It’s over a year since I last blogged a puzzle by Brockwell, so I was very pleased to see his name this morning.
There’s a nicely varied set of clues, with neat constructions and smooth, witty and meaningful surfaces. Brockwell’s puzzles always (so far, at least) have a theme and this one was clearly set out for us at 19ac, in the centre of the grid and cleverly exploited, in different ways, especially at the delightful 3dn ERMINTRUDE, which was my top favourite clue. Other favourites, themed and unthemed, were 11ac LAYETTE, 22ac JUDDERS, 24ac MOONRAKER, 26ac ANGUS, 5dn SOUTHPAW, 19dn CROCKERY and 24dn MILK. Meticulous cluing meant that less familiar words (17ac for me) were gettable and I found the parsing pleasantly straightforward, apart from 7dn, where I need help – thanks in advance.
Many thanks to Brockwell for a most enjoyable puzzle for a foggy morning.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
9 The most important thing on our menu is battered (6,3)
NUMERO UNO
An anagram (battered) of ON OUR MENU
10 American in love with the Spanish winger (5)
OUSEL
US (American) in O (love) + EL (the Spanish)
11 Rwandan travel company welcoming Tories on vacation (5)
TUTSI
TUI (travel company) round T[orie]S
12 Fruit crush making an impression (4-5)
DATE-STAMP
DATE (fruit) + STAMP (crush)
13 Amateur character endlessly in first gear? (7)
LAYETTE
LAY (amateur) + [l]ETTE[r] (character) – a great surface, with fond memories of knitting, sewing and buying stuff for my first baby
14 Bread and butter opening for tennis player (3,4)
PAT CASH
PAT (butter) + CASH (bread – slang for money) – I vividly remember him climbing up the stand to greet his family after winning the 1987 final at Wimbledon – now they all do it
17 Beef with a bad guy (5)
WAGYU
W (with) + A from the clue + an anagram (bad) of GUY
19 Female in the middle of dirty look (3)
COW
[s]COW[l] (dirty look)
20 Ruler overturned part of agreement (5)
EMEER
Hidden reversal in agREEMEent
21 Oliver Stone ultimately directed work that stands out (7)
RELIEVO
An anagram (directed) of OLIVER [ston]E – neat ‘lift and separate’
22 Vibrations from organ picked up by Bach? (7)
JUDDERS
UDDER (cow’s organ) in JS (Johann Sebastian Bach)
24 Satellite provider finally screens Playboy film (9)
MOONRAKER
MOON (satellite) + [provide]R round RAKE (playboy)
26 Scottish council leader in Glasgow canal opening locks (5)
ANGUS
ANUS (canal opening) round G[lasgow]
28 Plain refusal to follow everyone in retreat (5)
LLANO
A reversal (in retreat) of ALL (everyone) + NO (refusal)
29 Copper in Exeter ground with energy to run again (9)
REEXECUTE
CU (copper) in an anagram (ground – one of my favourite indicators) of EXETER + E (energy)
Down
1 Contract upset Martin Kemp to some extent (4)
KNIT
Hidden reversal in marTIN Kemp – (eg knitted brows)
2 Dirty dog arrested by the head of Scotland Yard (6)
SMUTTY
MUTT (dog) in S[cotland] + Y (yard)
3 Appalling turd with fur coat is 19ac (10)
ERMINTRUDE
An anagram (appalling) of TURD in ERMINE (fur) for the cow from ‘The Magic Roundabout’ – more fond memories of early parenthood, this time of a well-loved bedtime TV show
4 Payment owing for 19ac (6)
SUBDUE
SUB (payment) + DUE (owing)
5 Tricky to wash up left-handed (8)
SOUTHPAW
An excellent anagram (tricky) of TO WASH UP
7 Male lacking in spirit worried to move upstairs (8)
ESCALATE
Apart from ATE (worried) I can’t make anything of this, so it’s over to you: please try to avoid repetition 😉 Edit: [m]ESCAL (spirit) minus m (male) – thanks to Amoeba and Crispy
8 Knocked over beer making escape (4)
SLIP
A reversal (knocked over) of PILS (beer)
13 Cut 19ac (5)
LOWER
A cow is a low-er – one that Paul didn’t have on Wednesday (When I solved this, I saw it as a double definition: cut/lower as with price/cost, then got sidetracked when writing the blog, remembering Paul’s puzzle)
15 Arteta drew after beating to make no progress (5,5)
