Brummie raises a chuckle this morning.
A theme even I couldn’t miss for once. Most of the solutions include allusions to light entertainment (mainly comedy) as highlighted in the grid. It was quite an achievement by Brummie to get so many references into the completed puzzle. I was going to comment on the number of double definitions in the grid, but humour depends on puns and double entendre (even if these were not racy in the puzzle), so I think it’s OK in this instance. Some of the highlighted answers in the grid above may be stretching it a bit (MY EYE and GROSSEST, for example), but I gave the setter the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks, Brummie.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | LAUGH |
Something funny from US city that’s disgusting (5)
|
| LA (Los Angeles, so “US city”) + UGH (“that’s disgusting”) | ||
| 10 | AMPLIFIER |
Music enhancer, provided one’s in more spacious surroundings (9)
|
| IF (“provided”) + I (one) in AMPLER (“more spacious”) | ||
| 11 | BRIEFCASE |
Holder, accountant, wears pants with elasticated top (9)
|
| CA (Charetered “Accountant”) wears BRIEFS (“pants”) with E(lasticated) [top] | ||
| 12 | SET UP |
Was an establishment type wrongly implicated? (3,2)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | CENSURE |
Start to neuter rescue strays and put down (7)
|
| *(n rescue) [anag:strays] where N is [start to] N(euter) | ||
| 15 | STAND UP |
Do a ‘homo erectus’ and wash? (5,2)
|
| Double definition: for the second, think of an explanation or an excuse – would that stand up in court? = would that wash with the judges? | ||
| 17 | MY EYE |
Not some other viewer’s rubbish (2,3)
|
| MY (“not some other’s”) + EYE (“viewer”) | ||
| 18 | GAG |
Sally’s restraint (3)
|
| Double definition, the first being another word for a witty remark. | ||
| 20 | INTRO |
Played by band just starting to almost ring out (5)
|
| *(to rin) [anag:out] where RIN is [almost] RIN(g) | ||
| 22 | CABARET |
Nude in rude act? (7)
|
| BARE in *(act) [anag:rude] and &lit. | ||
| 25 | OWN GOAL |
In town? Go alone – the other side will appreciate it (3,4)
|
| Hidden [in] “tOWN GO ALone” | ||
| 26 | PUNCH |
Hit the drink (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | MUSIC HALL |
Entertainment from such activity around one in shopping centre (5,4)
|
| *(such) [anag:activity] around I (one) in MALL (“shopping centre”) | ||
| 30 | APENNINES |
Mountains figure in Aspen resort (9)
|
| NINE (“figure”) in *(aspen) [anag:resort] | ||
| 31 | CLOWN |
Sovereign changes sides – fool! (5)
|
| C(r)OWN (“sovereign”) [changes sides, i.e. changes from R to L (right to left)] thus becomes C(L)OWN | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CLUB |
Iron a suit – not hem (4)
|
| CLUB(s) (“a suit”, not hem, i.e. the bottom)
An iron is a golf club. |
||
| 2 | AUDIENCE |
Poet outside independent church house (8)
|
| (WH) AUDEN (“poet”) outside I (independent) + CE (“Church” of England) | ||
| 3 | CHEF |
Cook big cheese after centre removed (4)
|
| CH(i)EF (“big cheese”) with centre (letter) removed | ||
| 4 | LAY AN EGG |
Utterly fail to produce a breakfast item? (3,2,3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | SPIELS |
Piles rocks on top of soil to form pitches (6)
|
| *(piles) [anag:rocks] on [top of] S(oil) | ||
| 6 | DISSUASION |
Onus is said to melt caution (10)
|
| *(onus is said) [anag:to melt] | ||
| 7 | JILTED |
Jack’s partner getting end away with Bill’s partner, so dropped (6)
|
| JIL(l) (“Jack’s partner” in the nursery rhyme, getting end (last letter) away) with TED (“Bill’s partner” in the Bill and Ted movies) | ||
| 8 | PROP |
Support for piano (4)
|
| PRO (“for”) + P (piano, in musical notation) | ||
| 13 | COMIC |
Taking the —s out of universal wit (5)
|
| [taking the s out of] CO(s)MIC (“universal”) | ||
| 14 | UNEARTHING |
‘Turning up a hunter’s pants’ in German (10)
|
| *(a hunter) [anag:pants] + IN + G (German) | ||
| 16 | PROWL |
Discontented, poor, solemn type – creep! (5)
|
| [discontented] P(oo)R + OWL (“solemn type”) | ||
| 19 | GROSSEST |
Go mad with stress – most off-putting (8)
|
| *(go stress) [anag:mad] | ||
| 21 | TOOK A BOW |
Stole from a milliner and acknowledged public approval? (4,1,3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | BANTER |
Ten cooks in pub making jokey remarks (6)
|
| *(ten) [anag:cooks] in BAR (“pub”) | ||
| 24 | TIMING |
Making of a good joke? Turning it up on Dynasty (6)
|
| [turning] <=IT [up] on MING (Dynasty) | ||
| 26 | PEAK |
Top dictator’s little dog (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [dictator’s] of PEKE (“little dog”) | ||
| 28 | COCK |
Bird’s tail pulled out of drink (4)
|
| TAIL pulled out of COCK(tail) (“drink”) | ||
| 29 | LINE |
Dash to cover the inside (4)
|
| Double definition |
Anyone else start by thinking Bill’s partner was Ben?
Thanks loonapick and Brummie
Well I missed the theme. I always do. Sally/gag was new to me and I didn’t know that LAY AN EGG could mean “utterly fail”. Otherwise a nice workout at Goldilocks level.
Yes, I’m of an age where Bill’s partner would be Ben, accompanied by Little Weed, but I remembered the US film reference fairly quickly. AUDIENCE was my LOI and needed the theme to realise what sort of house was being referred to. Agree with loonapick that getting so many theme-related answers was something of an accomplishment. Liked BRIEFCASE and MUSIC HALL. Thanks to Brummie and loonapick.
Almost no laughing matter when the helpful theme nearly made me put in COCO(a) instead of COCK before the obvious dawned on me. As said couldn’t miss the theme which was helpful given the abundance of theme related words even without taking a liberal approach to inclusion.
I also started with Ben as Bill’s partner before concluding JILBEN was perhaps not a word.
Chuckles for LAY AN EGG, COMIC and CABARET.
Thanks Brummie and Loonapick
I made a slow start on this tough puzzle. Foi 8d. Failed to solve 29d.
I was unsure how to parse 13d and 15ac stand up = wash.
New for me: crown coin = sovereign.
Like crispy@1, I first thought of Bill and Ben 🙂
I, too, am ancient enough to have thought of Bill and Ben rather than Bill and Ted.
Sadly, I suspect that Flob-a-dob, Flob-a-dob would be regarded as Obscure General Knowledge these days.
A couple which I couldn’t completely parse, but Loonapick’s explanations are convincing. Pleasant challenge to start the day with. Thank you, both.
Held up by entering CH(edd)AR for “cook” at 3d and PEKE for 26d: quite hard without crossers to tell which way round that clue should work.
Why does SET UP = “was an establishment type”?
My ancient P much prefers a STAND UP wash in the mornings to risking a slip in the shower, which is how I took that clue.
At one point I thought I was going to be left with three unfinished, but the respective pennies dropped.
Thanks to Brummie and loonapick