An enjoyable puzzle from Tees as usual.
The linked clues reference Star Trek’s “Bones” Dr McCoy but unless I’m missing something there isn’t enough in here to be called a crossword theme, even a minor one. However, it did help me get over a sparse patch during the solve.
I started by getting 1d straight off from raincoat = MAC and considering 8 letter countries. Those juicy first letters coughed up a few across answers so I would call it a flying start. By the middle of the solve, 11a had 3 crossing letters and did not have many possibilities. That, and the crossing K, meant the first word in the big split clue 5/10/17 was guessable, and the rest of it from the enumeration besides fiddling with the second half anagram). Then this all led on to 22/26 when needed. All those provided toe-holds into the rest of the puzzle. The fact that 8d was my last answer was not because it was particularly difficult – especially when I had the three crossing Es at the end.
I certainly liked some of the definitions here:
Put pins round = Straddle
Fetching property = Good looks
US shooter = Tarantino (shooting films, that is)
Something smuggled in swimwear? = Budgie
There is one clue where I cannot fathom the wordplay at all, so help please for 18a.
I also cannot see what “for possession” adds to the clue for 9a.
And my usual umming and ahing between a Double Def. or a single Cryptic Def. in a couple of places.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9 | AWESTRUCK | Stunned in struggle for possession, led by a point (9) A WEST (a point) then RUCK (struggle [for possession?]) |
| 11 | BONES | Dog treats 22 across 26? (5) Double Def. One is the nickname for the character 22a/26 in Star Trek |
| 12 | GOLD PLATE | Film of some value that’s all over the Oscars? (4,5) Either a entire Cryptic Def. or a Double Def. I cannot decide the best way to describe this wordplay. The Oscar statuettes are gold plated |
| 13 | DESERVE | News boss about to join army shows merit (7) ED< (news boss, editor, about) SERVE (to join army) |
| 14 | TREADLE | Tyre so bald, sons twice pulled out foot-lever (7) TREAD LESS (Tyres so bald) – SS (sons twice, pulled out) |
| 16 | ASCOT | Adoptee supposedly lucky to miss first course (5) [m]ASCOT (adoptee supposedly lucky, missing first [letter]) |
| 18 | SIN | Wrong end of torpedo going off (3) I do not understand the wordplay here at all |
| 19 | PLEAT | Fold left trapped by decaying vegetable matter (5) L[eft] inside PEAT (decaying vegetable matter) |
| 21 | COP SHOP | Nick quiet: quiet sitting in cage (3,4) P (quiet) SH (quiet) inside COOP (cage) |
| 22/26 | LEONARD MCCOY | Extremely dull romance developed with shy doctor (7,5) (D[ul]L ROMANCE)* AInd: developed, COY (shy) Doctor McCoy was the, err, doctor in Star Trek, thus his nickname at 11a |
| 24 | GOOD LOOKS | Butcher’s dividing merchandise, fetching property (4,5) LOOK (Butcher’s [hook] Cockney Rhyming Slang) inside GOODS (merchandise) Nice def. |
| 27 | EGRET | Show remorse having sent off one right winger (5) [r]EGRET (show remorse, one R[ight] sent off) |
| 28 | TARANTINO | US shooter Jack disrupted nation (9) TAR (Jack) (NATION)* AInd: disrupted, making ANTINO |
| Down | ||
| 1 | CAMBODIA | Great day! Old boy needs raincoat going up country (8) A1 (Great) D[ay] MAC (raincoat) all reversed (going up) |
| 2 | TENNIS | Group around bar suffering reversal in game (6) SET (group) around INN (bar) all reversed (suffering reversal) |
| 3 | AT A STRETCH | After a terrible start score with some difficulty (2,1,7) A (START)* AInd: terrible, ETCH (score) |
| 4 | BUDGIE | Soldier in Cornish resort’s something smuggled in swimwear? (6) GI (soldier) inside BUDE (Cornish resort) |
| 5/10/17 | SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD | Collection of 11 on to be cooked with butcher paid scandalous fact? (8,2,3,8) SKELETON (collection of bones) (ON … BUTCHER PAID)* AInd: to be cooked. |
| 6 | WIMP | Feeble type with mischievous child (4) W[ith] IMP (mischievous child) |
