We’re standing in for Eileen today and are delighted to find that we have a Qaos to blog.
This was a great way to start the week. As expected from Qaos, there is a good variety of clue types and some smooth surfaces. A little general knowledge is needed – we wondered how younger solvers might get on with 22d and had to check that we had correctly remembered the actress at 24d. We liked the ‘not quite all there’ president in 23d, but were not so happy to see the one at 10ac!
Thanks for the fun, Qaos.
WEED (grass – marijuana) round or ‘protecting’ an anagram (‘cultivated’) of EARTH
A reversal (‘about’) of PT (point) round or ‘drinking’ RUM (alcohol)
An anagram (‘shot’) of BEARS
noBLE (high-ranking) with no ‘no’ + MISS (woman) round or ‘entertaining’ HE (man)
WHY (question) round OR (other ranks – ‘soldiers’) KillerS missing the middle letters or ‘heartless’
I (current) eMPRESS (ruler) missing the first letter or ‘losing face’
OO (‘glasses’ – a pair of spectacles) round or ‘filled with’ C (cold) in CA (California)
eTON (school) missing or ‘sacking’ the first letter or ‘head’
David Milliband is NOT ED – his brother
Double definition
A reversal (‘mirror’) of AG (silver) in or ‘received by’ BRIDE (newly-wed)
PUSH (promote) CH (‘companion’ – of honour) R (right) round or ‘describing’ AI
I in or ‘guarded by’ C (100 in roman numerals) L (large) FF (fellows)
RE (Royal Engineers – ‘men’) ‘taken in by’ aGENt (spy) missing the first and last letters or ‘naked’
OVER (finished) SEER (visionary) round or ‘outlining’ T (Tesla)
gOWNS (garments) missing the first letter or ‘no top’
Cryptic definition
SHEEP (followers) SANK (fell) round H (hard)
GR (gross) hUBBY (husband) missing ‘h’ (first letter or ‘start’ of Hoover)
An anagram (‘smashes’) of HEADS + IN round or ‘securing’ O (globe)
An anagram (‘worried’) of U, T, E and I (first letters or ‘leaders’ of Ukraine Training European Infantry)
An anagram (‘angry’) of BUTCHER + T (cross)
jAPES (jokes) with the ‘j’ (joker) ‘left out’
W (first or ‘primary’ letter of witches) stICKS (pieces of wood) missing ‘st’ (stone)
An anagram (‘building’) of CAN ECLIPSE
Hidden in clasS I’D LEarnt
CURT (short) SIdES missing the middle letter (‘centre cut’)
T (last letter or ‘finale’ of Alpert) ARR (arranged) AGO (past) N (noon)
Double definition, the first being BARNEY Rubble from Bedrock in ‘The Flintstones’ cartoons
A (American) BIDEn (president) missing the last letter or ‘not quite all there’ + D (day)
PUG (small dog) ‘carried by’ (in a down clue) H (hot) – Florence Pugh, English actress
deCANT (pour out) missing ‘d e’ (first and last letters or ‘case’ of Drambuie)
FIR (tree) E (last or ‘final’ letter of snake)
That was lots of fun – and over far too quickly.
I am, however, unable to spot the theme.
Thanks to the setter and the bloggers.
I can see RED, GREEN, and AMBER. Might that be part of a theme?
trumpton camberwick green
Not too tricky, as befits a Monday. No probs for this old timer in remembering BARNEY from the Flintstones but Florence PUGH was new to me. WEATHERED, GREEN and PUSHCHAIR my podium. Not a fan of the clue for ETUI where the combination of the ‘for’ and the ‘has’ makes for unsatisfactory grammar and ‘silver mirror’ surely does not mean a reversal of AG except with the most whimsical of readings?
Thanks to setter and bloggers
Thanks, julie – I couldn’t see this theme. I see from wiki:
“Pugh! Pugh! Barney McGrew! Cuthbert! Dibble! Grubb!”
