Bluth sets the Saturday cryptic crossword challenge today.
An enjoyable challenge as expected from Bluth, with some very neat clues and great surfaces. Falco at 14d and Herb Alpert at 29ac led to rather unwelcome earworms, but didn’t spoil the enjoyment.
Apologies for the missing ‘I’ in 26d in the completed grid below – we may try to correct the grid later.
UNFurl (display) replacing URL (online address) with IT (computer department)
HARD (strong) RED (wine) around or ‘keeping’ WI (group of women)
An anagram (‘shattered’) of WAKEBoaRD without O/A (on account of)
Hidden (‘from’) in cheF IN ESSEx
An anagram (‘new’) of YEaR without ‘a’
Last letters or ‘terms’ of youR mortgagE agreemenT yoU factoR iN + S (small)
TEAm (side) missing last letter or ‘a little short’
An anagram (‘surprisingly’) of ENTER INTO
ROO (jumper) FitS without or ‘taking’ IT
E (last letter or ‘bit’ of thE) NN (news) qUIz (middle letters only or ‘essentially’)
SNARED (caught) RUM (odd)
An anagram (‘doctor’) of WHO NOT INTERFERING and E (English)
FORm (make) missing last letter or ‘detailed’ SHadOW (trail) without or ‘less’ AD (commercial)
ArID (dry) missing or ‘without’ R (right)
A reversal (‘back’) of E G R (last or ‘ultimate’ letters of thE morninG afteR) A LTA (Lawn Tennis Association- ‘group of tennis players’)
REP (theatre) L (student) ICA (arts venue)
R (first letter or ‘beginning’ to Retirement) ADIOS (goodbye in Spain) TAR (jack as in sailor)
R (middle letter or ‘focus’ in recording) tHYME (herb) missing ‘t’ (last or ‘final’ letter in Alpert) For those of you too young to remember – Herb Alpert was, amongst other things, an American trumpet player who led Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s
An anagram (‘itinerant’) of READ and RETURNS (12ac)
FIT (able) around or ‘carrying’ OR (gold) and FE (iron)
H (husband) A BIT (little)
REFEREe (whistle blower) missing last letter or ‘inconclusive’ NDA (non disclosure agreement – ‘promise not to reveal’). We only parsed this one when we were writing up the blog as we both had REF for whistle blower.
WIND (turn) SCREW around or ‘restricting’ EN (space) + I (one) PER (for every)
Alternate letters (‘occasionally cancelled’) in tRaInS tO sTaTiOn – not the clearest of definitions but the linking of ‘stock’ with ‘trains’ is probably too good not to use.
Disney character Bambi is a deer and Thumper is a rabbit – if they are both male, a prospective mate for either would be a DOE
An anagram (‘rock’) of ME AMADEUS and S N (alternate or ‘regular’ letters in SuNg)
IS around or ‘holding’ N (note) URGENT (demanding immediate attention)
NEED (require) LED (light)
R E (first and last letters or ‘outskirts’ of RomE) and ITALY with AL (gangster as in Al Capone) moving up or ‘north’
Hidden (‘in’) and reversed or ‘returning’ in encoRE RIHanna
Double definition
Great fun as ever from this setter although I am completely mystified by the definition for 28a.
Many thanks to Bluth and to B&J.
Great fun indeed. Loved ASSUMED NAME (and I like the song) and NEEDLED. RD @1, a famous DJ, for example (for one), would be a radio star.
I agree with Hovis – ASSUMED NAME is very neat and NEEDLED isa lovely natural surface and, yes, that was my understanding of RADIO STAR.
I also liked the very natural surface for FINESSE, the indicator in RETURNS, the deletion in ROOFS, the use of both parts of Herb Alpert in RHYME, the amusing surface of HABIT and the very cunning RISOTTO. I assumed Bluth defined the last of those as he did in order to misdirect us in the direction of ‘rustler’ which also fits and which was my immediate thought.
Thanks Bluth and B&J
[Saw 22a,3d in 1974 …]
A relatively easier solve. My only obstacles were my last ones in: RETURNS, REFERENDA, and finally SNARE DRUM in that order. RETURNS felt like it had to be the answer based on the definition but I was completely clueless on the wordplay. My brain also wasn’t working for REFERENDA, and I assumed it was REFERENCE for whatever reason. I almost got lucky. In hindsight, not thinking of NDA was a bit embarrassing. More embarrassing however is not getting SNARE DRUM without revealing one of its letters, as I have heard that instrument’s name many times before.
I liked the clues for REFERENDA and INSURGENT. I give an honorable mention to FOR SHOW and REALITY for making me think for a while.
Thanks very much Bluth and B&J!
My first Bluth, and I look forward to the next.
A very accessible puzzle, with a few devices that were new to me, e.g. “terms” for final letters; “focus” for middle letter.
I liked both.
Like B&J, I fixated on “ref”, in 5(down), REFERENDA, convinced that “inconclusive” would be “er….”, but it eventually clicked.
Wasn’t sure that “sky” [ in 26 down] equated to “air”, but on reflection, the verb “to sky” e.g. a shot, presumably covers it? Ditto, ” in the air” = “in the sky”.
I confess, I wasn’t familiar with “Institute of Contemporary Arts”, as ICA in 27(ac), but that’s my lack of GK.
THE TOWERING INFERNO dates those of us who got it quickly, perhaps.
20(ac) , SNARED RUM/ SNARE DRUM, is a little gem, with “caught” alluding to the phonetic.
A really pleasing puzzle.
cheers, Bluth, + B&J
FrankieG@4….crikey: I thought you recalled seeing the same clue from a puzzle in 1974!
Being that stupid, I don’t know how I completed this grid!
A P.S. to my post@6, I omitted to compliment the setter on the excellent surface readings of the clues. Not a duffer in sight, that I could see.
Another excellent crossword from Blyth although I was surprised that 28a has left me with an earworm
Thanks very much to Blyth and B&J
At 27A my initial thought was ‘reprise’, and I found an arts venue RISE (in Texas), then got round to LICA (Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts) before the penny dropped. Apart from that all went in smoothly, so thanks Bluth and B&J.
Thanks Bluth, a treat as always. I liked FINESSE, RETURNS, SNARE DRUM, THE TOWERING INFERNO, RHYME, and INSURGENT. Thanks B&J for filling in my parsing gaps.
PM@3 – I was another who spent an age trying to parse ‘rustler’ at 7d — until I finally realised that in fact it didn’t fit!
A very good puzzle. I also thought ASSUMED NAME was brilliantly clued – to come up with that song title and the additions needed for the wordplay in such a smoothly surfaced clue was brilliant, quite apart from all else there was to enjoy. I was also going down the RUSTLER route before realising how smart the clue was RISOTTO, and THE TOWERING INFERNO was also terrifically done.
Thanks Bertandjoyce – and thanks all!
Great puzzle, started quickly, got really bogged down and then rattled through it going back to it this evening, until my last three of risotto, reality and rhyme.
Thought snare drum, dark web and assumed name were especially good.
Thanks Bluth & B&J.