GAFF kicks off the week with a themed puzzle…
The 80th birthday of Dolly Parton. Many references in the grid but I've only highlighted the lady herself. What a lovely puzzle, though I did find 6d a bit obscure.
Thanks GAFF!
C[heers] A[thletes] N[early] A[ll] P[assing] E[arly] (leaders)
(PAGE (servant) + DART (bound))< (<to be set back)
U (fashionable), new leader of EMPIRE (realm)
B[ottl]E (emptied) before LABOUR (party)
(PONY WENT)* (*working)
GAZE (consider) + B[o]O[t] (odd)
Double definition
Double (cryptic) definition
DUMB (speechless) at BLONDE (fair)
Double definition
DEN (order member's home) to be covered with ROT (rubbish)
GONE (lost) in WARS (conflicts)
ILL (poorly) + "feted" = FATED (celebrated, "on the radio")
Double definition
TONE (pitch) after KEYS (openers)
Double (cryptic) definition (sun and screen award)
(TONY CUR[tis] (half))* (*confused)
NOM (to express pleasure) holding (PROBE (investigation) about [michae]L (foot))
Double definition
(FREE)* (*fancy)
(NOSA (spacemen, Norwegian Space Agency) with [gas]P (last) + AID (help))< (<to return)
TON (a lot) included in PARE (cut down)
[z]INC IS OR[dinarily] (involved)
DEAD (cold) + PAN (roast)
(TIE HANDLE)* (*in a knot)
(TUBA AND [hor]N (finale))* (*misplay)
"Derek" = DERRICK (man, "report")
Double (cryptic) definition (spaghetti western)
[st]RO[ng] (hearted) + COCO (clown)
Double definition
D[ancer] E[njoys] A[ll] N[ew] (openers)
Thanks Teacow. I would never have got 28ac no matter how long I looked.
19dn: Derrick is given as a form of the name Derek in Chambers 2016 (p 1835), so no need to indicate a soundalike.
For theme words I saw COUNTRY WESTERN, PORTER WAGONER, GOLDEN GLOBE, NINE TO FIVE, DUMB BLONDE (which she definitely is not), JOLENE, and (Carl) DEAN.
I really liked the clue for 16A, and was similarly wondering about the clue for 6D.
Found the birthday girl and related answers readily enough but labored over the parsing of a couple, including the nho DIAPASON (another one for the decidedly esoteric collection of words learned here).
I liked COUNTRY, ABUNDANT, NO PROBLEM and WAGONERS.
Thanks to Gaff for an engaging themed puzzle and Teacow for filling in the blanks.
Thanks. 6d looks out of order to me. I suspect our setter originally meant NASA and changed the crosser without changing the wordplay. Does Norway even have a space agency? Cluing an obscurity with obscure wordplay seems over the top.
Why clue den as order members home in 23a?
Liked the theme. I’d assume it includes country and western, nine to 5, Jolene, and suspect she has won a golden globe at some point. Although she is by no means dumb I expect dumb blonde is also part of the theme.
Thanks both.
I think “order member” is the definition, and “den” is just home.
That’s how I parsed it, Petert. DIAPASON – Doubt I’ll even remember that later on today. I had a similar notion as James P on that one. NOSA smacks as dreadful clueing to me.
apparently she had a single called dumb blonde in 1967 and was a a regular singing partner of the eponymous Porter Wagoner on his show at the start of her career. And she has won a few Golden Globes for her songs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Space_Agency
who knew?
Just as a side note that I find interesting. Although you can have a canapé (singular), you can only have crudités and fajitas (plural).
A Countdown watcher Hovis?
Indeed. The latter turned up last Friday and several contestants have tried ‘crudité’ in the past to their misfortune.
We twigged the theme but can’t say we found this a satisfying solve – and we totally agree with James P’s comment at #4 about 6dn.
Sorry, Gaff, this didn’t float our boat, but thanks, Teacow, for the explanations.
Norway’s does have a space agency but let’s get real–that is a horrible clue. Otherwise, a fun, but at times strained, puzzle. Thanks Teacow for a great blog!
I didn’t finish today, but perhaps that’s because I’m not a Dolly Parton fan. I did however guess that it might be her 80th birthday when I got NINE TO FIVE (about the only number of hers I know) and I picked up Dolly from the toy part of the definition. I’ve never heard of it being used as a word for a truck. In fact, quite a lot of today’s puzzle was done as I call it “blind“ i.e. putting in likely definitions where they fit without having the slightest idea why.
My main puzzle today was parsing NO PROBLEM as I’ve never heard the expression “nom” meaning “to express pleasure”. Is it a neologism? I can’t find it in my Chambers, though it is only the 2006 edition.
I love Dolly Parton, but I can’t say the same for this crossword.
I managed most of it but failed in the top right hand corner with Trade gap, and the never heard of Diapason.
Too many obscurities for me
Well done those who finished.
I still don’t understand 9 to 5. Please somebody explain. Thank you.
PS. I meant to add that I felt that “stereotype” would have been a slightly better definition than “caricature” in 19 a. I realize we’re talking subtle shades of meaning here, but neither word goes especially well with “fair” so any weakening of the surface meaning would have been negligible.
Moly@15: Nine minutes to 5:00 o’clock = 4:51 (not sure about the punctuation in the clue), and 9-to-5 is a typical work shift.
Thanks Cineraria☺️☺️
Dodgy punctuation
1651 is better
Or 4:51
16ac: The latest edition of an updated version of Fowler’s Modern English Usage is the fourth edition, published by OUP in 2015. On page 332, under full stop, it says “Full stops are routinely used … between hours and minutes (10.30 a.m.; AmE 10:30 a.m.).” It is repeatedly made clear that the FT crossword uses UK spellings. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that UK English is the default for punctuation as well, so the full stop in 4.51 is correct.
(The ellipsis in the quotation refers to other uses of full stops.)
2dn re Babbler@14: Collins 2023 p 1344 has nom¹ interj an exclamation indicating enjoyment of delicious food [C21: of imitative origin]. I could not find it in Chambers 2016 or ODE 2010.
I missed the theme until too late. Actually for awhile I’m thought it was a Tony Curtis movie with Marilyn Monroe like Some Like It Hot but that’s too recent to be eighty years old! Got most of it anyways except 6d which i never parsed or 24d and 28a because i missed the theme. Thank you all.