This is definitely the first puzzle by Grecian published in the Indy that I have solved and blogged, and I certainly hope that it will not be the last.
I thoroughly enjoyed this solve, finding it to be pitched at the right level of difficulty for a mid-week puzzle. I think that I have solved and parsed everything to my satisfaction, but I would be keen to seek confirmation of my parsing at 6D.
Today is Tuesday, so theme day, and although the grid lends itself to there being a Nina around its perimeter, I do not see one. Instead, the completed grid is full of references to Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist and its characters – 2, 6D, 13 and 7, 15, Bill Sikes’ dog at 17D, the 19 and 21, 22 and 17A, 27 … – with the clue at 15 tipping us off that Dickensian literature might be the source of today’s theme. What an amazing amount of themed content Grecian has managed to accommodate in the grid!
My favourite clues today were 8 and 10, both for smoothness of surface reading; and 7 and 20, both for ingeniously splitting the definition from the wordplay in the middle of what read as names.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 06 | FEATURE | Film performance certainly not special
FEAT (=performance) + <s>URE (=certainly; “not special (=S)” means letter “s” is dropped) |
| 07 | TWIST | Rick Stein’s beginning to get into dope
S<tein> (“beginning” means first letter only) in TWIT (=dope, idiot); to rick is to twist, sprain, strain |
| 09 | OGRE | Monster’s so contrary
ERGO (=so); “contrary” indicates reversal |
| 10 | BARROWLOAD | Nothing within Arab world changing a great deal
O (=nothing) in *(ARAB WORLD); “changing” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | INHERENT | Elaborate rhinestone not so natural
*(RHINE<s>T<o>NE); “not so” means that letters “so” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “elaborate” |
| 13 | OLIVER | Boy in love with organ
O (=love, i.e. zero score in tennis) + LIVER (=organ, of body) |
| 15 | BOZO | Dicken’s old fool
BOZ (=Dickens, i.e. pseudonym used by writer Charles Dickens) + O (=old, as in OT); a bozo is a fool, dimwit |
| 17 | BERRY | Fruit plant picked up
Homophone (“picked up”) of “(to) bury (=plant, hide deep inside)” |
| 18 | TINE | United’s second in draw delivers point
<u>N<ited> (“second” means second letter only) in TIE (=draw); a tine is a point, a prick on e.g. a fork |
| 19 | ARTFUL | Foxy 10 is topless
<c>ARTFUL (=barrowload, i.e. entry at 10); “is topless” means first letter is dropped |
| 20 | HEDONIST | Rob Holding – fellow party animal
DON (=fellow, at university) in HEIST (=to rob, i.e. in a heist) |
| 23 | IMPRISONED | De Niro’s furiously chasing naughty child inside
IMP (=naughty child) + *(DE NIRO’S); “furiously” is anagram indicator |
| 26 | IOWA | English county’s a state
IOW (=English county, i.e. Isle of Wight) + A |
| 27 | NANCY | State restricting political party in French city
ANC (=political party, i.e. African National Congress) in NY (=State, of the United States) |
| 28 | STEALER | One who takes control over Arsenal’s wingers
A<rsena>L (“wingers” means first and last letters) in STEER (=control, guide) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | TAPERED OFF | Peter André initially upset over tip getting diminished
*(PETER + A<ndré>) + DOFF (=tip, of a cap); “initially” means first letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “upset” |
| 02 | BUMBLE | Mike entertained by Canadian singer’s drone
M (=Mike, in radio telecommunications) in BUBLÉ (=Canadian singer, i.e. Michael Bublé); to bumble is to make a buzzing sound, hence “drone” |
| 03 | HEIR | Child’s voice heard
Homophone (“heard”) of “(to) air (=voice, express, e.g. an opinion)” |
| 04 | ETHOLOGY | Science could become religious study if the origin of evolution is dropped
If the letter “e” – “origin (=first letter) of evolution” – is moved to a lower place, then the word “theology (=religious study)” is formed |
