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.