Guardian 29,725 – Brockwell

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Lots of cross-references in this one, and even after getting the key answer at 12 across I found this quite a challenge. I enjoyed the different ways the theme was used. Thanks to Brockwell.

 
Across
7 WRENCHING Twisting words essentially inspired by archaic woman who serves in government (9)
[wo]R[ds] in WENCH (serving woman, archaically) + IN G[overnment}
8 GREEN Information gathering on politician (5)
RE (on) “gathered by” GEN (information)
9 ESTATE CAR English way to get worried about first sign of rust in vehicle (6,3)
E[nglish] + ST (street, way) + ATE (worried) + CA (about) + R[ust]
10 TABOO Forbidden Planet finally delivered 12 for Aladdin (5)
[plane]T + homophone of “Abu”, Aladdin’s pet monkey in the Disney film
12 MONKEY £500 cash to smuggle kilo (6)
K in MONEY – “a monkey” is slang for £500
13 TWOPENCE 2d cope with wet ground to win National (8)
N in (COPE WET)
16 CUDDLES 12 for Keith Harris in ‘Spoons? (7)
Double definition – Cuddles the Monkey was a puppet of the ventriloquist, better known for Orville
19 REACTOR Minister touring a feature of Dungeness (7)
A in RECTOR
22 BUSINESS Timeless quality of Dolly Parton’s trade (8)
BUSTINESS less T
25 SUPPLY Teacher spelling thickness without a vowel (6)
U (a vowel) in SP (spelling, e.g. in marking an error) + PLY (thickness)
27 SHAPE Fashion article lost by Cinders just before 12 (5)
ASH less A + APE (monkey – I’ll let taxonomists argue whether this is accurate)
28 DESICCANT One’s used to dry unfortunate accidents (9)
ACCIDENTS*
29 BRASS 3 not unknown to make money (5)
CHEEKY less Y (unknown) is cheek = insolence = brass
30 FACETIOUS Flippant member of the A-Team promises to pay overtime (9)
FACE (Templeton Peck in the TV series, known as Faceman or Face) + IOUS, including (“over”) T[ime]
Down
1 FRESCO Style of Jimi Hendrix inspiring key artwork (6)
ESC (computer key) in FRO (Afro, Hendrix’s hairstyle)
2 UNMARKED Evangelist in Dune novel is not identified (8)
MARK (gospel-writer, evangelist) in DUNE*
3 CHEEKY Fresh lube added to a great deal of joy (6)
CHEE[r] (joy) + KY (jelly)
4 INFANTA Cool pop princess (7)
IN (trendy, cool) + FANTA (fizzy drink)
5 GREASE Sung country in musical (6)
Sounds like “Greece”
6 HEROIC Haydn’s first symphony almost epic (6)
H[aydn] + EROIC[a] (Nickname of Beethoven’s 3rd symphony)
11 ROPE Tie in Myanmar Open (4)
Hidden in myanmaR OPEn
14 NUT Zealot beheaded old king (3)
CNUT less his first letter
15 ERR German bloke going topless for sin (3)
Another missing first letter, from HERR
16 COB 22 on black horse (3)
CO (business) + B
17 DOS Couple of Ibiza parties (3)
Double definition – Spanish for “two”, and plural of DO = party
18 EVER Piece from Steve Reich on record (4)
Hidden in stEVE Reich. As in “this is the hottest summer ever/on record”
20 CAPUCHIN Brother is 12 (8)
Double definition – Capuchin monkeys are actually named after the order of friars because they look as if they’re wearing the habit
21 ASSEGAI Pointed weapon say to stop endless attack (7)
E.G. (say) in ASSAI[L]
23 USHERS Wells wanting head of Girl Guides (6)
GUSHERS less G[irl]
24 IMPISH Brockwell is with wee Glaswegian getting mischievous (6)
I’M PISH (Glaswegian “piss” = “wee”)
25 SPIDER Pickpockets upset Queen Charlotte for one (6)
Reverse of DIPS (pickpockets) + ER (queen) – as in the children’s book Charlotte’s Web

76 comments on “Guardian 29,725 – Brockwell”

  1. Phew, that was a real struggle. Got there in the end, though. Some super clues – TWOPENCE, DESICCANT, HEROIC, IMPISH and SPIDER among my favourites. Thanks to Brockwell and Andrew

  2. Another great puzzle from Brockwell and a nice blog by Andrew.

    This was one of those themed puzzles where the theme doesn’t loom over the whole experience and is used as a device as well as the category of several solutions. Non UK residents might have trouble with the key answer mind you although it’s been used in crosswords enough to be fairly well known. Really enjoyable solve which was slow enough to feel rewarding and not long enough to become a chore.

