A fun solve with a nice mix of clues and some trickier parsings. My favourites were 28ac, 29ac, 6dn, and 9dn. Thanks to Fed for the puzzle
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CONSUME |
Prisoner finally does bird over murder (7)
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definition: 'murder' can mean consume [greedily/enthusiastically] as in 'I could murder a curry' CON (convict, "Prisoner"); final letter of [doe]-S; plus EMU="bird" reversed/"over" |
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| 5 | BAD DEBT |
Spooner’s old man wagered unrecoverable liability (3,4)
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Spoonerism of 'Dad bet'=Dad made a bet="old man wagered" |
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| 10 | U-TURNS |
Wind in America goes the other way (1-5)
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TURN="Wind" as a verb; inside US="America" |
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| 11 | APPLIERS |
A power tool they hope to get in (8)
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A (from surface) + P (power) + PLIERS="tool" |
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| 12 | HIC |
Thick walls collapsing here in ancient Rome (3)
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definition: the Latin word [used in ancient Rome] for "here" the outer letters or "walls" falling away from [T]-HIC-[k] |
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| 13 | SCAMPI |
Seafood swindle pursued by detective (6)
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SCAM="swindle"; plus PI (private investigator, "detective") |
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| 14 | KNOCK OUT |
Available after pound fell (5,3)
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definition: to 'fell' someone is to knock them down, to cause them to fall OUT (e.g. 'the new book is out')="Available"; after KNOCK=to "pound" |
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| 15 | PLAID |
Quietly ring back to get checked (5)
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definition: some plaid patterns are check designs P (Piano, musical instruction to play "Quietly"); plus DIAL="ring [a phone]" reversed/"back" |
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| 16 | LOGARITHM |
Record a beat on the radio, calculating power (9)
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definition: in mathematics, a logarithm calculates the power/exponent needed to produce a number from a base value LOG="Record"; plus 'A RITHM' which sounds like (on the radio) 'a rhythm'="a beat" |
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| 19 | STAGE NAME |
Produce – and handle – Elton John for instance (5,4)
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definition: Elton John as an example of a stage name STAGE=put on a stage production="Produce" + NAME="handle" |
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| 21 | SCOWL |
Threatening look from member of parliament on select committee for starters (5)
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OWL="member of parliament" (parliament as the collective noun for owls); after starting letters of S-[elect] C-[ommittee] |
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| 24 | OPPONENT |
Rival Pope made strange claims about religious books (8)
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anagram/"made strange" of (Pope)*, which goes around/"claims" ON="about"; plus NT (New Testament; "religious books") |
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| 26 | ANGLER |
Hulk director’s detailed tip to actor – one with a line? (6)
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definition: an ANGLER uses a fishing line ANG LE-[e] ("de-tailed", removing the 'tail' letter); plus the end/"tip" of [acto]-R Ang Lee [wiki] is a film director, and directed the superhero movie Hulk |
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| 27 | INK |
When half-cut, draw back tattoo (3)
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[shr]-INK="draw back"; with half of the letters removed/cut |
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| 28 | HITHERTO |
Heriot Watt, Edinburgh ultimately struggling until now (8)
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anagram/"struggling" of (Herriot t h)* with the t and h from the last/ultimate letters of Wat-[t] and Edinburg-[h] for the surface, Heriot-Watt is a university in Edinburgh |
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| 29 | ICICLE |
Frosty Spike Milligan scene with actor, Oliver Reed taking only seconds (6)
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taking only the second letters from [M]-I-[lligan] [s]-C-[ene] [w]-I-[th] [a]-C-[tor] [O]-L-[iver] [R]-E-[ed] |
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| 30 | MERRILY |
Drunkenly mess up one line, using skirts to monkey around (7)
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ERR="mess up" + I="one" + L ("line"; with the outer letters/"skirts" of M-[onke]-Y going "around" |
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| 31 | SHOOTER |
Maybe Magnum’s close to his nose (7)
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definition: Magnum as in a type of gun, something that shoots end/close of [hi]-S; plus HOOTER="nose" |
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| DOWN | ||
| 2 | OPTICAL |
Visual is current with work coming up (7)
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TOPICAL="current", with the letters OP (opus, "work") moving upwards in the word/grid to go before the T |
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| 3 | SCRUMPING |
Perhaps Gala lifting sound after struggle? (9)
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definition: perhaps "lifting"/stealing Gala apples PING="sound" after SCRUM="struggle" |
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| 4 | MISHIT |
I’m upset with this swimming stroke that went wrong (6)
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definition: a bad stroke in e.g. cricket, mis-hitting the ball anagram/"upset" of (I'm)*; plus anagram/"swimming" of (this)* |
