Hoskins today with his usual hints of naughtiness scattered across the clues.
Lots to enjoy here, particularly the sneaky definitions in 24a and in the wordplay of 27, the neat anagram and clue-as-definition in 25a, and the football references that weren’t in 1d and 2d.
I couldn’t immediately see a clear theme today, but as it’s Tuesday I thought I’d better look again, and Wikipedia helped me to find it. The novel The BALLAD of PECKHAM RYE, by Muriel SPARK, includes the main character DOUGAL DOUGLAS who is described in the text as an ANGEL-DEVIL (apparently with a tendency towards the latter). It’s possible there are further references I’ve missed. Thanks to Hoskins for the challenge.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 6 | DEVIL |
Horny blighter really enjoyed being turned over (5)
|
| LIVED (really enjoyed? Perhaps as in “if you haven’t tried such-and-such you haven’t lived”?), reversed (turned over). | ||
| 7 | SLOWISH |
Somewhat quiet last section of Miles’s Kind of Blue (7)
|
| Last letter of [mile]S, then LOW-ISH (a bit unhappy = kind of blue).
As in “business has been somewhat quiet this morning”. |
||
| 9 | PURCHASING |
Picking up gun, rich sap gets the shakes (10)
|
| Anagram (. . . gets the shakes) of GUN RICH SAP.
As in “I’ll pick up some food on my way home”. |
||
| 10 | EMMY |
Award Jesus stuck on Hoskins after a change of ways (4)
|
| MY (my! = an exclamation of surprise; some people use the name of Jesus in the same way), added to ME (Hoskins, our crossword setter) reversed (after a change of ways).
Name of a US television industry award. |
||
| 11 | CLOT |
A soft and thick congealed lump of dope (4)
|
| Double definition. As in “blood clot” or “clotted cream”; or clot = dope = slang for a stupid person. | ||
| 12 | BY ALL MEANS |
Times everybody will go to medium without any doubt (2,3,5)
|
| BY (times, as in 3 by 2 = 3 times 2) + ALL (everybody) + MEANS (medium = a way of achieving something). | ||
| 14 | SIR |
Yours truly will punch senior teacher (3)
|
| I (yours truly = a formal way of saying “I” at the end of a letter) inserted into (punching) SR (abbreviation for senior).
Traditional address to a male schoolteacher. |
||
| 16 | ANGEL |
Rowdy type seen with a motorcycle messenger (5)
|
| Double definition, though the first is clearly derived from the second. Short for “Hell’s Angel” = a member of a motorbike gang; or a divine messenger. | ||
| 18 | RYE |
Ruddy cut, having necked last of molly and grass (3)
|
| RE[d] (ruddy) without the last letter (cut), containing the last letter of [moll]Y. (It seems molly is street slang for MDMA or associated illegal drugs, but the dictionaries may not have caught up with that yet.)
Rye = a type of coarse grass. |
||
| 20 | PROSECUTOR |
Lawyer ultimately probing model at High Court? (10)
|
| Last letter (ultimately) of [lawye]R, inserted into (probing) POSE (model = be photographed), then an anagram (high = intoxicated) of COURT.
Clue-as-definition. |
||
| 23 | BARD |
Writer of national importance blackballed in hearing (4)
|
| Sound-alike (in hearing) of BARRED (blackballed = prevented from joining an organisation).
Either Shakespeare as the “Bard of Avon”, or a title given to a prize-winning writer at the National Eisteddfod in Wales. |
||
| 24 | INCA |
Old person about to break hip getting bit of action (4)
|
| C (abbreviation for Latin circa = about = approximately), inserted into (breaking) IN (hip = fashionable) + first letter (a bit) of A[ction].
A person from a historic empire in South America. |
||
| 25 | IN THE CLEAR |
Hence trial off? (2,3,5)
|
| Anagram (off) of HENCE TRIAL.
Clue-as-definition: in the clear = shown not to be guilty, and therefore not required to submit to a criminal trial. |
||
| 27 | PECKHAM |
Posh hubby drops billion for parking in London area (7)
|
| [b]ECKHAM (former footballer David Beckham, hubby of Victoria who is also known as Posh Spice or just Posh for short), with the B (abbreviation for billion) replaced by P (abbreviation for parking). | ||
| 28 | SPARK |
Fiery emission from box close to firework (5)
|
| SPAR (box, as a verb = fight using the fists) + last (closing) letter of [firewor]K. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | AVOCET |
Winger is a state, missing one shot ultimately (6)
|
| A (from clue text) + VO[i]CE (as a verb = state, as in “to voice one’s opinion”) without the I (Roman numeral for one), then the last letter (ultimately) of [sho]T.
