Wiglaf has supplied this week’s Thursday teaser, and tease indeed it did, at least me, for a very long time.
I think that I got there in the end, and I am satisfied with my parsing of all but the very last down clue, where I am not sure of the definition.
Even though it is not theme day today, I am wondering if there is a reason for having so many forenames as entries – at 7, 11, 21D, 22A, 26D and 27D. But if there is, it eludes me.
There was a lot to admire today, but my favourites have to be 5 and 10, for overall construction; 23 and 28, for surface reading; and, by some margin, 20, for its silky-smooth surface and brilliant construction.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | SYCAMORE | Yankee plane, burning, crosses Yankee river
[Y (=Yankee, in radio telecommunications) + CAM (=river, in England)] in SORE (=burning, of e.g. rash); the English sycamore is the US plane tree |
| 05 | COOPER | Gary for one or Bill’s partner for one
COO (=Bill’s partner, as in to bill and coo) + PER (=for one); the reference is to the US actor Gary Cooper (1901-61) |
| 09 | RENEGADE | Rebellious Frenchwoman goes outside to wander in search of pleasure
GAD (=to wander in search of pleasure) in RENÉE (=Frenchwoman) |
| 10 | STATIC | Played tipcat with son for a bit of pork crackling
*(TI<p>CAT + S); “son (=S) for a bit of pork (=p, i.e. first letter)” means letter “s” replaces “p” in anagram, indicated by “played”; static is the crackling on a vinyl record |
| 11 | NORMA | A lot of French opera // stars
Double definition: Norma is an 1831 opera by Vincenzo Bellini AND The Rule, a small southern constellation; NORMA<n> (=French; “a lot of” means last letter is dropped) |
| 12 | COOPERATE | Be willing to assist Fed after 5
COOPER (=(entry at) 5) + ATE (=fed, nourished oneself) |
| 15 | GLYCOL | Some strikingly coloured compound
Hidden (“some”) in “strikinGLY COLoured”; a glycol is an intermediate compound between alcohol and glycerine |
| 17 | TAOISTS | Chinese philosophers sit up when tucking into ground oats
*(SIT) in *(OATS); “up” and “ground” are both anagram indicators |
| 20 | PROVERB | Saw R&B show with New Order
PROVE (=show, demonstrate) + RB (=R&B); “with New Order” means the components of the wordplay change places |
| 22 | AUDREY | Squirrel’s nest found by a posh girl
A + U (=posh) + DREY (=squirrel’s nest) |
| 24 | DESCRIBED | Gave an account of fourth-rate brothel, terribly seedy for the most part externally
D (=fourth-rate, after A, B and C) + [CRIB (=brothel, colloquially) in *(SEED<y>); “for the most part” means that last letter is dropped by anagram, indicated by “terribly” |
| 26 | LATER | I will leave sales counter, but not now
RETA<i>L (=sales; “I will leave” means letter “i” is dropped); “counter” indicates reversal |
| 27 | JALOPY | Crow circles crop heap
LOP (=crop, cut top off) in JAY (=crow); a jalopy is a worn-out car, hence a heap |
| 28 | ACCUSTOM | Get used to upset stomach, mainly after ingesting copper
CU (=copper, i.e. chemical symbol) in *(STOMAC<h>); “mainly” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “upset” |
| 29 | ERASER | It may delete title from surreal horror film
ERASER<head> (=surreal horror film, by David Lynch in 1977); “title (=head, heading) from” means letters “head” are dropped |
| 30 | ASSASSIN | One dispatches noodles with it
ASS (=noodle, nitwit) + ASS (=noodle, nitwit) + IN (=with it, trendy); to dispatch is to kill, put to death |
| Down | ||
| 01 | SPRING | Bound to see kids dropping off
<off>SPRING (=kids, issue); “dropping off” means letters “off” are dropped |
| 02 | CONTRALTO | Right-wing Nicaraguan officer’s introduction to opera singer
CONTRA (=right-wing Nicaraguan) + LT (=officer, i.e. lieutenant) + O<pera> (“introduction to” means first letter only) |
| 03 | MAGMA | Business meeting with postgraduate about underground rock
AGM (=business meeting, i.e. Annual General Meeting) in MA (=postgraduate, i.e. Master of Arts) |
| 04 | RADICAL | Dirac electrolysed aluminium phosphate?
