Knut on a Tuesday! We’re in for a treat!
As soon as we had solved 1ac we wondered whether it might be thematic – it is Tuesday and it is Knut – but it wasn’t until we had 18 and 19 across that we realised that our guess was correct.
We found the puzzle to be at the easier end of the Knut spectrum, but were really impressed by the number of thematic entries – the title of the song at 1ac / 5ac that, although we did not really like it when it was released in 1968, is a classic of its time, the singer at 18ac / 19ac, and no less than eight words from the lyrics:
“I am a 5ac for the 12ac
And I drive the 10ac road
Searching in the 11ac for another 14ac
I hear you singing in the 17ac
I can hear you through the whine
And the 1ac 5ac
Is still on the line
I know I need a small 23ac
But it don’t look like rain
And if it 28acs that 29ac down south
Won’t ever stand the 24ac
And I need you more than want you
And I want you for all (part)7d
And the 1ac 5ac is still on the line”
An anagram (‘working’) of WITH CIA
L (left) MAINE with the ‘ma’ moved to the back or ‘cycling’ + N (north)
Cryptic definition: the MAIN is the river (‘banker’) in Frankfurt
A reversal (‘rejected’) of NUS (National Union of Students) – whether The Sun can be called a ‘newspaper’ is debatable
COUNT (noble) Y (first letter or ‘head’ of Yorkshire)
A reversal (‘come round’) of I’D + W (with) ALI (Mohammed Ali – ‘The Greatest’)
OVERLOrD (‘D-Day operation’) with A (area) replacing or ‘prioritised for’ ‘r’ (resistance)
An anagram (‘aroused’) of GOT PIERS
First letters or ‘starts’ of Write Incredibly Rude Electronic
GLEaN (gather) with the ‘A’ (American) missing or ‘quitting’
CAME (arrived) round or ‘outside’ PuB (missing the middle letter or ’empty’) + L (large) L (loch)
V (very) A (advanced) CON (scam) round or ‘involving’ A T (Thailand) I (island)
A reversal (‘backing’) of NI (Northern Ireland – ‘Ulster’) ARTS (skills)
DEIGN (condescend) round or ‘accepting’ S (second)
A reversal (‘overturned’) of BAN (suspension)
S (small) NOW (present)
Double definition
GI (‘Joe’ – American soldier) in or ‘visiting’ A (ace) TATE (art gallery)
MAGI (‘the three wise men’) with IN outside or ‘outgoing’ + E (Eastern)
Hidden in cHEENAi (new name for Madras)
ASTI (‘Italian plonk’) in alternate letters (‘regularly downed’) of ThEoRy
hITCHED (got married) missing or ‘dumping’ ‘h’ (husband)
An anagram (‘to order’) of TEQUILA + ME (Knut)
A reversal (‘heading north’) of TAUT (tense) in or ‘transported by’ ACE (‘hot shot pilot’)
An anagram (‘swirls’) of I GULP CINNAMON
An anagram of EVITA PEROn without the last letter or ‘not quite’
RAVES (parties) in or ‘entering’ G T (first and last letters or ‘fringes’ of government)
PB (chemical symbol for lead) AG (chemical symbol for silver) round or ‘coating’ OST (East in German)
LOUT (yobbo) round or ‘nicking’ AID (‘charity money’)
Cryptic definition – a PICNIC being a ‘spread’ in the open air or ‘out’
RE (Religious Education – ‘scripture’) SET (‘group at school’)
Makes a change at 16D to have an anagram so blatantly indicated, but slightly disappointing. For once I saw the theme early on at 1/5A and 18/19A; didn’t have time to trawl through looking for other references so thanks B&J for doing this. Like you, I didn’t really like it at the time but its haunting aura grows on you. Much enjoyed, so thanks too to Knut.
After a bit of a mauling in the G, this morning, this was a very pleasant antidote from Knut and, for once, I remembered to look for the Tuesday theme. At first I thought the song and its singer were the whole theme but a scan of the lyrics threw up a bunch of other words incorporated in the grid. I think there are nine, actually – which is not too shabby considering how short the song is.
Faves include WICHITA, COUNTY, CAMPBELL, SNOW, ACTUATE, POSTBAG and PICNIC. HENNA was the only failure from a parsing perspective. (Slight typo in the blog which has Cheenai rather than Chennai)
Thanks Knut and B&J
Always a pleasure to solve a Knut crossword even if I am now stuck with an ear worm
Thanks to him and B&J
“…But it don’t look like (part)24ac…”
I make that eleven.
Saw Glen Campbell in Birmingham Symphony Hall in 2011 and he was marvellous, even though suffering from Alzheimers. His family band members gave him the most incredible support.
https://youtu.be/Q8P_xTBpAcY?si=Ss6rLH9BDgn1EOPI
Thank you Knut and B&J.
Enjoyed. Didn’t get the theme until the end possibly because I solved anti-clockwise. Big ticks for HENNA, OPERATIVE, POSTBAG, and CAMPBELL. COUNTY was my favourite because it stumped for some time. Thanks B&J and Knut.
Definitely at the easy end for Knut – and we spotted the theme but wasted time looking for other song titles. There is a song title though, Tequila, in the clue to 7dn. Favourite was HENNA for the use of the new name of Madras. But a minor grumble from pedants’ corner about 24ac; strain is not the same as stress – in engineering and other disciplines strain is the result of stress.
Thanks, though, to Knut and B&J
Thanks both. Knew little more than the song title, which helped with LINEMAN once I saw the artist across the centre. I’d agree it doesn’t quite make my top fifteen thousand songs of all time – nor does Lily the Pink, however the word efficacious in the clue for OPERATIVE caused it to resurface in my brain, about as subtlety as the anagrind being ‘anagram’
Thank you for the earworm Rob. I’ve had those lyrics lodged in my cranial filing cabinet since the year dot and never really understood what the guy was getting at. Vey accessible puzzle. I enjoyed the themers and especially/also the tricks in 10a, 12a, 28a, 2d, 22d. I did struggle for a while as to which way the switch went in 14a: left that until I got 8d at the end. Thanks also Bertandjoyce for the log.
Fourth puzzle today (one of which I blogged) so a tad tired but it would be remiss to ignore a Knutt offering as he rarely disappoints.
Thankfully this was quite light and great fun from the off with a theme that even I couldn’t fail to spot though I’d solved the puzzle before I did.
I particularly enjoyed SNOW, ACTUATE, LAID OUT (lol) POSTBAG and PICNIC but it was all top-notch.
Many thanks to Knutt and B&J.
15a really made me chuckle. ?
Thanks Knut. I agree that this was on the easier end of Knut’s spectrum. I saw the theme but didn’t know all the lyrics. Many great clues as usual — I ticked EQUAL TIME, ACTUATE, POST BAG, and LAID OUT. Thanks B&J for the blog.