Hippogryph is an Independent setter who has provided 4 or 5 puzzles a year since 2022. His / her work appears in both the daily and the Sunday series.
There is a theme today where some clues are based on an interpretation of the gateway entry at 17 down – ANIMALS. I solved SHEEP at 22 down before I solved the gateway clue, but SHEEP gave a strong hint to ANIMALS. I liked the use of different ways of referencing 17 down in the associated clues.
The clue for STORMY seemed appropriate to the story it referenced.
I wonder if there will be any comments about the homophone in the Spoonerism clue. It works for me as explained in the detailed table below, but I suspect others may take a different view.
The grid below highlights all the entries that were related to ANIMALS in some way.
I think I have seen the DEC ANT device before but it worked well in the clue at 16 across and wasn’t obvious to me until I realised the answer was DECANTER.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Where centre-back is unlikely to be flying (2,3,4)
ON THE WING (flying) ON THE WING (a centre-back plays in the centre of the field and is therefore unlikely to be occupying the position of a winger) cryptic definition ON THE WING |
| 6 | Seventeen Seconds, one embraced by person helping with The Cure retrospective (4)
PIGS (ANIMALS [entry at 17 down]) (S + [I {Roman numeral for one} contained in {embraced by} GP {General Practitioner; doctor; one who helps with a cure}]) all reversed (retrospective) (P (I) G S)< |
| 8 | Revolted by appalling denim clothing infection (8)
MUTINIED (rose against authority; revolted) Anagram of (appalling) DENIM containing (clothing) UTI (urinary tract infection) M (UTI) NIED* |
| 9 | Topless coupling on the radio! (6)
AIRING ([being broadcast] on the radio) PAIRING (coupling) excluding the first letter (topless) P AIRING |
| 10 | Faced stalker from time to time, displaying nerve (6)
METTLE (courage; nerve) MET (faced) + TLE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [from time to time] of STALKER) MET TLE |
| 11 | Boy’s lips let slip perhaps? (8)
POSSIBLY (perhaps) Anagram of (let slip) BOY’S LIPS POSSIBLY* |
| 12 | Beetle car parts shop’s opening on Autobahn (6)
SCARAB (type of beetle, especially a dung-beetle) CAR contained in (parts) (S [first letter of {opening} SHOP] + AB [Autobahn]) S (CAR) AB |
| 15 | Man doing the washing up, maybe something into which excess energy can be directed? (4,4)
HEAT SINK (something into which unwanted heat can be directed) HE (man) + AT SINK (doing the washing up maybe) HE AT SINK |
| 16 | Hesitation expressed after TV hosts, out of order, say Graham’s location? (8)
DECANTER (an ornamental stoppered bottle for holding decanted liquor. Graham’s is a brand of port) DEC ANT (reference the television hosts ANThony McPartlin & DEClan Donnelly who are usually listed in alphabetical order, so DEC ANT presents them out of order) + ER (an expression of hesitation) DEC ANT ER |
| 19 | Stop to remove growth by ear? (6)
DESIST (stop) DE– (reverse a process; remove) + SIST (sounds like [by ear] CYST [growth containing diseased matter]) DE SIST |
| 21 | 10CC said missing royalties ultimately could be a disaster (8)
ACCIDENT (a misfortune or mishap, especially one causing injury or death; [could be] a disaster) Anagram of [could be] TEN (10) and CC and SAID excluding (missing) S (last letter of [ultimately] ROYALTIES) ACCIDENT* |
| 22 | Primarily sleazy politician’s concealing money for Daniels? (6)
STORMY (reference STORMY Daniels [born 1979, American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. A key player in the current trial where the 45th American President is awaiting sentencing) S (first letter of [primarily]) +(TORY [Conservative politician] containing [concealing] M [money]) S TOR (M) Y |
| 24 | From seventeen, I’m going out for new records (6)
ANNALS (records of events) ANIMALS (entry at 17 down with I’M being replaced by [going out for] N [new] to form ANNALS) ANNALS |
| 25 | In earlier times it was, we’re told, Charles dancing provocatively (8)
TWERKING (dancing provocatively by moving the hips rapidly back and forth while standing with legs apart and raising and lowering the body in a squatting motion) T’WER (old fashioned way of saying ‘it was’; abbreviated form of IT WERE) + KING (reference KING Charles, one of three KINGS of England or the United Kingdom) TWER KING |
