Mog for our Tuesday entertainment
Bert and Joyce are away so I’m doing a guest spot for them. Tuesday is usually theme day, but Mog has beaten me here, I’ve looked and looked at the grid and clues and can find no Nina, theme, pangram or acronym nor any obvious link to the date. Over to you for my education.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TOWERS |
They’re high – might they offer a drag? (6)
|
| Double def, towers as in tugboats or recovery trucks | ||
| 4 | STATUTES |
No-good corporation breaking nation’s laws (8)
|
| (g)UT – corporation. tummy – missing the G (No Good) inside STATE’S – nation’s | ||
| 9 | STEALTH |
Way and means to hide with? (7)
|
| All in one clue, ST – way & (w)EALTH – means – with W(ith) hidden. Very nice Mog | ||
| 11 | AFGHANI |
Asian hotel struggling with frequency again (7)
|
| [H(otel) F(requency) AGAIN]* struggling | ||
| 12 | TUTTI |
All players voiced disapproval at rejected appeal (5)
|
| TUT – voice disproval at & IT (sex) appeal reversed – rejected | ||
| 13 | TENNESSEE |
X head seen naked somewhere down south (9)
|
| TEN – x in roman numerals & NESS – head of a river &a naked (s)EE(n). Down south certainly for most Americans | ||
| 14 | BLACKPOOL |
Town bachelor shortage leads to returned ring (9)
|
| B(achelor) & LACK – shortage & LOOP – ring – reversed | ||
| 17 | MINE |
Happening to be held by yours truly? (4)
|
| Well it’s another all in one but a bit awkward to explain, IN – it’s happening IN inside ME – yours truly | ||
| 19 | ICON |
Current right-wing image (4)
|
| I – electrical current & CON – right wing | ||
| 21 | AVALANCHE |
Husband caught in curtain after a big fall (9)
|
| A & H(usband) in VALANCE – a curtain on the side of a bed | ||
| 24 | ARTEMISIA |
Unfinished material is for recycling plant (9)
|
| Recycled [MATERIA(l) IS]* | ||
| 26 | OFFER |
Killer bargain (5)
|
| Double def, an OFF- ER a killer | ||
| 28 | NICOSIA |
Is a coin liquid capital? (7)
|
| A liquid [IS A COIN]* | ||
| 29 | EPITOME |
Model setter entered in record book (7)
|
| I – the setter inside EP – record & TOME- book | ||
| 30 | COLOSSUS |
One huge business deficit from America (8)
|
| CO(mpany) & LOSS & US – from America | ||
| 31 | THORPE |
Village gym behind divine figure (6)
|
| THOR a Norse god & PE – gym | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TEST-TUBE |
Synthetic garment secures derrieres from below (4-4)
|
| As in test-tube babies I suppose, TEE shirt – garment with BUTTS – derrieres – reversed inserted | ||
| 2 | WHEAT |
Grass laced with ecstasy, eh? (5)
|
| WHAT – eh? – with E -ecstasy inserted – laced with | ||
| 3 | ROLLICK |
Turn gross and behave boisterously (7)
|
| ROLL – turn & ICK -gross | ||
| 5 | TRAIN |
Tricks picked up in school (5)
|
| ART reversed – picked up & IN | ||
| 6 | TAG TEAM |
Grappling partners appreciated Grand Master packing meal (3,4)
|
| TA – thanks, appreciated & GM – grand master with TEA inserted | ||
| 7 | TRANSONIC |
Hurried kid tackled by jerk at high speed (9)
|
| RUN – hurried & SON – kid all in TIC – jerk | ||
| 8 | SMILER |
Header from stunned athlete who’s grinning (6)
|
| S(tunned) & MILER – athlete | ||
| 10 | HOT YOGA |
Periodically scratch throat by long rap exercise (3,4)
|
| New term to me, but I’m not a fitness fanatic. Alternate letters scratched from tHrOaT bY lOnG rAp | ||
| 15 | ASCETICAL |
Alice’s cat, playfully denying the physical (9)
|
| [ALICES CAT]* playfully | ||
| 16 | LEAKAGE |
Escape among gaggle, a.k.a. geese (7)
|
| Hidden in gaggLE A K A GEese | ||
| 18 | REPRIEVE |
Old official accepts not entirely proper save (8)
|
| most of PRI(m) – proper inside REEVE an old magistrate | ||
| 20 | NEMESIS |
Relative chasing European guys around Waterloo? (7)
|
| E(uropean) & MEN – guys & SIS(ter). As in meeting one’s Waterloo | ||
| 22 | ABOLISH |
Stop sailor going with topless style (7)
|
| AB – sailor & a topless (p)OLISH – style | ||
| 23 | TANNIC |
Like some wines, tawny and largely pleasant (6)
|
| TAN, light brown, tawny & most of NIC(e) | ||
| 25 | SNAFU |
Typical chaos blows about university (5)
|
| FANS – blows – reversed & U(niversity) | ||
| 27 | FLOOR |
French hugging can disconcert (5)
|
| LOO -can, toilet in FR(ench) |
Liked STEALTH, MINE and SNAFU.