*(DIRAC) + AL (=aluminium, i.e. chemical symbol); “electrolysed” is anagram indicator |
| 07 | PETRA | Dear God, it’s an ancient city
PET (=dear, darling) + RA (=God, of sun, in ancient Egypt); Petra is a historic archeological city in southern Jordan |
| 08 | ROC | Powerful bird biting head off large reptile
<c>ROC (=large reptile, i.e. crocodile); “biting head off” means first letter is dropped |
| 13/06 | OUT OF THE WOOD | Safe from danger in the forest? Just the opposite
“out of the wood” is the opposite of “in the forest”! |
| 14 | EASY | The asylum-seekers take a walk in the park
Hidden (“take”) in “thE ASYlum-seekers” |
| 16 | CHERRY PIE | Munch her pricey dessert
*(HER PRICEY); “munch” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | SPECTATES | Witnesses art collection being dumped in bins
TATE (=art collection) in SPECS (=bins, from binoculars) |
| 19 | OP-ED | Recycled information in newspaper article
DOPE (=information, gen); “recycled” means first letter moves to end of word |
| 21 | BOB | Fish heads from Bay of Biscay
B<ay> O<f> B<iscay>; “heads from” means first letters only; to bob is to fish with a bob-fly, in angling |
| 22 | ADDICTS | Maybe druggies did set out to break laws
*(DID) in ACTS (=laws); “set out” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | TRUMAN | Former president snubbed a new president
TRUM<p> (=former president; “snubbed”, i.e. cut short, curtailed, means last letter is dropped) + A + N (=new, as in New Testament); the reference is to the 33rd US President Harry S Truman |
| 25 | SYLVA | No time for vastly different trees in a region
*(VAS<t>LY); “no time (=T) for” means letter “t” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “different” |
| 26 | LAURA | Recluses’ dwellings primarily lacking air
L<acking> (“primarily” means first letter only) + AURA (=air, atmosphere); in the Orthodox church, a laura is a monastery including caves or cells for hermits |
| 27 | JOE | Jack Jones occasionally has coffee in diner
J (=jack, in cards) + <j>O<n>E<s> (“occasionally” means alternate letters only); the reference might be to the Joe Coffee chain of coffee shops in the US |
Like RR, I noticed the large number of names – and also the almost symmetrical placing of four 5-letter words ending in A – PETRA, NORMA, SYLVA and LAURA (the last two of which were nho). Also, like RR, I have not encountered JOE in this context and am at a loss.
Lots to enjoy including SYCAMORE, STATIC, PROVERB, JALOPY, ASSASSIN, SPRING, PETRA and TRUMAN. I am more familiar with WOODS, plural, in the phrase and I did not spot REcycled as a cycling clue, daft though that may seem. I would take it as an anagrind and need to ponder that one a bit more.
Thanks Wiglaf and RR
The tale goes that during World War 1 Josephus Daniels was secretary to the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson and was well renowned for imposing strict rules that the whole Navy had to follow. One of the most infamous decisions was to completely outlaw any alcohol on all naval bases, meaning that coffee was the strongest drink available to the sailors. Therefore, coffee was insultingly referred to as a “cup of Joseph”, and eventually a “cup of joe”.
Joe’s Diner is a placeholder name for a fictional or hypothetical everyman’s restaurant. Although there are franchises that use the name, its rhetorical use is often to describe a small, local business contrasted against large businesses or franchises.
Thanks, Wiglaf and RR!
JOE
DD+wordplay
coffee, diner-2 defs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. 1990, 1991 … 2017
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Palmer
LAURA Palmer(Sheryl Lee) – A high school student whose death is the catalyst for the events of the series
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Cooper
FBI Special Agent Dale COOPER/COOPERATE (Kyle MacLachlan) – obsessed with coffee (JOE) investigates.
Sheriff Harry S. TRUMAN (Michael Ontkean),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Horne
AUDREY Horne(Sherilyn Fenn) becomes infatuated with Agent Cooper and spies on her father for clues in an effort to win Agent Cooper’s affection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Horne
AUDREY Horne(Sherilyn Fenn) becomes infatuated with Agent Cooper and spies on her father for clues in an effort to win Agent Cooper’s affection
Also: SYLViA Horne(Jan D’Arcy) Audrey’s mother
NORMA Jennings(Peggy Lipton) owner of the Double R diner
Robert “BOBby” Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) was Laura Palmer’s boyfriend
Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) describes the diner as “where pies go when they die” and even says that “they’ve got a CHERRY PIE there that’ll kill ya.”
