The puzzle is available to download or solve online here.
Hello again. Hoskins continues his drunk/sober series of puzzles with one which is decidedly … well, if his state isn’t apparent from the clues, it is revealed in a nina.
I particularly enjoyed some of the descriptions today, such as the definitions of KITE (22a), CURTAIN (1d) and ANGLERS (18d). And who else but this setter would describe a flamingo (in 16d) as “bird that often appears half-legless”? Whatever is being raised: a glass, a leg or something else, Hoskins can always raise a smile. Cheers!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are usually 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 | Broken cab that the PM and I want to get going (5,2,3,3) |
| CHAMP AT THE BIT — An anagram of (broken) CAB THAT THE PM and I | |
| 8a | What might affect drunk member I sponsored to get smashed? (10) |
| DROOPINESS — I SPONSORED is to be anagrammed (to get smashed) | |
| 9a | Callas possibly missing intro in this? (4) |
| ARIA — [m]ARIA (Callas possibly) without the first letter (missing intro) | |
| 10a | Dissolute chap and a king arrested by soldiers (4) |
| RAKE — A and K (king) inside (arrested by) RE (Royal Engineers: soldiers) | |
| 11a | Young person being dozy can cause offence (10) |
| KIDNAPPING — KID (young person) + NAPPING (being dozy) | |
| 12a | A Parisian that’s fit, but impotent? (6) |
| UNABLE — UN (a Parisian) + ABLE (fit) | |
| 14a | You could say the Cuban leader’s a ginger (7) |
| REDHEAD — Given that Cuba is a socialist country, you could term its leader a RED HEAD | |
| 15a | Warning: old man heading for wife is bit of a dog (7) |
| FOREPAW — FORE (warning) + PA (old man) + the first letter of (heading for) Wife | |
| 18a | Nipple ring (6) |
| AREOLA — A cryptic definition. Not jewellery in this case | |
| 20a | Having downed last of grappa, using neat rum is thus! (10) |
| NAUSEATING — With insertion of (having downed) the last of grappA, USING NEAT anagrammed (rum) | |
| 21a | I oppose all narrow-mindedness, Trumpism and idiots primarily (4) |
| ANTI — Initial letters of (… primarily) All Narrow-mindedness, Trumpism and Idiots | |
| 22a | Equipment given to European, a highly-strung sort beset by wind? (4) |
KITE — KIT (equipment) + E (European) |
|
| 23a | Modify shower, putting in second of planks of a 4×4 type? (3-7) |
| ALL-TERRAIN — ALTER (modify) RAIN (shower), inserting (putting in) the second letter of pLanks | |
| 24a | These eggs must be cooked with meat, understand? (3,3,7) |
| GET THE MESSAGE — THESE EGGS must be anagrammed (cooked) together with MEAT | |
| Down | |
| 1d | In the evening, one that’s pulled short adult gets hot (7) |
| CURTAIN — CURT (short) + A (adult) + IN (hot, fashionable) | |
| 2d | A trimmed physique emaciated leader digs (5) |
| ABODE — A + without the last letter (trimmed) BODy (physique) + the first letter (leader) of Emaciated | |
| 3d | Jam infused with drop of rum is a sensation (7) |
| PRICKLE — PICKLE (jam, or tricky situation) containing (infused with) the first letter of (drop of) Rum | |
| 4d | One stepping on European tackled by person on pitch? (7) |
| TREADER — E (European) inside (tackled by) TRADER (person on pitch?) | |
| 5d | Hard group detaining American guy with trouble in Bow? (7) |
| HUSBAND — H (hard) and BAND (group) surrounding (detaining) US (American). Trouble being cockney rhyming slang for wife | |
| 6d | Bleep hams out for utter profanities (9) |
| BLASPHEME — BLEEP HAMS anagrammed (out) | |
| 7d | Touch of tumultuous flatus engulfs knight and earl combined (7) |
| TWINNED — The first letter of (touch of) Tumultuous + WIND (flatus) which engulfs N (knight) and E (earl) | |
| 13d | A Dove product perhaps for an unmanageable hair do? (5-4) |
BIRD’S-NEST — Two indications. (I would have said two definitions, but the commonly-used description of a tangled mess of hair is not in the dictionaries I checked, so I haven’t underlined it.) The dove does not need its capital for the definition but it’s there for the surface. Maybe setters should seek money for product placements – could be a lucrative sideline! |
