The Independent Tuesday puzzle is set by Mog this week.
Tuesday is usually theme day and today is no exception. The entries at 1 across and 28 across form the theme with the meal of BEANS on TOAST being displayed throughout the grid.
By looking at the grid, we can see that the BEANS are on TOAST in the four examples
FLAGEOLET on SLAINTE,
GREEN on PROSIT,
RUNNER on SKOAL and
JUMPING on BOTTOMS UP
I struggled a bit relating RUNNER (entry at 18 across), to the definition, leader, but it must be right as we need a BEAN in that position in the grid. I have associated RUNNER with ruler (a leader), but I think there may be a stronger relationship that I have missed.
I also wondered whether a pole vaulter jumps [25 across], but I learnt that he/she jumps to gain traction on take-off.
I haven’t explained the wordplay for ROE DEER [25 across]very well, but I think it links to the phrase RUH-ROH often expressed by the cartoon dog Scooby Doo.
I expect there are some zoologists and linguists who can explain the links between DINO (part of the wordplay at 17 down for SORDINO) and lizard, but there seems to be a general agreement in internet sources that a DINOsaur was not a lizard.
There may even be a debate amongst solvers as to whether TOAST is part of a fry-up.
I enjoyed this puzzle as the depth of the theme, showing various examples of BEANs on TOAST, became clear as I progressed through the puzzle.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | This puzzle’s toppers for 28 occur a couple of ways (5)
BEANS (A common topping for TOAST [entry at 28 across]) – one of the theme words for the puzzle BE (occur) + A + (N [North] + S [South], a couple of directions or ways) BE A N S |
| 4 | ELO perhaps changes direction, inspired by detuned flute (9)
FLAGEOLET (a small high-pitched flute with two thumb holes, note that it is also a small pale green bean, which is a type of kidney BEAN) (ELO + E.G. [for example, perhaps]) all reversed and contained in (inspired by) FLAT (out of tune; detuned) FLA (GE OLE)< T |
| 9 | Thing puncturing another one’s lighter (7)
IMPALER (something with a sharp point that pierces another object ) I’M (I am; one is; one’s) + PALER (lighter) IM PALER |
| 10 | Tribute done in empty template (7)
SLAINTE (Gaelic for ‘good health’; a drinking TOAST or homage or tribute) SLAIN (killed; done in) + TE (letters remaining in TemplatE when the central letters emplat are removed [empty]) SLAIN TE |
| 11 | Party on, in general (5)
GREEN (reference the political party, the GREEN Party, also a type of BEAN) RE (with reference to; about; on) contained in (in) GEN (general) G (RE) EN |
| 12 | Vagueness by court is misrepresented (9)
OBSCURITY (unclearness; vagueness) Anagram of (misrepresented) BY COURT IS OBSCURITY* |
| 13 | Experts with lovemaking: here’s how (6)
PROSIT (‘Good health’; ‘cheers’; a TOAST) – ‘here’s how’ is also a TOAST meaning ‘good health’) PROS (professionals; experts) + IT (sexual relations; lovemaking) PROS IT |
| 14 | Guard largely was familiar with recording commercial (7)
KNEEPAD (a protective covering guard for a KNEE) KNEw (was familiar with) excluding the final letter W (largely) + EP (extended play recording) + AD (advert; commercial) KNE EP AD |
| 16 | Composer mixed up lines and space (7)
NIELSEN (reference Carl NIELSEN [1865 – 1931], Danish composer) Anagram of (mixed op) LINES + EN (printer’s term for a space the width of a letter n) NEILS* EN |
| 18 | One dashing leader? (6)
RUNNER (one racing; one dashing, also a type of BEAN) RUNNER ( a leader is a ruler, someone who runs a country – I’m clutching at straws a bit here to link leader and RUNNER) double definition? RUNNER |
| 21 | Short attendant at bank, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? (9)
SQUIRRELY (like a SQUIRREL, an animal that is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed) SQUIRe (a young man of noble birth who attended upon a knight; attendant) excluding the final letter E (short) + RELY (bank) SQUIR RELY |
| 24 | Southern Aussie native curtailed barroom shout (5)
SKOAL (a drinking TOAST meaning ‘Good health’; barroom shout) S (Southern) + KOALa (a Koala Bear is native to Australia), excluding the final letter A (curtailed) S KOAL |
| 25 | Judge American officiating pole vault activity (7)
JUMPING (an activity performed by a pole vaulter when he leaves the ground) J (Judge) + UMPING (an American term for an UMPire [an official in a sport]), so someone UMPING can be an American officiating, also a type of BEAN) J UMPING |
| 26 | Animal sounds like a distraught Scooby- Doo’s cry? (3,4)
ROE DEER (an animal) RUH-ROH is a sound like [sounds like] roo ROE, hat the fictional character Scooby Doo makes when he realises that something is wrong; when he is distraught, so ROH DEAR can be considered a phrase sounding like ROE DEER and interpreted as Scooby Doo expressing concern) ROE DEER |
