It’s a puzzle from Raich today, rather than Phi who normally appears on a Friday. Phi is scheduled for Saturday this week.
I know that Raich is a keen football fan. Indeed his pseudonym relates to a footballer who played at the highest level of English football for over 20 years before moving into management for a further 13.
It is no surprise then that Raich has chosen to feature a football event that took place 100 years ago today – 28th April 1923 when the FIRST MATCH at WEMBLEY Stadium was the FA Cup FINAL between BOLTON Wanderers and WEST HAM United. BOLTON won TWO-NIL in front of a crowd that was estimated to exceed the official capacity by a significant margin. The start of the match was delayed 45 minutes whilst the overspill of the CROWD onto the pitch was cleared. A police WHITE HORSE played a key role in clearing the playing surface.
The thematic items shown in blue above are placed symmetrically in the grid. I have also shaded TURNSTILE as a thematic entry given that spectators in 1923 would have entered WEMBLEY through a TURNSTILE. However I don’t think the symmetrical entry STATUETTE has a thematic connection, so perhaps TURNSTILE is just a coincidence.
It’s not often you get 36 clues in a weekday crossword so solvers have plenty to get their teeth into with this puzzle.
I wonder if I was the only solver who focused on the MED[iterranean] sea in the wordplay for 19 down before realising that we needed the French word MER?
The definition of TALON at 19 down was new to me as was AMORETTI at 20 down where I was getting confused with Amaretto liqueur and Amaretti biscuits.
The BBC Sports website HERE has a long article about the event.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Wave hit shore, we fancy (5,5) WHITE HORSE (WHITE-topped wave) Anagram of (fancy) HIT SHORE WE WHITE HORSE* |
| 6 |
Bring back bags of money in end (4) STOP (finish; end) POTS (large sums of [bags of] money) POTS< |
| 10 |
Rule safeguarding sci-fi film award perhaps (9) STATUETTE (An Oscar film award is a STATUETTE) STATUTE (permanent law or rule) containing (safeguarding) ET (science fiction film) STATU (ET) TE |
| 11 |
Ruling out further discussion, finances cut by 50%, ultimately cruel (5) FINAL (last; decisive or conclusive, thereby ruling out further discussion) FINA (first 4 of 8 letters remaining in FINANCES when the final 4 letters (50%) are excluded [cut]) + L (last letter of [ultimately] CRUEL) FINA L |
| 12 |
Hint about Brussels business connection (3-2) TIE-UP (business association) TIP (hint) containing (about) EU [European Union which is often referred to as ‘Brussels’ where its headquarters are located) TI (E U) P |
| 14 |
Chatroom guy maybe not fully up-to-date with schedule on return (9) MODERATOR (person who monitors the conversations in an on-line chatroom for bad language, inappropriate content, etc; chatroom guy or gal) MODERN (up-to-date) excluding the final letter (not fully) N + ROTA (schedule) reversed (on return) MODER ATOR< |
| 16 |
Wanderers home blessing to have military person involved (6) BOLTON (home of BOLTON Wanderers Football Club) BOON (blessing) containing (to have … involved) LT (Lieutenant; military rank) BO (LT) ON |
| 18 |
Elm, yew, initially both unfamiliar in playing area (7) WEMBLEY (sports stadium; playing area) Anagram of (unfamiliar) ELM, YEW and B (first letter of [initially] BOTH) WEMBLEY* |
| 21 |
Players bearing with poor performer (4,3) WEST HAM (Football team [players]) WEST (compass bearing) + HAM (poor actor or performer) WEST HAM |
| 22 |
To begin with, that was one night in London for 16 with this result (3-3) TWO-NIL (score at the end of the thematic football match in favour of BOLTON [16 across]) TWO-NIL (initial letters of [to begin with] each of THAT, WAS, ONE, NIGHT, IN and LONDON) T W O–N I L |
| 25 |
Public dispute about hotel’s downfall (9) OVERTHROW (unseating; downfall) (OVERT [public] + ROW [dispute]) containing (about) H (hotel) OVERT (H) ROW |
| 27 |
Provide better weapons for military at back, munitions at the outset (5) REARM (provide new [better] weapons for military forces) REAR (back) + M (first letter of [at the outset] MUNITIONS) REAR M |
| 29 |
Feature of 1A 11A boast by Duke (5) CROWD (For the WHITE HORSE FINAL [1 across, 11 across], WEMBLEY Stadium had a legal limit of 125,000. Official records say the actual CROWD number was 126,047 but, according to Wikipedia, unofficial estimates put the figure nearer 300,000) CROW (boast) + D (duke) CROW D |
| 31 |
Something at 18 goes with hat (9) TURNSTILE (revolving frame that allows one person to pass at a time. Device frequently used at football stadia such as WEMBLEY [18 across]) TURNS (operates; goes) + TILE (slang for a hat) TURNS TILE |
| 33 |