Thanks Mog and flashling.
Did anyone else end up with RETRIEVE instead of REPRIEVE? I convinced myself that ‘proper’ = TRI(m) rather than PRI(m). In the sense of ‘in good order, neat & tidy, clean-cut even’. I agree with KVa that MINE is a nice clue. And I am finally getting used to OFFER which went in with barely a thought.
I haven’t spotted a theme either – I had my suspicions about THORPE which seems an unusual word when CHARGE could have been chosen but I can’t see anything else related to cricketers or swimmers.
Thanks both (nice to see flashling taking a break from the pump)
I’m glad I’m not alone in struggling to spot a theme. There’s BLACKPOOL and TOWER(s)? I couldn’t get any further with THORPE either.
I’m not altogether convinced by MINE, but otherwise enjoyed the tussle.
I think the theme is rollercoasters / theme parks.
For a moment I thought the theme was homophones avoided with AVALANCHE and NICOSIA, but well-spotted bill_poster. Another fan of STEALTH.
I agree on the theme, inasmuch as, Theme Parks/ rides, as per BP@4. / DP too.
Probably some Blackpool (?), so the Tower works. I think ICON and AVALANCHE are fits; ( Ghost) TRAIN ?
Thorpe Park, also: NEMESIS & COLOSSUS ( and re the latter, THE BIG ONE, at Blackpool).
Probably a lot more to it, but that’s the extent of my limited knowledge.
Forgot to actually comment on the puzzle! That’s the problem with themes. They get in the way.
It’s very solid stuff from Mog. 3(d), I think only ICKY really works, but if it’s ICK, so be it.
I didn’t like the linkage “leads to”, in 14(ac).
26(ac) KILLER= HITMAN=OFFER….sigh. It’s here to stay.
As are all the plants in the world…..ARTEMISIA, 24(ac), yawn.
Flashling likes 9(ac), STEALTH, but it seems a mish-mash to me. Neither one thing or the other.
Chris Hemsworth will enjoy 31(ac); I concede, he’s quite easy-on-the eye, for the ladies.
An enjoyable ride, from Mog, but not a thriller. Ta, Flash.
Still don’t get MINE, How does happening=IN or am I completely on the wrong track.
Mostly enjoyed otherwise though 10D elicited an UGH from me for the surface.
Thanks to Mog & Flashling
rd @ 8 If something is fashionable / happening it’s an IN thing.
No hope of seeing the theme, of course. To the extent I know any theme parks, they are over here.
HOT YOGA is yoga in a sauna; it sounds like torture to me, so I can’t say I’ve ever tried it.
A trifle weird to see THORPE clued as the village in Surrey rather than any of the several famous athletes with the name. I imagine that was a way into the theme, since it appears Thorpe Park is in Thorpe the village.
Jim Thorpe is the one Americans probably think of, followed by Ian.
@mrpenney. Thorpe doesn’t necessarily refer to the village in Surrey. Thorpe is a word in its own right meaning ‘village’ (and, yes, it is in Chambers) and appears as a suffix in many town names (eg Scunthorpe).
Firstly, thanks to flashling for standing in for us while we are in Paris. Secondly, we couldn’t see a theme either.
Most of the time we spent solving the puzzle this evening included groans about the new format of the puzzle. We subscribe to the Indy but they have suddenly changed the way that you access the puzzle which is awful.
Back to the puzzle – we also queried MINE but did not worry about THORPE.
Thanks again to flashling and Mog.
I put the puzzle aside with the top left still to do. Came back to it and surprised myself by finishing it, although I couldn’t quite see 17ac. I forgot ir was theme day/
@4, @6: and Smiler, a relatively recent addition to Alton Towers (an awesome ride, btw)