I’m not sure why, but when I first looked at this puzzle, and saw the various clues with …,1,1,1,… enumeration I immediately assumed it was going to have a sporty theme with answers like JPR Williams or similar. This was enhanced by the surface reading of 5A where cricketers abound. I thought I would have to call on people more familiar with the genre to help.
As a result I had something of a blind spot on those clues and the clues associated with them through all the inter-clue references. Indeed when I began to solve some of those referenced answers I was even more baffled. In fact there is only one other slight cricketing reference – to Joe Root in 26D who even I have heard of.
The first clue in was 19A HUE and I made good headway from there via 16D into the bottom half, very much working up from the bottom. In fact at one point I had the whole of the bottom half of the puzzle in place, but nothing at all in the top half. Of course when I finally looked at the clue to 11A and substituted the answers I had it all became clear: The theme was the appalling greed and corruption of certain morally bankrupt Tory hangers-on taking the opportunity under cover of the pandemic to make stupendous millions. “We can get the stuff you want just sign here”.
The reason for the dire need for PPE in the NHS was only because that same government had let the stocks of PPE held in readiness for such an event dwindle and degrade, and taken a positive decision to do so and ignored warnings about PPE levels. It’s almost as if it was planned. The more we hear about it the worse it gets – falsified certifications, reputable companies ignored, etc. etc.
There is a telling silence from the mainstream press on the subject but the Independent and the Graun have been reporting matters quite well. I, of course, recommend Private Eye on the subject.
So top marks to Tyrus for providing at least some pleasure from the debacle.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/1D | MICHELLE MONE | Chill! I’m the one ultimately working with a lot of cash (13 member) (8,4) (CHILL ME (I’m) [on]E)* AInd: working, then MONE[y] (Cash, a lot of it) Definition “Lords (answer to 13) Member” refers to the fact that in 2015 David Cameron made her a baroness |
| 5 | WINDED | Broad’s day – Anderson finally overshadowed is puffing and blowing (6) WIDE (Broad) D[ay] around (overshadowed) [anderso]N Last one in |
| 10 | NIOBIUM | New moon – vagabond with Independent in element (7) N[ew] IO (moon), then I[ndependent] inside BUM (vagabond) |
| 11 | VIP LANE | Struggle to accept idea for short cut taken by 1A/1D and 25 of 22’s 24 (1,1,1,4) VIE (struggle) around PLAN (idea) The full definition after replacing the answers referenced by the clue numbers: short cut taken by Michelle Mone and landlord of Hancock’s local |
| 12 | GENEROUS | Large deposit returned in class (8) ORE< (deposit, returned) inside GENUS (class) |
| 13 | LORDS | Way into the Spanish ground (5) RD (way) inside LOS (the, Spanish) |
| 15/18 | SUBSTANARD PPE | Prats, you said! Bad spend wasted on this? (11,1,1,1) (PRATS U (you said) BAD SPEND)* AInd: wasted. &Lit. and an excellent surface reading for the stuff at the heart of this scandal. A scandal that won’t go away given it costs millions to properly dispose of this unusable rubbish, and millions more each year to store it until we do. |
| 19 | HUE | What about having turn in shade? (3) EH< (What, about) around U (turn). First one in. |
| 20 | BIOCHEMISTS | Scientists in pieces over schmoe I experimented on (11) (SCHMOE I)* AInd: experimented on, inside BITS (pieces) |
| 24 | LOCAL | Confined though unlikely to put on weight (5) Cryptic Def. referring to Lo-Cal, as in a low calorie diet |
| 25 | LANDLORD | Comic coming back round with letter (8) DROLL< (comic, coming back) around AND (with) |
| 28 | EPITHET | Describing height, ‘petite’ could be one (7) (H[eight] PETITE)* AInd: describing. A sort of semi-&Lit I think |
| 29 | OLOROSO | Knocked back very sweet old sherry (7) (SO, ROLO)< (very, sweet, both “knocked back”) then O[ld] giving that sherry more likely to inhabit crosswords than my drinks cupboard |
| 30 | SIGHED | Sounded fed up talking about team (6) Homophone “Side” HInd: talking about. |
| 31 | SKELETON | Winter sport Bob may follow (8) Ref Skeleton Bobsleigh |
| Down | ||
| 2 | CLOSE | The end is nigh (5) Classic double def. Close as in nearness, or close for finality. As used on the engraving on Harry Potter’s golden snitch! |
| 3 | EXIGENT | One’s old man going round demanding immediate attention (7) I (One has) inside EX GENT (old man) |
| 4 | LAMPOON | Mock crazy American politician being detained (7) A[merican] MP (politician) all inside (being detained by) LOON (crazy) |
| 6 | IMPALED | Naughty boy with Welshman getting stuck (7) IMP (Naughty boy) ALED (Welshman) |