| 05 | BILL | Note // for 25
Double definition: a 10-dollar bill is a banknote AND a bill is a nose (=entry at 25), a beak |
| 06 | FAGIN | Diving coach’s pike part winning silver
AG (=silver, i.e. chemical symbol) in FIN (=pike part, i.e. of fish); since a diver is a pickpocket according to Chambers, the character Fagin in Dickens’ Oliver Twist is a “diving coach” as a trainer of pickpockets |
| 08 | TRADE-IN | Australian in crude tinder exchange
A (=Australian) in *(TINDER); “crude” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | TORAH | Books artist into tropical retreat
RA (=artist, i.e. Royal Academician) in TOH (HOT=tropical, of climate; “retreat” indicates reversal); the Torah refers collectively to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible |
| 14 | INTANGIBLE | Translated Latin being difficult to grasp
*(LATIN BEING); “translated” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | OARSMEN | Ramones upset crew
*(RAMONES); “upset” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | BULLSEYE | Show on TV Gold
The bull’s-eye is the “gold” on an archery target; Bullseye was a darts-themed game show on UK TV in the 1980s and 90s |
| 21 | DODGER | American car on right is one to avoid
Dodge (=American car (manufacturer)) + R (=right); a dodger is a shirker, thus “one (likely) to avoid (his responsibilities)” |
| 22 | SOWER | Broadcaster is worse off
*(WORSE), “off” is anagram indicator; cryptically, a “broadcaster” is one who scatters, hence a “sower” of e.g. seeds |
| 24 | RANK | Weirdo heading off for station
<c>RANK (=weirdo); “heading off” means first letter is dropped; a taxi rank is a taxi station, and one’s rank is society is one’s station or standing |
| 25 | NOSE | Bouquet of roses on counter
Reversed (“counter”) and hidden (“of”) in “rosES ON” |
Grecian earns my praise for this impressive puzzle. As well as the theme, I liked the clever name-checks for various famous people from TV, sport and music, including one of my favourite bands at 16.
Ratko, I agree with your parsing of 6D.
Hear, hear to RatkojaRiku’s excellent summary. I would only add that 5D (BILL Sikes) may also be part of the theme. A pity Nancy does not appear to have a surname (unusually for Dickens), or maybe that could have been worked in. I did not know Bullseye the dog or Sowerberry the coffin maker. Many thanks Grecia and RR.
Thanks Grecian and RatkojaRiku.
Remembered Grecian and checked – this is his/her 4th here. Excellent. Theme helped with BILL and FAGIN.
Of course, I got the FIN and AG, but diving coach was beyond me. Good one.
Other likes:
TRADE IN, HEDONIST, BARROWLOAD
Even I got the theme, though I missed SOWER BERRY. Sometimes I feel unsatisfied when I arrive at an answer by means of a theme, but not with FAGIN as you needed the theme to understand the definition. An impressive puzzle. Thanks to Grecian and RR.
This is only my second Grecian puzzle, following the Julius Caesar one, which was right up my street and I was really looking forward to his / her next one, which has proved to be equally congenial – but I’m rather miffed to have forgotten SOWERBERRY.
I, too, am always impressed when setters manage to work the names of real people into their clues – and there were lots of other goodies, too. I particularly liked 9ac OGRE, 4dn ETHOLOGY and 14dn INTANGIBLE.
Many thanks to Grecian for a lovely theme, impressively worked and to RR for a great blog.
Many thanks to RR for the lovely blog and to the commenters for the positive feedback. I’m really glad the puzzle was a fun experience and hopefully, a fitting tribute to my most famous relative. G
Thanks Grecian for a well-crafted crossword with great surfaces throughout. It’s tough to pick favourites but I ticked OLIVER, STEALER, TORAH, and SOWER. I failed with BOZO and I’m well aware of the irony in that. Thanks RR for an excellent blog.