A puzzle from Tyrus today.
The previous Tyrus puzzle that I blogged in January had a go at a number of Tory politicians. This time Tyrus focuses on just one, but it is clear that he would happily include many more if there was room in the grid. Some of the entries are not directly attributed to the central character or his colleagues, but I doubt if it is coincidence that we have the words prat, junk, shower, disaster, save Britain, misinform, shit, self-serving, and irritation in the clues along with DICK, DEAD LOSS, LIE TO and ON THE MAKE in the entries.
Should you wish to read SPARTAN VICTORY, it is available on Amazon. Wikipedia has an article on MARK FRANCOIS and there is much more about him and his work elsewhere on the world wide web.
If a solver is not familiar with recent British political history, some of the clues and entries will be difficult to understand.
The clues had clear wordplay which helped me get an understanding of the theme about halfway through solving. I liked the reference to a painter backing himself in the clue for ARTIST (13 across). The clue for SPARTAN VICTORY cleverly included an appropriate anagram (for those who agree with Tyrus) plus the use of TORY.
My last one in was APERTURE at 4 down where it took me a while to suss out the parsing.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1/5 |
Prat! Can V-1s hit 29/19, perhaps, or his work? (7,7) SPARTAN VICTORY (title of a book about Brexit self-published by MARK FRANCOIS [entry at 20/19]) Anagram of (hit) PRAT CAN VI’S + TORY (MARK FRANCOIS is the Conservative [TORY] MP for Rayleigh and Wickford) You can decide for yourself whether Tyrus is defining MARK FRANCOIS as a prat. SPARTAN VIC* TORY |
| 10 |
Junk – resort to a bit of mockery (4) SPAM (unsolicited text or e-mail sent simultaneously to many electronic addresses) SPA (holiday resort) + M (first letter of [bit of] MOCKERY) SPA M |
| 11 |
Affair during night never recalled (5) EVENT (affair) EVENT (reversed [recalled] hidden word in [during] NIGHT NEVER) EVENT< |
| 12 |
Coppers’ old boss and one less senior creak at the edges (4) DICK (reference Dame Cressida DICK, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 2017 until her resignation in 2002) DI (Detective Inspector; a less senior policeman than the Met Commissioner) + CK (first and last letters of [at the edges] CREAK) DI CK |
| 13 |
Painter maybe backing himself – it’s about time (6) ARTIST (painter) RA (Royal Academician [ARTIST [as the entry; himself] reversed [backing]) + an anagram of (about) IT‘S + T (time) AR< TIS* T |
| 14 |
Criminal left soldiers inside city (8) FLORENCE (city in Italy) (L [left] + OR [other ranks; soldiers]) contained in (inside) FENCE (receiver of stolen goods; criminal) F (L OR) ENCE |
| 16 |
Shattering blow – no book refund! Great! (9) WONDERFUL (excellent; great) Anagram of (shattering) BLOW excluding (no) B (book) and REFUND WONDERFUL* |
| 18 |
Intellect of leader of Brexit shower? (5) BRAIN (intellect) B (first letter of [leader of] BREXIT) + RAIN (shower) B RAIN |
| 20 |
Back at sea – that’s harsh (5) STERN (hind part of a sailing vessel; back at sea) STERN (severe; harsh) double definition STERN |
| 21 |
Extremely big haul, right? Doubtful (5-4) ULTRA-HIGH (very tall; extremely big) Anagram of (doubtful) HAUL RIGHT ULTRA-HIGH* |
| 23 |
Incorrectly loaded ship – disaster! (4,4) DEAD LOSS (useless endeavour; disaster) Anagram of (incorrectly) LOADED + SS (steamship) DEAD LO* SS |
| 24 |
Country definitely not maintaining resistance (6) NORWAY (country in Scandinavia) NO WAY (definitely not) containing (maintaining) R (resistance) NO (R) WAY |
| 26 |
Spur to save Britain (4) BARB (spike; arrow; spur) BAR (except; save) + B (Britain) BAR B |
| 28 |
Misinform and stop ship (3,2) LIE TO (misinform) LIE TO (of a ship, to be or become nearly stationary with head to the wind) double definition LIE TO |
| 29/19 |
Note – dictator is creator of 1/5 (4,8) MARK [FRANCOIS] (author of the book SPARTAN VICTORY [entry at 1/5]) MARK (note) + FRANCO (reference General Franciso FRANCO [1892-1975], Caudillo [Dictator] of Spain from 1939 to 1975) + IS MARK FRANCO IS |
| 30 |
Strip for very little money (7) PEANUTS (syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip’s original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward) PEANUTS (very little money) double definition PEANUTS |
| 31 |
Extending across river when current is accommodating (7) ASTRIDE (with a leg on either side; extending across) AS (when) + (TIDE [current] containing [accommodating] R [river]) AS T (R) IDE |
| Down | |
| 2 |
See 22 [TOILET] PAPER |
| 3 |