Thanks Qaos and bertandjoyce
Hadn’t heard of Florence Pugh or sheepshank knots. Ton/fashion was new to me, and I couldn’t work out the naked spy. I managed all else and found it enjoyable.
Thanks, Julie.
I love it!
Good spot on the theme. Edited as Dave just beat me on the names. FIRE BRIGADE also thematic.
We missed the theme completely, knowing nothing about the programme. A quick check revealed some of the other thematic entries but you have all posted before we could add them!
We also have TRUMP TON.
Brian CANT also the narrator. Thanks Julie.
Thanks to Bertandjoyce for standing in for Eileen. Great blog too!
I enjoyed seeing a Qaos puzzle pop up today and liked solving it.
Usually Qaos has a number clue so I missed the typical sort of equation today, and had to be content witht the 100 becoming C in the delightful Richard I clue at 26a CLIFF. Herb Alpert’s TARRAGON at 19d was also fun.
Thanks to Qaos for a happy Monday solve.
Loving all the Trumptonshire references, but suspect they will be a bit niche. TRUMP TON, PUGH, BARNEY, CUTHBERT, GRUBB[Y] , FIRE BRIGADE, [village] GREEN….and the wonderful much missed Brian CANT. Have I missed any ?
This week marks 60 years since Gordon Murray began his wonderful TV programmes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8y9vj6vnyo
So lovely to see them celebrated
I can see some theme-related comments have appeared since I typed mine, but I have no idea to what they are referring?
Thanks ANGELA ALMOND@13 for the references, but I hadn’t heard of this series at all. Not spotting it didn’t detract from the puzzle solve IMHO, but obviously for those who saw it, the theme provided icing on the cake.
Very pleased to see Qaos this morning. A few tricky ones for a slow stumble over the line but otherwise a smooth solve.
A bit confused about CAMBER. It seems just a straight definition to me. I must be missing the intended non-cryptic reading. I guess a bend is more going left or right rather than up in everyday parlance.
Also realised for all my time on earth I have been misnomering the singer CLIFF Richards. Nobody ever pointed that out although he rarely comes up in conversation and doesn’t appear in my record collection.
Liked GRUBBY, WICKS and ABIDED alongside many others.
Thanks Qaos and B&J
I’m annoyed with myself for missing the theme. Windy Miller is possibly workshy, there are strikers on the town hall clock, and the local militia probably carried sabres.
That was extremely difficult for a Monday, but once I’d worked that out liberal use of the check button made for a most enjoyable solve. It really helps if you know there’s a ‘k’ somewhere in the word to be able to know where. Yes I know it’s cheating!
23 very true but not very kind to mock poor old Biden. It’s not his fault he was left ‘in charge’.
Total theme blindness this morning, but how clever of the setter to create clues where no knowledge of the theme was necessary?
CLIFF & PUSHCHAIR were my favourites.
Many thanks to Bert & Joyce for stepping in.
Thanks to setter and bloggers.
Enjoyed this, although failed to spot the theme until coming here!
Always a fan of Trumpton and Camberwick Green and the great Mr Cant.
No references to the other one – Chigley?
Staticman1@16: I think it counts as a cryptic definition as the usual understanding of a bend in the road would be one in the horizontal plane i.e. where you steer round it but the misleading intention here is that camber can also refer to a curved road surface to improve run-off of rain so a bend in the vertical plane. I stared at it for quite a while wondering what on earth it could be before the theme helped me look for “camber” along with a few others. A pity “Chigley” would not fit in!
Thanks Qaos and Bertandjoyce.
Very tough. Gave up on 2d, 18d, 22d – haha, I used to watch the Flintstones as a kid, but I never heard of BARNEY=trouble.
Favourites: NOTED, WICKS, TARRAGON, FIRE, BLEMISHES.
New for me: SHEEPSHANK knot (well-clued).
Apart from Barney (mentioned by bertandjoyce), younger solvers might not know of CLIFF Richard. However 24d Florence PUGH was welcome for being current. She was excellent in the 2022 film The Wonder (it’s on netflix in the UK).