|
| 15d | Damned short bird that often appears half-legless? (7) |
| FLAMING — FLAMINGo (bird that often appears half-legless) without its last letter (short …) | |
| 16d | Egyptian royal okay with series being broadcast (7) |
| PHARAOH — Sounds like (… being broadcast) FAIR (okay) with ROW (series) | |
| 17d | Excerpt of new hit lampooning old Aussie leader (7) |
| WHITLAM — The answer is a part of (excerpt of) neW HIT LAMpooning. I had all the checkers before it occurred to me to look for a lurker, but the former Prime Minister of Australia fit perfectly | |
| 18d | Tip from left-wing boards incenses line managers (7) |
| ANGLERS — The first letter of (tip from) Left-wing goes inside (boards) ANGERS (incenses) | |
| 19d | I learnt about a place men go in the military (7) |
| LATRINE — I LEARNT anagrammed (about) | |
| 21d | Vessel old drinker’s club will grab over empty tumbler on counter (5) |
| AORTA — AA (old drinker’s club) will take in (grab) O (over) and the reversal of (… on counter) TumbleR without its inner letters (empty …) | |
This was fun, other than what had to be an Israeli government advert, dressed up to look like UN information on UNRWA, I saw on the way in.
Several entertaining definitions.
Thank you to Kitty and Hopkins
I believe the middle row is part of the Nina too.
Well spotted, Ian – grid image updated. Thanks. 🙂
Thanks Hoskins and Kitty!
An intoxicating puzzle! Cap it with a dope Kitty blog! I Ain’t Gonna Ask No More!
FLAMING
Thought about the ‘short’ being another def but couldn’t proceed further with that.
What a contra surface! Are you listening, flamingos?
DROOPINESS (Funny stuff! Maybe an extended def)
Whiskey dick:
this slang term is used to describe a very real condition, formally referred to as alcohol-induced erectile dysfunction (ED), or alcohol-induced sexual dysfunction.
BLASPHEME (This is effing lovely. **** says more than the word not said??!! Another extended def?)
BIRD’S NEST
a mass of tangled hair (Merriam-Webster-Well. Not a recogniZed dictionary?)
I had noted the unfriendly grid with just the two linkers ‘twixt top and bottom and the IM thus generated did seem somewhat suspicious. And, yes, Hoskins is drunk again. On the G page, the Australian solvers who comment early often observe that puzzles contain a lot of GK that is foreign to them. They would have no complaints today – provided they are old enough to remember a PM who served for three years half a century ago! WHITLAM has got to be one of the oddest entries I’ve encountered for some time; thank Goodness it was a hidden. Odd to encounter European = E twice in one puzzle but I guess that evens up the hemispheres. DROOPINESS made me smile.
Thanks Hoskins and Kitty
Fun as ever from this setter and a great blog to accompany it.
Keep on drinking, Harry, and making us laugh.
KVa @4 also known as Brewer’s droop.
FLAMINGo(e)s ‘usually stand on one leg with the other tucked beneath the body. The reason for this behaviour is not fully understood….’ – so “half-legless”
And ‘a group of flamingoes is called a “flamboyance”.’ -TTLI
Thanks H&K
Absolutely 6Ding wonderful! BIRD’S NEST at 13D is described on various websites as a hairstyle popular with Zoomers (= Generation Z i.e today’s teenagers) in which the hair is ‘shaved on the sides and long and messy on top’. I spent too long wondering how to take into account the indefinite article at the start. Thanks Hoskins and Kitty.
FrankieG@8
FLAMING
flamboyance: a group of damned short semi-drunk birds?
(Thanks. TILT. Or TTLI as you say!)
Kitty’s intro has this catchy line:
Whatever is being raised: a glass, a leg or something else, Hoskins can always raise a smile. Cheers!
Liked it!
Back to your drunken ways, Harry, I think we all GET THE MESSAGE! The related
DROOPINESS & UNABLE amused and I also liked the highly-strung KITE.
Thanks to Hoskins for the fun and to Kitty for the review and the birdy pic.
KVa@4 – “Maybe an extended def” – quite the opposite I think.
Many thanks to Kitty and Hoskins.
😀