Winger = creature that flies on wings, in this case a wetland bird. |
||
| 2 | ALHAMBRA |
Palace player prone to histrionics a large supporter grabs (8)
|
| HAM (unsubtle amateur actor = player prone to histrionics), contained in (. . . grabs) A + L (abbreviation for large) + BRA (supporter for the breasts).
Historic palace in southern Spain. |
||
| 3 | ASTI |
When to have rumpy-pumpy? After serving up wine! (4)
|
| AS (when), then IT (rumpy-pumpy = slang for sexual activity) reversed (after serving up = upwards in a down clue).
I’d guess this is the most popular wine in Crosswordland, providing a convenient combination of letters for setters. |
||
| 4 | DOUGAL |
Man and his best friend touring uni by a lake (6)
|
| DOG (proverbially man’s best friend) around U (uni = abbreviaiton for university), then A + L (abbreviation for a lake).
A man’s name. |
||
| 5 | LIFE PEER |
Sentence given to a grasping English type like Jeffrey Archer (4,4)
|
| LIFE (short for a life sentence in prison) + PER (a = for each, as in “once per day”), containing (grasping) E (abbreviation for English).
Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, novelist and former politician; a hint of an extended definition because his somewhat chequered career has included a prison sentence (though not for life). |
||
| 6 | DOUGLAS |
Party girl mostly seen around high-class German capital (7)
|
| DO (slang for a party) + LAS[s] (girl) without the last letter (mostly), around U (high-class, as in “U and non-U”) + G (abbreviation for German, as in the old GDR).
Capital of the Isle of Man. |
||
| 8 | HUMAN |
You are one with nasty odour and must repel date (5)
|
| HUM (slang for a nasty odour) + AN[d] (from clue text) without the D (abbreviation for date). | ||
| 13 | ARGOT |
A bit off the back of dormer caught burglar’s tongue (5)
|
| A + end letter (a bit off the back) of [dorme]R + GOT (caught).
A private language (tongue) used by a specific group of people, especially by thieves. |
||
| 15 | RESEARCH |
Investigation ruined Archer, Evening Standard originally admitted (8)
|
| Anagram (ruined) of ARCHER, containing (admitting) the first letters (originally) of E[vening] S[tandard]. For the surface, see above under 5d. | ||
| 17 | LARGESSE |
Broadcaster’s description of head of SEAT’s charity? (8)
|
| Sound-alike (broadcaster’s description) of the LARGE S which is the start (head) of SEAT.
Largesse = generosity with money or kindness. |
||
| 19 | EARMARK |
Designate rake perverted after cuddling lively ram (7)
|
| Anagram (perverted) of RAKE, containing (cuddling) an anagram (lively) of RAM. | ||
| 21 | RUN-UP |
A Parisian enthralled by game Penny’s approach (3-2)
|
| UN (“a” in French, so Parisian) contained in (enthralled by) RU (abbreviation for the game of Rugby Union), then P (abbreviation for penny). | ||
| 22 | CLICHE |
Briefly get on well with European eating hot chestnut? (6)
|
| CLIC[k] (slang for get on well with someone) without the last letter (briefly) + E (abbreviation for European), containing (eating) H (abbreviation for hot).
Cliche = chestnut = an over-used phrase or concept. |
||
| 23 | BALLAD |
Song and dance made this crossword writer put out (6)
|
| BALL (a dance), then [m]AD[e] with ME (this crossword writer) removed. | ||
| 26 | TOME |
Drug test requires reviewing weighty reading material (4)
|
| E (slang abbreviation for the drug ecstasy) + MOT (abbreviation for the Ministry of Transport test for motor vehicles), reversed (requires reviewing).
Tome = a big heavy book. |
Fortunately I was familiar with the theme which helped a lot.
In addition to the items listed by Quirister, could LIFE PEER and BARD also be references to the author? And perhaps Dougal Douglas was an ANGEL-DEVIL HUMAN?
Not sure about the definition for 7a.
My top picks were EMMY, PROSECUTOR, ALHAMBRA, HUMAN and LARGESSE.
Many thanks to Hoskins and Quirister.
Theme unknown to me. I did wonder if we were celebrating an anniversary of one of Jeffrey Archer’s many court cases, misdemeanours or other shennanigans. Fun puzzle as always with this setter. I agree IN THE CLEAR is particularly nice.
Thanks Hoskins and Quirister
Dougal Douglas also carries out HUMAN RESEARCH. An enjoyable puzzle. I liked ALHAMBRA and IN THE CLEAR. Thanks, both.