Another Monday, another Bank Holiday, another Vulcan puzzle. This was almost a write-in for me, with only the unknown name of a plant briefly holding me up. Thanks to Vulcan.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | APPETISER | Praise pet that’s chewed a tasty morsel (9) (PRAISE PET)* |
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| 6 | ANON | In a while, a refusal from Nancy (4) A + NON (French “no”, as maybe spoken from an inhabitant of the city of Nancy) |
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| 10 | RAZOR | Told to lift a cutter (5) Homphone of “raise a” |
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| 11 | COME ROUND | Be persuaded to visit (4,5) Double definition |
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| 12 | ROADIES | Band’s crew is full of energy and on the way (7) ROAD (way) + E[nergy] in IS |
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| 13 | RICKETS | Disease insects head off (7) [c]RICKETS |
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| 14 | FOR THE PRESENT | Why join the queue for Santa, temporarily? (3,3,7) Double definition |
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| 17 | THE LONGEST DAY | Film made about 6 or 21 June? (3,7,3) The Longest Day is a film about D-Day – 6 June 1944 – and 21 June is the longest day (in the northern hemisphere) |
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| 21 | BAILIFF | With fib, fail to move court officer (7) (FIB FAIL)* |
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| 22 | NEEDFUL | Knock-kneed fullback far from totally indispensable (7) Hidden in knock-kNEED FULlback |
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| 24 | MOVE HOUSE | Alter one’s address to earn sympathy in the Commons (4,5) MOVE (earn sympathy in) + HOUSE (of Commons) |
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| 25 | TRIAD | One is accepted into jazz threesome (5) I in TRAD (style of jazz) |
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| 26 | SODA | Singular fuss about soft drink (4) S[ingular] + reverse of ADO |
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| 27 | SNAKE EYES | They look cold-bloodedly at a fall of the dice (5,4) Double/cryptic definition: snake eyes is slang for double one on a pair of dice, and snakes are cold-blooded |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | AIRCRAFT | Publicise artistic activity in flyers (8) AIR (publicicse) + CRAFT |
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| 2 | PIZZA | Food that’s topping served on the base (5) Cryptic definition, or perhaps a literal description of a pizza |
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| 3 | TURKISH DELIGHT | Pleasure after a sort of bath is sweet (7,7) TURKISH (sort of bath) + DELIGHT (pleasure) |
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| 4 | SUCKS UP | What a toady does with a vacuum cleaner? (5,2) Double definition |
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| 5 | REMORSE | Shame about the inspector (7) RE (about) MORSE (Inspector in the novels of Colin Dexter) |
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| 7 | NAUSEATED | Repelled by new precious metal in a chair (9) N[ew] + AU (gold) + SEATED |
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| 8 | NUDIST | One doesn’t enjoy being clobbered (6) Cryptic definition – clobber = clothes |
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| 9 | BROCKEN SPECTRE | Unnaturally large shadow, wildly berserk concept (7,7) (BERSERK CONCEPT)* – see here for this atmospheric phenomenon |
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| 15 | RETRIEVED | Fetched by a dog? (9) Double/cryptic definition: a retriever is a kind of dog |
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| 16 | CYCLADES | Regular periods, including a day in Greek islands (8) A D[ay] in CYCLES |
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| 18 | OFFCUTS | These not wanted after I saw some attacking strokes (7) Double definition – leftovers from sawing, and cricket strokes (I assume – Chambers and other sources give “off-cutter” as a kind of delivery, but I can’t find “off cut” as a stroke: it’s more usualy off-drive) |
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| 19 | GUNNERA | Arsenal player given a giant rhubarb (7) GUNNER (Arsenal are known as the Gunners) + A – Gunnera is a genus of plants that includes the Giant Rhubarb, which I have seen examples of, though I didn’t know the scientific name |
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| 20 | H-BOMBS | They explode, as hospital fails badly (1-5) H[ospital] + BOMBS (fails badly) |
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| 23 | FAIRY | Unreal being fine and insubstantial (5) F + AIRY |
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Write in for me too, Andrew. I knew GUNNERA, and I can see why it’s called Giant Rhubarb. Not to be confused with the edible stuff though.