Sorry, for the doppelganger AUDREYs
First I had spotted, as RR:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eraserhead
‘ERASERhead … 1977 American surrealist body horror film written, directed, produced, and edited by David Lynch’
It’s a brilliant film, memorable after all these years, unlike lots of films I’ve seen more recently. But that may be a sign of age.
And had to look up Chambers to justify HEAD: ; ‘title, heading ;’
Wasn’t Bob the bogeyman?
COOPER ATE CHERRY PIE
Lovely stuff, thanks, Wiglaf and RR. Agree that PROVERB is particularly brilliant but I also liked ASSASSIN.
The theme is one very dear to my heart so I particularly appreciated that aspect of it – and it makes a nice change from 50-year-old albums, eh, FrankieG?
James @10 – yes!
Cooper also drank a lot of JOE.
James@10 yes, well spotted!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_(Twin_Peaks)
James@11 missed it – D’oh! 🙂
Widdersbel@14 yes, he’s “obsessed with coffee (JOE)”
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/twin-peaks-the-tao-of-agent-cooper-122164/
‘Twin Peaks’: The TAO[ISTS] of Agent Cooper – On Coffee
“The true test of any hotel, as you well know, Diane, is that morning cup of coffee.”
“You know, this is – excuse me – a damn fine cup of coffee. I’ve had I can’t tell you how many cups of coffee in my life, and this – this is one of the best.”
“Damn good coffee. And hot!” | “Black as midnight on a moonless night.” | “Never drink coffee that has been anywhere near a fish.”
Wonderful to see a Wiglaf crossword here again. Thanks to everybody who spotted the various Twin Peaks theme words. I was a fan of this but had forgotten most of the characters. I think RatkojaRiku’s final paragraph pretty much sums up my favourites as well.
Widdersbel@12 – “a nice change from 50-year-old albums” – where have I heard that before?
I haven’t seen The Return yet, but – spoiler alert – it apparently features a regnagleppod<
I'm off to binge-watch it forthwith.
[Hovis@17 there’s a reply to you on yesterday’s blog]
Thanks both.
KVA @2. Another story about the derivation of Joe is that instant coffee was developed for American soldiers during one of the wars and hence a cup of (GI) Joe, I think I learnt that from one of those “inside the factory” TV shows.
OED says quite simply “origin unknown” from which you can infer they’ve found no evidence to support the popular theories (it’s rarely anything so specific). Merriam-Webster suggests “perhaps alteration of Java” which sounds more plausible but they’re not committed to it. At least no one is suggesting it’s an acronym or rhyming slang.
FrankieG @19. Thanks for that. Never seen that before.
Thanks both. Twin Peaks was never for me, and wasn’t particularly looking for a theme anyway. LOI was NORMA which I now see as a triple rather than double definition, having resorted unsuccessfully to a list of French operas. At least ERASER(head) was confined to the single reference – for me, one of the worst films I have ever watched
Re 27D, US slang for a cup of coffee is ‘a cup of joe’.
Oops, didn’t see KVa @2
A tricky challenge from Wiglaf today. We missed the theme completely despite being avid Twin Peaks fans. Having said that, we did not like the ending although we cannot remember now what happened – blame it on our age! However, we did remember Laura, Cooper and cherry pie.
Thanks to both.
Another very tenuously linked COOPER – the actress who played Shellie on Twin Peaks now plays Alice COOPER, the mother of Betty Cooper in Riverdale.
Thanks RatkojaRiku and Wiglaf.
Brilliant! Took forever. Esp, NW.
SYCAMORE
RENEGADE
COOPER
JALOPY
MAGMA make my list.
At 12a – the “Fed” is not Bluth this time, but a different G[or]-Man.
Liked PROVERB for signalling the wordplay with the name of a band. Here’s their notorious hit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(New_Order_song)
Blue Monday(1983) – a 40-year anniversary – by English rock band New Order is the best-selling 12-inch single of all time, but the elaborate packaging meant that Factory Records made a 5p loss on each copy, not expecting it to be so successful. Madchestershire.
No More Mr. Nice Guy by American rock band Alice COOPER was a hit in 1973 – a 50-year anniversary – Thanks Hovis@27
And for me, that year, School was out forever.
Thanks W&RR
Only moan is the grid. I got stuck in one corner and had no other way in.