Some nice surprises in today’s Falcon puzzle
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | TIER |
Row right after dead heat (4)
|
| TIE (dead heat) + R (right) | ||
| 8 | TICKER-TAPE |
Sort of parade in New York? Watch recording (6-4)
|
| TICKER (watch) + TAPE (recording). Surely, 50+ years have passed since the last actual ticker-tape parade. | ||
| 10 | CHASED |
Engraved metal sought (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | ESCAPADE |
Lark’s flight across a delta (8)
|
| ESCAPE (flight) around (across) {A + D (delta, i.e., “D” in Greek)}. See Comment 12. | ||
| 12 | HANDSOME |
Hotel, even more attractive (8)
|
| H (hotel) + AND SOME (even more) | ||
| 13 | IBERIA |
Peninsula in Russian region, not small (6)
|
| [S]IBERIA (Russian region) minus (not) S (small) | ||
| 15 | MERRIE ENGLAND |
Remind general about a German opera (6,7)
|
| Anagram of (about) REMIND GENERAL, referring to composer Sir Edward German | ||
| 18 | SNAP UP |
Eagerly purchase crack at university (4,2)
|
| SNAP (crack) + UP (at university) | ||
| 20 | EUROSTAR |
English celebrity describing our new rail service (8)
|
| {E (English) + STAR (celebrity)} around (describing) anagram of (new) OUR | ||
| 22 | TRUE GRIT |
Film based on fact — it follows King George (4,4)
|
| TRUE (based on fact) + GR (King George, i.e., Georgius Rex) + IT | ||
| 24 | MENACE |
Soldiers facing great danger (6)
|
| MEN (soldiers) + ACE (great) | ||
| 25 | PARLIAMENT |
A group of owls initially plagued a busy terminal (10)
|
| First letter of (“initially”) P[LAGUED] + A + anagram of (busy) TERMINAL | ||
| 26 | STUN |
Stagger round the bend on the way back (4)
|
| NUTS (round the bend) reversed (on the way back) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HIGHWAYMAN |
Passage checked by tall male, an old robber (10)
|
| WAY (passage) inside (checked by) {HIGH (tall) + M (male) + AN} | ||
| 2 | CRUSADER |
Campaigner, more coarse when held up (8)
|
| AS (when) inverted (up) and inside (held [by]) CRUDER (more coarse) | ||
| 3 | STUDIO |
Painstaking? All except us in workroom (6)
|
| STUDIO[US] (painstaking) minus (all except) US | ||
| 4 | FETCHING |
Fine work of art, attractive (8)
|
| F (fine) + ETCHING (work of art) | ||
| 5 | STAPLE |
Basic piece of wire (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | SPED |
Went fast through underpass, pedalling (4)
|
| Hidden in (through) [UNDERPAS]S PED[ALLING] | ||
| 9 | CRÈME DE MENTHE |
Men in Met cheered going off for a drink (5,2,6)
|
| MEN inside (in) anagram of (going off) MET CHEERED | ||
| 14 | INDIAN CLUB |
One may be used to exercise in a Delhi gym perhaps (6,4)
|
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | IMPERIAL |
August place in danger housing army’s leader (8)
|
| IMPERIL (place in danger) around (housing) first letter of (“leader” [of]) A[RMY] | ||
| 17 | ARSONIST |
Fire-raiser on stairs, running (8)
|
| Anagram of (running) ON STAIRS | ||
| 19 | PAELLA |
Mate entertaining the Spanish with a rice dish (6)
|
| {PAL (mate) around (entertaining) EL (the [in] Spanish)} + A | ||
| 21 | REMOTE |
Aloof concerning test on vehicle ending in failure (6)
|
| RE (concerning) + MOT (test on vehicle) + last letter of (“ending in”) [FAILUR]E | ||
| 23 | REAL |
Genuine old Spanish coin (4)
|
| Double definition |
I wondered whether UP was the University of Plymouth or somewhere else, and had forgotten that for some reason, in Crossword Land, “up” equals “at university”.
It took me a while to unearth Edward German and his opera, and I’d never heard of Indian clubs. But I surprised myself by remembering the Ministry Of Transport (assuming that’s what MOT stands for). And I learnt a new meaning for CHASED.
An enjoyable puzzle, thanks Falcon, and thnks Cineraria.
Quick but fun!
Liked ESCAPADE, TRUE GRIT, STAPLE and INDIAN CLUB – only knew the latter because a friend collects antique ones and they’re rather 12A, as cudgel go.
Thanks for a neatly clued grid, Falcon, and Cineraria for the blog.
Oops, as cudgels go.
An enjoyable puzzle and a neat and nice blog!
Thanks, Falcon and Cineraria!
ESCAPADE
A fun def.
HANDSOME and FETCHING
Both are.
SPED
A great surface.
INDIAN CLUB
A good extended def.
“Surely, 50+ years have passed since the last actual ticker-tape parade” – No, they’re still going… 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ticker-tape_parades_in_New_York_City
‘2021 – July 7 – Healthcare professionals and essential workers for their labor during the COVID-19 pandemic.’
‘1923 – October 5 – David Lloyd George, former prime minister of the United Kingdom.’ – a centenary
3 in ’33, none in ’43, 8 in ’53, 6 in ’63 including ‘October 4 – Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia.’
