Welcome back to Raider, who doesn’t seem to have featured here for a while.
Almost all the surfaces today are plausible sentence fragments that make sense; I particularly liked 13a, 15a, 20a (!), 26a and 22d. We also have a few cleverly misleading definitions: “Canadian game” looks like one of many sports references but isn’t, and 6d is a knowing wink to grammar pedants. Special mention also to the groan-inducing pun of 11a and the misdirection of “spread bet” in 10d. My only minor niggle is the “Harry Potter” device in 18d, which was very clever the first time someone used it but I think I’ve seen it a few times too many. Thanks Raider for the fun.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CHANNEL-SURFING |
Switching sides in main event between England and France? (7-7)
|
| Definition and cryptic definition. Slang for switching between multiple TV channels in search of something to watch (when the choice was only between BBC and ITV, we probably said “the other side”). Surfing = sporting activity on the sea (the main) = main event, though attempting it in the English Channel (said to be the busiest shipping lane in the world) seems a really bad idea. | ||
| 8 | ALBUM |
Book a seat on-line (5)
|
| A + BUM (seat), around (on) L (abbreviation for line). I’d write it as “online”, but Raider has helpfully hyphenated it to hint at the required split. | ||
| 9 | TRIPWIRE |
It’s a trigger to thrash judge, according to Spooner (8)
|
| Spoonerism (for some people’s pronunciation, depending on how they pronounce WH) of WHIP (thrash) TRIER (one who tries a case = judge). | ||
| 11 | TORRENT |
Surge in cost for hill dwellers? (7)
|
| TOR (a hill) RENT (payment for accommodation = cost for . . . dwellers). | ||
| 12 | AIRFARE |
Heavens! Food price to go up? (7)
|
| AIR (as in “up in the air” = heavens) + FARE (food).
The cost of going up in an aeroplane. |
||
| 13 | TABOO |
You shouldn’t have breast reduction! It’s forbidden (5)
|
| TA (slang for thank you; “you shouldn’t have!” = a rather illogical way of expressing gratitude for someone’s generosity) + BOO[b] (slang for a breast) without the last letter (reduction). | ||
| 15 | EXEMPTION |
Labour MP replacing Rishi initially – that’s a relief (9)
|
| EXE[r]TION (labour = hard work), with MP replacing the R which is the initial letter of R[ishi].
As in “tax relief” = a rule that exempts certain benefits from tax liability. |
||
| 17 | BEEFEATER |
One guarding striker receiving back pay (9)
|
| BEATER (striker), containing (receiving) FEE (pay, as a noun) reversed (back).
A member of the ceremonial guard at the Tower of London. |
||
| 20 | OVERT |
Close to arrest after balls shown in public (5)
|
| Last letter (close) of [arres]T, after OVER (a sequence of balls bowled in cricket). | ||
| 21 | LIKABLE |
Winning‘s apt when holding high card (7)
|
| LIABLE (apt, as in “he’s apt to get excited”), containing (holding) K (abbreviation for king = a high-scoring card in card games).
Winning = likable (perhaps more usually spelled likeable) = descriptive of someone easy to get along with. |
||
| 23 | CARIBOU |
Coach has one period cut short in Canadian game (7)
|
| CAR (coach, as in the “dining car” in a train) + I (one in Roman numerals) + BOU[t] (period, as in “a bout of illness”) without its last letter (cut short).
Game = wild animals hunted for meat; caribou = North American (including Canadian) word for reindeer. |
||
| 25 | UNPOETIC |
Replacing tip on cue that’s dull (8)
|
| Anagram (re-placing = moving around) of TIP ON CUE. | ||
| 26 | MERIT |
Worth coming back from retirement? (5)
|
| Hidden answer (from . . .), reversed (coming back), in [re]TIREM[ent].
Worth as a noun = merit = value. |
||
| 27 | YOUNG PRETENDER |
The Boy Who Cried Wolf … Stuart perhaps? (5,9)
|
| Double definition, both somewhat cryptic. In the Aesop fable, a young shepherd boy repeatedly made false claims about wolf attacks, and was then disbelieved when a real attack occurred. Charles Edward Stuart (known as the “Young Pretender” to distinguish him from his father) was a claimant (pretender, in older usage) to the royal title in England, Scotland and Ireland. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CHASTITY BELT |
Bum itchy? With tablets, one can prevent it (8,4)
|
| Anagram (bum = faulty) of ITCHY + TABLETS.
A device to prevent sexual intercourse (“it” in slang). |
||
| 2 | AMBER |
Flashing beam – the middle of three? (5)
|
| Anagram (flashing?) of BEAM, then the middle letter of [th]R[ee].
Clue-as-definition (&lit): amber is the middle light in a traffic-light sequence, and in some cases it’s a flashing light rather than a steady one. |
||
| 3 | NUMBER ONE |
Record keeper? (6,3)
|
| Double definition. A record that reaches the top of the music sales charts; or slang for a goalkeeper in football (traditionally wearing a shirt with the number 1). | ||
| 4 | LET IT BE |
Stop messing with that tie and belt buckle (3,2,2)
|
| Anagram (. . . buckle, as a verb = crumple) of TIE + BELT.