I did not see the theme and have never heard of Trumpton and Camberwick Green.
CAMBER WICK(s) GREEN
TRUMP TON
FIRE BRIGADE consisting of PUGH, PUGH, BARNEY McGrew, CUTHBERT, Dibble, GRUBB(y).
Narrated by Brian CANT.
The whole lot were on BBC children’s TV for years – but until somebody said “theme” I didn’t spot them.
I liked the clever bit of misdirection for CLIFF, wasted time trying to fit a bar(on)ess into BLEMISHES, thought ABIDED was an ugly word but correct, was pleased to meet our old friend the ETUI again, and generally had fun. Thanks Qaos.
(and I forgot yet again that T can also be a cross)
Am I the only Half Man Half Biscuit fan who is disappointed not to see RIOTS in the grid somewhere? 😀
IMPRESS could be a synonym for dibble as a verb; make a small hole for seeds.
Great crossword. I didn’t spot the theme but as Julie in Australia said above it was an added extra. One question from me though re 25 down. Why did Qaos use “Are unable” rather than “Is unable”? I know it makes no difference but, for a while, I was looking for some significance in the word “are”.
I’m sorry not to have spotted the theme, as I used to watch all the Trumptons with my young children, now in their forties; they were joyous and gentle, and Brian Cant’s voice brought instant comfort to the world. (I can still sing the theme song.) Thanks to Qaos for the welcome reminder and fitting in so many references.
Very well spotted, julie @3. Qaos always has a theme, and I feel that I should have spotted it because, despite having been too old to watch the shows, I was aware of them. Maybe my younger sister watched them? Ah well …
At least 16 clues related to Trumpton and Camberwick Green from my recollections.
Incidentally, it’s worth watching the opening to an episode of Life on Mars (series 2 I think), that borrows from Camberwick Green. It’s hilarious. I’m sure I’ve found it on You Tube in the past but I think all episodes are now on iPlayer (for those who can get it).
I saw TRUMP and SABRE and immediately started looking for where RATTLING might fit into the grid.
Missed the real theme.
I thought at first that it was an unhelpful grid. Until it wasn’t.
Thanks Qaos and Bertandjoyce
Well, I found this the hardest puzzle since that stinker from Enigmatist a few weeks ago.
27d seems to have the word order wrong.
Another one here missing the theme, despite watching many many episodes of the shows with the children when they were small. I still have the whole lot on DVD. “Here is a box, a musical box…”
I missed the dope reference in WEED / grass thing “Well, I suppose most many weeds are sorts of grass, but not all, umm”: I must be getting old. Well, I know I am.
TARRAGON was bunged in as fitting the crossers, with the nice charade pieced together after the event. I was pleased to work out WORKSHY ab initio, with no crossers. PUSHCHAIR was a tick, too. Nice to see the old “pair of glasses” trick in COCOA. All good stuff, in short!
Thanks Qaos for late-night & breakfast amusement, and B&J for standing in and an informative blog.
[My daughter made up a version of the Trumpton etc. “riding along in a {insert vehicle here}” song, celebrating our local hard-suspension buses and potholed roads:
“Riding along in a number 6, a rumpety bumpety number 6:
The driver tries to do his best, misses one pothole, hits all the rest…
In a number 6, a number 6, a rumpety bumpety number 6!” ]
I gave up on CAMBER, SHEEPSHANK and BARNEY and was right to do so as I had no idea what these meant. Outside my GK completely. (And probably the first time none of those I failed cross each other – not that it means anything). But the rest of it was rather good, if hard. CLIFF (which I liked) should have had a question mark I think. Thanks Qaos and Bert&Joyce
I started very slowly with only a couple of solutions after a first pass through the Across clues, but then found the wavelength and it was a steady solve from there. I had all the GK except had to stretch for Pugh.