Set about crossing European river (4) TEES (name of river in the North East of England) SET reversed [about] containing (crossing) E (European) TE (E) S< – either E could be the one contained |
| 34 |
Earliest source of flame? 1A 11A was this at 18 (5,5) FIRST MATCH (lighting the FIRST MATCH would have created a flame a long time ago [earliest source of flame]) FIRST MATCH (The WHITE HORSE [1 across] FINAL [11 across] was the FIRST MATCH played at WEMBLEY [18 across]) FIRST MATCH |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Container with dust objection raised (7) WASHTUB (container for washing clothes) W (with) + ASH (dust) + BUT (objection) reversed (raised; down entry) W ASH TUB< |
| 2 |
Public perception of glossy publication? That is about it! (5) IMAGE (character or attributes of a person, institution, business, etc as regarded by the general public; public perception) IE (id est; that is) containing (about) MAG (MAGazine; glossy publication) I (MAG) E |
| 3 |
Bird‘s unusual motion, edging at first upwards (3) EMU (bird) UME (initial letters of each of UNUSUAL, MOTION and EDGING) reversed (upwards; down entry) (E M U)< |
| 4 |
Somewhat upfront, I’m exclaiming Start at 1A 11A not like this (2,4) ON TIME (the WHITE HORSE FINAL [1 across, 11 across] did not start ON TIME. It started 45 minutes late as fans had overflowed the terraces on to the pitch which had to be cleared before the game could begin) ON TIME (hidden phrase in [somewhat] UPFRONT I’M EXCLAIMING) ON TIME |
| 5 |
Society favourite upset, far from happy, quit (4,4) STEP DOWN (resign; quit) S (society) + PET (favourite) reversed (upset) + DOWN (sad; far from happy) S TEP< DOWN |
| 7 |
Effect of sun seen oddly in train (3) TAN (exposure to sun gives the skin a TAN) TAN (letters 1, 3 and 5 [odd letters; oddly] of TRAIN) TAN |
| 8 |
Frenzy after friend ignores New Zealand horse (7) PALFREY (a saddle-horse, especially for a lady) PAL (friend) + FRENZY excluding (ignores) NZ (New Zealand) PAL FREY |
| 9 |
A service going up at distance (4) AFAR (at a distance) A + RAF (Royal Air Force; armed service A FAR< |
| 13 |
Dog and what it might do, check! (5) POOCH (dog) POO (defecate; what a dog might do) + CH (check) POO CH |
| 15 |
Thanks teacher leaving capital getting pile of cards (5) TALON (cards remaining after the deal) TA (thanks) + LONDON (capital [city]) excluding (leaving) DON (university teacher) TA LON |
| 17 |
Story about extremely sartorial fabric (5) LISLE (long-stapled, hard-twisted cotton yarn; fabric) LIE (story) containing (about) SL (outer letters of [extremely] SARTORIAL) LI (SL) E |
| 19 |
Pained expression in sea off Nice that may be cutting (5) MOWER (device that cuts grass; that may be cutting) OW (expression of pain) contained in (in) MER (French [Nice, city in France] for ‘sea’) M (OW) ER |
| 20 |
Boys painted Medical Officer in strange attire (8) AMORETTI (cupids [representation of the God Eros {a winged figure of a young boy often carrying a bow and arrow representing love} often featuring in art; painted boys) MO (Medical Officer) contained in (in) an anagram of (strange) ATTIRE A (MO) RETTI* |
| 21 |
Seek to impress daughter censored in print (7) WOODCUT (an impression [print] taken from .a design incised into the surface of a block of wood cut along the grain) WOO (seek to impress) + D (daughter) + CUT (censored) WOO D CUT |
| 23 |
Person easily deceived by recycled article in Palace location (7) LAMBETH (LAMBETH Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury) LAMB (someone simple, innocent, sweet or gentle and easily deceived) + an anagram of (recycled) THE (definitive article) LAMB ETH* |
| 24 |
Is much bigger than FDR was – bizarre! (6) DWARFS (is much bigger than) Anagram of (bizarre) WAS FDR DWARFS* |
| 26 |
Fuss excessively about dinner’s starter (2-2) TO-DO (fuss) TOO (excessively) containing (about) D (first letter of [starter] DINNER) TO (D) O |
| 28 |
Article used in Milan a non-drinker holds in inclined position (5) ATILT (in an inclined position) IL (Italian masculine form of the definitive article) contained in (used in) (A + TT [teetotal; non-drinker) A T (IL) T |
| 30 |
Day featured in Old English poem (3) ODE (poem) D (day) contained in (featured in) OE (Old English) O (D) E |
| 32 |
Reportedly a remarkable amount of money (3) SUM (amount of money) SUM (sounds like [reportedly] SOME [remarkable]) SUM |
Bumped into the theme courtesy of the BBC link above, already having FINAL and googling it with horse. Centenary next month it said. Proved helpful and I completed in due course. Liked DWARFS, TALON (new), and FIRST MATCH but they were all enjoyable. Also thought of MED rather than MER (for a while). Couldn’t correctly parse 1d and as always it’s obvious now. Thanks both.
