Eccles is a regular setter on alternate Wednesdays and I always enjoy his clues.
I made fairly steady progress through the puzzle.
My favourite clue today was the splendid anagram for CARNEGIE HALL at 28 across, closely followed by the clue for CINNAMON.
At 4 down, I could see that the entry had to be TATI, but I was playing round with the ‘central letters’ of STAR and STILL but I wasn’t happy as the TI wasn’t exactly central in STILL and STAR would have been doing double duty. Eventually TATI as the central letters in STATIC (still) came to mind as a more likely parsing
I don’t always see the link in clues run together with ellipses, but today I could see how RON was used in both 10 and 11 across.
CONGOU was a new word for me.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Self-evident right to probe wicked person’s file (12) DEMONSTRABLE (self-evident) R (right) contained in (to probe) (DEMON’S [wicked person] + TABLE [catalogue; register; file]) DEMONS T (R) ABLE |
| 9 |
Being without emotion, Papuan regularly eats fruit (9) AUTOMATON (a living being regarded as without consciousness or emotion) AUN (letters 2, 4 and 6 [regularly] of PAPUAN) containing (eats) TOMATO (a fruit) AU (TOMATO) N |
| 10 |
One who wrote poems attributed to Howard, perhaps … (5) BYRON (reference Lord BYRON [1788-1824], English poet) BY (written by; attributed to) + RON (reference one of many people named RON, one of whom is RON Howard [born 1954], American director, producer, screenwriter and actor) BY RON |
| 11 |
… who blocks the toilet (6) THRONE (informal term for a toilet) RON (link back to RON in the previous clue linked to the current clue by ellipses) contained in (who blocks) THE TH (RON) E |
| 12 |
Surprisingly, cease devouring chop, a tender piece of meat (8) ESCALOPE (boneless slice of meat, cut thin and often beaten out still thinner to make it more tender) Anagram of (surprisingly) CEASE containing (devouring) LOP (cut; chop) ESCA (LOP) E* |
| 13 |
Moist, like seafood? (6) CLAMMY (moist and adhesive) CLAMMY (like a CLAM [example of a seafood]) double definition CLAMMY |
| 15 |
Idiot in distress cuddling agitated bear (3-5) PEA-BRAIN (person of little intelligence; idiot) PAIN (distress) containing (cuddling) an anagram of (agitated) BEAR P (EA– BR*) AIN |
| 18 |
Miles Jupp is hot when gyrating in desert (4,4) JUMP SHIP (descriptive of the action of a sailor who leaves or deserts his/her ship while still officially employed) Anagram of (when gyrating) M (miles) and JUPP IS and H (hot) Miles Jupp is an English actor and comedian JUMP SHIP* |
|
19 |
See me tickle shoulders causing vomiting (6) EMETIC (causing vomiting) EMETIC (hidden word [shoulders] in SEE ME TICKLE) EMETIC |
| 21 |
Advocate against the Euro? (8) PROPOUND (offer for consideration) PRO (in favour of) + POUND (sterling) taken together the phrase PRO POUND could be interpreted to indicate opposition to the Euro as a currency for the United Kingdom) PRO POUND |
| 23 |
Black tea from country next to Uganda, originally (6) CONGOU (kind of black tea from China) CONGO (Country in Africa) + (next to) U (first letter of [originally] UGANDA) The Democratic Republic of the CONGO shares a border with Uganda, but even if it didn’t the clue would still work with CONGO (a country) and the U. Another country in Africa, Republic of the CONGO is the one more often referred to as just the CONGO CONGO U |
| 26 |
Relative in Greece inebriated, doing a somersault (5) NIECE (a relative) NIECE (reversed [doing a somersault] hidden word in [in] GREECE INEBRIATED) NIECE< |
| 27 |
Staring endlessly into same perverted publications (9) MAGAZINES (publications) GAZING (staring) excluding the final letter (endlessly) G contained in (into) an anagram of (perverted) SAME MA (GAZIN) ES* |
| 28 |
Here, a calling to perform? (8,4) CARNEGIE HALL (concert and performance venue, the best known example of which is in New York. There are other CARNEGIE HALLs, some of which are in the United Kingdom, including one in Andrew CARNEGIE‘s home town of Dunfermline) Anagram of (to perform) HERE A CALLING CARNEGIE HALL* |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Doctor wine with drop of cognac? That’s extreme (7) DRASTIC (extreme) DR (doctor) + ASTI (type of wine) + C (first letter of [drop of] COGNAC) DR ASTI C |
| 2 |
When reversing, run over cat in drive (5) MOTOR (to drive) (R [run] + O [over] + TOM [male cat]) all reversed (when reversing) (MOT O R)< |
| 3 |
Tell the authorities who revolutionary chap with short coat is? Not I (4,5) NAME NAMES (to give specific NAMES, often to officialdom, especially so as to accuse or blame the people thus NAMEd) MAN (chap) reversed (revolutionary) + ENAMEL (vitrified coating fired onto a metal or other surface) excluding the final letter (short) L + IS excluding (not) I NAM< E NAME S |
| 4 |