    The surface for 28a is really good and does about as good a job as can be done to disguise the cluetype. There seem to be compaints about 22a but I think it’s fine. 21d used to appear all the time but this is the first time I recall seeing it for a good while.

    Great puzzle. Thanks Brockwell and Andrew for the blog.

  3. A real workout for me today but pleased to be able to complete after yesterday’s nightmare. Some Googling was required for the UK-specific GK; it’s been 35+ years since I left, I have NHO Keith Harris, and had forgotten Dungeness as a nuclear power site. 12 though was an instant FOI which helped.
    FWIW it’s worth I’m on the ‘inaccurate’ side of the fence for 27, although it was obvious what was being asked for.
    Thanks Brockwell and Andrew.

  4. I’m from California, but I had seen monkey (and pony) previously. I too found the puzzle enjoyable, but slow going. However, after finishing it I was not sure why it had taken as long as it did. Plenty new to me, though. I had never heard of Princess Infanta or an Assegai. However, the word play led me to the right place, even though I had to verify that I was correct. I found this to be an ideal puzzle—it gave you a fight, but in the end you prevail. Thanks Brockwell and Andrew for a great blog.

  5. DNF for me. At least six unsolved with a busy day ahead so revealed all.
    Whilst I did get SUPPLY I’m a little puzzled about the order of the wordplay. I cannot see how the setter indicates SUP should precede PLY. Elucidation welcomed.

  6. Thanks Brockwell and Andrew
    I didn’t enjoy this – too much GK unknown to me, too much use of wordsearches to find answers, too many loose definitions.
    Cappuccino coffee also derives its name from the colour of the Capuchins’ habits.

  9. SteveThePirate @5: spelling thickness without a vowel > spelling = SP thickness = PLY without a vowel = around the outside of a vowel= U = S U P PLY.

  10. A couple of bits forgotten — ply for thickness and the reactor town; and a couple nho — the ventriloquist and the A-Team series. And though taking ages to remember Charlotte’s Web for spider, loi, otherwise pretty smooth, cheers Brockwell and Andrew.

  11. Put me firmly in the ‘loved it’ camp. Loads of variety; plenty of smiles; interesting, compact and believable surfaces. Perhaps I was lucky with the GK; only LANGUR needed checking in the dictionary. And, as others have noted, the theme was present throughout but not overbearing. Faves inc REACTOR, BUSINESS, DESICCANT, FRESCO, UNMARKED, INFANTA, SPIDER and, COTD for the lovely definition/misdirection, TWOPENCE.

    Thanks Brockwell and Andrew

  12. Failed to solve 7,25ac and 4,25d.
    Of the ones I solved, I could not parse 10ac, 16ac, 27ac, 24d.

    New for me: LANGUR; Face = “The A-Team”member, Templeton “Faceman”; Dungeness nuclear power station.

  15. Yes, PostMark@11. I kept wondering why the cross reference to clue 2 needed to say ‘down’ until a couple of pennies dropped with a clang! [Arpee@13: 2p is twopence]. The whole puzzle was hard work for me, and did need a bit of research (Face? Keith Harris? etc). But MONKEY was my FOI, which helped. Thanks, Brockwell and Andrew.

  18. Arpee @17
    The “reference” to 2d is a complete red herring. It’s nothing to do with UNMARKED.

  21. I thought this was great. It looked very difficult at first but gradually unfolded. My favourite was SHAPE for the very clever surface.

    Tim C @7: INFANTA made me think of Ravel’s beautiful “Pavane pour une infante défunte”.

    Many thanks Brockwell and Andrew.

  22. Yes I know that ‘quality’ can just mean an attribute, but it is generally associated with that attribute being measured against excellence. Have we not moved on from referencing bodily attributes in such a fashion? It left a sour taste. Although I am not a fan, Dolly Parton’s quality is clearly her singing not any measurements parts of her figure add up to. It’s certainly not “fine” in my book.

  23. Oddly for me, taboo went in first, giving me the key clue quickly. Lots of lovely references to real world things/people which sometimes turned out to need GK (e.g. “forbidden planet” as both a film and a comic store, neither of which was relevant, but often did, if in a misleading way (Queen Charlotte, Haydn’s first symphony – which, unlike many, does not have a name). Actually, looking back, there is more GK required than I first thought so I see Muffin’s point.

    I loved the misdirection of “2d” and Charlotte’s Web is a happy reminder of the remarkable EB White, author of “Strunk and White” (or The Elements of Style if you prefer).