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
No doubt we’ll have the ‘homophone’ discussion with RAZOR.
The two weakest clues for me were PIZZA and RETRIEVED. I enjoyed NUDIST and NAUSEATED.
A pretty quick completion which gave me time to do the Genius.
Liked REMORSE (loi).
New: Brocken spectre; GUNNERA.
Needed google to parse 17ac apart from 21 June = summer solstice/longest day in northern hemisphere. Never heard of the 1962 movie – guessed it from the mention of 21 June in clue. And I did not know that D-Day was 6 June.
Thanks, both.
Another person who found this a quick solve and marginally quicker than the Quiptic.
I wasn’t convinced by PIZZA either and wondered about pizze as I read through, with wordplay of pie around z until I had enough crossers to check. New to me were the BROCKEN SPECTRE, CYCLADES, which rang a vague bell when I checked it, and that double one for a dice throw was called SNAKE EYES. GUNNERA I knew.
I agree with Tim C: NUDIST was fun. I also liked BROCKEN SPECTRE. I thought it was going to be difficult after I failed to get the first few across clues but after I’d done most of the downs it fell out quite quickly.
It’s not often that I get a new word out of a Vulcan puzzle, and I liked BROCKEN SPECTRE. It was gettable from the wordplay, and just required aid from Mr Google to verify my guess. I thought that PIZZA was a bit lame, OTOH.
I learn from Susie Dent’s excellent book, that the origins of toadie was toad-eater. Charlatans flogging miracle cures at fairs and so on, would have a stooge in the audience who would be encouraged to eat a poisonous toad and then be “cured” by a draught of the potion. Hence a biddable sycophant.
Same TILTs as others so not a complete WOT. Probably a good puzzle for beginners or those in a hurry
Liked RAZOR and NUDIST.
OFFCUTS: Great clue if we can confirm that offcuts are indeed some strokes (cricket or some other game or …some painting strokes).
There are late cuts and square cuts in cricket, which are played towards the off side, but they are not called offcuts to my knowledge. Also, I won’t term them aggressive. They are rather delicate.
Thanks, Vulcan and Andrew!
KVa @9: I wondered the same about OFFCUTS. As far as I know, an off cutter is something bowled rather than a stroke with the bat. Happy to be convinced otherwise, though.
The cut shot is indeeed played on the off side in cricket, but I have never heard it called an OFFCUT. The reason that the off drive exists is because there is also the on drive, played similarly but (for a right hander) to the left (on side) rather than the right (off side) of the bowler. The mind boggles at the contortions needed to play a cut to the on side. That apart, a gentle solve – Bodycheetah @8 has it right. Though I BIFD MID SUMMERS EVE for 17a for a brief while. Thanks, Vulcan and Andrew.
Pleasant start to the week.
Liked GUNNERA, RICKETS, NUDIST, THE LONGEST DAY.
BROCKEN SPECTRE was new for me too and I also thought PIZZA a bit lame
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
Pleasant solve, just right for a Monday. A bonus was being reminded of the difference between a Swiss admiral and a reliable vacuum cleaner…
I wondered about OFFCUTS being OFFensive (some attacking) CUTS (strokes),???
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
I agree that PIZZA isn’t cryptic at all; the clue wouldn’t be out of place in the Quick.
The “with” in 21a is awkward.
17a, 5d, and 19d are rather GK.
The Quiptic was more fun, I thought.
Didn’t know 9D, and made a hash of the anagram on the first attempt (BROCKE’S SPECTRE, anyone?). Heard of 17A but never seen it and know nothing about it (at least until reading this blog).