| 26 | Backing special one in Heaven 17 (4)
DOGS (ANIMALS – entry at 17 down) (S [special] + GOD [one in heaven]) all reversed (backing) (DOG S)< |
| 27 | A yield over 50 is providing a superior capital position (9)
ACROPOLIS (a citadel, stronghold or seat of government, especially the one in Athens) A + CROP (a season’s yield) + O (over) + L (Roman numeral for 50) + IS A CROP O L IS |
| Down | |
| 1 | Finally, you love scrambled egg! (5)
OVULE (small unfertilised egg cell) Anagram of (scrambled) U (last letter of [finally] YOU) and LOVE OVULE* |
| 2 | Platform which made bluebird cross? (7)
TWITTER (former name for the social media platform now known as X) The logo for TWITTER was a bluebird. The logo for X is a cross |
| 3 | Frequently ignored, yells “I’m the best!” (5)
ELITE (the pick or best of any group) ELITE (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [frequently] of YELLS I‘M THE) ELITE |
| 4 | Comprehensive department cuts in hospital (2-5)
IN-DEPTH (extensively and thoroughly; comprehensively) DEPT (department) contained in (cuts) (IN + H [hospital]) IN (DEPT) H |
| 5 | One of 17 left in main pasture (9)
GRASSLAND (pasture) (ASS [one of the ANIMALS, entry at 17 down] + L [left]) contained in (in) GRAND (most important; large; main, e.g. the GRAND Hall of a building) GR (ASS L) AND |
| 6 | Common tales of essential vegetables narrated by Spooner (7)
PORKIES (lies; common tales) Reverend Spooner might pronounce PORKIES as KOR PIES which sounds like CORE [essential] + PEAS [vegetables]) When you say PORKIES the ending sounds like EASE rather than ISE so I think PEAS is OK for Spooner’s pronunciation. PORKIES |
| 7 | Vacuous nightclubbers zip up, entering live music events with cold drinks (3,6)
GIN SLINGS (cold drinks) (NS [letters remaining in NIGHTCLUBBERS when the central letters IGHTCLUBBER are removed [gutted] + NIL (zero; nothing; zip [slang for nothing]) all reversed (up; down entry) and contained in (entering) GIGS (live music events) GI (N S LIN<) GS |
| 13 | Final event in soccer ground is building to a big finish (9)
CRESCENDO (gradually increasing in loudness to a high point or building to a big finish) END (final event) contained in (in) an anagram of (ground) SOCCER CRESC (END) O* |
| 14 | Sound of 17 surrounds derelict street in South London district (9)
BATTERSEA (South London district) BAA (sounds made by ANIMALS [entry at 17 down]) containing (surrounds) an anagram of (derelict) STREET BA (TTERSE*) A |
| 17 | Brutes strike with violence in Australian uprising (7)
ANIMALS (brutes) (SLAM [the act of striking with violent force] + IN + A [Australian]) all reversed (uprising; down entry) (A NI MALS)< |
| 18 | One turning upside down is unchanged? (7)
ROTATOR (something that turns) ROTATOR is a palindrome so reversing it (upside down) leaves the word unchanged ROTATOR<> |
| 20 | Mask partner‘s striking spectacles from assembled onlookers (7)
SNORKEL (an item that is often mentioned together with the word MASK when referring to swimming while looking underwater) Anagram of (assembled) ONLOOKERS excluding (striking … from) OO (characters placed together to represent spectacles) SNORKEL* |
| 22 | Charles Aznavour’s hit record is number 17 (5)
SHEEP (ANIMALS, entry at 17 down) SHE (name of a hit song for the French singer Charles Aznavour [1924 – 2018]) + EP (extended play record) SHE EP |
| 23 | Author is upset over new American bar (5)
MINUS (except; bar) I’M (I am; author is) reversed (upset; down entry) + N (new) + US (American) MI< N US – as this is a down entry the letters MI are entered over the letters NUS |
This was good fun with STORMY my favourite.
I am not particularly a fan of themed puzzles but, if you are going to have one, shouldn’t there be more examples than are found here? Or perhaps I am missing something?
Many thanks to Hippogryph and to Duncan.
In 6a PIGS: Seventeen Seconds (1980) is The Cure’s Second album.
[Other bands: 10cc, Heaven 17, The Animals…]
In 25a TWERKING: TWER is a homophone (“we’re told”) of ’twere. as in Macbeth: “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly”.