| 27 | Small saying in tavern when it’s knocked back (7,2)
BOTTOMS UP (a drinking term used when drinking a TOAST) ([S{small} + MOTTO [saying}]) contained in [in] PUB [tavern]) all reversed (knocked back) (B (OTTOM S) UP)< |
| 28 | Add wraps as part of fry-up (5)
TOAST (an element of a fry-up) – the other theme word for the puzzle. TOT (to add) containing (wraps) AS TO (AS) T |
| Down | |
| 1 | Cross new wife gripping groom’s head (6)
BRIDGE (to cross) BRIDE (new wife) containing (gripping) G (first letter of [head] Groom) BRID (G) E |
| 2 | Online program always reflected fruitful growth (5,4)
APPLE TREE (a tree with fruit; fruitful growth) APPLET (an online computer program) + E’ER (ever; always) reversed (reflected) APPLE T (RE E)< |
| 3 | Films provided to occupy relative (7)
SILENTS (types of film that have no accompanying soundtrack, especially those made before 1927) LENT (provided, provided money) contained in (to occupy) SIS (sister, a relative) SI (LENT) S |
| 4 | Lost backing and received double-digit sum (9)
FORGOTTEN (lost) FOR (in favour of; backing) + GOT (received) + TEN ( a double-digit number [sum]) FOR GOT TEN |
| 5 | Fools common folks out of millions (5)
ASSES (fools) mASSES (the body of ordinary people; common folk) excluding (out of) M (millions) ASSES |
| 6 | Time before inevitable cancellation (7)
ERASURE (cancellation) ERA (a period of time) + SURE (certain; inevitable) ERA SURE |
| 7 | Discovered in Whitechapel: an airy veranda? (5)
LANAI (Hawaiian word for veranda) LANAI (hidden word in [discovered in] whitehalL AN AIry) LANAI |
| 8 | Even you would like hippie clothing (3-4)
TIE-DYED (textiles given a pattern by tying sections of the cloth together so that they will not absorb the dye; clothing strongly associated with the 1960s and 1970s hippie counter culture) TIED (the scores are even, the match is TIED) + YE’D (you would) TIE D YED |
| 14 | How to manage shock? Drink through gallons then rest well (5,4)
KIRBY GRIP (small, metal hair fastener with a usually rippled or wavy side and a flat side, designed to secure a shock of hair tightly) KIR (a drink made from dry white wine and cassis) + BY (through) + G (gallons) + RIP (Rest in Peace; rest well) KIR BY G RIP |
| 15 | Remarkable people elevated plant and brand making brown sauce (9)
PHENOMENA (remarkable people) (ANEMONE [a plant] + HP (a brand of brown sauce]) all reversed (elevated; down entry) (PH ENOMENA)< |
| 16 | Surgery twisted bones to save pair of joints (4,3)
NOSE JOB (a form of surgery) Anagram of (twisted) BONES containing (to save) JO (first two letters of [pair of] JOints) NOSE (JO) B* |
| 17 | Mute very Republican old lizard (7)
SORDINO (a mute for a stringed or brass musical instrument) SO (very) + R (Republican) + DINO (DINOsaur, which I believe was not a lizard itself. The internet tells me that the suffix ‘-saurus’ is either Greek or a Latinized form of Greek for ‘lizard’) SO R DINO |
| 19 | Developing perfume across the pond? (7)
NASCENT (developing) NA (North American – referring to countries across the Atlantic from the UK, ‘across the pond’) + SCENT (perfume) NA SCENT |
| 20 | Stew contains left over bit of broccoli (6)
FLORET (one of the branches in the head of a cauliflower or broccoli) FRET (worry; stew) containing (contains) (L [left] + O [over]) F (L O) RET |
| 22 | Peacekeepers and police force not satisfied (5)
UNMET (not satisfied) UN (United Nations; peacekeepers) + MET (reference the METropolitan Police in London) UN MET |
| 23 | Creeps pollarded growths around garden (5)
EDGES (creeps) hEDGES (growths around gardens) excluding the first letter (having the head cut off; pollarded) EDGES |
ROE DEER
I am attempting a slight tweak to your parsing Duncan.
‘Ruh-Roh’ is Scooby Doo’s ‘uh oh’ (in his doggy voice).
When distraught, he might say, ‘Oh dear!’ and it would sound like ‘Roh dear’.
RUNNER
Collins:
runner
a person who operates, manages, or controls something
I think the blogger’s interpretation is fine.
I’m afraid I found quite a few of the wordplays inelegant, and some definitions a stretch.
A dinosaur is not a lizard, ‘though the Greek source word that means lizard : σαυρα, ( “saa-vra” ), is miswritten in English as “saura”, so SAUR is forgivable, but DINO is not. And Fred Flintstone’s pet doesn’t redeem it.
Toast with a fry-up? No, no, no….fried bread, a different kettle of fish altogether! Since TOAST is the keyword, that’s iffy setting.
Elsewhere, YE’D / NA / UMPING / E’ER / and others grated on me.
The theme seems to have had a negative impact on the setting. Not for me, this puzzle, but I am probably in the minority. Grumpy OAP, as per.
The blog, though, is spot-on, and thanks to both Mog & duncan