Nice puzzle, thanks, Raich and Duncan.
I didn’t think I knew about this match but on looking it up I realise I was familiar with the famous photo of the policeman on his white horse among the crowds.
And yes, I also got led astray by 19d and entered MOWED, even though it didn’t quite fit the definition. Held me up with 27a for ages until I realised my error.
What a splendid grid fill from Raich. Really nice to get all those meaningful themers into the puzzle. And nice to learn about the event as a result. All very enjoyable and, yes, I was MOWED for a while, too.
Thanks Raich and duncan
They should have charged more than a tanner for entrance!
Nice piece of Memory lane.
I always groan when there’s a football related theme given I (deliberately) know nothing about it. Like Sofamore I managed to find the wiki from those other clues.
I fell into the same Med/Mer trap too. Think that will get quite a few.
Thanks Duncan
Down to my last one in – 16a B?L?O? before spotting the theme.
Great fun. Thanks Horatio & duncanshiell
Very interesting, new to me. Incredible crowd photos. My two favourite items in the wikipedia article were that Oswald Mosley was told off in Parliament for referring to the crowd as hooligans, no lessons learned there, and that the policeman on the white horse didn’t use any of the free tickets given to him for future cup finals because he didn’t like football.
My ideal puzzle, taking exactly the time taken to consume breakfast and a theme I know something about, for once! Thanks Rich and Duncan
Raich sorry (blame spellchecker).
Primarily a thing I learnt today is a new word for inclined. I racked my brains for Crystal Palace’s ground, but Selhurst Park didn’t fit. I guess the Jules Rimet trophy was once won at Wembley and was a STATUETTE. Thanks, both.
I know nothing about sports, but I managed to solve this without the hint feature, a rarity for me. (Although I did look up a few of the words once I’d completed the wordplay, to verify definitions.) I was fortunate enough to be familiar with TALON as a card term, from reading too many Hoyle books, and “mer” was the first thing that came to mind for a French sea.
A trespasser from TfTT here who posts there as boltonwanderer. Someone there drew my attention to this. Thank you Raich, you’ve made my day. And thanks to Billy the White Horse, who made it possible.
Yes, agree with all the above. Nice history lesson and helpful grid layout, for me. I chose MED like so many others.
How come I’ve not heard this piece of history before? It’s such a seminal tale, full of lessons still not learned today.
Many thanks R&D
Very enjoyable and for me educational theme, having previously been only vaguely aware of the event, mainly thanks to the famous WHITE HORSE photo. As Xmac @13 points out, the lessons from that day may still not have been learned; perhaps I missed it, but I was surprised that there was no reference to Hillsborough in either Wikipedia or the excellent article on the BBC Sports website.
Thanks to Raich and Duncan
Many thanks, Duncan, for the excellent, comprehensive, blog, which explains everything as intended. As you suggest TURNSTILE and STATUETTE was just coincidence with the latter not thematic. By coincidence most of the themed items ended up in symmetrical positions but this had not been in any way planned. Difficult enough to get them into the grid, while at the same time ensuring “normal” entries would not be words that were too obscure or unfamiliar.
Many thanks also to all who commented.
We don’t take a lot of interest in football but we soon cottoned on to the theme although we didn’t grasp the full significance of it. That didn’t prevent us finishing and parsing everything, and we only momentarily thought of ‘Med’ instead of ‘mer’. Favourites were PALFREY and WOODCUT.
Thanks, Raich and Duncan.
Thanks Raich and Duncan. I don’t think I’ve ever solved a Raich crossword before — it was a pleasure. Even though I’m totally ignorant about the theme I managed quite well — that’s a sign of setter who can write good clues.