This Tuesday’s cruciverbal treat has been provided by Hippogryph.
As Tuesday is theme day, I was on the look-out from the start, and indeed Hippogryph signposts his theme in the clue at 13. Having done some googling, I have found out that Lou Reed’s second album Transformer – in the clue at 11 – was first released 50 years ago this month, in November 1972. It was co-produced by David Bowie (=entry at 6) and was a landmark of the glam rock (=entries at 1A and 3) genre. The album includes tracks such as the legendary Walk on the Wild Side (=entry at 30/20), Vicious (=entry at 27), Make Up (=entry at 16) and Perfect Day (=entries at 12 and 21). There may be other references here that I have missed.
Over and above its theme, this puzzle offered us an entertaining set of clues, of which my personal favourites were 19, for smoothness of surface; the cryptic definition at 21; 25D, for its cheeky definition; 27, for the clever use of French in the wordplay; and, above all, 10, for its ingenious split between definition and wordplay in the middle of “close // relative”.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
Across | ||
01 | GLAM | Welsh team, lacking heart perhaps but exciting
GLAM<organ> (=Welsh (cricket) team); “lacking heart perhaps (=organ, of body)” means letters “organ” are dropped |
03 | ROCK | Sway from side to side and power into Olympic kayak finals
<powe>R <int>O <olympi>C <kaya>K; “finals” means last letters only are used |
06 | BOWIE | Knife wound’s opening that is located after unpleasant smell
BO (=unpleasant smell, i.e. body odour) + W<ound> (“opening” means first letter only) + I. E. (=that is, id est); a bowie knife is a strong, one-edged dagger with a 12-inch blade |
09 | ECOSPHERE | Scope trained at this place where life can be observed
*(SCOPE) + HERE (=at this place); “trained” is anagram indicator; the ecosphere describes those parts of the universe or the earth in which life is possible |
11 | TWINE | Current went through transformer coil
(I (=current, in electricity) + WENT); “through transformer” is anagram indicator |
12 | PERFECT | Polish cop arrests free running enthusiast finally
[*(FREE) in PC (=cop, i.e. Police Constable)] + <enthusias>T (“finally” means last letter only); “running” is anagram indicator |
13 | LOU REED | Featured artist making a great sound going around Greece occasionally
<g>R<e>E<c>E (“occasionally” means alternate letters only) in LOUD (=making a great sound); the reference is to the US musician, songwriter and poet Lou Reed (1942-2013) |
14 | UREA | Waste product found in your earwax
Hidden (“found”) in “yoUR EArwax” |
16 | MAKE-UP | Slap // pretend // character
Triple definition: slap is stage make-up, colloquially AND to make (something) up is to pretend AND one’s make-up is one’s temperament, character |
18 | AIR | One who succeeds on radio broadcast
Homophone (“on the radio”) of “heir (=one who succeeds, inherits)”; to air views is to broadcast them |
21 | DAY | Period of global revolution?
Cryptic definition: it takes the Earth (“global”) 24 hours to rotate on its axis (“revolution”)! |
22 | INNUIT | Isn’t it contracted commonly to embrace universal language?
U (=universal) in INNIT (=isn’t it; “contracted commonly” indicates a colloquial abbreviation) |
23 | STEM | Check baseball team over
(New York) Mets (=baseball team); “over” indicates reversal |
25 | BLONDER | Student tucking into good French wine knocked back more white
[L (=student, i.e. learner) in BON (=good French, i.e. the French word for good)] + DER (RED=wine; “knocked back” indicates reversal) |
27 | VICIOUS | You landed here in Orly? Wicked
ICI (=here in Orly, i.e. in French) in VOUS (=you in Orly, i.e. in French) |
29 | DHOTI | Cotton fabric in sexy detective’s clothing
HOT (=sexy) in DI (=detective, i.e. Detective Inspector); dhoti is a cotton fabric used to produce Hindu loincloths |
30/20 | WALK ON THE WILD SIDE | As well I did know the anarchic live dangerously
*(AS WELL I DID KNOW THE); “anarchic” is anagram indicator |
31 | THYME | Healthy menu features fragrant ingredient
Hidden (“features”) in “healTHY MEnu” |
32 | NEED | Depend upon Independent regularly failing to publish all of the news
<i>N<d>E<p>E<n>D(<e>N<t>); “regularly” means alternate letters only are used; “failing to publish all of the news (=letter “n”s)” means one letter “n” is dropped |
33 | TREK | Dinosaur drops by for 1000m walk
T-REX (=dinosaur); “drops by (x, as in 6m x 4m) for 1000m (=K)” means letter “x” becomes letter “k” |
Down | ||
01 | GREY POUND | Spending power of senior American coach, heartlessly penny-pinching
P (=penny) in GREY<h>OUND (=American coach; “heartlessly” means middle letter is dropped) |
02 | AMOUR | Love a second? You heard right!
