Eccles is occupying the mid-week slot this week, a place where we are used to finding his work.
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, which I found to be easy-to-medium in terms of difficulty level for the Indy. The puzzle comprises a set of relatively concise clues, not overly intricate in terms of their wordplay, which made them easier and quicker to blog, if not necessarily to solve.
My favourite clues today were 1D, for concision and clever use of “Gents”; 9, for smoothness of surface, 12, for the ingenious use of “in loco” in the wordplay; and 15, for sauciness, this clue being the last one that I cracked.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | COUPLE | Power grab by the French pair
COUP (=power grab, i.e. coup d’état) + LE (=the French, i.e. a French word for the) |
| 04 | MODESTY | Reserve fashion house for pigs
MODE (=fashion, as in à la mode) + STY (=house for pigs); reserve is discretion, restraint, hence modesty |
| 09 | ALEHOUSES | A grotesque hole employs locals
A + *(HOLE) + USES (=employs) |
| 10 | AGAIN | A trap traps American for a second time
A (=American) in [A + GIN (=(type of) trap)] |
| 11 | MELEE | Honey bee loses head in fight
MEL (=honey, especially in pharmacy, cf. mellifluous) + <b>EE (“loses head” means first letter is dropped) |
| 12 | REIMAGINE | Present new analysis of a regime in loco
*(A REGIME IN); “loco (=crazy, mad)” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | NEGLECT | Ignore constant gentle tremors
*(C (=constant, in mathematics) + GENTLE); “tremors” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | NYMPHO | One after the other, constantly
Cryptic definition: a nympho(maniac) is always looking for (“after”) sex (“the other”, it)!! |
| 17 | ON EDGE | Tense and disillusioned German guards
Hidden (“guards”) in “disillusiONED GErman” |
| 19 | MONEYED | Instant new look at designer’s prelude is a bit rich
MO (=instant, moment) + N (=new, as in NT=New Testament) + EYE (=look (at), observe) + D<esigner> (“prelude” means first letter only) |
| 22 | PUTREFIER | Rotter is assigned official? That is right
PUT (=assigned, placed) + REF (=official, i.e. referee, in sport) + I.E. (=that is, id est) + R (=right); a putrefier is something that putrefies, rots |
| 24 | CLAMP | Conservative with light grip
C (=Conservative) + LAMP (=light) |
| 26 | GILET | Jacket earl wears covered in gold
E (=earl) in GILT (=covered in gold) |
| 27 | OBSTINATE | Stubborn stain to be disguised
(STAIN TO BE); “disguised” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | TEA TREE | Nipple on back of magazine? It can make one drink
TEAT (=nipple, for suckling) + RE (=on, regarding) + <magazin>E (“back of” means last letter only) |
| 29 | ETHENE | Gas plugs confuse the newlyweds
Hidden (“plugs”) in ‘confusE THE NEwlyweds”; ethene is an oil-forming gas, hydrogen combined with carbon |
| Down | ||
| 01 | CHAPMAN | Python in Gents
CHAP (=gent) + MAN (=gent); the reference is to Graham Champan (1941-89), one of the six members of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python |
| 02 | UREAL | Yorkshire river with a smell, ultimately, of waste product
URE (=Yorkshire river) + A + <smel>L (“ultimately” means last letter only) |
| 03 | LOOSE HEAD | Go into panic about old rugby player
O (=old, as in OT=Old Testament) in LOSE HEAD (=go into panic); in rugby, the loose head is the forward in the front row of a scrummage |
| 04 | MISSION | Young woman working around international embassy
I (=international) in [MISS (=young woman) + ON (=working, e.g. of machine)] |
| 05 | DRAMA | Shot a story on film?