– a 60-year anniversary
FrankieG@5-8: I meant that these parades no longer use actual ticker tapes, and have not done for a very long time, since stock tickers became obsolete in the 1960s. The name has persisted long after the product that gave rise to the tradition.
Cineraria@9 – Yes, I wilfully ignored that fact so that I could highlight some anniversaries. It’s a hobby of mine.
For TRUE GRIT I checked all the years on the disambiguation page here. None ended in a 3. Shame…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Grit
…But I recalled that in 1985, after Band Aid, Margaret Thatcher gave a speech in which she described Bob Geldof as a “TRUE BRIT with TRUE GRIT”
A nice gag, but for the fact that Sir Bob is not British, but Irish. It’s all documented here at the ex-PM’s Foundation – both speech and BBC news item transcript.
https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/105977
1985 Feb 27 Wed – Remarks at Daily Star Gold Star Awards (confrontation with Bob Geldof)
Michael Buerk(MB), BBC – The Prime Minister came in for some unexpected lobbying today from a pop star. Bob Geldof, winner of a newspaper award for raising millions of pounds for Ethiopia, tackled Mrs. Thatcher about the government’s response to the famine and the part of the Band Aid’s record profits which went in VAT payments. Michael Sullivan reports:
Michael Sullivan(MS), BBC – Mrs. Thatcher was at a London hotel to meet people cited by the Daily Star newspaper for bravery and perseverance. Seventeen people who, said Mrs. Thatcher exemplified the British spirit, like three year-old Luke Milligan who’s learned to walk on artificial feet after having his own deformed feet amputated. The award winners were all suitably awe-struck in the presence of the Prime Minister, except for Bob Geldof who was not pleased at having to pay so much of the money he’d raised back to the tax man.
Bob Geldof(BG) – Well we had a bit of a problem with the VAT on the record.
Margaret Thatcher(MT) – I know, but you know, don’t forget, we’ve used some of your VAT to give back and to plough back. We’ve given again and again, I mean government has to get taxation from somewhere, so you …
MS – But Bob Geldof was not deterred and displayed his brand of courage and perseverance by pressing a protesting Mrs Thatcher to do still more for Ethiopia.
BG – I mean at the moment you’ve got a problem with the butter mountain and you don’t know how to dispose of it, you sell it to the Russians is the cheapest way.
MT – I’m sorry but butter doesn’t do very much good in Africa as you know, it’s grain.
BG – Well butter oil actually does, it’s one of the major …
MT – Butter oil if you can, if you can get down …
BG – Well, it is a by-product of butter.
MT – Well, look, a lot is going, a lot of surplus food is going, but don’t forget …
BG – But Prime Minister there are millions dying and that’s a terrible thing.
MT – Indeed.
MB – Difficult to tell who was lecturing who.’ –
FG – It’s “whom“, Michael Buerk, “whom“!
For ESCAPADE – got the D = delta from the Nato rather than Greek alphabet
For HANDSOME – Falcon seems to be cluing “AND SOME” – a phrase which isn’t in any dictionary – as equivalent to “AND THEN SOME” which is.
It could be justified as AND+SOME = AND, then SOME. Is this the intention? Is this allowable?
FrankieG@12: I forgot about NATO, but that is probably the intended source.
FrankieG@13: The expression, e.g., “twenty-some” is certainly viable and familiar, and I think, e.g., “twenty-and-some” is intelligible, although I cannot point to a personal or official attestation for it.
FrankieG@13
AND then SOME: Sounds plausible.
Famous quotes from
1: TRUE GRIT(1969) US Western directed by Henry Hathaway- John Wayne as US Marshal Rooster Cogburn – “Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!”
2: An unTRUE non-BRIT(1985) – Sir Bob Geldof as just plain Bob Geldof – “Give us your f*cking money!”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/the-urban-myth-of-sir-bob-geldofs-271609
The urban myth of Sir Bob Geldof’s legendary Live Aid outburst – David Hepworth, one of the presenters:
”He made his case as to why people should put hands in their pockets to help the starving.
“Fine,” I said and then, because I knew what order the captions would come up in, I added to camera: “Here’s the address…”
“F*ck the address,” interjected Geldof. “Go to the phone number!”’
Very nice puzzle. Particularly liked the German opera, which led me right up the garden path as intended. Thanks, Falcon and Cineraria.
I agree with Widdersbel. I had never heard of Sir Edward German. He is not in Kobbe’s Complete Opera Book. He seems to be more of an operetta man.
Thanks Falcon and Cineraria . It was fun and very quick for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrie_England_(opera)
Merrie England is an English comic opera in two acts by Edward German to a libretto by Basil Hood,
The music is an example of the style of English light opera made famous in the 1870s and 1880s by Gilbert and Sullivan.
The piece played at the Savoy Theatre in London in 1902–1903.
In Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation year (1953), over five hundred amateur societies staged the piece.
“The Yeomen of England”, became a favourite and was performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee celebrations in 2002.’
I have to admit I’m more familiar with Merrie England as the subject of Jim’s speech in Lucky Jim.
Flying Dutchman obviously didn’t fit.
Thanks Falcon for a good set of clues. I liked EUROSTAR and IMPERIAL and didn’t fully understand “a German opera” or the MOT in REMOTE. Thanks Cineraria for the blog.