Thanks to Pangakupu for another solid puzzle.
Looking for the trademark Maori Nina I see TEKAU in the sixth row, which is the Maori word for “ten” (though apparently it originally meant twenty). KITARA in the middle row looked promising, but it’s a legendary ancient empire in the area of modern Uganda. Whether this is significant I could not say.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | SATIRES | Scottish symbols left out in ironic pieces (7) SALTIRES less L |
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| 5 | CACKLED | Conservative, challenged, losing head, snickered (7) C + [t]ACKLED |
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| 9 | I will block rejection of unconvincing message (5) I in reverse of LAME |
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| 10 | UNIVERSAL | Film company runs a live broadcast (9) (RUNS A LIVE)* |
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| 11 | LARGHETTO | Musical piece: singer tailing off in front of non-mainstream group (9) LAR[k] (singer) + GHETTO |
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| 12 | PROOF | Possible result of investigation: academic with double character (5) PROF with the O doubled |
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| 13 | HOARD | Keep a big audience, say, on the radio (5) Sounds like “horde” |
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| 15 | IDENTICAL | Impression received by two clubs almost entirely the same (9) DENT (impression) in II (2) + C[lubs] + AL[L] |
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| 18 | CASTANETS | Spanish percussion and Scottish rock in Lloyd Webber musical (9) STANE (Scots “stone”) in CATS |
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| 19 | ASSET | Energy in assistant is something useful (5) E in ASST |
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| 21 | RIPON | Continue to split Yorkshire city (5) To continue to split is to RIP ON |
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| 23 | COMIC BOOK | Mike capturing dismissive sound after company’s funny scenes here (5,4) CO + BOO in MICK |
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| 25 | FROGSPAWN | Fellow sadly wrong about spring as source of amphibians (9) F + SPA in WRONG* |
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| 26 | NULLS | Invalidates lines in newspaper after backlash? (5) L L in reverse of SUN |
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| 27 | LOOK SEE | Quick scan: beauty, grace and allure at last (4-3) LOOKS (beauty) + last letters of gracE and allurE |
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| 28 | YUCATAN | Recalled vote against including University guy in part of Mexican trip (7) U CAT (guy) in reverse of NAY (a vote against) |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | STEALTH | First to snatch key amid the rioting shows sneakiness (7) S[natch] + ALT (computer key) in THE* |
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| 2 | TEA BREAKS | Leaves magistrates imprisoning Rector for drinking sessions (3,6) TEA (leaves) + R[ector] in BEAKS (magistrates) |
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| 3 | RALPH | Perhaps Vaughan Williams recording receiving cheer? On the contrary (5) LP (record) in RAH (a cheer) – Ralph was the composer’s first name |
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| 4 | STUNT KITE | Acrobatic toy was high – about time? That is about time (5,4) T in STUNK (was high) + T in I.E. |
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| 5 | CAIRO | Lead meeting to ditch hot, old African city (5) CHAIR (to lead a meeting) less H[ot], plus O[ld] |
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| 6 | CLEOPATRA | Queen relocated to palace, embracing King (9) R in (TO PALACE)* |
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| 7 | LASSO | Ranch equipment to remain fresh, trimmed in this way (5) LAS[t] (to remain fresh) + SO (in this way) |
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| 8 | DOLEFUL | Unhappy party line about distribution of fuel (7) FUEL* in DO (party) + L[ine] |
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| 14 | DIAGNOSIS | Air support picked up one’s identification (9) Reverse of SONG (air) AID (support) + I’S |
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| 16 | EASY MONEY | A source of wealth? It’s sick, without question, getting surprised comment about individual (4,5) QUEASY (sick) less QU + ONE (individual) in MY (surprised comment) |
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| 17 | CASSOULET | Person in legal affair getting tense, in a stew (9) SOUL (person) in CASE + T[ense] |
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| 18 | CAREFUL | Painstaking official probing birth membrane (7) REF[eree] in CAUL. A caul is a membrane that (in rare cases) covers a newborn’s head and face. Various superstitions apply to cauls; Dickens’s David Copperfield was born with one |
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| 20 | TAKES ON | Youngster supporting viewpoint is distraught (5,2) TAKE (viewpoint) + SON – a rather old-fashioned expression, as in “don’t take on so!” |
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| 22 | PHOTO | Expressionless when absorbing racy picture (5) HOT (racy) in PO (as in po-faced, though to me (and Chambers) that means “stupidly solemn and narrow-minded” – is the setter thinking of “poker-faced”?) |
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| 23 | CHASE | Engrave Harold’s initial in piece of luggage (5) H[arold] in CASE |
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| 24 | CYNIC | Pessimist in Surrey finally turned up, blocking County Council (5) Reverse of IN [surre]Y in C.C. |
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CLEOPATRA is a very nice spot and FROGSPAWN made me smile. First time I’ve encountered GHETTO as ‘non-mainstream group’ but there it is in Chambers.