TREAD WATER
An anagram (after beating) of ARTETA DREW – a great surface, Arteta being a football manager, I discovered
16 Drives 27 crazy over recipe (5)
HERDS
An anagram (crazy) of SHED (27dn) round R (recipe)
18 Happy to hold permit for 19ac (8)
GALLOWAY
GAY (happy) round ALLOW (permit)
19 Heart of kitchen garden in China (8)
CROCKERY
[kit]C[hen] + ROCKERY (garden) – nice to see china as other than pal/mate
22, 6 Top marks in audition for musical (6,4)
JERSEY BOYS
JERSEY (top) + BOYS (sounds like – in audition – ‘buoys’ – marks)
23 Extremely entertaining golf hole is part of 19dn (6)
EGGCUP
E[ntertainin]G + G (golf – NATO alphabet) + CUP (Collins: ‘golf the hole or metal container in the hole on a green’ – another thing I learned today
24 Timeless artist served up drink (4)
MILK
A reversal (served up) of KLIM[t] (artist, minus t – time) – I rather liked the symmetry with 8dn: two drinks, each involving a reversal
25 Space hopper on motorway (4)
ROOM
ROO (hopper) + M (motorway)
27 Novel date in Slough (4)
SHED
SHE (novel by Rider Haggard, which used to be a crossword staple) + D (date)
7d MESCAL (a spirit) without M
7 down – MESCAL minus the M
As Amoeba @1 said before me
Many thanks, both!
Mescal is the spirit in 7D, so the wordplay is (m)ESCALATE. I wasn’t sure about the parsing of the second part of 22, 6, but my guess was the same as yours, Eileen, as a homophone of ‘buoys’ for the second part. I wondered how many transatlantic solvers would know ERMINTRUDE though. Agree with Eileen’s summary of the puzzle.
Thanks to Brockwell and Eileen.
I see I was beaten to the post whilst typing.
Especially liked how 14a PAT CASH could be ‘Lift & Separated’ into COW PAT [cf. 3d (TURD)*] & CASH COW.
And there’s one of Paul’s MOOERs from Wednesday round 24a MOONRAKER — [(RANK)*/(NARK)*]
Probably the MOO in MOONRAKER and the reversed MOO in ROOM should also count as part of the theme? And maybe SHED (as in COWSHED)?
Well spotted, FrankieG!
…and COWBOYS?
Thanks Brockwell and Eileen
There was a lot of “guess, then parse”, so I didn’t enjoy it all that much. I would never have guessed COW from the clue – I got it from ERMINTRUDE (one of my favourites).
You say the precise clueing gave you WAGYU, Eileen. I had heard of it – even eaten it – but still had to look up whether it was that or WAYGU!
A couple of unindicated foreign solutions – NUMERO UNO and RELIEVO. In each case the English equivalent fitted the space (if you accept RELIEFS as “work”), though they didn’t parse, of course.
Other favourites LAYETTE and SOUTHPAW.
Also 8d, COWslip
I was so cow-fixated that I thought that EGG CUP must be an obscure steak, offal, or bone of a cow. Finally I realised that the clue referred to 19 DOWN!
The gift that goes on giving! – many thanks, all.
A brilliant puzzle, finely crafted with straightforward cluing. A masterclass.
Truly impressive to fit so many references in – I particularly enjoy answers which do not explicitly reference the theme but link to it, such as the “udder” in JS and “milk”. “Galloway” was new to me but once a few crossers were in it was one of those lovely examples of teaching me a new word.
“Cow” went in after “ermintrude” for me as well. “Layette” was new – a word which, like “trousseau” possibly turns up in crosswords more often than anywhere else these days. Although a friend did use “trousseau” recently in conversation, talking about her grandmother arriving in New York on the boat from Italy, ready to be taken across to the west coast to marry a man she’d never met, disembarking with her trousseau.
Muffin@9: you may have heard Wagyu referred to as Kobe beef? I have had it a few times in Japan and am not sure I’d want to shell out the ridiculous prices asked nowadays.
Many thanks Brockwell, for a super start to the day, and Eileen for the sheer joy of solving that radiates through your blog.