Otherwise fairly straightforward as others have said. The attempt at getting ‘topping’ to mislead in 2D falls a bit flat, as ‘topping’ meaning ‘excellent’ just isn’t common today.
Muffin @15 I didn’t mind ‘with’. ‘With ‘fib fail’ to move, [get] court officer’ is alright for me.
Particularly enjoyed 7D and 8D.
Thanks Andrew & Vulcan.
I think the intention in the clue for pizza is to say something that is “topping” i.e. first rate, served at, say, an airbase. But as my first thought was the literal meaning, it didn’t work for me.
As others have said, quick solve, good fun.
Agree with everyone re quick but fun, and the rather literal PIZZA. I did wonder if the cryptic part was something along the lines of A (topping) served on (the) PITS (base) but even though I’ve given up getting irked by RP homophones that would be a mispronunciation too far. Also toyed with a play on PIZAZ with base reversed but not for long. I think V could explain.
Thanks to V & A
I’ve not much to add to previous posters so I’ll just say thank you to Vulcan for a gentle start to the day and to Andrew for the explaining a few. COTD for me was 8dn.
Thanks Andrew and Vulcan. Not a write-in for me but not too tricky either. I knew GUNNERA but BROCKET SPECTRE is new to me – gettable from the clue and the crossing letters though.
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone saying “topping” in that sense outside PG Wodehouse novels, but the intention of the clue was clear enough.
Good start to the week.
TILTs were BROCKEN SPECTRE (it had to be a spectre and the rest was the only possibility I had with the crossers) and GUNNERA (although I have seen them). I particularly liked NUDIST for the clobbered and SNAKE EYES for the memory (was it a Bond movie?)
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
When I was hiking once with a group, a friend (Gary) was talking about a BROCKEN SPECTRE he’d seen. It was the first time I’d heard the term but I didn’t hear the meaning because I was too busy looking at the view of the High Atlas mountains. A few days later, when we were near the summit (we were hiking up Toubkal), Gary and I were walking side by side. He suddenly shouted “Brocken spectre!”. I looked in front of me and, there it was, my brocken spectre: my shadow on the cloud in front of me with a rainbow around the outline. By the time I pointed my camera, it was gone.
Of the group, Gary and I were the only ones who experienced it and in all my years of hiking I’ve never experienced it again. The atmospheric conditions need to be right: I think the sun has to be behind you and a cloud in front of you with the right particles in the air.
Gary told me a story that Buddhist monks who went hiking in the mountains, if they saw their brocken spectre, jumped off the mountain, thinking they’d experienced nirvana. That story is probably untrue, but brocken spectres are magical.
When I visited Wernigerode, in the Harz, many many moons ago, the Brocken was known for witches. You could buy souvenir witches-on-broomsticks in the shops.
Haven’t been back and don’t want to go. It’s probably all been ruined.
Thanks to vulcan and to Andrew.
[Lovely stories pdp11 @22 and Anna @23. I’ve never seen mine despite many hours spent in the Lake District but I’m sure I have a climbing book with a photo of one in it.]
[pdp11 @22
The raindow effect around the shadow doesn’t always occur; it is a separate phenomenon from the brockenspectre itself, and is called a “glory”.]
@23anna:( sorry to hear that . The brocken is a massive magnet for steam enthusiasts. Regular trains up to it and on clear day magnificent )
Thanks for the blog, good range of clues and this would have made a fine Everyman puzzle. Agree with TIm@2 about the two weak clues. NUDIST actually a good cryptic definition , usually my least favourite type of clue. Great to see BROCKEN SPECTRE in a puzzle , two interesting optical processes which I cannot explain without diagrams.
Cedric @ 26
Yep. I remember going on the steam train from Wernigerode to Nordhausen. I went several times and one year took a group from my German class.
It was extra exciting as the track ran very close to the border with the Bundesrepublik.
We stopped off with the pupils and picknicked in the woods near one of the stations en route. Can’t remember which one.
