Morning everyone
A pleasant and straightforward offering from Knut today, with only a couple of visits to the online reference sources necessary to complete.
Favourite was 17 across for the band reference, and I was less keen on the clunky initialling in 10 across., but nonetheless another flawless bit of musical taste!
At the risk of straying into political commentary, let’s hope 27 across stays that way.
Definitions are underlined.
ACROSS
8. Throw a strop about filling of roti dish (3,5)
POT ROAST
Throw a strop [anag. of A STROP] about filling of roti [OT]
9. Ancient city – sacred tours every 60 minutes (6)
HOURLY
Ancient city [UR] sacred [HOLY] placed around
10. Old rockers caught daughter visiting adult clubs (2,2)
AC DC
Caught daughter [CD] visiting [inside] adult clubs [AC]
11. Sort of conk out – no reason – crossing motorway (5,4)
ROMAN NOSE
Out – no reason [anag NO REASON] – crossing [around] motorway [M]
12. Where The Three Little Pigs live, steaming rice’s typically included (5,3)
GRICE STY
Hidden word [indicated by included”]: steaminG RICE’S TYpically
“Grice” is a Scottish slang word for a suckling pig
14. Arab chaps featured in the old-fashioned newspaper (6)
YEMENI
Chaps [MEN] featured in the old-fashioned [YE] newspaper [I]
16. Symbolically, I vote into office Republican in charge that’s up to date (8,7)
ELECTRIC CURRENT
Vote into office [ELECT] Republican [R] in charge [IC] that’s up to date [CURRENT]
19. Pork producer making a sandwich of Old Trafford’s Walls sausage (3,3)
HOT DOG
Pork producer [HOG] making a sandwich of [around] Old Trafford’s Walls [O T]
20. Morrison’s Group HO stored bananas (3,5)
THE DOORS
Anag. of HO STORED [ind by: bananas]
23. Bird starts to eat rancid litter (9)
STRETCHER
Bird [STRETCH] starts to eat [E] rancid [R]
In this context “Bird” being a nickname for a prison sentence, also known as a “stretch”
26. Very attractive individual getting stripped in public exhibition (4)
EXPO
Very attractive individual getting stripped [SEXPOT]
27. I want a new progressive country (6)
TAIWAN
Anag of I WANT A [ind by: “new”]
28. Morris perhaps penning letter to Greek character from Crete (8)
MINOTAUR
Morris perhaps [MINOR] penning [around] letter to Greek [TAU]
The Morris Minor:
DOWN
1. Game to take regular samples of Scotch Cheers (6)
SOCCER
Regular samples of SCOTCH CHEERS
2. I cure rising California detectives seedy output (6,4)
ERUCIC ACID
I cure rising [ERUC I] California [CA] detectives [CID]
Erucic acid is extracted from rape and mustard seeds
3. Gainsbourg flipped when hosting American bores (6)
EAGRES
Gainsbourg [SERGE] flipped upside down] when hosting [around] American [A]
An Eagre is a high wave caused by tidal flow, also known as a “bore”
4. Knut’s entertaining extremely tiresome couple (4)
ITEM
Knut’s [I’M] entertaining [around] extremely tiresome [TIRESOME]
5. Pocket hanky ought to muffle cheers (5,3)
THANK YOU
Hidden word [ind by: TO MUFFLE]: PockeT HANKY OUght
6. Very upper-class male gets into wrestling (4)
SUMO
Very [SO] upper-class male [UM] gets into [inside]
7. Bloke from France declining to shore up its African capital (8)
ALGERNON
France declining [NON (no in French)] to shore [below] up its African capital [ALGER = Algiers]
13. Restoring Chay Blyth’s penultimate vessel (5)
YACHT
Anag CHAY [ind: “restoring”] Blyth’s penultimate [T]
15. Punch for one Italian plumber abusing tenet (10)
MARIONETTE
Italian plumber [MARIO] abusing tenet [anag]
17. Funky gang leader upset, miserable, black inside….doesn’t bode well (5, 3)
LOOKS BAD
Funky gang leader [KOOL] upset [upside down], miserable [SAD], black [B] inside
Kool and the Gang…it’s got to be THIS
18. Baltic capital into fresh pasta (8)
RIGATONI
Baltic capital [RIGA] into fresh [anag INTO]
21. The old Queen managed day job (6)
ERRAND
The old Queen [ER] managed [RAN] day [D]
22. Excise duty unlimited following Russia’s first stock sale to the public (3,3)
RIP OUT
Duty unlimited [DUTY] following Russia’s first [R] stock sale to the public [IPO]
An Initial Public Offering is the first time a company’s shares are offered for sale to the general market.
