Bluth has provided his latest creation for our cruciverbal delight this Thursday.
And what a delight it was! I had lots of fun solving this puzzle, which kept me busy for quite some time. It finally revealed itself to its solver, as all the best crosswords do, having afforded me lots of stimulation and entertainment along the way.
My favourite clues today were 1A and 6A, which are run together, since both are ostensibly on the theme of hair; 11D, for sheer topicality; 15; for its definition part and collective noun reference; 22/23, for its original anagram indicator and use of “related”; and 28, which took me ages to parse, for smoothness of surface.
I am already looking forward to the next time that Bluth dips into his box of cruciverbal tricks.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | STRESSFUL | Demanding wicked hair covering in …
SINFUL (=wicked); “tress (=hair) covering in” means letters “in” are replaced by “tress” |
| 06 | ALONE | … unique hairdressers, maybe with first cut conclusively free
<s>ALON (=hairdressers, maybe; “with first cut” means first letter is dropped) + <fre>E (“conclusively” means last letter only) |
| 09 | WAVER | Change disclaimer for the audience
Homophone (“for the audience”) of “waver (=change, vary)” |
| 10 | AMAZEMENT | Incredulity as online retailer not working to fix missing copyright
AMAZ<on> (=online retailer; “not working (=on)” means letters “on” are dropped) + <c>EMENT (=fix, solidify; “missing copyright (=C)” means letter “c” is dropped) |
| 11/12 | LITTLE BY LITTLE | Slowly times boring minutes
BY (=times, as in 6 x 4) in [LITTLE (=minute, tiny) + LITTLE (=minute, tiny)] |
| 14 | EMBASSY | Mission involved maybe capturing elite Nazis
SS (=elite Nazis) in *(MAYBE); “involved” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | PLACATE | Quite is helping gripping account
AC (=account) in PLATE (=helping, of food); to quiet(en) is to placate, pacify |
| 17 | ALP | A record peak
A LP (=record, i.e. long-playing) |
| 18 | NEW TOWN | Modern drag queen finally gets Harlow, for example
NEW (=modern) + TOW (=drag, pull) + <quee>N (“finally” means last letter only) |
| 20 | ENTENTE | Understanding nurses taking temperature the hospital ignored
[T (=temperature) in EN EN (=nurses, i.e. 2 x EN=enrolled nurse)] + T<h>E (“hospital (=H) ignored” means letter “h” is dropped) |
| 22/23 | EVERLY BROTHERS | After Chuck Berry’s lover settles with the related singers
*(BERRY’S LOVER + THE); “after chuck” is anagram indicator; the Everly Brothers were two brothers (“related”) who formed a rock group in the US in 1956 |
| 26 | SAGE-GREEN | Drop part of course on source of eye colour
SAG (=sag, fall) + E<ye> (“source of” means first letter only) + GREEN (=part of (golf) course) |
| 27 | INERT | Still stored in container terminal
Hidden (“in”) in “contaINER Terminal”; inert is inactive, still |
| 29 | NUDGE | Returning, say, nearly naked to commence jog
NUD<e> (=naked; “nearly” means last letter is dropped) + G.E. (E.G.=say, for example; “returning” indicates reversal); to jog is to prod, poke, hence “nudge” |
| 30 | FREIGHTER | Ship’s father figure discovered here
FR (=father) + EIGHT (=figure, number) + <h>ER<e> (“dis-cover-ed” means first and last letters are dropped |
| Down | ||
| 01 | SAW | Gnome used to be the wrong way round
WAS (=used to be); “the wrong way round” indicates reversal; a gnome is a pithy saying, hence a “saw” |
| 02 | RIVET | Intrigue as Mr Big regularly seen on screen
<m>R <b>I<g> (“regularly” means alternative letters only are used) + VET (=(to) screen, inspect); to intrigue is to engross, rivet |
| 03 | SURPLUS | Almost convinced benefit should support redundant
SUR<e> (=convinced; “almost” means last letter is dropped) + PLUS (=benefit, advantage) |
| 04 | FLAMBOYANT | Foreign Office assuming young, unknown soldier will be highly decorated
{[LAMB (=young, of sheep)] in FO (=Foreign Office)} + Y (=unknown, in algebra) + ANT (=soldier); e.g. flamboyant interior design or outfit could be highly decorated |
| 05 | LEAK | Terms of local area network broken by electronic security breach?