[GCE O Level]
RD @1, you’d better watch out … there may be dogs about!
I think Pink Floyd figure in the theme – their anlbum Animals features songs called Pigs On The Wing, Dogs and Sheep. (50th anniversary, Frankie?)
Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks, Hippogryph and Duncan
Also reference to Pink Floyd’s Animals which has Battersea Power Station on the cover and songs; Pigs on the Wing, Dogs and Sheep
Forgot about the cover – well remembered, Kelvassos!
In 7d GI(NS+LIN)GS – only the “zip” needs to be “up” – NIL<
Never a big fan of Pink Floyd, so missed the (50th anniversary)
@5 and @6, and there was me trying not to give too much away! Back to the grassland. 😀
… a big fan of Charles Aznavour’s She (1974, a 50th (Golden) anniversary) …
… and 10cc’s breakthrough album Sheet Music (1974, a 50th (Golden) anniversary) …
… and Kraftwerk’s breakthrough album and single Autobahn (1974, two 50th (Golden) anniversaries) …
[Here’s my earworm.]
[Anyway Pink Floyd’s Animals is from 1977, so shouldn’t appear in a crossword until three years from now. What was Hippogryph thinking?]
I don’t know my port, so struggled with my LOI DECANTER (both the answer and just generally what on earth was going on) for a very long time, and a long time after I first saw DECANTER as one of the several words that could fit the crossers. A fine PDM when it came though – probably my favourite clue despite the delay.
Spotted some animals, didn’t have a clue about the Pink Floyd stuff.
Thanks both.
[PS, The Animals’ House Of The Rising Sun (1964, a 60th (Diamond) anniversary)]
Nicely done mini theme. DECANTER is a nice riff on a bit of a chestnut. ON THE WING, POSSIBLY, HEAT SINK, STORMY, DOGS, TWITTER and PORKIES were my favourites.
FrankieG: are you getting ever so slightly obsessed with anniversaries?
Thanks Hippogryph and duncan
Liked ON THE WING, PORKIES, HEAT SINK, TWITTER and TWERKING.
Thanks Hippogryph and duncan.
PostMark@17 – I’ve managed to control myself, and only posted one little Platinum Jubilee (aka Platty Joobs) in today’s G blog.
Thanks H&DS
Looks as though I’m the only one who’s never heard of a HEAT SINK but at least I got a good laugh from the man doing the washing-up not to mention the vision of our monarch TWERKING.
Top three here were ON THE WING, POSSIBLY & STORMY.
Thanks to Hippogryph – nice to see you again, and to Duncan for the review.
Far too difficult for me, but don’t let that stop the fun. I must improve. So, the clues I had to refer to Duncan’s notes were:
Stormy, Minus, Sheep, Snorkel, Animals, Gin Slings, Porkies, Twitter, Twerking, Annals, Desist, Mettle, Pigs.
Thanks both. I was very slow to solve the gateway clue which was frustrating. HEAT SINK I found entertaining, and DECANTER 50% so, as I liked the Ant & Dec device (though not the act) however the idea of decanting some never-heard-of brand of port feels a little pretentious
I found this a real tussle and took a while to solve the gateway clue. Once BATTERSEA was in, PIGS and DOGS were easier.
Favourite clues were for MUTINIED, HEAT SINK, DECANTER, ACCIDENT, TWERKING, and the excellent cryptic definition for TWITTER. Also have to applaud the very frequent musical flavour used in the wordplay, and the misdirection to Graham Norton.
Thanks to setter & blogger. I think the Ant & Dec “out of order” reference isn’t about alphabetical order but about how they always appear on screen – Ant on the left & Dec on the right.
Thought I wasn’t going to finish this. Put it to one side and have just come back to it and surprised myself by actually finishing, even if I couldn’t parse it all. But pop albums are not my thing and the theme totally escaped me.
Apologies for the late post but I was away yesterday. Thanks to Duncan for the excellent blog and to everyone else who commented and gradually revealed the Pink Floyd Animals theme. I must admit that it is one of my favourite albums – the final thematic reference in the grid is STORM (in 22 across) Thorgerson who designed the iconic album cover which featured a large inflatable pig flying over Battersea power station. Apparently during the shoot for the album cover the 12m long inflatable pig broke from its moorings and drifted towards Heathrow Airport causing panic and cancelled flights…all in the name of art!
Thanks for all of the comments which are always helpful and hope to be back soon