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| 6 | APPROVAL |
Deletion of program on phone, wanting space, ok (8)
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APP REMOVAL="Deletion of program on phone", without/"wanting" EM=a "space" in typography |
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| 7 | DRINK |
Tea for one of Doctor Kildare’s first home visits (5)
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definition: "for one" as in 'for example' DR (Doctor) plus "first" of K-[ildare]; with IN="home" visiting inside |
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| 8 | BOROUGH |
Part of town that’s revolting – King taken by surprise at the outset (7)
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UGH=expression of disgust="that's revolting"; with R (Rex, "King") taken in by BOO (a shout used to startle or "surprise") going at the beginning/outset |
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| 9 | BACK-FORMATION |
E.g enthuse defender with say, 4-4-2 (4-9)
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definition: 'enthuse' as a verb was 'back-formed' [wiki] from the noun 'enthusiasm' BACK="defender" in sports (e.g. a centre-back in football); plus FORMATION="say, 4-4-2" (an example of a football formation) |
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| 17 | INCOGNITO |
Disguised gin with tonic swirling round (9)
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anagram/"swirling" of (gin tonic)*; plus O="round" |
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| 18 | INTEGRAL |
One fifth of thirteen going into 26 freely without fractions (8)
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definition: INTEGRAL means whole, e.g. relating to integers that are whole numbers rather than fractions I="one"; plus anagram/"freely" of (T ANGLER)* where T is the fifth letter of [thir]-T-[een] and ANGLER is the solution to 26ac |
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| 20 | TOPSIDE |
Best team to make cut (7)
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definition: a cut of meat TOP="Best" + SIDE="team" |
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| 22 | WHEELIE |
Little fib about husband’s bike stunt (7)
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WEE LIE="Little fib"; around H (husband) |
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| 23 | RAKISH |
Jaunty part of anorak is hood (6)
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hidden in [ano]-RAK IS H-[ood] |
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| 25 | OTHER |
Different gold-plated article (5)
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OR="gold" in heraldry, going around (to gold-plate): THE=definite "article" |
Another pleasant mix of cultural references, this was on the gentler side for the setter. Favourites were CONSUME, APPLIERS, KNOCK OUT, LOGARITHM, SHOOTER, SCRUMPING (just about remember the doctor) and INCOGNITO. I don’t know if it was deliberate or not, but if you lift and separate HIT HERTO, using the former as an anagrind, you get the intersecting OTHER. Always an enjoyable challenge.
Ta Fed & manehi.
Oops, I thought I had DRINK in my favourites, before my reference to Dr Kildare! I’m still confused by BACK-FORMATION.
Not as fiendish as Fed has been recently but just as enjoyable. BACK-FORMATION was new to me but a very friendly clue.
Enjoyed CONSUME, U-TURN and WHEELIE plus others.
Thanks Fed and Manehi
AlanC #2. BACK-FORMATION is a linguistic term. Manehi provided a link from Wiki. Basically, enthuse is an example (e.g) of back-formation. enthuse didn’t exist in its own right, but was created from enthusiasm etc,
Thanks pm@2: I missed the wiki link but read it subsequently and it then made sense. An interesting concept.
Nice puzzle, perfect level of difficulty for when you don’t want too much of a struggle. Faves were DRINK, INCOGNITO, MISHIT, HIC.
For once I spotted the member of parliament gag!
Less pleased with myself for being thick over BACK-FORMATION which I still don’t understand.
Tough puzzle.
New for me: SCRUMPING, BACK-FORMATION.
I could not parse 26ac, 27ac, 2d apart assuming that OP=work.
Fun seems to be the operative word, both in the comments section and in manehi’s view. As is so often the case, I agree with manehi’s assessment. I guessed at the parsing of BACK FORMATION but did not know the etymology of enthuse. Good to learn! My LOI was APPLIERS, which I am still not sure is a “real” word! That slight quibble did not in any way impair my enjoyment of the puzzle. I came here to find out the parsing of ANGLER – very clever! Many thanks Fed and manehi.
paul @9
Maybe APPLIERS is an example of BACK-FORMATION?
(Never heard of back-formation before, so keen to put it to use.)
HIC, Haec, Hoc…nice to be reminded of Latin at School all those years ago. Managed to complete this, but several I struggled to parse. BACK FORMATION and INTEGRAL for two. Like the SCRUMPING and the SHOOTER, both made me smile…
I’m in the minority here: perfectly familiar with the linguistic term BACK FORMATION, but no idea of football positions.
Thanks to Fed and manehi.
Thanks Fed and manehi
I had too many questions marks (ten, to be precise) to enjoy this much. In particular, why is BOROUGH defined as “part of town”? In normal usage it’s just “town”.
I thought that KNOCK and KNOCK OUT weren’t very different.
Favourite OPTICAL.
I forgot to add that it’s a good job that Paul hadn’t clued MISHIT!
Lovely. Didn’t understand the 442 but assumed that was just my lack of football knowledge – another school day 🙂
Top ticks for ANGLER, CONSUME & SCRUMPING
SHOOTER made me chuckle as I worked backwards through Magnum PI, the sickly ice-cream, bottles etc. before finally arriving at Clint’s weapon of choice
Cheers F&M
Muffin @13. Different Boroughs of New York, London?
Crispy @16
Yes, but those are cities, not towns. Borough usually just means town.
Lots to like in this puzzle. Had to come here for the parsing of OPPONENT, which I now see successfully misled me, as it should.
Thanks Manehi and Fed
15a – Made me smile, a very Dave clue…
Fed is usually a struggle for me, so that was definitely on the gentler side. Still challenging enough to provide plenty of fun, though.