Knut has provided the last puzzle of 2024, on what is Tuesday, so theme day, and we are certainly going out in style, at least cruciverbally-speaking.
As I solved and then blogged this crossword, I was reminded of just how many (predominantly short) entries can be accommodated in this grid, which makes it particularly useful when looking to cram it with theme words.
We are dealing here with a ghost theme, which means that some solvers may have been oblivious to it altogether and have been able to complete the puzzle in spite of it. However, those that did spot the gateway clue at 2 were doubtless impressed by the number of entries that can be prefixed by “golden” (7, 16, 22, 25, 26, 31 ….) or that, if put together, can form expressions that include this word, such as silence (is) golden, (the) goose (that) laid (the) golden egg, Golden Gate Bridge etc. A real compiling tour-de-force, in my humble opinion!
My favourite clues today were 8, for the surprising definition; 20 and 27, both for their misleading surface reading; 22, for eluding me for so long when the answer was staring me in the face all along; and the brilliant cryptic definition at 31. I fear that my parsing of “heroic pilot” at 9 and “abroad” at 19 may be somewhat wide of the mark.
Wishing all solvers, setters and bloggers the happiest and healthiest of new years. I wonder what our band of setters has in store for us in 2025 ….
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 09 | GOOSE | Game over – curtains for suave heroic pilot
GO (=game) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + S<uav>E (“curtains” means first and last letters only); could this refer to the nickname of the character Nick Bradshaw in the film Top Gun? |
| 10 | ADULTERER | Untrustworthy partner abused trade rule
*(TRADE RULE); “abused” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | ENDORSE | Back final runner clearing the last at Perth
END (=final, last) + <h>ORSE (=runner; “clearing last (=last letter) of Perth” means letter “h” is dropped) |
| 12 | AIR RAID | Song – could be work by The Police or work of the B-52s
AIR (=song) + RAID (=could be work by the police (force)); here the B-52s refer not to the American rock band, but to the Boeing B-52 American strategic bombers! |
| 13 | MINIM | Note: Knut’s following the road from London to Leeds
M1 N (=road from London to Leeds, i.e. the M1 North) + I’M (=Knut’s, i.e. today’s compiler) |
| 15 | KEY | Island wharf radioed
Homophone (“radioed”) of “quay (=wharf, i.e. landing stage for vessels)” |
| 16 | SEGUE | To play without interruption, use guesswork to some extent
Hidden (“to some extent”) in “uSE GUEsswork”; segue is a musical direction |
| 17 | ARM | Hurt husband is missing a limb
<h>ARM (=hurt, injure; “husband (=H) is missing” means letter “h” is dropped) |
| 19 | MILITIA | Troops drunk; one missing in action abroad
[LIT (=drunk, inebriated) + I (=one)] in MIA (=missing in action); here “abroad” seems to be suggesting “on the outside” in a container-and-contents clue |
| 20 | EGG | Bomb // that might be dropped by Harrier?
Double definition: an egg is a bomb or mine, colloquially AND e.g. a hen harrier, as a bird, could lay an egg |
| 22 | RATIO | Helping Susan finally to leave relationship
RATIO<n> (=helping, portion; “Susan finally (=last letter) to leave” means letter “n” is dropped) |
| 23 | IDS | Senior Tory’s multiple personality entities
IDS is Iain Duncan Smith (1964-), hence “senior Tory”; the id is one of the three parts of the personality in psychoanalysis theory |
| 24 | EDWIN | Chap drank vino when cycling
WINED (=drank wine); here “when cycling” means that the first letter moves to the end of the word, then the second and then the third |
| 26 | WEDDING | Daughter (24), engaged, ruined grand celebration
[D (=daughter) in *(EDWIN (=entry at 24)] + G (=grand, i.e. $1000); “ruined” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | SILENCE | Quiet as the French, boring
LE (=the French, i.e. a French word for the) in SINCE (=as, because) |
| 31 | RETRIEVER | Will he secure the game or get a duck?
Cryptic definition: the clue refers not to a game of cricket but to a dog employed to fetch game, ducks, etc on a shoot |
| 32 | IRENE | Uncovered generic retro name
<g>ENERI<c> (“uncovered” means first and last letters are dropped; “retro” indicates reversal) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | OGRE | Grim-sounding character therefore upset?
ERGO (=therefore); “upset” indicates vertical reversal |
| 02 | GOLDEN | Valuable information about antique
OLD (=antique) in GEN (=information, low-down); e.g. a golden opportunity is a valuable one |
| 03 | BEAR | Have English pub sandwiches
E (=English) in BAR (=pub); e.g. to bear a child is to have a child |
| 04 | GATE | Crowd packing terracing at Edgbaston
Hidden in “terracinG AT Edgbaston”; the gate is the number of people that pay to see e.g. a football match, hence “crowd” |
| 05 | EUCALYPTUS | Sup tea Lucy brewed that’s good for the cold
*(SUP TEA LUCY); “brewed” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | STAR | One guiding Southern sailor
S (=Southern) + TAR (=sailor) |
| 07 | TRIANGLE | Confusion about Inland Revenue going over figure
RI (IR=Inland Revenue; “going over” indicates vertical reversal) in TANGLE (=confusion); a triangle is a plane figure in geometry |
| 08 | BRIDGE | Ms Jones taking time off for a rest
BRIDGE<t> (=Ms Jones, as in the film Bridget Jones’s Diary; “taking time (=T) off” means letter “t” is dropped); a bridge is a rest in e.g. snooker |
| 13 | MOA | Old bird, occasionally immoral
<i>M<m>O<r>A<l>; “occasionally” means alternate letters only are used; the “old” of the definition means “extinct” |
| 14 | MAMBO | UK doctor hosting his association’s upcoming dance
AMB (BMA=his association, i.e. the British Medical Association; “upcoming” indicates vertical reversal) in MO (=UK doctor, i.e. Medical Officer) |
| 15 | KILLING EVE | I’ll give Ken hit TV show
*(I’LL GIVE KEN); “hit” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the UK spy thriller series that aired between 2018 and 2022 |
| 16 | STATE | Factoid on European country
STAT (=factoid, i.e. statistic) + E (=European) |
| 18 | METADATA | Info on online info? Facebook nowadays has a bit turning over
META (=Facebook nowadays, i.e. part of Meta tech conglomerate) + DATA (A TAD=a bit, a little; “turning over” indicates vertical reversal); metadata is information about information already supplied, e.g. details about a site on the internet |
| 21 | GUN | 17 … good one!