SABRE was my LOI, which is rather embarrassing in hindsight. And I shrugged at CAMBER thinking there must be more to it.
And as usual I completely missed the theme, despite having grown up on Trumpton etc.
Difficult for a Monday.
I don’t understand TON for fashion
Ed@38: TON: It’s originally a borrowing from French, but with a long history in English (wiki).
Despite originally being made for and broadcast by the BBC, alll 13 episodes of each of the 3 series in the Trumpton trilogy (Camberwick Green, Trumpton, and Chigley) are available on ITVX.
For those overseas wanting to see what they missed out on, most if not all are on YouTube too.
Thanks to Qaos and Bertandjoyce
A fun and gentle start to the week, I loved the use of theme.
Qaos always has a theme but I didn’t find this one. Fairly tricky in places for a Monday and I had to reveal BARNEY. I liked the man with BLEMISHES ignored by a noble miss, the NOT ED Milliband, the AI-driven PUSHCHAIR, the WICKS that burnt witches, and the CURTSIES that weren’t hairstyles.
Thanks Qaos and BJ.
A delightful crossword and an entertaining blog – many thanks.
My only disappointment was when I solved 10A: how depressing to have that egregious monster even muscling his way into crosswords…
And then I read the comments from Julie @3 & Dave @5 – and suddenly everything was ok.
To Julie in Aus, Michelle and all others who’ve never watched Camberwick Green or Trumpton: check them out online. They’re beautifully-made, charming and gently funny. And you’ll be humming the theme music all day…
Thanks for the blog , at last a theme worthy of my intellect , the first since the Banana Splits theme in the FT . Many neat clues , BLEMISHES my favourite .
Footballer=STRIKER ? does this mean striking the ground after meeting an overly robust blade of grass ?
AlanC clearly needs Extra-Time for this one .
No hope for parsing BLEMISHES or TARRAGON. Hmm, Tarragon is an herb that starts with T, but what’s all the rest of that … ?
I kw always to look for a theme with Qaos, but he often has themes that depend on knowledge I’ve no glimmer of — films by a certain director, say. So I don’t blame myself for not seeing this one. But as has been said, the clues were all gettable without the theme.
Thanks to Qaos and to bertandjoyce for stepping in.
Loved the crossword, loved the theme – for once I actually spotted it, albeit after I’d finished and even then only because I saw from the comments on the Guardian site that there was one! Thanks Qaos, thanks bertandjoyce.
In an episode of Camberwick Green, PC McGarry is flustered, whilst supposed to be directing traffic, by a pretty girl who performs a curtsy as she walks past and it then becomes a recurring feature apparently. My brother asked me if I had spotted the theme, so I knew it must be fun, but I have been walking around Rome today so have just completed it on the coach back. That’s the reason I needed extra time Roz @44 and I see what you did there😊
Great fun altogether.
Ta Qaos & Bertandjoyce.
[ Lucky you AlanC , I have been roaming around Wark . My spies are everywhere , I get a full report every Monday morning . ]
Excellent puzzle. I was alerted to a theme by Graun thread comments and it certainly helped with CAMBER which I guessed but wasn’t sure about. I am the right age range for the TV series, so spotted all the references today.
Is BARNEY Cockney Rhyming Slang? Certainly sounds like it.
Thanks, Bertandjoyce and Tramp for the trip down memory lane.
DerekTS @35,
{insert vehicle here} – army truck! It’s the Pippin Fort soldiers song. Love the parody 😀 .
Postmark @4 – Agree re: 6d but silver mirror was clear enough I thought..
Totally missed the theme despite being of that era..
Don’t forget Tarragon the Dragon from The Herbs (19d)
[phitonelly@50: also , for sure: baker’s van, farmer’s truck… I think there may have been others! ]
For those like me who had never experienced the theme look here. Only watched one episode so far. Not sure what to think. Cute? Perhaps… Politically correct? Hmmm…
Fun Crossie though. Thanks Qaos, Bert, and Joyce.
