ADAM’S ALE (“water”) | ||
| 17 | VAN BUREN |
President’s vehicle to get hot, storing energy (3,5)
|
| VAN (“vehicle”) + BURN (“to get hot”) storing E (energy)
Martin van Buren was the 8th president of the United States. |
||
| 19 | IMITATE |
Ape is that thing found in India and China (7)
|
| IT (“that thing”) found in I (India) and MATE (“china”) | ||
| 21 | PANGRAM |
Item used to cook good stuff – it’s very characterful! (7)
|
| PAN (“item used to cook”) + G (good) + RAM (“stuff”) | ||
| 22 | RIYADH |
Year oddly in free hotel in the capital (6)
|
| Y(e)A(r) [oddly] in RID (“free”) + H (hotel) | ||
| 25 | OPUS |
Opening words of “Ode to a Manx Cat”, perhaps, in this work (4)
|
| The opening words of “Ode to a Manx Cat” may be O, PUS(s) (Manx, indicating that the PUS(s) has no tail.
|
I took 25d as “O pus(s)’ as an ode to a Manx cat might begin.
Apologies. I read the other appearance of the blog with a different parsing for 25d, then went to the other version without checking any changes.
No worries, Hovis. I realised the error of my original parsing and edited.
Note to self – take an extra ten minutes thinking time before posting!
Apologies to anyone who commented on the first version of this blog, which had a mistake on my part in it.
I thought by editing it, the site would replace the earlier post, but for some reason, it added a second blog. It doesn’t normally do that.
A lovely friendly Buccaneer, perfect for a beautiful sunny morning
I’m glad loonapick changed his mind about OPUS as I thought it was very clever. Strange how our setters don’t seem that happy this week with the second appearance of 6,29
Thanks to Buccaneer for the fun and loonapick for the blog – I’m off out now to take advantage of the sunshine with a walk along the coast
I’ll re-post anyway…
I got held up by having HARE for 1d which I thought was just a weak clue (which it would have been). Twit.
And I thought POACHER was a bit harsh on St. Gary; he was just a great timer of a run.
Enjoyed both PANGRAM and TEETOTALLER as sly little in-jokes for crossworders.
Good fun, thanks to both.
Good to see we’re back to just one blog. I enjoyed many of the clues here especially the BOLT double def and the ‘Head’s back’ and ‘it’s very characterful’ defs. No problems with O PUS either which I also liked. 6a,29a slotted in more easily than yesterday’s version. Missed the ‘Maybe Gary Lineker’ bit for POACHER.
Took ages to get TEETOTAL at the end; as always, obvious when you finally do see it.
Thanks to Buccaneer and loonapick.
I agree with crypticsue’s opening sentence. (I really envy you your walk, Sue: I haven’t seen the sea for two and a half years years!)
My favourites today were SUBHEADING, TEETOTAL, NORTH AND SOUTH, PANGRAM, OPUS and THE LAW – I thought the last two were little gems.
Many thanks to Buccaneer and loonapick.
Ah, Eileen, perhaps you can make it to Ashby de is Zouch By the Sea – not so far to go! As a fellow East Midlander, I enjoyed POACHER, naturally.
Buccaneer has maintained an impressive string of high-calibre grids thus far. A bit teasing of him to include PANGRAM and not deliver!
Plenty of fun and games without one, anyhow.
OPUS, BOLT, EDEN and HIPPOS raised a grin too.
Thanks to Buccaneer and Loonapick.
Diane, I remember that song from my very early childhood – it totally mystified me!
Indeed, being as far from the sea there as anyone can be in the British Isles!
Thanks Loonapick,
DNF as I was convinced 17d was The Beast, which linked with 24a and 29a with ‘at’ rather than ‘in’
Thanks Buccaneer and loonapick
A good puzzle, but I thought it a shame in 18 that MAIN was in both clue and solution.
I was a DNF as I couldn’t think of an alternative to HARE in 1d.
Thanks Buccaneer for providing another enjoyable crossword with favourites including LE CARRE, HIPPOS, REPAIRED, ADAMS APPLE, IMITATE, and PANGRAM. I used a word finder to get POACHER, not knowing much about Gary Lineker. Thanks loonapick for the blog.
Tough grid, but the blog makes it seem so easy!
in 19d, why is China == Mate?
China mate is Cockney rhyming slang for plate
Harry @16: It’s Cockney rhyming slang. China=plate which rhymes with mate. If you search for Cockney rhyming slang on the net you’ll discover its origins along with a list of the most common examples. Setters sometimes use these in clues; China as mate (or a synonym of mate like pal) seems to appear most often.
thanks loonapick@17 and Tony Santucci@18
Thanks Buccaneer and loonapick
Got this one finished over the Easter break, but was another who failed with 1d – BELT for me – with a question mark over the ‘fast runner’ definition – a fan belt on a car was as close as I could get. Usain failed to enter the brain unfortunately – a good clue when it was spelled out.
Some general knowledge that I wasn’t across – Gary Lineker and the football POACHER term, the 8th US president and needed to check up on the novel at 3d. Thought that PAR, PANGRAM, HIPPOS and especially OPUS were all very good clues.
Finished in the SE corner with PANGRAM and HIPPOS in what was a very enjoyable solve.