I couldn’t get on the setter’s wavelength with this one, so didn’t enjoy it much. It did have a ‘trying too hard’ feel about it. Probably just me, though! Thanks Brockwell and Eileen
No hope of Tui in TUTSI but what else could it be. Also ANGUS was a struggle, not knowing my Scottish councils. No problem with ESCALATE which reminded me of James Taylor.
Nice to see Gay meaning what it used to mean for a change in GALLOWAY.
Thanks to Eileen for her enthusiastic blog. I too relished ERMINTRUDE, which as my LOI took far too long to see! Lovely to see all the clues revolving around the word COW at 19a. I liked all the clues but particular favourites were SMUTTY at 2d, JERSEY BOYS at 22,6d and 24d MILK, some of which have been aforementioned. Thanks to Brockwell, whose puzzles I always enjoy!
Oh, and ERMINTRUDE was a favourite.
I really value the way Eileen highlights the theme-related clues in her blogs, by the way!
LAYETTE was my favourite. Shirl@11 I, too, wondered what part of a cow was an EGGCUP.
Found this very difficult – thanks Eileen for the explanations. Apart from ERMINTRUDE (a dnf for me – only vaguely aware of the magic roundabout) our transatlantic friends would have great difficulty rhyming BOYS with buoys (boo-ees in US speak)!
Brilliant puzzle from my NUMERO UNO setter. Top marks for ANGUS, JUDDERS and ESCALATE
Cheers E&B
I’m ambivalent on themed puzzles….but not this one.
A standing ovation to the setter. It must have taken a helluva lot of brain-strain to cram so many clever plays into one grid, based on the shortest of keywords.
Virtually every clue is a cracker, but ANGUS gets the Gold Cup, in a photo-finish with JUDDERS.
My cap is well and truly doffed. Best themed crossword I’ve tackled.
Big thanks, to Brockwell & Eileen
I really enjoyed this. Didn’t get COW until I solved ERMINTRUDE on reading the downs, but then saw the theme.
Thank you to Brockwell and Eileen for a great crossword blog.
Fabulous with ERMINTRUDE and JUDDERS firm favourites and I really enjoyed finding all the themers last night, especially COW PAT, CASH COW and MOO as pointed out by FrankieG, plus COWBOYS, pointed out by Hornbeam @8. Incidentally there’s a foreign Nina of EAUX in the 10th column. Loved this.
Ta Brockwell & Eileen.
I liked the way that various theme-related bits and pieces kept appearing long after the officially declared set were complete. A puzzle that asks you to remember the spirit mescal, the artist Klimt, the cow Ermintrude, the travel company Tui and the alternative spelling of EMEER was never going to be easy, but it was fun.
(Probably Paul didn’t include the LOWER in his Old Macdonalds Farm puzzle because it is such a cliché.)
A very satisfying puzzle with a fun theme and some clever clues.
It MOOved us…
I’ve amended the blog re 13dn: when I solved it, I saw it as a double definition: cut/lower as with price/cost but got side-tracked when posting the blog and remembering Paul’s puzzle.
Same with ‘layer’, I suppose, gladys @26. 😉
Excellent puzzle, with good constructions and some splendid surfaces. Nicely handled theme. Like some other posters I first misread the clue to EGGCUP as referring to 19ac; COW itself I spotted only after I solved LOWER (I’m not one who tackles clues in order!), although I had the initial C from CROCKERY.
I don’t think any indication of foreignness is necessary for NUMERO UNO (commonly used jocular expression) or RILIEVO (standard art terminology), unlike, for example, the usage of definite articles or numerals in other languages. English has always had a magpie attitude to foreign words and they easily become naturalised.
Difficult to choose favourites from such a strong cast, but I did like all of the anagram clues, and the alternative meaning of the keyword for SUBDUE.
Many thanks to Brockwell and the lucky Eileen.
Gervase @29
After getting 1d I looked at 9a and wasted some time trying to parse NUMBER ONE, which I wouldn’t have done if it had been indicated that the solution wasn’t in English. Similarly with RELIEFS. I just find this a little irritating. Adding Italian or Spanish to the first clue and Italian to the second would have made them both fairer (and not necessarily easier, as they were pretty easy anyway, once the English version had been rejected).
NHO ousel, TUI, layette, relievo, or the alternative spelling of emeer but, as Eileen said, the cluing was clear enough to get there.
