What an absolute treat we’ve all had from Bluth today. Normally I expect some cruciverbal flair from this setter but this was an absolute pleasure. The grid fell relatively easily, with so many sublime, playful and funny clues, it’s hard to pick a favourite.
12/13 across would probably be my pick overall, just from the flurry of cross references and allusions, with a cryptic coup de grace. However, it was hard choice between that and 30a for beautiful construction, or 8d that nearly made me spit my tea laughing!
Thanks very much to Bluth
Definitions are underlined.
ACROSS
1. Queen replacing theatre in time for procession (8)
SEQUENCE
Queen [QU] replacing theatre [NT = National Theatre] in time [SENTENCE]
5. Visa risk all banks withdrawing after credit crunch (6)
CRISIS
Visa risk all banks withdrawing [remove letters from the side = VISA RISK] after credit [C]
10. Cage birds scratching tin sign (5)
ARIES
Cage birds scratching tin [CANARIES]
11. Showing intense passion, run in race – perhaps as sprint’s over (9)
FERVENTLY
Run [R] in race – perhaps [EVENT] as sprint’s [FLY] over [placed around]
12/13. Channel starting with poem by artist inspired by Heathcliff’s love – it used to give TV depth (7,3,4)
CATHODE RAY TUBE
Channel [TUBE] starting with poem [ODE] by artist [RA] inspired by [placed inside] Heathcliff’s love [CATHY]
CATHY = Catherine Earnshaw from Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”
RA = Royal Academician – member of the London Royal Academy of Arts
“Giving a TV depth” is a cryptic reference (question mark needed?) to the fact that old Cathode Ray Tubes were large, bulky affairs due to the size of the CRT inside. Now rendered obsolete by flat screen LED TVs.
![What is The Matrix? | The Matrix [Open Matte] - YouTube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O5b0ZxUWNf0/sddefault.jpg)
15. Understands broadcast – fiddle with electronic part of rocket (4,4)
NOSE CONE
Understands [KNOWS] broadcast [sounds like = “NOSE”] – fiddle [CON] with electronic [E]
16. Penny discovered Tom Jones, a Welsh singer, cycling on board boat (6)
PEDALO
Penny [P] discovered Tom [removed outer letters TOM] Jones, a Welsh singer [ALED] cycling [backwards] on board [placed inside]
19. Gather together after action – demob happy at last (6)
EMBODY
Demob happy [anag of DEMOB] at last [T]
21. Melancholy men returning hat (8)
SOMBRERO
Melancholy [SOMBRE] men returning [OR backwards]
23/24. With guidance I naively try and sue American College (4, 10)
YALE UNIVERSITY
Anag [“with guidance”] of I NAIVELY TRY SUE
27. Pound about right for on-line snack service? (6,3)
BUFFET CAR
Pound [BUFFET] about [CA = circa] right [R]
28. Occasionally tabloid called out Times’s excuse (6)
ALIBI
Occasionally tabloid [TABLOID] called out [sounds like] Times’s [BI = “by”]
29. Cowardly scream “that hurt!” (6)
YELLOW
Dual meaning: “Yell Ow!”
30. Go to cover firebombing – maybe originally ascribed to far right characters (8)
PERSONAE
Go [PEE] to cover [place around] firebombing [ARSON] – maybe originally ascribed to far right [move A to right side]
DOWN
1. Actor shifting scenery on an… (4,7)
SEAN CONNERY
[Anag of: “shifting”] SCENERY ON AN
2. …independent film pursuing question over America’s demise (7)
QUIETUS
Independent [I] film [ET] pursuing [after] question [QU] over America’s [US]
3. Key to take note as soon as daughter’s settled snugly (9)
ENSCONCED
Key [ESC] to take [placed inside] note [N] as soon as [ONCE] daughter’s [D]
4. Copyright a German article about very strong stimulant (8)
CAFFEINE
Copyright [C] a [A] German article [EINE] about very strong [FF]
Usual use of FF from musical notation (fortissimo)
6. An angler might handle this river fish (4)
REEL
River [R] fish [EEL]
7. Fruit ingredients of pavlova must astonish when put on the counter (7)
SATSUMA
Hidden word [“ingredients”] of pavlova must astonish when put on the counter [read backwards]
8. Diffident Greek character voiced by 1 down? (3)
SHY
Very, very clever and funny reference to Sean Connery’s very distinctive speech pattern to mispronounce “PSI”.
Incidentally, this has also been beautifully parodied by online artist Jim’ll Paint It’s work: “Tennis at Ten-ish”
https://images.app.goo.gl/4PYZP6cL9TaAzeeL8
9. Looking up at a time zone (4)
AREA
Looking up [backwards] at a [A] time [ERA]
14. Corrupt CEO’s money essentially seized – revealing promise of more for less (7-4)
ECONOMY SIZE
Corrupt [anag of] CEO’S MONEY essentially seized [IZE]
17. Shame Mars bars supply energy to begin with (9)
EMBARRASS
Mars bars supply [anag of MARS BARS] energy [E] to begin with
Love the misdirection in the use of supply here: flexible, not giving!
18. Concentrate – caught on boundary (8)
CONVERGE
Caught [C] on [ON] boundary [VERGE]
20. Noxious airline fuel spilt next to Bristol’s terminal (7)
BALEFUL
Airline [BA] fuel spilt [anag FUEL] next to Bristol’s terminal [L]
22. Copy insubordination – ignoring leader (7)
EDITION
SEDITION
25. Pleasant Mediterranean resort (4)
NICE
Dual meaning clue
26. Leading man appearing in the round (4)
HERO
Hidden word: the round
27. Youngster’s prize books removed (3)
BOY
BOOTY
Cathode ray tube going in straight away made this puzzle a lot easier than otherwise.
