Always good to see Eccles on a Wednesday.
The tree at 14a and the second meaning of 17d were both new to me, but clearly clued and guessable. I liked 1a for a different use of “state” (it’s usually AVER or a US state), 15a (very neat), 23a for the groan-inducing pun, and the ingenious 2d. The surfaces of 11a and 25a were a little alarming, but there was an innocent explanation eventually. As always, thanks to Eccles for the fun.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MESSERSCHMITT |
State “Queen’s child with German grandparent, ultimately, can be fighter in war” (13)
|
| MESS (state, specifically a bad state, as in “look at the state you’re in!”) + ER’S (the late Queen’s) + CH (abbreviation for child) + MIT (“with” in German) + last letter (ultimately) of [grandparen]T.
WW2-era fighter aircraft made by the German company of the same name. |
||
| 8 | HOSE |
Stockings seen in American drama series not suitable for everyone (4)
|
| HO[u]SE (US medical drama series starring Hugh Laurie) without the U (film classification meaning “suitable for everyone”). | ||
| 9 | GLASWEGIAN |
Snail gag we rejigged for Billy Connolly, perhaps (10)
|
| Anagram (rejigged) of SNAIL GAG WE.
A person from Glasgow, such as the comedian Billy Connolly. |
||
| 10 | CASTLE |
Actors left newspaper out in Leeds? (6)
|
| CAST (the actors in a play) + LE[ft] without FT (abbreviation for the Financial Times newspaper).
Definition by example: Leeds Castle (which is near the village of Leeds in Kent, not the city of Leeds in Yorkshire). |
||
| 11 | SICK NOTE |
Socket in bum provides explanation for absence (4,4)
|
| Anagram (bum = faulty, as in a bum note) of SOCKET IN.
A letter explaining an absence from work or school. |
||
| 12 | YEAR-ROUND |
Randy roue is loose throughout every month (4-5)
|
| Anagram (loose) of RANDY ROUE. | ||
| 14 | ARAR |
African tree in Zimbabwean capital, but not the outskirts (4)
|
| [h]ARAR[e] (the capital city of Zimbabwe) without the outer letters (outskirts).
One of two evergreen tree species with that name, found in northern Africa. |
||
| 15 | MINX |
Cheeky girl, at least ten (4)
|
| MIN (abbreviation for minimum = at least) + X (ten in Roman numerals).
As in the cartoon character Minnie the Minx, the female equivalent of Dennis the Menace. |
||
| 16 | ASSAULTED |
Donkey jumped over five ducks and attacked (9)
|
| ASS (donkey) + [v]AULTED (jumped over) without (. . . ducks = avoids) V (five in Roman numerals). | ||
| 20 | BREATHER |
Rest of Belgium quite bored by Ghent’s centre (8)
|
| B (abbreviation for Belgium) + RATHER (quite, as in “this clue is quite good”), with the centre letter of [gh]E[nt] inserted (boring = making a hole in it).
A brief rest to catch one’s breath, as in “I need to take a breather before I do any more”. |
||
| 21 | RAVAGE |
Destroy party stealing silver (6)
|
| RAVE (party, especially a big outdoor one with electronic music and dubious drugs) containing (stealing) AG (Ag = chemical symbol for silver, from Latin argentum). | ||
| 23 | FOR EXAMPLE |
Say out loud what is plenty to make a small omelette? (3,7)
|
| Homophone (out loud) of FOUR EGGS AMPLE (more than enough for a small omelette). It may not be a perfect homophone, depending on your preferred pronunciation, but it’ll do as a pun. | ||
| 24 | POGO |
Old Republicans doing the twist and punk dance (4)
|
| O (abbreviation for old) + GOP (abbreviation for Grand Old Party = nickname for the US Republican Party), all reversed (doing the twist).
A “dance” (mostly just jumping) associated with punk music. |
||
| 25 | ILL-CONSIDERED |
Reclines with dildo, unfortunately leading to rash (3-10)
|
| Anagram (unfortunately) of RECLINES + DILDO.
Rash, as an adjective = without thought for the consequences = ill-considered. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MOORAGE |
Second fruit bun finally consumed in Anchorage (7)
|
| MO (as in “just a mo” = short for moment = second) + ORA[n]GE, with the N (final letter of [bu]N) removed (consumed).
Moorage = anchorage = a place where a boat can stop. |
||
| 2 | SPELT |
Promised W-H-E-A-T (5)
|
| This looks like a double definition, but I think it’s actually a triple (although the first and third meanings are related). Spelt = promised = led to, as in “the decision spelt disaster for the expedition”; spelt = an ancient variety of wheat; or spelt = read out letter by letter, as W-H-E-A-T is here. | ||
| 3 | EL GRECO |
English composer and Italian author rejecting a Spanish painter (2,5)
|
| ELG[a]R (English composer Edward Elgar) + ECO (Italian author Umberto Eco), rejecting the letter A.
Spanish renaissance painter; his nickname means “The Greek” because he was, but he spent much of his working life in Spain. |
||
| 4 | STARS AND STRIPES |
Celebrity on beach removes clothes holding European flag (5,3,7)
|
| STAR (celebrity, as in film star) + SAND (beach) + STRIPS (removes clothes), containing E (abbreviation for European).
Not a European flag, of course, but an American one. |
||
| 5 | HAWICK |
Journalist inspires group of women in Scottish town (6)
|
| HACK (disparaging term for a journalist, especially one writing articles to order) containing (inspiring = breathing in) WI (abbreviation for Women’s Institute).