G (=good) + UN (=one, in dialect); a gun is an arm (=entry at 17) |
| 22 | REWARD | Benefit coming from the bottom drawer?
Vertical reversal (“coming from the bottom”) of “drawer” |
| 25 | WONDER | Stevie came first, revolutionary Liverpool player
WON (=came first, e.g. in championship) + DER (RED=Liverpool player; “revolutionary” indicates reversal); the reference is to the US singer-songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder (1950-) |
| 27 | IBIS | Winger starting for Inter twice
I<nter> (“starting for” means first letter only) + BIS (=twice); an ibis is a bird, hence “winger”! |
| 28 | SURF | Foam kids’ toy from Belgium, millions despatched
S<m>URF (=kids’ toy from Belgium; “millions (=M) despatched” means letter “m” is dropped) |
| 29 | LAID | Face lifting produced a 20
DIAL (=face, of e.g. watch); “lifting” indicates vertical reversal; “laid” can mean “produced an egg (=entry at 20)” |
| 30 | EYES | Looks at those approving loudly
Homophone (“loudly”) of “ayes (=those approving, as in The ayes have it)” |
I knew we’d be in for a treat when I saw Knut’s name but I think he’s excelled himself.
A great theme – I did wonder at one point whether 24a and 32a are celebrating their 2d 26a in amongst all the other 2d references?
Thanks very much and happy new year to Knut and RR
[Other movies: The Man With The GOLDEN ARM (Frank Sinatra, 1955),
and The Man With The GOLDEN GUN (Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga, 1974, …)]…
Happy New Year to all setters and bloggers, and commenters. You are all much appreciated by those of us who are less expert. Had to reveal some to finish this in one go but kicked myself as all clues are very fair. Missed the clever theme of course. Liked 31a too for the misdirection, although being a naturalist rather than a cricket person my first thought was something to do with wildfowl.
…[and another Bond film: GOLDENEYE[S] (1995)]
I’m totally in agreement with the first sentence of crypticsue’s comment but – DOH!! – I frequently forget what day it is during the Christmas period and so I never even thought of looking for a theme!
I’ve had a lot of fun going back over my entries to uncover the many gems in this wonderful puzzle – and, if Sue is right in her assumption, which seems rather more than likely, it’s even more a work of genius.
Huge thanks to Julius for a really memorable puzzle and to RR for a splendid blog. And a Happy New Year to all. 🙂
Great stuff!
Thanks both. Very entertaining, even for those of us who briefly looked for a theme, but did not identify one, however enjoyable to do so after the event once this blog put me on the scent. In SURF I knew the Smurf only as a comic character rather than a toy – last time I saw one was at a test match, in fact there were several. A peaceful new year to all.
[earworm: The Four Seasons’ SILENCE is GOLDEN (1964, …)]
I can only echo Cryptic Sue and Eileen – thanks, Knut, for a hugely enjoyable puzzle and congratulations to Edwin and Irene!
Thanks for your blog, dear RatkojaRiku, and thanks to those who have left a comment. I’ve spent most of the morning combing various online databases hoping against hope that I might come across a marriage joining Edwin & Irene from 1974 although alas I’ve drawn a blank… lovely idea though Sue!
Very best wishes to everyone in crosswordland for 2025.
Rob/Knut
Sorry, I forgot to mention that yes RR…I’m afraid GOOSE is intended as a Top Gun reference.
When GOOSE went in, I wondered if we were in for a Top Gun theme but it was not to be. I did spot that GOLDEN went with plenty of solutions. Not sure I got them all but it all chimed together very well as others have observed.
Thanks Knut and RR
Faves: MILITIA, EDWIN and METADATA.
Thanks Knut and RR.
Thanks to RR, and to Knut for the effervescent New Year’s Eve entertainment. Further to the theme, I’d just note that the famed BRIDGE’s design incorporates many instances of the GOLDEN RATIO, and that at nearby UC Berkeley the athletes are nicknamed the GOLDEN BEARs.
Thanks Knut for a gem, enjoyable even without seeing the theme. My top picks were AIR RAID, MILITIA, RATIO, EDWIN, BEAR, and STAR. I couldn’t figure out the need for ‘engaged’ in WEDDING, as the clue would be fine without it & I thought WONDER could use a DBE indicator but such nitpicking did not impede the fun. Thanks RR for the blog.
I was pleased to see Knut’s byline on this puzzle, and doubly so when I managed to get it complete without errors or reveals. Looking for a Tuesday theme, I saw the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE at 2/6/8d but missed the rest. Lovely job fitting in so many golden moments.
Belated thanks to Julius and to RR, and wishing a happy-as-possible 2025 to all.