One minor complaint: can we please retire SHE for ‘novel’? IMO it is an obscurity everywhere except in crosswordland, and requires that one has come across it before in a clue.
muffin @30: Both expressions are in Chambers (for what it’s worth), marked as ‘from Italian’, suggesting that they have become naturalised. NUMERO UNO is a commonly used expression: RILIEVO is more specialised, but this word is fully assimilated into art historians’ English. As you say, neither clue is especially difficult. What is there to be irritated about? 🙂
Excellent puzzle and blog. I loved ERMINTRUDE and the witty ANGUS.
Can I suggest including LLANO as a theme word? Much of the world’s cattle is raised on the plains of South America.
Thanks Brockwell and Eileen
Gervase @32
The irritation is that the obvious solution from the definition is NUMBER ONE, which fits.
There seems to be some difference of opinion online on how to spell the other one! The answer in this puzzle is rElievo.
[Apparently there’s such a thing as a MILKing machine in the form of a cow carousel or (cow-OUSEL, if you invent a portmanteau word for it.)]
When I solved ERMINTRUDE, I thought “a breed of cattle, isn’t it?”. Obviously locked away in the brain cells somewhere, with a ‘cow’ connotation – but I can’t imagine I would ever have made the correct connection, the Magic Roundabout being just on the edge of my knowledge. Thanks, Brockwell and Eileen.
Not sure if it has been mentioned but I would also consider LLANO to be theme related. The ones in Venezuela anyway are heavily populated with cattle.
[…continued from @35: Just noticed that PostMark has posted a Tiktok link to a cow-OUSEL here@11.]
Thought this an extremely cleverly put together puzzle. Ground to a halt about halfway through until I got the bovine theme connecting bits LOWER to WAGYU to GALLOWAY. Couldn’t for the life of me parse JUDDERS, but with a J in place it couldn’t be anything else after JERSEY BOYS suddenly provided a lightbulb moment. And many thanks Eileen for the subtle parsing of ANGUS, loi. I’m not entirely sure which word sounds more indelicate off the tongue these days – Anus or Arse, the latter appearing regularly as part of cryptic fodder.
Found this tough, but ultimately thoroughly enjoyable…
And Eileen, another piece of golfing trivia that you might not already be acquainted with – the green in which the golf cup is inserted is often referred to as “the dance floor” by commentators…
As I have just confessed on the Indy page, I was distracted during a rather boring conference call and posted the link to a COW-OUSEL on that page – which must have caused bewilderment amongst those trying to work out whether Phi’s puzzle had a theme or not! Here is the link to the machine
muffin @34: Thanks for spotting my misspelling of the solution – I defaulted to the genuine Italian spelling ‘rilievo’. RELIEVO is clearly a partial Anglicisation, hybridising the word with ‘relief’. All the more reason for NOT flagging it up as foreign! 🙂
Nice use of theme, where COW did not occur to me at the beginning. I liked the wordplay and definition for LAYETTE and the definition for ESCALATE. I also liked the good anagram for SOUTHPAW and the MOONRAKER Playboy film.
Thanks Brockwell and Eileen.
Great puzzle and blog. Thanks both.
I really enjoyed that one, after a few days recovering from a weekend of illness it’s nice to have a clever and fun crossword to have a go at when there are more than 2 little grey cells firing.
Looks like I’m the only one who spent some time with sira, a Turkish grape juice drink, in 24 down before the crossers (and then theme) showed me the error of my ways.
Loved the theme. In addition to those listed above, also, cowSLIP (the flower), cowHERDS, cowSHED, cowBOYS (as part of JERSEY) and MOOnraker. Apologies if others have mentioned these above, I looked, but may have missed the post. Thanks Eileen and Brockwell!
What with Paul’s offering on Wednesday, and now Brockwell’s today, and if perhaps speaking as a resident on the Isle of Wight, I might be saying that this all sounds very much like a COWeS week. I’ll fetch my hat and coat…
Was the cow who jumped over the moon a Moonraker?
I liked this one and wrote cow straight in, which helped. Things came in bursts after that but it was easy enough to ruminate my way to the end. Themes usually sail past overhead but Brendan, Paul and now Brockwell have all provided helpful ones this week. Have I improved, or were they just more accessible? Feet still firmly on the ground after last Saturday’s Prize debacle from Enigmatist.
[ronald @39: Your post reminded me of the quip: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, and popular psychology books are from Uranus]
Wonderful puzzle! Thanks to setter and blogger.