  24. I hope Dolly P doesn’t mind that kind of reference to her at 22ac, rather than for her musical output. Found much of this difficult and unparsed. Thought GREEN and INFANTA clever. Quite a lot of varied/obscure GK required this morning. A DNF for me, though I did enjoy the challenge…

  25. Strewth, that was a struggle.

    Ran out of time so had to reveal GREEN & SHAPE, both of which I would never have parsed in a month of Sundays.

    Elegant crossword, however, but with rather too much outside research needed for my taste.

    Many thanks, both.

  26. Has Brockwell been in cahoots with Paul? BUSTINESS and (IM)PISH made me wonder… Anyway, this was a beautifully pitched puzzle, particularly the misdirection for TWOPENCE.

    Thanks Brockwell and Andrew

  28. Ref BUS(t)INESS: it earned critical comments from some on the G’s own site as well. I understood that Dolly Parton has frequently not just referred to but made jokes about her figure which would surely imply Brockwell is not crossing any line in what was an entirely unsalacious clue. A quick bit of Googling turns up the following quotes from the lady herself: “I do have large boobs. Always had them. I’ve pushed them up, whacked them around. Why not make fun of them? I’ve made a fortune with them.” “I was the first woman to burn my bra — it took the fire department four days to put it out.” and “I don’t know if I’m supporting them, or they’re supporting me.”

  29. I’m with you PostMark @28. Dolly has certainly understood the power of her breasts and also her singing. Thanks for the quotes.

  30. Too much pretty obscure GK, e.g. Keith Harris (?) and why the single quote before Spoons? There seemed to be an unusual number of hidden answers.

  31. Good puzzle in a rather unfriendly grid! Lots of under-checked lights made some of the shorter ones trickier until I was certain I had parsed the wordplay. Great theme-work, and some very clever/witty clues. I particular liked IMPISH, INFANTA and FRESCO.

    Just one (very subjective) eyebrow wiggle: the same containment indicator ‘inspired’ / ‘inspiring’ was used in crossing clues WRENCHING and FRESCO. Such repetition bothers some people more than others, I know, but it jumped out to me!

    Thanks Brockwell and Andrew.

  32. Like Tim C, I’m also with PostMark re 22ac.

    Once again, Brockwell has wrung the last drop of value from his wide-ranging but far from obtrusive theme ( note CHEEKY, GREASE, BRASS, SPIDER and there may be more unannounced ones), all wrapped up in a fine set of clues with splendid surfaces.

    As always, I have many ticks and have to agree with PostMark @11 in putting TWOPENCE at the top of the tree. I always enjoy ‘ground’ as an anagram indicator and it was particularly appropriate here, along with the clever misdirection. I was also amused to see SUPPLY – another of my favourite indicators – appear as a solution for once, in a cleverly constructed clue.

    I could go on but Thursday is my busiest day and I must go out shortly.
    Many thanks to Brockwell for a super puzzle and to lucky Andrew for a super blog. (And to Lord Jim and Tim C for the lovely music: I hadn’t heard the guitar version before.)

  33. Agree with the “slow going but fair and enjoyable” comments above.
    Standout clue for is was FACETIOUS — a LOL moment for both of us.
    Thanks Brodkwell and Andrew.

  36. Agree with the refreshing rebuttal by PostMark @28. I was surprised that no one had listed the other theme-related words until Eileen @32, to which I would add BUSINESS (Marx Brothers), IMPISH WRENCH and NUT. Great set of clues, despite the somewhat obscure GK and I would agree with others that TWOPENCE was top of the MONKEY tree. One of my favourite setters.

    Ta Brockwell & Andrew.

  38. I thought this one would break my Grauniad streak but managed with a bit of judicious Googling to cover my GK gaps.
    Thanks both.

  39. poc @30: I think the single quote before Spoons was supposed to be an apostrophe and to refer to Wetherspoons.

  42. [Eileen @32, It was on my list of “pieces to play” when I was teaching myself Classical Guitar when I was overlooking the RCM when a resident in Beit Hall in between studying Engineering in the 1970s. It’s one of those melodies that stays with you.]

  43. Is supply really a teacher, or a kind of teacher? Not used here so hard for me to answer, though I’m happy enough with “supply teacher”.

    Minor quibble in a very enjoyable (if slightly tricky) puzzle.