I don’t think Nordhausen was much to write home about.
[Tim C@24 – thanks. The Lake District is one of my favourite places to hike. It’s easy to understand why Wainwright settled there. His handwritten books on the area are quite something not least because he right justified the text!]
A cut is, by its nature, a shot to the off side, so is never called an offcut, because you can’t have an on-cut – it’s just a cut. Perhaps Vulcan isn’t a cricket fan.
Thanks both.
Worth it for the ‘berserk concept’ anagram and associated TILT. PIZZA and RETRIEVED were borderline cryptic imho. I liked FOR THE PRESENT – reminded me of my (then very young) niece’s disappointment when her grandmother told her to sit still and wait ‘for the present’. Which never came.
I do not pronounce RAZOR as a homophone of ‘raise a’ although clearly many do. There – I’ve said it.
I think some people on here keep track of when words last appeared? Nudist seems to be one of the more common words.
All right apart from 9 down, which is the type of clue guaranteed to annoy anyone who doesn’t know the obscure answer to which the anagram leads. By way of contrast, for another obscurity gunnera we are given GUNNER+A which is much easier to get.
Wot bodycheetah @8 said. Liked ROADIES and TURKISH DELIGHT.
Ta Vulcan & Andrew
Very Monday and all the more enjoyable for it. Like others, I was not sure about pizza, retrieved (doesn’t work as a double definition and not great as a cryptic definition) and off-cut (which, even if it existed as a cricket term, would surely need the hyphen). But happy to learn about Brocken Spectres and had a good chuckle at many of the cryptic clues. Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
A very nice puzzle, not difficult but enjoyable. I thought NUDIST was great and amusing. BROCKEN SPECTRE was a classic jorum for me – I worked it out from the crossers and the anagram and thought “Surely there can’t be such a thing?”, looked it up and there it was!
I agree that 2d PIZZA was one of those cryptic definitions where it’s easy just to see the intended cryptic meaning and miss the intended surface meaning, in which case it doesn’t seem cryptic at all.
Many thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
I think Petert’s explanation of OFFCUTS @14 is good. There can be no argument that cuts are strokes and it justifies ‘some’ in the clue.
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
SNAKE EYES as a double-one in dice is a new one on me. I assumed it was some cryptic reference to Snakes and Ladders where landing on a snake after a throw of the dice leads to a fall.
Just wanted to add that like pdp11@22, I have seen a Brocken Spectre, several times in fact. It is a fairly common phenomenon in the Northern Alps in Japan. The local name is just the Brocken portion, rendered into (and pronounced according to) the Japanese phonetic characters. Something like ‘bu-rokku-en”. I twigged immediately from the definition but had to derive the likely original spelling of Brocken and then remove those letters from the fodder to obtain the second part. High altitude hiking lends itself to profound experiences and spiritual moments even for a devout atheist, and my first Brocken was one such. It lingered for 10 minutes or more, time for all the occupants of the mountain hut to stand in a row on the ridge line to view our giant counterparts across the valley with each of us seeing our own image as the focus and largest of the line-up.
thelastplantagenet@33
I don’t think 9D was absolutely guaranteed to annoy all those who hadn’t heard of its obscure answer. I, for example hadn’t heard of it, but worked it out, looked it up, learnt something and was, as a result, highly satisfied with the clue, its setter, wikipedia and myself.
[…example*,*]
I agree with Peter @14 and Martin@37 about the wordplay for OFFCUTS, but most people seem to prefer that Vulcan has made a stupid error. I also found the homophone for RAZOR convincing and didn’t get PIZZA until I had all the crossers.
Perhaps I’m just in a contrary mood today. 🙂
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Straightforward Monday puzzle, with some nice clues and only a couple of iffy ones (I agree with Tim C and Roz).
