Silvanus provides our Tuesday challenge.
Some of the constructions here took a bit of working out, but everything makes sense when you see it. I liked the anagram in 12a, the double-bluff of “German lied” in 20a, the slightly naughty 22a, and the extended definition of 5d.
21d reminds us of what we should be looking for on a Tuesday, but I didn’t notice one at first. It wasn’t until after I’d completed the puzzle that I looked at 21a and 23a together, and all became clear: it’s that quirk of British culture the Shipping Forecast, popular even with those who have never needed to know about weather conditions at sea. The puzzle refers to several of the sea areas covered: HUMBER, FORTIES, THAMES, FORTH[rightly], MALIN[gered], TYNE, DOGGER[el], FISHER. Thanks Silvanus for the fun.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HUMBER |
Banker not entirely smart to accept award (6)
|
| HUR[t] (smart, as a verb) without its last letter (not entirely), containing (to accept) MBE (award).
The old crossword setter’s trick: banker = something that runs between banks = a river, in this case in NE England. Technically it’s a tidal estuary (according to Wikipedia) but it’s often referred to as a river. |
||
| 4 | OFF PAT |
Accurately remembered cycling to France twice each year (3,3)
|
| TO + F F (international vehicle registration code for France, twice) + PA (abbreviation for Latin per annum = each year), with the first letter “cycling” round to the end.
To say something “off pat” is to recite it from memory. |
||
| 8 | DROP-LEAF |
An English peer rejected acquiring piano and fine sort of table (4-4)
|
| A (an = different forms of the indefinite article) + E (English) + LORD (peer), all reversed (rejected), containing (acquiring) P (p = piano = musical notation for quiet), then F (abbreviation for fine).
A table in which part of the top can fold down vertically to save space when not in use. |
||
| 10 | RITUAL |
Oddly overlooked artists unable to make ceremony (6)
|
| [a]R[t]I[s]T[s] U[n]A[b]L[e] with the odd-numbered letters overlooked. | ||
| 11 | ANTE |
Advance payment craftsman tentatively pockets (4)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . pockets, as a verb) in [craftsm]AN TE[ntatively].
A gambling stake paid before play starts. |
||
| 12 | GERMICIDES |
Disinfectants shifting grime surfaces picked up (10)
|
| Anagram (shifting) of GRIME, then a homophone (picked up) of SIDES (surfaces). | ||
| 13 | JULIUS CAESAR |
Laura’s juices flowing for play (6,6)
|
| Anagram (flowing) of LAURA’S JUICES. | ||
| 16 | FORTHRIGHTLY |
Candidly every two weeks releasing name that Human Resources must replace (12)
|
| FORT[n]IGHTLY (every two weeks), with the N (name) replaced by HR (Human Resources = what used to be called the personnel department). | ||
| 20 | MALINGERED |
Itinerant German lied and feigned illness (10)
|
| Anagram (itinerant = wandering) of GERMAN LIED. A nice extra bit of misdirection for those who recognise that “lied” is the German word for song, or a generic musical term for a solo song with piano accompaniment; that’s often a trick used by crossword setters, but not here. | ||
| 21 | TYNE |
River in Turkey navigable having been repeatedly excavated (4)
|
| T[urke]Y N[avigabl]E with the inner letters taken out of both words (repeatedly excavated).
Another river in NE England – though there are others of the same name elsewhere. |
||
| 22 | VIAGRA |
There might be a rise in those taking this drug (6)
|
| Cryptic definition: a drug taken by men who need to rise to the occasion, as you might say. | ||
| 23 | DOGGEREL |
Setter perhaps on and on about flipping nonsense (8)
|
| DOG (perhaps a setter), then RE (on = on the subject of) with LEG (on, in cricket terminology = one side of the wicket) reversed (flipping) around it (about). It’s not quite clear whether the RE is also reversed, but it works either way. | ||
| 24 | FISHER |
Not all unbelief is heresy for Archbishop of Canterbury (6)
|
| Hidden answer (not all . . .) in [unbelie]F IS HER[esy].
Geoffrey Fisher, archbishop of Canterbury in the mid-20th century; he was involved in both the wedding and coronation of the late Queen. |
||
| 25 | ESTEEM |
Respect Mike joining established mobile phone company (6)
|
| EST (est. = abbreviation for established, for example indicating the date when a business was started) + EE (UK mobile phone company; the name was once Everything Everywhere) + M (Mike, in the radio alphabet). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HARANGUE |
Diatribe from American resonated amidst shouting (8)
|
| A (abbreviation for American) + RANG (resonated), inserted into HUE (as in “hue and cry” = shouting). | ||
| 2 | MAPLE |
Sort of tree, hawthorn, Yank mentioned (5)
|
| Homophone (mentioned) of MAY (hawthorn) + PULL (yank). As usual, the homophone isn’t exact and may not work for everyone, but it’s close enough. | ||
| 3 | EMERGES |
Brief coalition between opponents becomes apparent (7)
|
| MERGE[r] (coalition) without its last letter (brief), between E + S (East and South = opponents in four-handed card games). | ||
| 5 | FORTIES |
Decade of lifting restrictions after end of war (7)
|
| OF reversed (lifting = upwards in a down clue), then TIES (restrictions) after the end letter of [wa]R.