| 7 | DIAGRAPHS | Suspect Padraig’s stealing Henry’s copying instruments (9) (PADRAIG’S + H[enry])* AInd: suspect. I was quite happy when I got this from the anagram, but now I find the copying instrument I was thinking of is called a Pantograph and now I cannot find a reference to a diagraph that isn’t a diphthong or similar |
| 8 | DRESS SENSE | You may show this in ‘Top Gear’ (5,5) A Cryptic Def. punning on the two senses of “gear”: Clothes (fashion) and Mechanisms (cars etc.) |
| 9 | AVESTA | Religious text that’s evangelical not wholly uplifting (6) Hidden rev in thAT’S EVAngelical |
| 14 | ASPHALTERS | While 24 varies, they do work on the surface (10) AS (while) PH (24, local, Public House, PH on ordnance survey maps), ALTERS (varies) |
| 16 | BREACHING | Getting as far as bridgehead before breaking through (9) B[ridge] REACHING (getting as far as) |
| 17 | DOC | Miners’ leader with Conservative party? (3) Do (party) C[onservative] Doc is the leader of the 7 dwarfs who are miners |
| 20 | BOLSHIE | Awkward layabout turned up – one he’s looking after (7) SLOB< (layabout, turned up) I inside HE |
| 21 | OBLATE | Able to convert religious type (6) (ABLE TO)* AInd: convert. |
| 23 | MILFOIL | Plant fuel – film planned on it (7) OIL (Fuel) after FILM* AInd: planned. |
| 26 | ROOST | England captain once seen with son in nightspot (5) S[on] inside ROOT Ref. The cricketer |
| 27/22 | JOHN HANCOCK | Can Chinese mate get signature? (4,7) JOHN (can, toilet) HAN (Chinese) COCK (mate) Apparently not everyone in the UK knows what is meant by this Americanism |
Too hard for me. I parsed 1a/1d as an anagram of CHILL + i’M thE onE (ultimately) +MONEy. My printed version has a mistake in 11a saying 1A/1A.
Some challenging solutions in here, some of which will have been forced by the theme – which is very well done. JOHN HANCOCK is certainly nho for me – I was desperately trying to recall if it was the name of MICHELLE MONE’s other half! WINDED was actually my favourite today, along with HUE, LANDLORD, SIGHED, IMPALED, AVESTA, BREACHING and OBLATE.
I have no idea whether this link will work but here should be a photograph of a DIAGRAPH.
A really tough puzzle, it was good to finish – even if the new software shoves up a ‘You’ve finished’ message which freezes the screen meaning I can’t see the filled in grid without refreshing screen and sitting through the advert and then revealing the solutions again. Sigh!
Thanks Tyrus and beermagnet
Thanks Tyrus and bm
I thought that was absolutely superb, and it may well end up as one of the puzzles of the year.
Re diagraph, from Chambers:
“An instrument for copying, enlarging or projecting drawings”
The word similar to a diphthong is a digraph, not a diAgraph.
Yes, it’s excellent.
The cricket misdirection.
Lots of Penny Drop Moments even on the three-letter words HUE and DOC
and then three Tea Trays as you work out the (1,1,1)s as VIP and PPE and the scandal in question.
Brilliant.
Thanks Tyrus and beermagnet.
Superb puzzle, thanks, Tyrus. I’m not a huge fan of overtly political themes – generally look for escapist entertainment in crosswords – but I greatly admire the craft and wit that has gone into this and it was a most enjoyable solve. Far from easy but the theme was certainly helpful, making it relatively quick compared to my usual performance with Tyrus puzzles.
Thanks for the blog, beermagnet. I agree that Private Eye is essential but depressing reading.
PM – no doubt someone will be along soon to tell us that John Hancock is an unacceptable Americanism.
Worth knowing about John Hancock, by the way – he was one of the founding fathers and his signature on the Declaration of Independence is where the usage comes from.
Great stuff. As well as the theme we liked the BIOCHEMISTS and ASPHALTERS.
Thanks, Tyrus and beermagnet.
Too hard for me. I got all of five clues before giving up.
Needed a bit of help to finish this but I have to express my admiration. Political point well made, but in the context of a well-constructed puzzle. Thanks, both.
Appreciated the tough challenge and refused to giver up. Liked WINDED, EXIGENT, and LANDLORD. Had no idea about the political references but finished with just two reveals and a lot of forensic resesarch online. Learnt heaps. Thanks.
Many thanks to beermagnet for the informative blog and to others for their comments.
Thanks also to Ms Mone and Mr Hancock for their contribution to the theme.
This was very difficult to solve without a knowledge of recent UK politics, but well worth it after researching the scandal online. As always, Tyrus had produced a thought-provoking and clever challenge. Thanks to him and to Beermagnet. The result is terribly depressing, though.
Very late comment – for obvious reasons of course but very much enjoyed. Thanks Tyrus and Beermagnet.
Surprised nobody mentioned the other Mr Hancock. My local absentee MP
Tyrus is often my source of info on how low the UK government has sunk.
I sort of worked out PPE from wordplay and google gave me the whole shooting match.
We need better times for JT to extol the merits of AJP Taylor or indeed JPR Williams
Thanks all!