Favourites for me were GUNNERA and BROCKEN SPECTRE, both of which I have seen – the first many times, mainly in the wetter parts of the gardens of stately homes, and the second only once (plus ‘glory’) from Crib Goch in Snowdonia. My recommendation for those who find B S ‘obscure’ (= ‘I didn’t know it’) is to get out more – into the mountains 🙂
Thanks to S&B
Quite enjoyable, although I didn’t get GUNNERA (knew neither the plant nor the sport connections). I didn’t think 2d was cryptic.
Surely it’s far too much of a stretch to get ‘off’ from ‘some attacking’? I fear that I cannot avoid the conclusion that Vulcan isn’t a cricket expert and has got this one a bit wrong.
Pleasant puzzle. Like many but not all of us I’d never heard of GUNNERA (but could infer it from the wordplay) or BROCKET SPECTRE. When I had all the crossers it occurred to me that a SPECTRE might be some sort of shadow and I guessed at assembling the rest from what was left. Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew.
Well said, Gervase@43.
Even though we had FOR THE PRESENT, there were certain elements here that were slightly redolent of past chapters of my life. Nice holidays in the CYCLADES, a GUNNERA completely taking over a small back garden flowerbed with it’s great thrusting shoots that turned into giant leaves, and endless games of SNAKE EYES with a pair of dice on wet miserable days spent inside. Oh, and I loved TURKISH DELIGHT as a child, but find it too sweet for my taste these days. Didn’t know BROCKEN SCEPTRE, but the anagram fodder left little doubt. Favourite clue was the small but unpretentious ANON. Thanks Vulcan and Andrew…
Ronald @48: probably a spellcheck mishap but now I realise SPECTRE is a BRO(C)KEN SCEPTRE. Who’d have thunk.
For RAZOR, I had the homophone “raise ‘er”, so it even works for rhotic speakers.
Missed the RICKETS — there are so many diseases and even more insects.
But it is clever once you know the answer.
[BTW, some maintain that the longest day is actually the day you start daylight savings (25 hours)]
Those ‘pizza’ clues are blindingly obvious… once you get them.
June 21 is not always the longest day . The solstice can occur on the 20th or 22nd but 21st is the most frequent. It is also known as the (A)ESTIVAL solstice, a word that sometimes crops up in puzzles.
AlanC@34 is your “like” some sort of code ? Or is it best I do not know ?
A very pleasant solve. Luckily, here in the Lake District, we grow gunnera in the garden and occasionally see a Brocken Spectre on the fells. My last one solved was pizza – sometimes there is less to a clue than meets the eye! Thnks Vulcan for a lovely puzzle.
Good bank holiday fun.
I did not know 9d and am looking forward to finding out more about it. It was clearly an anagram of a word that was new to me, so there seemed little point in trying various combinations, so just revealed it.
As an ex-cricketer, there is no cricket shot called an OFFCUT, as by definition, a CUT is an off-side shot.
Thanks both.
[ HYD @54 , I recently replied to your post about gulls but I was very late/early . It was the last Nutmeg blog }
Roz @54 thanks, I will have a butcher’s hook.
Roz @55 thanks for the reply. Yes, as a gull lover, the GWG was like finding the holy grail. I still get the shivers when I see the photos.
[ A real rarity, I think there was one once on a Scottish island ]
Anna @23 Wernigerode is the gateway to the Harz Mountains, which are still a pleasant place to visit and not all that spoilt. It’s the most accessible place for cross-country skiing in North/Central Germany. There is a little train that follows a picturesque route to the top of Brocken, a flat-topped barren mountain that reminds me a bit of Cairngorms. I’ve been up there twice (and walked down once). Despite this, it took me an inordinately long time to solve 9d!
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
Roz @52: if only my life was that interesting 🙂
I very much liked BROCKEN SPECTRE, as indeed I have very much liked seeing the real thing on several occasions, all but one of which were in Britain.
Several other answers produced little smiles, notably FOR THE PRESENT.
Like Michelle, GUNNERA and BROCKEN SPECTRE nee to me.
Thanks both