1/5 could be what 29/19 didn’t want (right in middle of action) (11) REMAINDERED (if the book SPARTAN VICTORY [entry at 1/5] does not sell in suitable numbers it could be REMAINDERED [selling off the residue of the stock at a very low price]) REMAIN (MARK FRANCOIS [entry at 29/19] strongly supported the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. His opponents wished Britain to REMAIN in the Union) + (R [right] contained in [in the middle of] DEED [action]) REMAIN DE (R) ED |
| 4 |
Nameless character squeezes through opening (8) APERTURE (an opening) NATURE (character) excluding (…less) N (name) containing (squeezes) PER (through) A (PER) TURE |
| 6 |
They open tins or jars (6) INTROS (introductions; openings; they open) Anagram of (jars) TINS OR INTROS* |
| 7 |
Fox in bother losing tail (3) TOD (fox) TO DO (bother) excluding the final letter (losing tail) O TOD |
| 8/27 |
Heartless Green by clinic perhaps where 1/5’s likely to turn up (9,3) RECYCLING [BIN] (where unwanted or unloved books, such as SPARTAN VICTORY in Tyrus’s view, may end up) Anagram of (perhaps) GREEN excluding the central letter E (heartless) and BY CLINIC RECYCLING BIN* |
| 9 |
Like 1/5 by British author local was first to describe – awful lot of shit! (4-9) SELF-PUBLISHED (research tells me that the book SPARTAN VICTORY [entry at 1/5] was self published by MARK FRANCOIS as he could not find a publisher to handle it) SELF (reference Will SELF [born 1961], British author) + PUB [public house; local] + LED (was first} containing (to describe) an anagram of (awful) SHIT excluding the final letter [lot of] T]) SELF PUB L (ISH) ED |
| 15 |
Mortar there exploded causing movement underfoot (5,6) EARTH TREMOR (small EARTHquake; movement underfoot) Anagram of (exploded) MORTAR THERE EARTH TREMOR* |
| 17 |
Working with those people rankled occasionally – self-serving (2,3,4) ON THE MAKE (bent on self-advancement or promotion; self-serving) ON (working) + THEM (those people) + AKE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [occasionally] of RANKLED) ON THE M AKE |
| 19 |
See 29 Across [MARK] FRANCOIS |
| 22/2 |
Weird trait – people showing possible employment for 1/5 (6,5) TOILET [PAPER] (thin, absorbent paper for wiping oneself after defecation or urination; Tyrus suggests this is a suitable use for the pages of SPARTAN VICTORY) Anagram of (weird) TRAIT PEOPLE TOILET PAPER* |
| 25 |
Voiced one’s irritation at department (5) AIRED (broadcast; voiced) A (one) + IRE (anger; irritation) + D (department) A IRE D |
| 27 |
See 8 [RECYCLING] BIN |
Thanks, Tyrus for a wonderful puzzle!
Thanks, duncanshiell for an excellent blog. Great summary.
ARTIST, NORWAY, PEANUTS, REMAINDERED and TOD are my picks.
Brilliant stuff. No mincing of words from Tyrus (other than in cluing). I think it’s the first time I have seen ‘shit’ in a clue and Tyrus gets it in twice, clearly in 9d and hidden in 1/5. Too many great clues to pick a top one but SELF-PUBLiSHED is excellent for the number of references it encompasses.
many thank to Tyrus for an audaciously ire laden crossword and to Duncanshiell for a very thorough blog.
I doubt if (a) he reads the Graun
and (b) if he would understand it was about him
Huge thanks to Tyrus for keeping me up to speed on the septic Isle
Top setting!
An excellent puzzle – as an American I was not familiar with the theme’s author or work, but the wordplay was sufficient that I could complete it anyway. And of course it was quite amusing. Thanks so much to Tyrus and Duncanshiell!
Sheer brilliance! – the whole so much more than the sum of its parts.
Huge thanks to Tyrus (I like Salad’s ‘audaciously ire-laden’) and to Duncan.
Ouch! I didn’t really enjoy this. Gleefully humiliating some else in public may make you feel good, it may even be justified, but it doesn’t make you better than them. I started the day badly and then this just left me feeling a little bit more depressed than before.
Thanks Tyrus for one of my favourite puzzles of the year so far, and to DS for the blog.
Oren @4. As a Brit, I haven’t heard of him or his book either but managed to work it out with the help of google. On a side note to 8/27, normally you shouldn’t put books in recycling bins due to the glue often used in binding.
Gosh what a tirade. Meant absolutely nothing to me but was impressed with the intention of TOILET PAPER. A reveal all the way and deeply impressed by the parsing skills shown by duncanshiell. (As often with heavily themed crosswords the level of impenetrability rises with the depth of the theme.) That anyone without a knowledge of ‘recent British political history’ could disentangle this astonishes me so hats off to Oren@4 in particular.