Extended definition: rationing and other restrictions were gradually lifted after the end of WW2 in 1945, though some lasted into the 50s. |
||
| 6 | PATRIARCH |
Every so often plan to ruin cunning tribal leader (9)
|
| Alternate letters (every so often) of P[l]A[n] T[o] R[u]I[n], then ARCH (cunning). | ||
| 7 | THAMES |
Flower retired TV actor is wearing (6)
|
| HAM (actor), inserted into (wearing) SET (TV = television set) reversed (retired).
A bit like “banker” in 1a; flower = something that flows = a river. |
||
| 9 | FORGATHERED |
Met criminal godfather, admitting hesitation (11)
|
| Anagram (criminal = bad) of GODFATHER, containing (admitting) ER (a sound indicating hesitation).
A variant spelling of “foregathered” = assembled for a meeting. |
||
| 14 | INFRINGES |
Crossing border, international ordinance essentially son contravenes (9)
|
| FRINGE (border), with I (international) + middle letter (essentially) of [ordi]N[ance] + S (son) around it (crossing). | ||
| 15 | BLENHEIM |
Spaniel type, black male one, goes around following Helen, barking (8)
|
| B (abbreviation for black, as in 2B pencils), then M (male) + I (one in Roman numerals) reversed (goes around) after an anagram (barking = mad) of HELEN.
According to Wikipedia, Blenheim is a type of Cavalier King Charles spaniel, specifically a white one with reddish-brown markings. You learn something new every day. |
||
| 17 | REGRADE |
Mark again registered gratitude ultimately to house painter (7)
|
| REGD (abbreviation for registered) + last letter (ultimately) of [gratitud]E, containing (to house) RA (Royal Academician = artist, though not necessarily a painter).
Regrade = re-mark an exam paper to check that it was assigned the correct grade. |
||
| 18 | INDIGOS |
More than one leguminous plant is doing badly (7)
|
| Anagram (badly) of IS DOING.
Indigo = plant from the bean family (leguminous), traditionally used to produce dark blue dye. |
||
| 19 | TARIFF |
Duty of sailor whenever visited by female (6)
|
| TAR (sailor) + IF (whenever) + F (female).
Duty = tax = tariff. |
||
| 21 | THEME |
Article inspiring enthusiasm outwardly in subject (5)
|
| THE (definite article, grammatically) containing (inspiring = breathing in) the outer letters of E[nthusias]M. |
Disappointing on two fronts: I totally forgot to look for the (lovely) theme and I didn’t spot a single ‘in’ out of place. (Apologies, that’s an in-joke).
Seriously, a lovely puzzle with some challenging constructions that all worked out cleanly in the end. And so tightly put together. A pleasure to unravel. Favourites included: OFF PAT for the neat cycling trick, ANTE for the lovely surface, FORTHRIGHTLY (ditto), DOGGEREL for the gentle self-deprecation, FORTIES which is surely &littish, FORGATHERED despite its unusual spelling for the lovely anagram spot, TARIFF which made me laugh. Not sure what to make of the surface for JULIUS CAESAR.
Thanks Silvanus and Quirister
My initial impression that the theme was just rivers soon expanded. How soothing is the shipping forecast, especially (though sadly no longer) through the silky tones of the wonderful Charlotte Green. Thank you Silvanus and Quirister.
Thanks both. I didn’t know BLENHEIM as a spaniel, nor that hue in itself constitutes ‘shouting’ and FISHER is now evidently the name of a former ABOC rather than describing the hobby of the current one. Like Tatrasman@2 I spotted rivers, before specifically the shipping forecast, though I rarely found it soothing, owing to its interruption of radio cricket commentaries, sometimes at a key point in play
I do like a crossword where I can spot the theme and I saw this one quite early on in the solving process.
Thanks to Silvanus for a most enjoyable crossword and to Quirister for the blog
Loved everything about this – one of my favourite setters with his usual high standard of clueing plus a theme that took me back to sitting by the radio with my dear old dad whilst he listened to the news and the shipping forecast.
Thanks for the memories, Silvanus, and thanks to Quirister for the review.
Took me quite a while to get started, but once I’d got going I enjoyed the puzzle, though missed the theme.
I did have a problem with the software though – I’d solved 12 then had a break but when I logged on again the C was missing and it wouldn’t let me put any letter in that space. The other answers went in OK and eventually it did work, without me having done anything to fix it. Has anyone else had similar trouble with the online software? (It might simply be my fairly old laptop is starting to play up)
Many thanks to Quirister and to everyone taking the trouble to comment.
It’s great when the clueing is so clear that you improve your general knowledge as with BLENHEIM and INDIGO. FORTHRIGHTLY was great. I was thinking of the 1535 St. John Fisher for the archbishop.
Spotted this puzzle by my favourite setter quite by chance when checking the blog for the Graun cryptic & had to have a go. As ever a delight from start to finish. Didn’t realise Tuesday in the Indy = theme & oblivious throughout despite it being blindingly obvious. Big ticks aplenty but FORTNIGHTLY my fav
Thanks to S&Q
Thanks Quirister — you’ve omitted to insert the piano in your drop-leaf table.
And thank you Silvanus.
Aphid @10: apologies, now fixed. Thanks for pointing it out.
Late to this so I hope the setter and blogger will see it.
I always enjoy and appreciate the craftsmanship of a Silvanus and puzzle when he appears elsewhere, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one too.
Only knew the spaniel as a palace (the grounds of which I’ve walked around several times, one of my favourite places) but the wordplay got me there.
Liked 0FF PAT, FORTHRIGHTLY, HARANGUE & TARIFF in particular.
Missed the theme completely!
Many thanks to the aforementioned setter and to Quirister for the top-notch entertainment.