Town in southern Scotland. |
||
| 6 | IN GENERAL |
Leaving university, innocent boy gets real drunk, mainly (2,7)
|
| INGEN[u] (French-derived term for an innocent boy) without the U (abbreviation for university), then an anagram (drunk) of REAL. | ||
| 7 | TOASTER |
Sample drinking hole that can do breakfast (7)
|
| TASTER (sample), containing (drinking) O (a round hole).
A device for making toast, which you might eat for breakfast. |
||
| 13 | RING A BELL |
Call second son Lambert to stir up faint memory (4,1,4)
|
| RING (as a verb = call using a telephone) + ABEL (the second son of Adam and Eve) + L (abbreviation for lambert = scientific unit of luminance, or light intensity per unit area).
As in “that rings a bell” = it seems familiar but I can’t place it. |
||
| 15 | MARCONI |
Stuff up working with international inventor (7)
|
| CRAM (stuff) reversed (up = upwards in a down clue), then ON (working, as in “is the electricity on?”) + I (abbreviation for international).
Guglielmo Marconi, inventor who created the first practicable wireless telegraph system. |
||
| 17 | AIRHEAD |
Fool captured enemy territory (7)
|
| Double definition. Slang for an unintelligent person who isn’t interested in anything important; or (by analogy with “bridgehead”) an area of enemy territory that is under one’s control and can be used to bring in supplies by air. | ||
| 18 | ENGAGED |
English old people can be reserved (7)
|
| ENG (abbreviation for English) + AGED (the aged = old people). | ||
| 19 | CHEAPO |
Shoddy and pathetic heap of clothes (6)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . clothes = contains) in [patheti]C HEAP O[f].
Slang term describing poor-quality goods, especially cut-price imitations. |
||
| 22 | VIPER |
Treacherous individual very content to follow important guest (5)
|
| Inner letters (content) of [v]ER[y], following VIP (abbreviation for very important person = important guest). |
Top faves: FOR EXAMPLE and SPELT.
Thanks both!
I liked MOORAGE for the fruit bun, SPELT for the wit and AIRHEAD because I learned something new. Thanks Quirister (for min = at least) and Eccles for yet another tasty delight.
Elegant, as always from Eccles. Loved ‘for example’ even though I wouldn’t pronounce it like that. Didn’t understand ‘airhead’ so thanks Quirister for the explanation, and of course to Eccles for the puzzle.
Eccles is a hungry chap – I would normally consider three eggs plenty for an omelette. Super clue though – made me laugh. As did the surface readings of 20a and 25a among others. Thanks, Eccles and Quirister.
Me too.
Four eggs ample, or what it is, four eks ample, reminds me of The Two Ronnies’ F U N E M N X? (have you any ham and eggs?) sketch.
Nice offering, much enjoyed.
Excellent fun as usual from this setter, and I even liked the non-homophonic in this neck of the woods 23a which made me laugh.
Amidst a plethora of ticks, my top picks were FOR EXAMPLE, PROMISED W-H-E-A-T and STARS AND STRIPES.
Many thanks to Eccles and to Quirister.
Maybe Eccles is a Spanish omelette kind of guy.
I think I’m the only person who doesn’t like ‘and’ as a link word, which is fine, but it certainly spoils the clue for CHEAPO, as shoddy is what ‘pathetic heap of’ clothes – it can’t be the object with an and in the way.
I couple I didn’t fully understand AIRHEAD and VIPER, thanks for explanations. One thing still not grasped is ‘socket in bum’, since a socket is itself a hole. For some reason, the blog is silent on that.
Thanks both
Hate to admit how long it took me to nail the cheeky girl – even resorted to checking on the names of the duo concerned. For that reason, MINX features on my podium along with FOR EXAMPLE & SPELT.
Couple of things to try to remember in the shape of the African tree and the particular definition of AIRHEAD but I don’t want to attempt that punk dance – I only know it as a stick for kids to jump on!
Many thanks to Eccles – how long did it take you to arrive at a clue for MESSERSCHIMDT? and to Quirister for the review.
Ui Imair@5. No eggs. I F E 10 M.
I thought Won Example, Too Example?
There’s so many US dramas I missed the parsing of 8a even after I’d bunged the solution in.
Thamks Eccles and Quirister.
James @7 – I’m ambivalent about “and” as a link word but agree with you on 19d. As for 11a, I didn’t want to dwell too long on the practicalities of having a socket in your bum. Perhaps Quirister felt the same.
James @7 The socket that Eccles is referring to is a hand tool designed to tightened or loosen nuts and bolts. Like an enclosed spanner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_wrench
It took me a good 5 or 6 clues to get started today. I was beginning to think I was on a Filbert from 6 months ago rather than an Eccles. Then when I got STARS AND STRIPES it all started tumbling in.
My favourite today was MARCONI.
Thanks to Eccles and Quirister
James @7, quite right re 19d. The and wasn’t there in my first draft, but I can’t remember whether I added it later without thinking, or if I thought I had found a justification.
I was thinking (like Widdersbel, without dwelling too long) of a socket from a socket set as rocket suggests.
Thanks all
Thanks, clear picture now
Eccles on good form today. Lots of fun throughout with a fair few that got us head scratching and/or smiling. We didn’t know the other meaning of AIRHEAD and came here for the parsing although we should have consulted Chambers first as it turned out.
Thanks to S&B.
Good old James. Picture’s now clear for him.
In the UK SICK NOTEs disappeared in the early ’80s when Statutory Sick Pay was introduced. Employees here are more used to self-certification.
People treated them as a joke, but I don’t think “Socket in bum” ever came up as an “explanation for absence”. Although that sort of thing is an NHS problem …
The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England Vol. 103, No. 10 — ‘Rectal foreign body removal: increasing incidence and cost to the NHS’