E (=electronic, as in e-commerce) in <loca>L <are>A <networ>K (“terms of” means last letters only) |
| 06 | AMERICA | Country album’s cover version of I Care
A<lbu>M (“cover” means first and last letters) + *(I CARE); “version of” is anagram indicator |
| 07 | OVERTRAIN | Do too much exercise in obvious downpour
OVERT (=obvious) + RAIN (=downpour) |
| 08 | EXTREMENESS | Enemies rest up after losing independent vote in far from moderate state
X (=vote, i.e. on ballot paper) in *(ENEM<i>ES REST); “after losing independent (=I)” means letter “i” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “up”, in revolt |
| 11 | LEE ANDERSON | Politician needs a role with Reform – ultimately bye-election should follow
*(NEEDS A ROLE) + <bye-electio>N (“ultimately” means last letter only); “with reform” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. given Lee Anderson MP’s recent defection from the Conservative Party to Reform UK |
| 13 | APPEARANCE | A very quiet organ on a new church show
A + PP (=very quiet, i.e. pianissimo in music) + EAR (=organ, of body) + A + N + CE (=church, i.e. Church of England); to make a show somewhere is to make an appearance, turn up |
| 15 | BOW-LEGGED | Implored representative of parliament to get involved with crooked members?
OWL (=representative of parliament, i.e. collective noun for owls) in BEGGED (=implored) |
| 19 | OBLIGEE | One who is bound to tell tale about leader of government being overwhelmed by honour
[G<overnment> (“leader of” means first letter only) in LIE (=to tell tale)] in OBE (=honour, i.e. Order of the British Empire); an obligee is bound by legal obligations |
| 21 | TITLING | Calling bird landing then flying away
TIT (=bird) + L<and>ING (“then (=and, also) flying away” means letters “and” are dropped) |
| 24 | ERECT | Standing back without ceremonial robes
Hidden (“robes”, covers) and reversed (“back”) in “withouT CEREmonial” |
| 25 | BEEF | Complaint as loud buzzer starts
BEE (=buzzer) + F (=loud, i.e. forte in music) |
| 28 | TAR | Flatter all but me and Jack
TA<me>R (=flatter, duller); “all but me” means letters “me” are dropped |
I thought this was excellent with 22/23 my favourite of many ticked clues. It’s motivated me to find my Everly Brothers Greatest Hits double CD and load it in my car.
Many thanks to Bluth and to RR.
RR In blog for 9a you meant to write ‘waiver’ and in 16a ‘Quiet’ has turned into ‘Quite’ (I always thought bloggers were able to cut and paste the actual clues rather than re-typing them).
Can’t believe I failed to parse the relatively simple ERECT. Was making it far harder than it was.
@2 Hovis, each blogger does his/her own thing but most of us use a tool by ex blogger PeeDee that scrapes the clues directly from the papers’ web sites. Anyway back to today. I thought 11d a fantastic all in one and factually correct too. Cheers to both Bluth and RR
My favourite clue today was TITLING for the smoothness of the clue.
Thanks to Bluth whose wavelength I was definitely on for the most part today, and to RR for helping me out at 1a which I didn’t fully parse.
Same here as Hovis re ERECT. I can’t believe I didn’t spot the meaning of robes. Pleased to say I’ve never heard of the politician and won’t be looking him/her up any time soon.
I wonder if the Everlys ever considered themselves to be a rock group.
Thanks Bluth and RR.
11down was brilliant. I am quite happy to flatter both Bluth and Jack today. Another good crossword day.
A pleasure..
Thanks Bluth n RatkojaRiku
Lovely puzzle, thanks both
Found INERT so hard to spot, because ‘container’ and ‘terminal’ so often have special meanings in crosswordland. Sent me on various wild goose chases.
Thank you RatkojaRiku and thanks all.
Oh!I haven’t even done this all yet but had to come here to say how deviously clever 22/23a is! I had R, E and S crossers for 23 and was so sure it had to be CRICKETS, I was cudgelling my brains to see what could go before that! Nice one, Dave. Haven’t read the blog yet, so will be back to acknowledge that later!
Clue of day was 16, beautifully misleading : ‘Garden Path This Way ==>>” !!
Thank you Bluth and RatkojaRiku. Must remember about Gnomes.
Late thanks RatkojaRiku as I tried and tried but could not see how TAR worked, plenty of others taxed me too but, as always, fair, witty and so enjoyable, thanks Bluth