Great crossword, though we found it a bit difficult for a Monday. We loved NOTED and BLEMISHES. We missed the theme, which is incredibly well done. Trumpton was an important part of growing up in the UK in the 70s and 80s: a mention of the riots or biscuits would have been the icing on the cake, as Fiery Jack@24 says Thanks Qaos and Bertandjoyce
Thanks bandj and Qaos
I Enjoyed it, a completion albeit without parsing 19d or ever having heard of this meaning of 19a or the actor in 24d (isn’t the guardian approach to use actor universally? Do crosswords get a pass on the style guide?). On 19a I fear its usage may have fallen away before my time, whilst with 24d a gap in my modern knowledge.
Phitonelly@50
1960s rhyming slang Barney Rubble/Trouble, so after the Flintstones appeared. Originally dates back to 1880s (http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/english-slang/b.htm) which is a very good guide to English slang.
Thanks to Qoas and Bertandjoyce
Thanks for the blog, puzzle and the comments explaining the theme, which I somehow missed, despite watching them as a kid.
Does the clue for 13d possibly contain a Radiohead ‘Burn the witch’ reference (the video is a dark reimagining of Trumpton)?
I’ve managed the last few Monday puzzles since early December but I found this (as last week’s Monday) to be quite a step up for me. I’m an improver but still consider myself a beginner having progressed through the Quick Cryptics and Quiptics. Didn’t spot the theme until the commenters here mentioned it; now can’t un-see it LOL (definitely my era of children’s TV – original showings that is). Needed the blog to explain a few wordplay elements and never heard of ton=fashion. Thanks Qaos, and to Bert&Joyce.
Cliveinfrance @57,
Thanks for that. Looks like a very useful site.
Came back for second helpings with this after early inroads. But first time around I did wonder what Followers could possibly fit in with a – S – – – – – – – K already in the grid. Completely forgot about my being tied in knots with my Scouting badge all those years ago. NW corner last to yield, therefore…
oops, 3d presented itself as – H – – – – – – – K, of course…
Hardish for a Monday but enjoyable. Missed the theme. Favourite PUSHCHAIR.
The sheep shank was my way in thanks to all those years as a brownie, guide and sea ranger. Left the UK long before the theme’s era so no bells were rung for that but, as others have pointed out, that knowledge wasn’t necessary for a successful solve.
This was a fresh, bright variation for a Monday I’d say. I didn’t watch for or spot the theme, though I felt that there might be one. I never watched the show though it was my era.
Keep ’em coming, Guardian.
Thanks everyone.
Enjoyable puzzle, as always from Qaos. Looked for a theme but couldn’t see it — nho Trumptonshire. But I got my throwback from 22d BARNEY, an enjoyable invocation of THE FLINTSTONES, a staple of my childhood. I can hear Barney’s distinctive laugh. Honestly, all the clues were my favourites — universally smooth surfaces throughout
6d ETUI interesting combination of techniques — first letters and anagram
Thanks both (and the Guardian, as Etu@65 says!)
Personally, tricky for a Monday and I only got about half of it. Not having grown up in this country, I had no idea what people were talking about re the theme until someone explained half way through about the TV programme! I didn’t realise that ‘camber’ can mean a bend in general, and I would have had the past tense of ‘abide’ as ‘abode’, but then I hardly use the word enough to be sure! 🙂
We have just completed this enjoyable crossword, which didn’t take too long despite neither of us having heard of the theme TV show. CAMBER went in very late because Baz rejected it when I originally suggested it—and doesn’t like it. We were slow to get GRUBBY as well, and TARRAGON and GREEN took time to parse. My favourite was CLIFF. Thanks Qaos and Bertandjoyce.
On the recommendation of several commenters I’ve been watching the Trumptonshire shows, and am enjoying them tremendously — thank you! The songs are really excellent, and are good models of children’s song writing. The world is populated with all kinds of quirky characters who generate amusing and engaging story lines. Highly recommended