The puzzle is available to download or solve online here.
Hi all. The crossword gods have been kind to me and once again I have a Dutch puzzle to blog. Thank you!
I found it distinctly tricky in places but satisfying. I really liked the story of the breakfast theft in 4d (CLEGG) and the 25d promotion in hairstyles (SPERM). More smiles for the buzz in Paris (6d) and the topless joint at 14d. 5d was a good penny-drop moment. I have a fondness for some FOUR LETTER WORDS (although not so much those found in grids with the pattern _E_E or similar …).
There is a nina in the first and last columns. I spotted it in time to help just a little with some of the left hand entries … but won’t reveal how long I spent wondering about MR TAMBOU, URINE MAN. I thought there might have been an interesting news story which had passed me by. Dear oh dear!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
Across
1a Psycho killer rejected by mother (6)
MANIAC
CAIN (killer) reversed (rejected) by MA (mother)
5a Burning torch of unfinished passion pursued by lover (8)
FLAMBEAU
FLAMe (passion) minus its last letter (unfinished …) followed by (pursued by) BEAU (lover)
9a Function of control experiment? (4)
ROLE
The answer is part of contROL Experiment
10a Cryptic clue I’d plan around you, dear solver (10)
ELUCIDATOR
Anagram of (cryptic) CLUE + I’D + ROTA (plan) reversed (around)
11a A good trial run designed to get you to like nachos (10)
TRIANGULAR
A G (good) TRIAL RUN anagrammed (designed)
12a Short note that provides some cover for members (4)
MINI
Without the final letter (short) MINIm (note)
13a Extremely edgy books interrupting cycle of sleep (8)
ANTSIEST
NT (books) inside (interrupting) SIESTA with the letters cycled round (cycle of sleep)
16a A healthy look is fun not pain (some of the time) (6)
SUNTAN
iS fUn NoT pAiN , taking intermittent letters (some of the time)
18a Doctor one leads to Italian family (6)
MEDICI
MEDIC (doctor) + I (one)
20a Musicians in matching clothes (8)
ENSEMBLE
Double definition
22a Give worker quiet warning (4)
BEEP
Append P (quiet) to BEE (worker)
24a Drink issue? That’s coming later (10)
DOWNSTREAM
DOWN (drink) + STREAM (issue)
27a Moving to a greener part of plantation (6,4)
ORANGE TREE
An anagram of (moving) TO A GREENER
28a A succeeding island state? (4)
IOWA
A succeeding IOW (island – the Isle of Wight)
29a Takes drugs to suppress recall of current drunken exploits (8)
UTILISES
USES (takes drugs) surrounding (to suppress) the reversal (recall) of I (current) and LIT (drunken)
30a New way to attract seamen (6)
MODERN
MODE (way) + RN (seamen)
Down
2d Traveller returning to embrace university sweetheart (5)
AMOUR
ROMA (traveller) backwards (returning) around (to embrace) U (university)
3d Frosty features in back room conservative institute (7)
ICECAPS
Reverse (back) SPACE (room), C (conservative) and I (institute)
4d Nick some breakfast after emptying cereal (5)
CLEGG
EGG (some breakfast) after removing the inner letters from (emptying) CereaL
5d Very cold ales, for example – these may be offensive to some (4-6,5)
FOUR-LETTER WORDS
Two definitions, the first by example, “very”, “cold” and “ales” each having four letters
6d People enjoying buzz in Paris as it bustles (9)
APIARISTS
PARIS AS IT is anagrammed (bustles)
7d Ditch bar, Spooner advises sailor (7)
BOATMAN
MOAT (ditch) BAN (bar) – as Spooner might say
8d A growth that may become a tree (5)
ACORN
A CORN (a growth). The whole clue of course also works nicely as a definition
14d As woman was formerly known in topless joint (3)
NEE
Without the first letter (topless) kNEE (joint)
15d Crooks repeat experience turning over scam with shares, principally (9)
EVILDOERS
RELIVE (repeat experience) backwards (turning) around (over) DO (scam) + the first letter of (… principally) Shares
17d Criminal law – that’s boring (3)
AWL
Anagram of (criminal) LAW
19d Choose twelve people from a number in force (7)
IMPANEL
A and N (number) in IMPEL (force). To select a jury (also spelled empanel)
21d One parting hurt such a relationship (7)
MARRIED
I (one) going inside (parting) MARRED (hurt)
23d Flapper to feel bad after losing face (5)
EGRET
rEGRET (to feel bad) without the first letter (after losing face)
25d Special promotion in hairstyles with male product (5)
SPERM
PERMS (hairstyles) in which there is rising (promotion) of S (special)
26d Seriously troubled, Dutch heartily gets stuck into a fresh escalation (2,3)
AT WAR
The middle letter of (… heartily) DuTch) goes between (gets stuck into) A and the reversal (escalation) of RAW (fresh)
MR TAMBOUURINE MAN ‘…was written and composed in early 1964’ – a diamond anniversary.
Dutch an alumnx of BOATMAN‘s Masterclasses
It’s always good to find a rare puzzle from Dutch and it’s always good to find a Kitty blog. So it’s really good when they arrive at the same time!
This was very enjoyable despite being quite tricky in parts – particularly EVILDOERS, which I failed to parse even though the answer wasn’t difficult to work out. I failed to spot the Nina. It’s a great song, although (as I often find with a lot of Dylan’s songs) I much prefer the cover version, in this case by The Byrds.
Many thanks to Dutch and to Kitty.
Spotted the nina but didn’t notice the repeated U. I also liked the version by the Byrds and also the one by Melanie.
ANTSIEST was a bit of a fingernails scraping down the blackboard moment for me. I would quite like to hear Mr Tambou Urine Man. Sounds like a Christmas No. 1 in the making.
Thanks Dutch and Kitty.
Well ……. We spotted URINE MAN during the solve but failed at the last hurdle to link it to MR TAMBOUR.
Thanks to S&B.
A six tea break puzzle. I had EVILDOERS as redo repeat and live experience but now realise it doesn’t work.
Lovely to get another Dutch/Kitty combo although I failed miserably with ANTSIEST and am not totally convinced by the Nina call when it contains a superfluous letter. I did, however, enjoy The Byrds version of the song. Tops for me were FOUR-LETTER WORDS and APIARISTS.
Thanks to Dutch and to Miss K for the review.
Really super puzzle. Lots of great clues but TRIANGULAR was my fave. Didn’t notice the Nina, never mind the superfluous letter in it. Thanks, Dutch and Kitty.
Thanks both. Visiting here the day after with good reasons, being a busy day and, for me, a difficult puzzle. Needed a one-letter reveal to assist EVILDOERS which might have been easier for me hyphenated, but equally perhaps not. To clue CLEGG as Nick may not quite be cricket for some, though I might be acting unkindly to class him as a has-been.