Apologies for the late blog.
I found this one tougher than the average Spectator, although that is probably because I know very little about waltzes. With the help of a fellow blogger (thanks, Michael), I was able to complete it in the end, although I can’t parse KEANU beyond it being the first name of a Canadian actor, and there was a classical English stage actor called Charles Kean.
As to the theme, the answers (highltighted in the grid are all waltzes in 3/4 time.
The first source was Strauss –
- Tales from the Vienna Woods
- Vienna Blood (Vienna doing double duty)
- Blue Danube
- Artist’s Life
- Emperor
and the second source was Waldteufel, who composed the Skater’s Waltz.
Thanks, Doc.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ENCROACH |
African fox regularly takes fish to intrude on territory (8)
|
| (f)E(n)N(e)C (“african fox”, regularly) takes ROACH (“fish”) | ||
| 6 | EXCITE |
Stir former partner with call (6)
|
| EX (“former partner”) with CITE (“call”) | ||
| 10 | TALES FROM THE |
Theme word
|
| 11 | HOSTA |
Publican with a decorative plant (5)
|
| HOST (“publican”) with A | ||
| 13 | SPLURGE |
Gulpers out on a spending spree (7)
|
| *(gulpers) [anag:out] | ||
| 14 | LEVIES |
OT patriarch points to taxes (6)
|
| LEVI (“OT patriarch”) + E and S (east and south, “points” of the compass) | ||
| 16 | BLUE |
Theme word
|
| 17 | CORSICAN |
Islander giving small book to another (8)
|
| Cor. (short for Corinthians, so “small book”) + SICAN (a Sicilian, so “another”islander) | ||
| 21 | SPONDEES |
Feet ends pose problems! (8)
|
| *(ends pose) [anag:problems]
In poetry, feet of two long syllables. |
||
| 23 | SKATERS |
Theme word
|
| 25 | APT |
Small flat’s ready (3)
|
| A shortened version of “apartment”, so a “small falt” is an Apt. | ||
| 26 | NIL |
Head over heels, finally fall in love (3)
|
| [head over heels] <=([finally] (fal)L + IN) | ||
| 28 | ARTISTS |
Theme word
|
| 29 | SETTLE UP |
Pay all one’s debts for bench in court (6,2)
|
| SETTLE (“bench”) + UP (“in court”) | ||
| 34 | CHIPOTLE |
Jalapeno pepper from cooking utensil used in country (8)
|
| POT (“cooking utensil”) used in CHILE (“country”) | ||
| 35 | LIFE |
Theme word
|
| 36 | MOREEN |
Fabric Dame Lipman suggests (6)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [suggests] of MAUREEN (Lipman, an acting “dame”) | ||
| 38 | ONTARIO |
Oration about province (7)
|
| *(oration) [anag:about] | ||
| 39 | WOODS |
Theme word
|
| 40 | SNICK AND SNEE |
Large knife making two small cuts (5,3,4)
|
| 41 | DANUBE |
Theme word
|
| 42 | DEAF EARS |
Where unheeded comments fall having safeguarded new dug out (4,4)
|
| *(safeguarded) [anag:new] is an anagram of DEAF EARS and DUG | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ETHICISTS |
Moral philosophers with dram for Christmastide, maybe (9)
|
| The letters of ETHICISTS with those of “dram” together form an anagram of “Christmastide”, indicated by “maybe”. | ||
| 2 | NAOS |
Ten leaving island temple (4)
|
| X (ten, in Roman numerals) leaving NA(x)OS (a Greek “island”)
In ancient Greek architecture, the naos was the innermost sanctim of a temple. |
||
| 3 | RETEST |
Street repairs entail second exam (6)
|
| *(street) [anag:repairs] | ||
| 4 | AFFECT |
Only pretend to influence (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | CREVASSE |
Cavers in trouble – nearly all see deep crack (8)
|
| *(cavers) [anag:in trouble] + [nearly all] SE(a) | ||
| 6 | EMPEROR |
Theme word
|
| 7 | CHUBB |
Locksmith is not quite plump (5)
|
| [not quite] CHUBB(y) (“plump”)
Charles Chubb (1772-1846) was a locksmith who invented an unpickable lock. |
||
| 8 | TEGUMENTAL |
Note gun-metal is adapted like a natural covering (10)
|
| TE (“note”) + *(gunmetal) [anag:is adapted] | ||
| 9 | EMEER |
Islamic ruler turning up in three medallions (5)
|
| Hidden backwards [turning up] in “thREE MEdallions” | ||
| 12 | SERVANTS |
Below stairs employees around small taverns (8)
|
| *(s taverns) [anag:around] | ||
| 15 | SONATA |
Moonlight, perhaps – some falls on a table (6)
|
| Hidden in [some] “fallS ON A TAble” | ||
| 18 | ORKNEYINGA |
Northern saga about Iron Age Yukon, now and then (10)
|
| *(iron age ykn) [anag:about] where YKN is Y(u)K(o)N [now and then] | ||
| 19 | LETS IT GO |
Allows it to pass, as Elsa does in Frozen (4,2,2)
|
| In the Disney movie Frozen, Elsa sings the perennial earworm “Let It Go” | ||
| 20 | VELLUM |
Top-level luminary keeps hide for writing (6)
|
| Hidden in [keeps] “top-leVEL LUMinary” | ||
| 22 | SUSPENSES |
Delays impressions describing unique selling point (9)
|
| SENSES (“impressions”) describing USP (unque selling point) | ||
| 24 | SAPHENAE |
Leg veins of injured sea elephant let out (8)
|
| *(sea elephant) [anag:injured] is an anagrom of SAPHENAE and LET | ||
| 27 | REJOICE |
Triumph again with Irish novelist’s broadcast (7)
|
| RE (“again”) with homophone/pun/aural wordplay [broadcast] of (James) JOYCE (“Irish novelist”) | ||
| 30 | VIENNA |
Theme word
|
| 31 | MOROSE |
Glum medic with Ena Harkness, say (6)
|
| MO (medical officer, so “medic”) with ROSE (“Ena Harkness, say”)
Ena Harkness is a climbing rose. |
||
| 32 | BLOOD |
Theme word
|
| 33 | KEANU |
Classical actor and English actor’s forename (5)
|
| 37 | ODER |
Duck, brightly coloured, coming up river (4)
|
| O (duck, in cricket) + <=RED (“brightly coloured”. coming up) |
ENCROACH struck me as somewhat “ghost-ish”, i.e. think of a synonym then take alternative letters before adding a fish. I suppose the defence is “what else could it be?” But I’m not entirely sure this is fair.
KEANU appears to be an error. Posh or Universal would work to yield U rather than E for the last letter.
That said, I did enjoy this one and learnt a few new waltzes.
Many thanks for the blog and thanks to Doc.