| 7 | STRADDLE | Put pins round seat covering tailor’s frame (8) SADDLE (seat) around T[ailo]R (tailor’s frame). Def. pins = legs |
| 8 | REVERE | Idolise at all during Religious Education? (6) EVER (all) inside RE (Religious Education) LOI |
| 15 | EMPLOYMENT | Blokes inside Ptolemy disturbed, creating work (10) MEN (blokes) inside (PTOLEMY)* AInd: disturbed. |
| 18 | SUPPORTS | Universal poacher initially going in wears bears out (8) U[niversal] P[oacher] inside SPORTS (wears) |
| 20 | TEDDY BOY | Old rocker in sexy underwear thrilled! (5,3) TEDDY (sexy underwear) BOY (thrilled! as Sam Beckett would say) |
| 21 | CYGNET | Small seal called out for young creature in river (6) Homophone “Signet” (seal) HInd: called out. |
| 22 | LUSTRE | Radiance of religious figure drawn into temptation (6) ST (religious figure) inside LURE (temptation) |
| 23 | ARCTIC | Freezing cold in lorry (6) C[old] inside ARTIC (lorry) |
| 25 | LOT | Escapee at Sodom hard and reluctant (4) LOT (escapee at Sodom) H[ard] |
AWESTRUCK
struggle for possession (of the ball in Rugby?)=RUCK
SIN
torpedo=(to) SIN(k) -end going off
Agree with KVa regarding Ruck and Sin . Some very nifty misdirections that led to satisfying answers. No struggles but no quibbles either.
GOLD PLATE
Seems to be a CD. If you split anywhere in the clue, it doesn’t appear to work like a DD.
Thanks Tees for the lovely puzzle and beermagnet for the great blog (Agree with you on the
highlighted defs in your intro. Quite innovative!).
A puzzle of two passes, the first of which left a worryingly large amount of white space but enough crossers to give me the toeholds to which beermagnet refers (but probably not the same ones!). Cracking the long one certainly helped and eventually everything fell into place with GOLD PLATE the last to go in as I, too, was not entirely confident as to what kind of clue I was dealing with.
It may seem somewhat of a cop-out to refer to beermagnet’s list of highlighted definitions but each one of those gave me occasion to reflect and smile, STRADDLE most of all. Very enjoyable.
Thanks Tees and beermagnet
GOOD PLATE
second thoughts
Def1 Film of some value
Def2 that’s all over the Oscars?
Could be a CD or a DD.
Thanks both. I reverse-engineered quite a few of these i.e.solved like a concise, then tried to figure the parsing, with mixed levels of success. I wonder how often BONES was referred to as LEONARD…I remember only that it was the first name of Spock actor Mr Nimoy. At a work event this week, a former GB Olympian revealed that her medal is gold-plated and therefore gradually losing its looks – I shall add an Oscar to the list as a point of learning.
Took GOLD PLATE as a CD – This year the film of some value that was all over the Oscars was Oppenheimer. Barbie less valued.
[The actor who played Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy – DeForest Kelley – made a guest appearance in yesterday’s FT by Gaff.]
I didn’t see why SIN either. Thanks KVa.
Beermagnet – your 2nd paragraph appears in the intro on the list of blogs, which helped me spot the MCCOY solution as I saw the intro while navigating to the Guardian Prize blog for last week. Not a big deal, but other solvers might moan.
Thanks both.
Sorry Pete. I usually think about what might show on the main page but completely forgot this time. I’ve bunged some blank lines in to push away the spoiler, too late now of course.
Torpedo = Sink.
One of those “obvious when you’re told” connections.
Thanks KVa
Also for the rugby sense of Ruck
Couldn’t remember MCCOY’s first name, and got confused as exactly what the anagram fodder was. Also, thought the phrase was closet, not CUPBOARD, which slightly confused me.
According to Chambers closets are American, whereas cupboards are British.
Thanks to all who posted in, and to the magnet for the blog.
Well, I read a lot of American books and watch a lot of American TV. 🙂 Don’t think I’ve heard the phrase in a U context.