Major starts the week in the Independent.
This is only my second blog of a puzzle by this setter. In the first I noted that he seemed a newish addition to the stable, and that I looked forward to seeing more of his work. And I was (if I may be so immodest) quite right to say so, because here’s another cracking puzzle.
There were a lot of admirably constructed clues with some splendid surfaces. My top picks are the Tory being fined for drink driving, the glorified marriage commitment, the neat surface for NIRVANA and the clever RAISE A STINK. But for me, top-top pick has to be COFFEE TABLE for the oblique reminder of one of my favourite performers (obligatory YouTube link below).
I have a slight quibble about the definition for PUPPY LOVE, as noted below, but perhaps I’m simply unfamiliar with this particular usage. Please do weigh in with your comments.
Moh’s proprietory crucivervial hardness scale rating: Calcite
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SPACE CADET |
Quarrel spanning hundred and ten years expelling leader who’s out of touch? (5,5)
|
| SPAT (quarrel) around (spanning) C + [d]ECADE (ten years expelling leader) | ||
| 7 | DOPE |
Take part in school sports sick (4)
|
| DO P.E. (take part in school sports). Young people assure me that ‘sick’ and ‘dope’ are broadly equivalent expressions of approbation, as in ‘this crossword is well sick’. ‘Yeah, it’s dope, innit.’ | ||
| 9 | BUNFIGHT |
Where Spooner’s entertaining with something to eat? (8)
|
| Spoonerism of ‘fun bite’, &lit | ||
| 10 | ROLL-ON |
Soon let’s hope for solution to BO (4-2)
|
| Double def | ||
| 11 | MEME |
Shared bit of content egotist’s mantra? (4)
|
| An egoist’s mantra might be ‘me, me!’ | ||
| 12 | ROADWORTHY |
Fine for driving Tory Howard when drunk (10)
|
| Anagram (when drunk) of TORY HOWARD | ||
| 14 | LOST IT |
Bird following two big signs hit the roof (4,2)
|
| TIT after L + OS (abbreviations for ‘large’ and ‘outsized’, so ‘two big signs’) | ||
| 16 | NUPTIAL |
Casually plan suit without head of union (7)
|
| Anagram (casually) of PLAN [s]UIT | ||
| 18 | TABLEAU |
Picture representing key field essential to agriculture (7)
|
| TAB (key) + LEA (field) + U (middle letter – essential to – of ‘agriculture’) | ||
| 20 | PLEASE |
Give me a break quietly when shelter checks (6)
|
| P + insertion of AS (when) inside LEE (shelter) | ||
| 21 | PEREMPTORY |
European politician fills in words of Conservative expecting obedience (10)
|
| E MP (European politician) inside PER TORY (per in the sense of ‘according to’, hence ‘words of’) | ||
| 23 | SO-SO |
Average broadcasts for audience (2-2)
|
| Soundalike (for audience) of ‘sow’ twice, so ‘broadcasts’ | ||
| 25 | GAZUMP |
Accept better offer than that of leader with university course change withdrawn (6)
|
| Reversal (withdrawn) of PM (leader) + U + ZAG (course change, as in ‘zigzag’) | ||
| 27 | IDOLISED |
Glorified marriage commitment created falsehood to protect son (8)
|
| I DO (marriage vow) + LIED around S | ||
| 28 | OLIO |
Variety show that’s disappointing group of stars reportedly (4)
|
| O (that’s disappointing) + soundalike (reportedly) of Leo. A new meaning of OLIO for me – I’m familiar with the usage meaning a general miscellany or hotchpotch, from which this presumably is derived | ||
| 29 | WUNDERKIND |
Prodigy‘s flaw ultimately: not good enough! (10)
|
| Last letter of flaW + UNDER KIND (not good/kind enough). In one of those strange coincidences in Crosswordland, just yesterday in the IoS Filbert clued this as “Women given orders by nice young wizard”. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | PAUSE |
Break hands on the blower (5)
|
| Soundalike (on the blower) of ‘paws’ | ||
| 3 | COFFEE TABLE |
Wire securing pedal in furniture (6,5)
|
| CABLE (telegram, wire) around (securing) OF FEET (pedal. As in ‘your pedal extremities are colossal…’) | ||
| 4 | CIGARETTE |
Desperately target ice burn (9)
|
| Anagram (desperately) of TARGET ICE. Def. as in ‘I’m going outside for a burn’ | ||
| 5 | DETRAIN |
Get off updated version of Tinder adult breaks (7)
|
| A (adult) inside (breaks) an anagram (updated version) of TINDER | ||
| 6 | THROW |
Shy host (5)
|
| Double def, the second as in ‘throw a party’ | ||
| 7 | DAL |
Left bill over dish (3)
|
| Reversal of L (left) and AD (a poster, or bill) | ||
| 8 | PLOT HOLES |
Potentially feature mistakes of learner overwhelmed by street hazards (4,5)
|
| L inside (overwhelmed by) POTHOLES. A slightly oblique definition referring to narrative errors/omissions in feature films | ||
| 13 | RAISE A STINK |
According to instruction, knits article or object? (5,1,5)
|
| One of those reverse/meta cryptic clues. If you are instructed (in a down clue) to raise KNITS A (knits article) you would RAISE A STINK | ||
| 15 | ON THE NAIL |
Now likely later to become ill (2,3,4)
|
| ON (likely) + THEN (later) + AIL | ||
| 17 | PUPPY LOVE |
Teen’s crushing score of zero after pressure at university exhausted possibly (5,4)
|
| LOVE (score of zero) after P (pressure) + UP (at university) + P[ossibl]Y (exhausted possibly). I’m not entirely happy about the use of ‘crushing’ in the definition, unless anyone can assure me that it can be used in the same way as ‘crush’? My version of Chambers doesn’t give much elucidation. | ||
| 19 | UTOPIAN |
Having plans for Nirvana, Kurt regularly moving over to front of instrument (7)
|
| Alternate letters (regularly) of kUrT + OPIAN (piano with the O moved to the front) | ||
| 22 | PAPAW |
Fruit from food for baby that I find adorable (5)
|
| PAP (food for baby) + AW (that I find adorable) | ||
| 24 | STEIN |
I sent ugly mug (5)
|
| Anagram (ugly) of I SENT | ||
| 26 | UFO |
Beauford stocks rarely-seen transport (3)
|
| Hidden (stocks) in beaUFOrd |
Very enjoyable. OLIO & BURN (for cigarette) were new to me. Using a CAD definition in a Spoonerism is a device I don’t recall seeing before. (I call it a CAD rather than &lit as I don’t see “where” as part of the wordplay.)
17d. I think the score refers to the Donny Osmond song Puppy Love
Ridgerunner@2
PUPPY LOVE
I think ‘Teen’s crushing score’ works as the def (as suggested by you).
Thanks.
(crush as a verb: ‘to crush on someone’ in the same sense as ‘to have a crush on someone’ is given in some dictionaries
including Collins).
Nice puzzle. Thanks Major.
Great blog. Thanks moh.
I went like moh, score of zero = love, and I didn’t mind teen’s crushing as def, just a bit funky. Plot holes, too, is a bit hmm; but yes good puzzle, thx moh and Major..
I think this is my first tangle with Major so took me a while to get on wavelength but soon got up to speed and enjoyed some great clues. Favourites: PUPPY LOVE, SPACE CADET, BUNFIGHT, ROLL-ON and ROADWORTHY.
Thanks Major and MOH