No standouts for me but all of a good standard
Thanks Bluth and Leedsclimber
Agree entirely with the blog’s introduction. I really enjoy Bluth’s crosswords. They’re fun as opposed to a life and death struggle with an opponent who is much more clever and much more experienced (although they are necessary too). And I like the level Bluth pitches the crossword at and I like the wit.
A few points:
Credit is CR
Could see the parts of FERVENTLY but couldn’t put it together as well as the blog has.
Aled I was a nho but it is now.
Just ‘iz’ from seized. Otherwise too many e’s.
Favourites include PERSONAE, SOMBRERO, QUIETUS and SEQUENCE.
Nice to be able to confidently parse in order to solve after a tough week for me. Thanks to the climber and Bluth.
Just a note to Leedsclimber a/o Admin – this blog is currently uncategorised rather than in Indy slot
EMBODY
Def: Gather together
after action – demob=EMBOD
happy at last Y
Oh, and maybe in 19a ‘after action’ is the anagrind? (as KVa has noted I now see)
@Matthew Newell
Thanks and duly corrected
Don’t recall ever seeing cathode-ray without a hyphen.
Glad to see nobody has made the usual error of saying that Aled Jones sang ‘Walking in the air’ in ‘The Snowman’. He didn’t but did have a chart hit with it.
Although I prefer crosswords with a bit more bite than this outing by Bluth, it was fun, as others have said.
This was relatively light for a Bluth puzzle but absolute first-rate and a joy to solve.
It also appealed to my innate sense of order that both two word answers in separate lights appeared in the same row.
Many thanks to Bluth and to Leedsclimber.
Thanks both. Very short of time today, so relieved only to need help with PERSONAE FERVENTLY and SHY – the latter might have been beyond me regardless, as I still don’t know how to pronounce Psi though research tells me there are three options, and if I understand it correctly, we then introduce a Scotsman with a lisp?….time to get my coat.
[19a EMBODY – “Gather together” – definition; “after action” – anagrind; “demob” – fodder; “happY at last” – Y] – (as KVa@5)
[14d ECONOMY SIZE – (CEO’S MONEY essentially seIZed)*] – (as Sofamore@2)
8d SHY doesn’t quiite work for me, because I have the disadvantage of having learnt the Greek alphabet in school nigh on 60 years ago.
To me Phi, Chi, and Psi all rhyme with the PEE in PERSONAE. And the P in Psi isn’t silent.
Wiktionary has ‘psi, si, IPA(key): /psai/, /sai/ – Homophones: xi, sigh, scye, sai, Si (all for the latter pronunciation only)’
I’d agree this is Bluth in gentler form but no complaints from me about that. I did need the blog to parse FERVENTLY: if I’m totes honest, the ‘as’ sits slightly uncomfortably for me in that WP but that’s probably just sour grapes! I agree with leedsclimber that CATHODE RAY TUBE involved a nice range of components and that the Conneryism is amusing. CRISIS, ARIES, SOMBRERO, BUFFET CAR, ENSCONCED, REEL, EMBARRASS and BOY were my faves today.
Thanks Bluth and leedsclimber.
I hadn’t clocked who the setter was unti I came here and was quite surprised when I sae it was Bluth. I would nornmally expect a little more of a challenge from him. Not complaining however as it was a magnificent puzzle.
A little error in the blog at 9 where an errant “at” has found it’s way into the clue. Happens to be my favourite today for its succinctness. I always marvel when a clue is a sentence that you might hear in an everyday conversation.
Thanks to Bluth and Leedsclimber.
Liked 16a PEDALO for the ‘lift and separate’ of “Tom Jones” to get an “O” and a different Welsh singer, also called Jones – What are the chances?
Thanks B&Lc
FrankieG @13: indeed, what are the chances of two people from Wales both sharing the name Jones and being able to sing? Given the demographics and the culture, rather high I would imagine 😀
Funny thing about Tom Jones is that Jones isn’t even his real name.
I agree with everyone else – lovely fun puzzle. Thanks, Bluth and Leedsclimber.
PERSONAE
I think…
firebombing maybe=ARSON
originally ascribed=A, A ‘to far right’
I really like Bluth, with his quirky clues. Enjoyed this, all solved and parsed in a quicker time than Fed/Bluth can be. Agree with the suggestions for parsing in the comments.
Thank you to Bluth and Leeds climber.
I agree with all the praise for this. My only bug bear is that it turned out to be one of those puzzles where you breeze through it only to get stuck on one last clue, PERSONAE, in this case. Did anyone else try taking Sn from “sign” before the penny dropped for ARIES?
Petert @18 – yes, you weren’t alone. I had never heard of SNARIES either.
Thanks Bluth for your customary excellence. I failed with PERSONAE but all else came into focus with my top picks being SEQUENCE, NOSE CONE, YALE UNIVERSITY, ALIBI, and AREA. Thanks Leedsclimber for the blog.
5, 16, 30 across and 20 down are masterpieces of surface reading and amusement factor. Loved this puzzle!
Thanks Leedsclimber and thanks all for such lovely feedback.
I’m sure I’ve seen someone use Connery as I did in 8D before – but as he was in the puzzle already it had to be done.