  44. khayyam @43
    This always irritates me, but I’ve mainly given up complaining about it. A “supply” isn’t a teacher; a “supply teacher” is a teacher. That was one of the loose definitions I mentioned earlier.
    I’m really surprised by the general liking for this. I’m sure I’m not alone in not knowing Aladdin’s monkey, Keith Harris’s monkey (though I would have known Orville), and the characters in the A-team.
    And another thing – why does “afro” become FRO?

  45. muffin @44…. “And another thing – why does “afro” become FRO?”… because people have an inveterate habit of shortening words, but it should probably have an apostrophe before it as according to Chambers…..
    ‘fro
    noun
    An informal shortening of Afro (the hairstyle)

  47. Many thanks to Andrew for the excellent blog and to everyone else for the comments. I’m very happy that most of you enjoyed the puzzle.

    I knew that the Dolly Parton clue may not be to everyone’s taste. I think that she is a wonderful human being and would do nothing to offend her. I asked myself “what would Dolly think of this?” and came to the same conclusion as PostMark @28. Another of her well-known quotes is “I have little feet, because nothing grows in the shade”.

    muffin @44 – I’m sorry that the puzzle wasn’t to your taste, but I do take issue with describing SUPPLY and FRO as “loose”. Chambers has “A person who takes another’s duty temporarily, a substitute, esp a teacher” as one definition of SUPPLY and “An informal shortening of Afro (the hairstyle)” for ‘FRO. Anyway, diff’rent strokes, I guess.

    Not sure if MONKEY FACE has been mentioned yet 🙈

    All the best, B

  48. RECON, short for reconnaissance, works perfectly for 8 across (on politician) which left me with problems.

  49. I really enjoyed this when playing earlier, but it took a while to untangle and parse everything.

    Didn’t Charles II marry an INFANTA? Catherine Braganza, the Infanta of Portugal. Not that any of his offspring were from that match, although he provided enough from the mistresses various.

    [TimC @42 – I had a room in Beit in the 1970s too – the little bit overlooking the RCM student rooms, not out the front where you were, so got to hear them practising – someone spent a lot of time on Rachmaninoff’s Theme from Paganini”]

  50. Maybe to make a cryptic experience last longer, I consider it a DNF if I haven’t parsed everything, even if if the grid was filled completely and correctly. Today that’s what it was because I didn’t unravel FRESCO, but on hindsight I’m kicking myself since I knew all the parts.

    Fave was the tuppence.

  51. A tough work out. My monkey knowledge is obviously not up to par so a few reveals in the SE but managed to do the rest. I needed the blog because for some clues I didn’t fully get how they parsed.

    Liked the misdirection in TWOPENCE

    Thanks Brockwell and Andrew

  52. Decades ago ASSEGAI used to pop up in crosswordland all the time. I haven’t seen it for ages, so it’s nice to see it reprise its role.

  53. Lots to like here, TWOPENCE being my clear favorite.

    NHO of the monkeys of Keith Harris or Alladin but google [other search engines are available] helped. I also had to google what Dungeness was famous for, and confirm that LANGUR was a thing, but the rest of the GK I had. One person’s GK is another’s obscurity, I suppose.

    I did not parse 1D (thank you Andrew) getting neither ESC (which I ought to know by now, it comes up often enough) nor ‘FRO.

    I spent a long time wondering how GREEN meant politician before realizing it was a reference to the party rather than an individual. I’m still not sure how I feel about that, although it’s definitely clever.

  54. Hugely enjoyable romp from a setter at the top of their game. Top ticks for TUPPENCE, BUSTINESS & FACETIOUS which I thought might get more GK complaints but maybe I understimated the crossover between cruciverbalists and A-Team fans 🙂

    muffin@44 et al – Chambers: SUPPLY: “A person who takes another’s duty temporarily, a substitute, esp a teacher”

    Cheers B&A

  55. I’d never heard of muffin’s nhos @44 either.

    I’d never have parsed SUPPLY in a million years. And it didn’t help that we say “substitute teacher” in the US, so “supply teacher” isn’t a thing.

    Today is Juneteenth in the US, our newest Federal holiday, dating only from 2021 (the Biden administration, I’m sure that Trump will downplay it), though it has been celebrated since the 1860’s. The Emancipation Proclamation officially freed all slaves in the Confederate states on January 1, 1863, but the word didn’t get to Texas until June 19, 1865, At that time Union troops entered Texas and ordered the final enforcement of the Proclamation for slaves who had been free for two years but didn’t know it. While the official date is June 19, it has been celebrated in black communities on whichever Saturday in June had a date ending in -teen with picnics and barbecues and general festivity. Now that it’s federal, maybe some white people will celebrate it too.