Let it be = a command to stop interfering with something. |
||
| 5 | URINATE |
Perform 3 from Queen covered by drunk auntie (7)
|
| R (as in Elizabeth R = abbreviation for queen, from Latin Regina) covered by an anagram (drunk) of AUNTIE.
Reference to 3 down NUMBER ONE, which in this case is not a hit record by the rock band Queen, but slang for an act of urination. |
||
| 6 | FEWER |
It’s sometimes confused with less fine vessel (5)
|
| F (abbreviation for fine) + EWER (a large water jug = vessel).
Reference to the common but grammatically incorrect usage in phrases such as “10 items or less”: it should be “fewer” for countable things (fewer than 10 items in a shopping basket) and “less” for uncountable things (I should have eaten less Christmas pudding). |
||
| 7 | NARRATIVE |
Rant and rave freely about newspaper story (9)
|
| Anagram (freely) of RANT + RAVE, around (about) I (the newspaper known as i). | ||
| 10 | PEANUT BUTTER |
Spread bet? A true punt that’s placed randomly (6,6)
|
| Anagram (placed randomly) of BET A TRUE PUNT.
Spread = edible paste served on bread or toast. |
||
| 14 | BREAK INTO |
Having energy in bedroom like Rob (5,4)
|
| E (abbreviation for energy), in BR (abbreviation for bedroom, in estate agents’ descriptions of property) + AKIN TO (like = similar to).
As in “rob a bank” = make a forced entry into a building to steal from it. |
||
| 16 | PROGRAMME |
Rugby player briefly put on weight to make line-up (9)
|
| PRO[p] (a rugby player in a forward position) without the last letter (briefly), then GRAMME (a weight). | ||
| 18 | TREETOP |
Harry Potter taking drug getting high here? (7)
|
| Anagram (harry = harass) of POTTER, taking in E (slang abbreviation for the drug ecstasy). | ||
| 19 | RECYCLE |
Area without motorists around, bike in use again (7)
|
| [a]RE[a] without the surrounding letters AA (abbreviation for Automobile Association = motorists), then CYCLE (bike). | ||
| 22 | BROWN |
Blackburn Rovers initially have 4 points on the table? (5)
|
| Initial letters of B[lackburn] R[overs], then OWN (have).
The brown ball on a snooker table is worth 4 points. |
||
| 24 | BORED |
Drilled military men occupying base (5)
|
| OR (abbreviation for “other ranks” = ordinary soldiers as opposed to officers = military men) inserted into (occupying) BED (base, as in the sea bed).
Drill = bore = make a hole. |
Another puzzle where I ran out of steam halfway then had to resort to a wordlist to revive my brain and finish. I’m OK with the device at 18A, but shudder when I see Spooner come up again. Thanks Raider and Quirister.
I’m one of those solvers who really appreciates good surface constructions. I don’t think the current crop of setters come particularly close to matching the past master Klingsor/Alberich but, for my money, this one does. Excellent!
I failed to parse BREAK INTO. I took “into” as “like” and was left with “brak” for “bedroom”. Didn’t know BR, which would have helped. So thanks to Quirister for the explanation and the usual thorough blog.
Another 50-year-old NUMBER ONE ALBUM CARIBOU(1974)
It is a shame we don’t see Raider more often. A polished and inventive puzzle as I would expect from this setter. Like Hovis, I didn’t parse BREAK INTO. I very much liked YOUNG PRETENDER, CARIBOU, the cunningly disguised PEANUT BUTTER and the clever def for URINATE we made that my LOI with all the crossers. UNPOETIC for dull feels like a pretty tough synonym; I wonder how many solvers will get that from the def.
Thanks Raider and Quirister
Excellent, lots of very well crafted and amusing clues here. Completely agree with PM’s first sentence. Up with this kind of thing! Thanks, Raider and Quirister.
Thanks both. Much to enjoy here, although I also didn’t fully parse BREAK INTO as BR an unknown abbreviation and I was viewing INTO as ‘like’ despite the grammatical issue. The spoonerism for TRIPWIRE was tough, and perhaps lacks a question mark given the invention needed to refer to a judge as a trier, unless you accept a tester is judging. I misspelt CARIBOU having confused it with carabao – oh dear!
TFO @ 6 A judge is a trier because they try a case in court!
Lots of lovely clues here – thanks Raider!
Simon S@7 Thanks – I was aware of the intention but my point is it makes a spoonerism more difficult when using an ‘unlikely’ synonym I.e. nobody would refer to a court judge as a ‘trier’ unless perhaps wishing to be held in contempt
A very good puzzle that I needed help to finish and I couldn’t parse BREAK INTO or RECYCLE, so the blog was also much appreciated.
TFO @ 9 Judge = Trier is a bit of a chestnut in crosswordland
Excellent, imaginative clueing with a sprinkling of naughty bits.
Needed the excellent blog for about 8 entries that were beyond me.
Area without Motorists … HEAVENLY!