Thanks both
15a: Isn’t AL[l] “almost entirely” and the definition just “the same”?
Re 20, the expression “what’s your take on this?” is still pretty common in these parts….. or at least that’s my take on it.
Thanks both.
KITA RA as two words?
With Justigator = 2 on tbe parsing of IDENTICAL.
HOARD. Is horde meant to be a big audience, definition by example (say)?
Liked this – very clearly clued. I’m guessing the underlining in the blog for 15a is in the wrong place.
Favourite was CLEOPATRA.
Google translate gives me guitar for KITARA and “to the dollar” for KI TARA. Not sure how either relates to whatever number puzzle this is, somewhere in the 40s?
Thanks Pangakupu and Andrew
I didn’t like the clue for LARGHETTO much – “singer tailing off” for LAR is a bit loose, and GHETTO for non-mainstream group is odd – it usually means an area where the group lives (after the original one in Venice), rather than the group itself.
I didn’t see why “Mexican trip” rather than just “Mexico”.
Lots I did like, though. Favourites FROGSPAWN and CASSOULET.
Very enjoyable…
A couple of things that I’m sure people can put me straight on…
Isn’t a GHETTO an area in 11a? Also, are ‘say’ and ‘on the radio’ both needed in 13a?
Other than that, surprisingly on wavelength today. Only delay was forgetting for a millionth time the use of KEY in a crossword.
Thanks both
Andrew, 15a…ENTIRELY, part of the wordplay not definition?
I had the same query about 22d po-faced which is ‘humourless and disapproving’ and implies a certain facial expression, not lack of expression.
I could not parse 14d.
New for me: STANE = rock; STUNT KITE.
I agree with Justigator@2 re 15ac.
Pangakupu Is one of those setters that whilst excellent I never seem to get on wavelength with. That changed today with this going in relatively smoothly. Even the unheard of LARGHETTO didn’t hold me up.
FROGSPAWN, PHOTO and RALPH on the favourite list today.
Thanks Pangakupu and Andrew
Comment #14
With respect to RALPH, what is “on the contrary” doing? I took it to refer to the other meaning of RALPH – to throw up. When doing this after drinking you’re definitely not “receiving cheer” – quite the contrary!!! Lots to make me smile in this.
Me @15: the bloggers take is of course correct (ie lp in rah rather than rah in lp) – if less colourful!
This might be tenuous but “teakau kitara” might translate as ten guitars.
According to Wikipedia, “Ten Guitars” was the favoured side in NZ of Englebert H’s hit “Release Me” due to its upbeat sound and guitar style that lent itself to the popular ” Maori Strum” technique.
MuddyThinking@15: It’s LP inside RAH, rather than the other way round.
Quite liked this, but with some quibbles:
26a: NULL is not a verb in my vocabulary (nor in Chambers’), though ANULL would be.
4d: Nho STUNT KITE.
I see TE ATALAO TEKAU KITARA, which Google translates as “ten-string guitar”, though I’m not sure if I should trust him as he would translate anything from any language. In any case, if this is No. 46 then the 10 might correspond to 4+6.
I didn’t know BEAKS, STUNT KITE or CASSOULET; my favourites are DIAGNOSIS and LOOK-SEE. Thanks Pangakupu and Andrew!