    Thanks, Brockwell and PeterO

  56. [Jacob@53: A member of the Green party (esp. a politician) is often referred to as “a Green”, in the same way as you might get “a Conservative”, but not “a Labour”.]

  57. Valentine @55, I enjoyed your history lesson, although maybe you’ve already been over-celebrating, as Andrew was our excellent blogger today 😉

  58. Thanks both and the same experience as many – an enjoyable ‘slog’ (and a dnf but what the hay, I was entertained while it/I lasted).

    Why is KY=’jelly’ please?

  61. I had been aware of ‘The A Team’ but had never been tempted to watch it, so the parsing of FACETIOUS was well beyond me. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Keith Harris, Orville and CUDDLES, who for a time seemed inescapable,so thanks, Brockwell, for rekindling a memory that had been almost completely suppressed for four decades. As a result, I may need to go into therapy.

  62. muffin@59, Rob T@60: Oo er. Was not expecting that! A bit rough for (well one would like to think it could be..) a family entertainment? Or my being prissy?

  63. Thanks for the blog , a bit too bitty for my solving method but some clever clues .
    Please can I scratch my head tomorrow , it has been six weeks now .

  64. I thought it was pretty tough although the GK suited my age group. GREEN took me the longest. I spotted the 2d diversion pretty quickly, which was probably just as well. Thanks all.

  65. I would add to PostMark’s excellent defence @28 of the clue at 22 BUSINESS, that Dolly Parton, besides being one of the smartest people in show business, is also a great actress and business person, which adds to the cleverness of the clue.

    This was a fun puzzle, but a DNF, as much of the GK was GI for me, as QI would have it. (I think GK should be called SK – i.e., Specific Knowledge.)

    Thanks, Brockwell for the puzzle and Andrew for the educational blog.

  66. [I remember reading someone who met Dolly Parton – Humphrey Lyttleton? – saying that she wasn’t absolutely large in the bust region; she was just so small that she seemed so.]

  69. Great puzzle, fine use of theme. I got stuck in the NW where INFANTA, CHEEKY and WRENCHING just wouldn’t emerge.
    One quibble: I can see that EVER and on record might be exchangeable in the phrase “hottest summer ever/on record”, but I really don’t think they are the same. I put it in, but wasn’t convinced.

    Thanks for the fun, Brockwell and for the blog, Andrew.

  70. Too many unparsed for me, as I don’t use Google for solving crosswords. Luckily the word play was sufficient for the A-team and Abu, and spoons got me 16a once I had finally put DOS where it belonged instead of at 16d. 🙄

    I didn’t write FRESCO in though, because FRO meant nothing to me, or at least nothing to do with Jimi Hendrix. I nearly wrote in TUPPENCE but waited for crossers, whereupon the anagrist became obvious. That and LANGUR were my favourite moments.

    I’m not one of those who says, “right, that’s it, I’ve had it with [insert name of setter], I’m never doing his [expletive deleted] puzzles again!” Not me, I’m just looking forward to the day when I finish a Brockwell before breakfast and come here to say how much I enjoyed it.

    A man can dream, can’t he?

  71. Grecian @47 and bodycheetah @54. Thanks. If chambers has supply that way I’ll retract my quibble — usage just not known to me.

  73. I had to look in the thesaurus for WRENCHING and FACETIOUS. I was looking for BA…IOUS for the latter for far too long. BA was the only member of the A-Team I could remember.

    For the Charlotte, I looked for a synonym of pudding.

    Thanks for the parsing SHAPE, I’d got as far as SH(oe) + APE. Obviously grossly misled by “Cinders just before 12”.

  74. As has been mentioned, there are a good number of monkeys among the answers. So perhaps we can call the whole crossword a (MONKEY) PUZZLE…
    …the botanical name of which will be familiar to many.

  75. [Dolly Parton is a national treasure. In addition to singer, songwriter, actress, and businessperson, she’s a great philanthropist who has, among other things, donated hundreds of millions of books to children and contributed a substantial sum to the development of the Moderna Covid vaccine. She also has a great sense of humor and self-awareness and would surely not be offended in the least by her characterization in this puzzle.

    When your Queen died, I said to my wife that I couldn’t imagine an American whose death would cause people to line the streets for miles to see their coffin go by. She immediately said, “I can. Dolly Parton.” I hope that day is many years away.]

  76. Missed the last three in the SE. Fought really hard to get that far!

    13a TWOPENCE, “2d” in the clue was dastardly. Great pdm!

    1d Finally got key = esc

    2d “Dune novel” could be useful for a host of “un…ed” words

    Nice to see the ASSEGAI make a return after a long absence!

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