French movie star still to appear naked (4) TATI (reference Jacques TATI [1907-1982], French film star well known for performing mime) STATIC (still) excluding the outer letters (appear naked) S and C TATI |
| 5 |
Guides an oddball in prayer (5,3) AGNUS DEI (a liturgical prayer, part of the Roman Catholic mass beginning with these words) Anagram of (oddball) GUIDES AN AGNUS DEI* |
| 6 |
It’s a sign Blair is corrupt (5) LIBRA (sign of the zodiac) Anagram of (corrupt) BLAIR LIBRA* |
| 7 |
Heroic sailor, noble type, goes by car mostly (8) ARGONAUT (member of a band of heroes in Greek mythology) ARGON (a noble gas, one of the seven chemical elements that make up Group 18 (VIIIa) of the periodic table) + AUTO (car) excluding the final letter (mostly) O ARGON AUT |
| 8 |
South American and European are neutral (6) ANDEAN (from the Andes, a mountain range in South America) AND + E (European) + A (are [a measure of area]) + N (neutral – shown as an abbreviation in Collins) AND E A N |
| 14 |
Nothing should interrupt Mahler’s elaborate openings (8) ARMHOLES (openings in a garment) O (character representing nothing) contained in (should interrupt) an anagram of (elaborate) MAHLERS ARMH (O) LES* |
| 16 |
Fool cut tail off fawn bird for an audience (9) BAMBOOZLE (deceive; fool) BAMBI (fictional fawn) excluding the final letter (cut tail off) I + OOZLE (sounds like [for an audience] OUSEL [type of bird]) BAMB OOZLE |
| 17 |
Travelling around, receiving news in exchange for diamonds and spice (8) CINNAMON (a spice) NOMADIC (wandering; travelling) reversed (round) with (N [new] + N [new], giving news) replacing (in exchange for) D (diamonds) (CI NN AMON)< |
| 18 |
Playing tricks, put sharp object in car (6) JAPING (playing tricks) PIN (sharp object) contained in (put in) JAG (JAGuar, car brand) JA (PIN) G |
| 20 |
Advise governing body to be outspoken (7) COUNSEL (advise) COUNSEL (sounds like [to be outspoken] COUNCIL [governing body]) COUNSEL |
| 22 |
Ring AA in dramatic performance (5) OPERA (musical drama) O (ring shaped character) + PER (A or each) + A O PER A |
| 24 |
Information on old American city (5) GENOA (city in Italy) GEN (information) + O (old) + A (America) GEN O A |
| 25 |
Excited before golf (4) AGOG (excited) AGO (in the past; before) + G (GOLF is the International Communication Codeword for the letter G) AGO G |
Great puzzle! Very well-written blog!
Thanks, both.
The BYRON-THRONE combo is interesting.
CONGOU is the clue of the day for me.
Liked TATI, BAMBOOZLE and CINNAMON as well.
I found this difficult to get started on and the answers never exactly flew in. Thanks for explaining ANDEAN, for which I had expected to see an initial letter indicator for the final three letters. Missed the anagram component of CARNEGIE HALL which was annoying.
Yes, good to see the ellipses linking 10a and 11a serving a purpose. I really liked CONGOU and learnt a new word as well.
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan
Duncan has saved me the trouble of writing a detailed comment as he has said precisely what I wanted to say.
Many thanks to Eccles for another absolutely first-rate puzzle and to Duncan for the review.
Thanks duncanshiell and Eccles. I found this all thoroughly entertaining. Agree that the CARNEGIE HALL clue is lovely, but my top favourite was JUMP SHIP for the mental image it conjured up. Very silly. Nicely misleading definition too. Also enjoyed the BYRON-THRONE combo, AUTOMATON, TATI, ARMHOLES…
Couldn’t parse CINNAMON so thanks for explaining – yes, very nice clue. Some might cavil at “news” but we see that done often enough.
I liked the DO RON RON sequence.
Very slow on the uptake with the ‘short coat’ and spent a while trying to make an anagram of ‘around’ plus ‘n’ in 17d.
Medals handed out to BYRON (made me smile), CARNEGIE HALL and BAMBOOZLE.
Thanks to Eccles and to Duncan for the review.
Very enjoyable. Like watching a good conjurer at work. I couldn’t parse CINNAMON – how did he do that?
Thanks Eccles and great blog duncanshiell
I was beginning to wonder if there was a comedian theme with the two Ronnies and Miles Jupp. I would add MAGAZINES to the list of favourites.
Eccles can be tricky at times but this was relatively straightforward. CONGOU was new to us (our first thought was ‘tongau’ but recourse to Chambers soon settled it). We liked AUTOMATON for correctly describing tomato as a fruit (just don’t put one in a fruit salad) and ANDEAN because we remembered about the are. We’re not great film buffs and had never heard of Ron Howard, but the cluing was clear enough in 10 … 11 for it not to matter.
Thanks, Eccles and Duncan.
Thanks Eccles for the great wit that was evident in this crossword. I particularly liked CARNEGIE HALL as well as JUMP SHIP, PROPOUND, and MAGAZINES. I didn’t see that EMETIC was hidden (I hate when that happens) and I didn’t even try to parse CINNAMON. Thanks Duncan for the help.