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned how brilliantly topical 15d is. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal drew on Wednesday against Nottingham Forest, after being beaten on Saturday by West Ham, to make it quite clear that their title challenge was going nowhere. When was this puzzle compiled?
Lovely crossword. Many thanks Brockwell and Eileen.
15d made me wonder if Brockwell is a Spurs supporter.
Loved this themed crossword from start to finish.
ANGUS is also a type of cow sometimes simplified from the breed Aberdeen Angus.
Thanks to Brockwell for the puzzle and Eileen for her wonderful blog.
Princess V @53
OOPS! – I didn’t immediately understand your comment, as I thought I’d carefully checked the highlighting of themed entries (fixed now). I was obviously too busy checking that the link to the Council had worked. Many thanks for that.
Gervase@49😀
Tough but fair.
New for me: ERMINTRUDE = a character from the children’s TV show The Magic Roundabout; GALLOWAY beef cattle
I could not parse 13ac and 7d apart from ATE = worried.
Thanks, both.
Enjoyed this, even without finishing: NHO LAYETTE or JERSEY BOYS. I suppose the first was gettable from word-play but not knowing where to start with the musical really left me without a chance.
Agree with Gladys@26, it was properly exciting quite how many cows just kept on appearing. A perfect advert for themed compositions. Bravo Brockwell and thank you Eileen.
Judge @33. I believe that the BOYS who HERD COWs on the LLANO are gauchos. Which suggests yet one more candidate for a themester, if you remember the limerick, which I think went like this…
An Argentine gaucho named Bruno
Said “Screwing is one thing I do know.
A woman is fine,
And a sheep is divine,
But a llama is NUMERO UNO.”
Ta muchly, Brockwell and Eileen, for a whole lotta laughs…
Huge thanks to Eileen for the wonderful blog – it’s been far too long since our paths last crossed. Also, huge thanks to the solvers for your comments. I’m delighted that nearly all of you enjoyed the bovine theme. As Frankie G @5 spotted, PAT CASH was my inspiration for this puzzle. I’m already on the lookout for other famous people whose first and last name can be linked with the same word. Anyway, time to moove on 🐄. B
Eoink@44 You were not alone. I went astray with the Turkish grape juice also.
Grecian, I really laughed at the PAT CASH link. How about Peter Sellers with a little homophone?
Grecian@60. Not quite the same but there is Adam-ant and Driver-ant (dorylus) giving you Adam Driver. Though am more interested in AlanC@62 spelling it out :-). Oh, and, just lovely crossword.
AlanC @62 is that Pete(r) BEST Sellers? I suspect you’ve got a different version.
Valiant effort polyphone @63, but I’ve not heard of driver ants and I’m a zoologist. And thank you, I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. B
Grecian, I was thinking SALT but I like yours.
I like yours too Alan. Watch this space for a salt theme. I can already see multiple possibilities 😉
Brockwell /Grecian @60
You seem to have already lit a blue touch paper here – no pressure then!
In the meantime, many thanks for dropping in: we always appreciate it when setters do.
Renewed thanks for all the fun – and for everyone else for chipping in and filling in my gaps!
Had never heard of a layette, relievo (only as a relief), or the alternative spelling of EMEER, but all well enough clued that I could fill them in and then check if they existed.
I think there are more llanos in Guardian crosswords than the whole of South America.
Tanthalas – I think you’re probably right. 😉
Wonderful puzzle! Happy to have my second completion in a row
After reading the comments, I feel especially pleased to have solved COW on the first pass, which helped to unlock much of the puzzle, including WAGYU and ERMINTRUDE, neither of which I had ever heard of
As an organist who delights in playing the music of the great JS Bach, my favourite was 22a JUDDERS, for the clever surface. Likewise 5d SOUTHPAW, being one myself!
Oh, and can someone (Eileen?) explain why “payment” = SUB in 4d? All I could find was Supplemental Unemployment Benefit, but that’s a Canadian government program, so unlikely to be the correct parsing
Hi Mig
Sub is in Chambers, as an abbreviation for subscription or subsistence money , hence a loan, advance payment and Collins: ‘(British informal) an advance payment of wages or salary’.
Many thanks Eileen!
Just acquired my very own hard copy of Chambers! This is getting serious 🙂
…and there’s “sub” on page 1545