A + MO (=second, as in in a mo’) + U (homophone – “you heard” of you) + R (=right) |
04 | OVERTRAIN | Practise too much in open water
OVERT (=open, public) + RAIN (=water) |
05 | KNELL | Royal mistress supporting King produces ring
K (=king, in cards) + NELL (=mistress, i.e. Nell Gwyn); a knell is the sounding of a bell at a death or funeral, hence “ring” |
06 | BETHUMPS | Back hunch over shilling and old pounds
BET (=(to)back, take a punt on) + HUMP (=hunch) + S (=shilling); bethump is an old verb meaning thump or beat soundly |
07 | WHITEBAIT | Object after internet article about battered fish
{HIT (=battered, struck) in [WEB (=internet) + A (=article)]} + IT (=object, thing) |
08 | EMEND | Make alterations to tremendous trousers
Hidden (“trousers”, pockets) in “trEMENDous” |
10 | PHEW | That was close relative losing nerve on vacation
<ne>PHEW (=relative); “losing N<erv>E on vacation”, i.e. with all middle letters “emptied out”, means letters “erv” are dropped |
15 | ETYMOLOGY | Study is gloomy and yet exotic
*(GLOOMY + YET); “exotic” is anagram indicator |
17 | EXIT VALUE | Accountant’s price on the door perhaps?
Cryptically, the “price on the door” could be marked on the exit!; in accounting, exit value is the price at which an asset or liability could be sold |
19 | RUMP STEAK | With no hesitation supermarket reordered tasty cut
*(SUP<er>MARKET); “with no hesitation (=er)” means letters “er” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “reordered” |
24 | ECHO | I’m surprised the Church raised a sound response
OH (=I’m surprised) + CE (=the Church, of England); “raised” indicates vertical reversal |
25 | BIDET | President detailed Tesla’s rear-end washer
BIDE<n> (=President, i.e. Joe Biden; ”de-tailed” means last letter is dropped) + T (=tesla, i.e. derived SI unit); cryptically, a bidet could be described as a “rear-end washer” |
26 | ROWAN | Argue over a national fruit
ROW (=argue, quarrel) + A + N (=national) |
28 | OTTER | Fur could make cockney less cold
<h>OTTER (=less cold); “cockney” means initial “h” is dropped |
I actually spotted the theme for once and ended up with the same list as RR. With or without the theme this was a very accomplished puzzle, nicely challenging and good fun.
BETHUMPS was a new (old) word for me, but the setter neatly signalled that it is archaic.
With plenty of great clues to pick from, my favourite was TREK with BIDET and VICIOUS running it close.
Many thanks to Hippogryph and to RR.
I spotted the theme! Not that it greatly helped me…
A couple of tricky bits here, particularly NEED and EXIT VALUE (maybe more jargony than tricky). UREA was my favourite for the surface, and pleased to discover BETHUMPS is/was a word.
Thanks Hippogryph and RR.
Very enjoyable with a nice range of clues. Is price doing double duty in EXIT VALUE?
Thanks Hippogryph and RR
Transformer was actually released 50 years ago today.
A crossword puzzle about one of my favourite artists would have been nice enough. But an excellent puzzle on the perfect day for it? Genius! Thanks setter and, of course, blogger.
Had 1A a NEAT (Neath missing the H), which made a mess of 1d
VICIOUS & BIDET were great clues
Thanks for this. I’ve not been on here for ages due to lack of time, but really enjoyed today’s, but still can’t get 33a. I got it, as I realised TREX and the K but how does drops by mean get rid of the x?
Scatty@7 2X4 is two by four.
Oh, of course! Thanks so much. I’m a flipping Maths teacher too! I blame a hard day!
Thanks both and I’ll be watching out for Hippogryph in the future – right up my alley (UREA! Lol).
The Velvet Underground were, to my ear, in the vanguard of the ‘can’t play, can’t sing, look awful’ brigade who even yet stalk the lower foothills of music. The Bangles – now there’s a good group. 🙂
Well, I’d heard of Lou Reed, and I think I knew there was a song called Walk on the Wild Side, but that was the limit of my knowledge of the theme, but I didn’t need any more.
Never seen hippogryph before. This was a very good crossword. Enjoyed the free running clue. Very smooth surface and excellent misdirection
Many thanks to RR for the excellent and accurate blog and to all of you who solved the puzzle and made comments. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Lou Reed isn’t necessarily top of my play-list, but I did feel that this was an iconic album and sound so worthy of marking the 50th anniversary. Particular thanks to Mike H for allowing this to publish on the perfect day…