24. Starter of shrimp canned fish roe (4)
RAWN
Starter of shrimp canned = PRAWN
OED tells me “Rawn” is a Northern English/Scottish term for the ovaries of a female fish, and has sometimes been used for the fish itself.
25. Jon, rubbish actor first seen in Mad Men (4)
HAMM
Rubbish actor [HAM] first seen in Mad Men [M]
Jon Hamm b.1971
Straightforward is obviously in the eye of the beholder! A fair few obscurities for me – rawn, grice, eagres – plus I’d never heard of the actor or the acid, but that’s just my general ignorance. All fairly clued, though, and for once I did spot the Nina. Thanks to Knut and Leedsclimber. Not sure I understand Alger in 7d…
Also unable to understand ALGERNON. Perhaps it will be explained. Wondering what happens to the ‘i’ and ‘s’ in Algiers? Works for African country e.g. Algeria. And the blogger’s favourite in 17 down rather than across. Mine too. Thanks.
Sofamore@2
ALGERNON
ALGER is the French name for Algiers. That justifies the ‘its’ in the clue.
Got it. Thanks. Obvious now.
Thanks KVA. Got it
In 19a, blog should say that Trafford’s walls are TD.
Thanks Setter and Blogger.
Like those above, a few gaps in GK made it tougher than need be. Also a handful of new words for me (LSNED)
I think 10a might be the first clue i have guessed just from the numbering
I really enjoyed this four-Jorum puzzle. LOOKS BAD and MARIONETTE were my favourites.
I did spot the nina, but maybe only apparent to frequent travellers on London’ railway network. It helped me work out 22D. Very enjoyable, so thanks Knut and Leedsclimber.
Also it was nice to get ROMAN NOSE, having wrongly entered it elsewhere last Saturday. A rare example of learning from my mistakes.
Thanks for the blog, dear Leedsclimber, and thanks to those who have commented. I wrote this after a visit to the UK last February. On my airport train journey, which had frequent stops, I was bombarded by this inane announcement at every single station and it was driving me mad. The perimeter Nina explains the inclusion of some weird grid entries, so sorry about that.
@Tatrasman…is this announcement restricted to the London area, do you know?
Best wishes to all, Rob/Knut
17 down LOOKS BAD — KOOL & the Gang formed in 1964 – a diamond Celebration – 1st US No. 1 Hollywood Swinging in 1974 – a golden Celebration
Thanks Knut and Leedsclimber
“See it, say it” etc is used by British Transport Police, so occurs across the network. “Mind the gap” per se is, I think, only on the London Underground, though similar warnings are used on mainline trains.
Thanks @Simon.
“Another day, another Nina to try to ignore while solving…” Remember, as a child, on the tube hearing the shouty posh man’s voice repeatedly commanding:
“MIND THE GEP! — MIND THE GEP! … STEND CLEAR OF THE DOORS, PLEASE!”
These days it’a a gentle woman’s voice, suggesting – just once – “Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.“
20a THE DOORS … of Perception – published in 1954 – A 70th (Platinum) Anniversary
Train journeys in the UK are horrible these days. I have to put up with a constant barrage of announcements including frequent repetition of the utterly inane See it etc on my commute from East Kent. Thank the Lord for noise cancelling headphones.
Anyway, super fun puzzle as always from Knut. Some words from the very fringes of my vocabulary* but all very precisely and generously clued so eminently gettable.
(*oh, that kind of bore. I assumed it might be some sort of tool like a gimlet.)
Thanks, Knut and LC.
Thanks both. Struggled with only the obscurities already highlighted, notably HAMM for which I entered Simm as an actor I knew which is spelt out in the clue, though I did feel rubbish might be slightly harsh on him. Had also forgotten that litter can mean STRETCHER but I shouldn’t get carried away.
I am familiar with the Trent Aegir or Eagre as I was born in Gainsborough, Lincs, which is on the Trent. When “Je t’aime” came out, everybody called the singer Serge Gainsborough.
I’m still not keen on Alger being France’s African capital if it’s the French name for an African country’s capital.
As ever, nina, what nina? Now I’ll have to go back and look again.
Thanks both.