Well done Tyrus for getting that off your chest and thanks duncanshiell for throwing this would-be solver a lifeline (or fourteen).
Well, I did have a completed correct grid, but I guessed a few because I’d never heard of the book or the author.
Gave up trying to parse APERTURE.
Why thank you Eileen @5.
Thanks both. Clearly opinion here is divided – an absolute turn-off for me as I have no knowledge of or interest in the subject matter. A small saving grace was the element of opinion e.g. RECYCLING BIN was fair and clear, but without the required knowledge an unaided solve was down to guesswork at best
Hmm… I don’t like puzzles which rely so heavily on knowing one thing. The inter-reliance between author and work in the 2 2-part clues made those virtually impossible, and rather overshadowed the otherwise interesting construction.
The general abuse on the other hand was totally acceptable..
This was a hard nut to crack without a sledgehammer but we finished eventually. We got the references to 1/5 and 29/19 without those answers themselves. But we had a feeling that 1 had to be SPARTAN and then VICTORY for 5 looked possible and a bit of googling made everything including 29/19 clear. And we agree about the possible uses etc for the book; we’re not sure about 18ac, though – it’s a good thing the clue has a question mark. Even PEANUTS, our CoD, seems to be thematic – what have we got out of Brexit?
Thanks, Tyrus and Duncan.
Making MF the theme is making him look far more important than he is/was.
Genius Jim T and thanks DS. MF deserves everything he gets here. I wonder if the lawyers removed references to to legal case against him. He’s been very very quiet since.
Top review of Spartan Victory on Amazon in the US:
Ignore the haters. This is a truly excellent book. I found it soft and gentle, and even after a fairly fiery curry and a night on the beer I was left with zero irritation after use. I usually prefer Kleenex Ultra Soft because it’s three ply, but at a pinch a copy of Spartan Victory will do the job just as well.
At first I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there are words written on the sheets, but to be honest I wouldn’t bother with them. I read a few pages and they seem to be the confused, disjointed rantings of a furious pink faced bellend locked in a never-ending battle between hating the French and coming to terms with his own very French sounding name.
Loved the puzzle.
Thanks to Duncan for an exceptionally detailed blog and to others for their comments.
Very surprised to read the perception that MF has been ‘gleefully humiliated’. I’m pretty sure he’s proud of the part he played (a very minor one, admittedly) and I doubt this crossword would change that, in the unlikely event of his ever seeing it. And since his words and actions have been in the public domain, any criticism is surely justified. Of course, that applies to crossword setters as well!
Well, if I had heard of the author or his book, I’ve supressed the memory. Totally failed to get 1/5 or 29/19 – couldn’t work out the wordplay.
I’d never heard of the chap, or his book, and I’m quite prepared to believe that he is an idiot. It is the culture of polarisation and hating others that depresses me. I understand that this is how British politics works, US politics even more so. Seeing this spreading into the crossword was a depressing thought for me yesterday, whoever is the victim was. Where do I go to get away form it? This is a personal view, not a political statement.
Thanks for replying, PeeDee.
I believe, in the traditions of satire, that any politician is fair game. However, I do appreciate your viewpoint and agree that politics has become more polarised and intolerant, Brexit being a good example of this.
Anyway, sorry you didn’t like the puzzle,
Tyrus – I’m certainly no fan of Brexit, and because of my wife’s job I have living in The Netherlands for the last year, so have been away form Britain for a while. Politics here is a lot less polarised and much more civilised. I would not say government here is especially more effective than in the UK, in fact it is equally dysfunctional. But the politicians and the population at large manage to be dysfunctional is a much less vitriolic way than in the UK.
Your crossword was certainly impressive and not a bad crossword per se. And had it been satire, then to would have been brilliant. But my feeling was that these were more of a string of insults than a satire. A satire would be an exaggerated picture of the person, through which the person then ridicules himself.
PeeDee – the clue for 1/5 with its mention of V-1s was intended to reflect how MF and others used war analogies for Brexit – the-nobody-pushed-us-around-in-the-war sort of thing – so not just a personal insult. The comments on the book itself were obviously uncomplimentary (like many literary reviews) but IMHO deserved for a self-justifying work not acknowledging the Brexit lies and likelihood of outside (Russian) interference.
Think we’ll have to agree to disagree and I know politics in puzzles is not to everyone’s taste. Thanks again for engaging.
And thank you too Tyrus for humouring me and explaining some of what goes over my head. But them I am a bit of a self-induced recluse. I don’t have any social media accounts, I hardly ever watch TV and rarely listen to radio 4 any more. So I can’t complain or expect to be very in touch with current mores. I have just had enough of it all.