DRAM (=shot, of e.g. whisky) + A |
| 06 | SLAVISHLY | Foxy nurses shower in an unimaginative way
LAVISH (=shower, e.g. praise, gifts) in SLY (=foxy, i.e. cunning) |
| 07 | YONDER | Rodney plays over there, but not too far away
*(RODNEY); “plays” is anagram indicator |
| 08 | ESPRIT | Cycling elf shows lively wit
SPRITE (=elf); here “cycling” means last letter moves to front of word |
| 14 | GENITALIA | Bits of information Berlusconi perhaps finally released
GEN (=information, low-down) + ITALIA<n> (=Berlusconi perhaps, i.e. former Italian PM and media tycoon; “finally released” means last letter is dropped); colloquial, one’s “bits” are one private parts, hence genitalia |
| 16 | MONACHIST | Queen fan brushing aside rumours, initially, of devote way of life
MONA<r>CHIST (=queen fan, i.e. royalist!); “brushing aside rumours initially” means that its first letter (=R), is dropped” |
| 18 | EPISODE | Record one’s poem for part of TV series
EP (=record, i.e. extended-play) + I’S (=one’s) + ODE (=poem); a series is divided into a number of episodes or parts |
| 19 | MOROSE | Gloomy medical officer got promoted
MO (=Medical Officer) + ROSE (=got promoted, i.e. rose through the ranks) |
| 20 | DEPLETE | Piano in key that’s lower
P (=piano, i.e. softly in music) in DELETE (=key, on computer keyboard); to deplete e.g. stocks is to lower, reduce them |
| 21 | SPIGOT | Tap up American soldier that punches best
GI (=American soldier) in TOPS (=best, ultimate); “up” indicates vertical reversal; a spigot is a peg used to close the opening of a tube or pipe |
| 23 | ENTER | Go into hub over the pond? Not at first
<c>ENTER (=hub; “over the pond” means spelt the US way); “not at first” means first letter is dropped |
| 25 | AGATE | Silver corroded stone
AG (=silver, i.e. chemical symbol) + ATE (=corroded, eroded) |
MONACHIST is new to me and needed checking; GENITALIA made me laugh – in its own right but also because I thought ‘info’ – GEN and Berlusconi – ITALIAN – and yet still didn’t get the solution immediately! LOOSE HEAD, COUPLE, ALEHOUSES, EPISODE and CHAPMAN were my other big ticks. I did not spot the hidden in ETHENE and I failed to parse NYMPHO.
Thanks Eccles and RR for an early blog.
Eccles on saucy form today! A lot of fun. Favourites were CHAPMAN, MONEYED, MONACHIST, PUTREFIED and the brilliant NYMPHO which I needed the unusual combination of checkers for; I’d already considered that “the other” might be “IT” (which the checkers disproved) but it took me longer to interpret “one after”. Good use of “constantly” too, to throw us off the track (regularly-positioned letters, etc).
My only query was the use of “medical officer” in MOROSE; I’m sure I’ve seen MO clued by just “doctor” or similar, and that would have put me off the scent a bit longer I think. I shouldn’t complain though, because that easier M led me to one of my faves.
Thanks both
A gentle puzzle, but with a few quite testing clues.
The south west corner held me up a bit….TEA TREE sounded odd, but apparently a drink can be made from its leaves?
PUTREFIER was well disguised, and I messed up the spelling, at one point.
As ever, lots of good stuff from Eccles, and only one entry on my WHY LIST….. MONACHIST ( but what a crafty and original clue).
Ta Eccles & RatkojaRiku
Eccles on great form as usual with a puzzle that was great fun to solve and relatively light for him.
The tap in 21d is American, but I suppose it could be argued that it is indirectly indicated as the word American appears elsewhere in the clue!
My top picks were NYMPHO ,MONEYED, PUTRIFIER, CHAPMAN and GENITALIA.
Many thanks to Eccles and to RR.
Thanks Eccles and RR
RD @ 4 The use of spigot to mean tap goes back to the 14th century, so predates America more than somewhat!
{typos: 1d “Champán” (Spanish Champagne), 16d “devoted“}
Liked 12a REIMAGINE: after yesterday’s “Ad nauseam“, another ‘Lift and Separate‘ of a Latin phrase “in loco“
Eccles definitely ‘on saucy form’ today! NYMPHO was last in for me, too and I chuckled when I saw it – as at GENITALIA (such a simple charade). I always smile at that definition.
I’ll go along with RR’s other favourites, for the same reasons, adding MODESTY, UREAL (I always have to applaud the appearance of my beloved Wensleydale river), YONDER, ESPRIT and MONACHIST: I couldn’t fit MONASTIC but fortunately knew monachus is Latin for monk. Not so fortunate with ETHENE but it was kindly hidden and it sounded like a gas – another favourite, for the surface.
Many thanks to Eccles for the fun and to RR for a great blog.
I enjoyed this for all the reasons others have mentioned, though I am a bit less enthusiastic about NYMPHO. I am puzzled by the drink element of TEA TREE, though, as it’s toxic – great as a natural antiseptic, dangerous if consumed.
Eccles seemed to be channelling his inner Hoskins in a couple of clues today but both raised a smile. As usual, a couple of new bits of info for me, didn’t know either the rugby player or the devoted way of life, sadly the old grey matter is unlikely to remember them. I was particularly taken with the Earl’s jacket and the gloomy medical officer.
Thanks to Eccles and to RR for the review.