Last time I blogged an Omnibus puzzle (speculated to be a compilation from multiple setters) I found some of the clues a bit clunky, but this one seems a lot smoother. Thanks to Omnibus.
I’m currently on holiday in the Highlands (looking out at Ullapool harbour as I write this) and about to head for the hills while the weather holds, so won’t be able to reply to comments or fix errors till this evening.
| Across | ||||||||
| 8 | GOAL AREA | Indian resort put on a real spread for poacher’s hunting ground? (4,4) GOA + (A REAL)* – to poach is (I learn) “to lurk around the opposing team’s penalty are in the hope of scoring an opportunist goal” |
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| 9 | HEATH | Scrub part of moustache at hairdresser (5) Hidden I moustacHE AT Hairdresser |
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| 10 | BALD | Left in spa, smooth as a baby’s bottom (4) L in BAD (German “bath”, as used in the name of spa towns) |
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| 11 | FUNCTIONAL | Following rubdown with oil – everything not quite working (10) F + UNCTION (ceremonial application of oil) + AL[l] |
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| 12 | CLEAVE | Quit following Cameron’s first split (6) C[ameron] + LEAVE (quit) |
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| 14 | NEWSROOM | Owners developed mantra for those who produce history’s first draft (8) OWNERS* + OM (meditator’s mantra) |
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| 16 | AWESOME | How lovely! Cute! At last, it follows that setter’s wonderful (7) AW (how lovely!) + [cut]E + SO (it follows) + ME (the setter) |
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| 18 | INSTILS | Promotes risk of unprotected sex in one library in Edinburgh (7) STI (sexually-transmitted infection, a risk of unprotected sex) in 1 NLS (National Library of Scotland) |
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| 21 | BEHEMOTH | It’s monstrous if that man is preceding one drawn to light (8) BE HE (if that man is) + MOTH (one drawn to light) |
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| 23 | RESIZE | Make bigger or smaller resolution? Checks out on the radio (6) RES[olution] + IZE (homophone of “eyes”, checks out) |
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| 24 | TOOTHCOMBS | The first hot combos bent picks (10) T[he] + (HOT COMBOS)* |
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| 26 | LYRE | Harp on after lady loses heart (4) L[ad]Y + RE (on, about) |
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| 27 | STONE | Symbol of intention to marry sent back by the-love-that-dare-not-speak-its-name (5) Reverse hidden in ..darE-NOT-Speak.. |
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| 28 | EARLIEST | First-rate novel includes things that are untrue (8) Lift-and separate: LIES in RATE* |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | BONAR LAW | Andrew, once at Number 10, managed comeback after box office passed bill (5,3) B[ox] O[ffice] + reverse of RAN (managed) + LAW (a bill that has been passed). Andrew Bonar Law was briefly PM in 1922-1923, though not as briefly as 19d |
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| 2 | GLAD | Happy to gallivant, swallowing drop of LSD (4) L[SD} in GAD |
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| 3 | TRIFLE | Zuppa inglese non è niente? (6) A trifle is ‘not nothing” (though perhaps nearly so) |
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| 4 | CANNING | Firing last of women in hiding … (7) [wome]N in CANING (a hiding). canning=firing in the sense of dismissing from a job |
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| 5 | THAT | … which leads to her arrest and transportation (4) First letters of To Her Arrest (and) Transportation |
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| 6 | FAVOURITES | Chosen ones regrettably sour at five (10) (SOUR AT FIVE)* |
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| 7 | CHEAPO | That which raises pitch overwhelms ambassador in budget (6) HE (His Excellency) in CAPO (device to raise the pitch of guitar strings) |
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| 13 | ABSTENTION | Refusal to choose teetotaller’s way out (10) Double definition |
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| 15 | WIN | Competition’s finale to follow Test team’s victory (3) [competitio]N + WI (West Indies, cricket side) |
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| 17 | MOO | Bellow’s return in part of Bloomsbury (3) Hidden in reverse of blOOMsbury |
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| 19 | LIZ TRUSS | Would-be Iron Lady rusts badly after Soviet limo reverses (3,5) Reverse of ZIL (Russian limousine) + RUSTS*, giving our short-serving PM who modelled herself on Mrs Thatcher |
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| 20 | CHAMBER | Put 9’s head (or tail) in bank vault (7) H (first or last letter of HeatH) in CAMBER (bank, slope) |
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| 22 | EGOIST | One as vain as 19? Last to arrive, first to depart (6) [rriv]E + GO 1ST |
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| 23 | ROSARY | Martyr – a sorry reflection – choked prayers (6) Another reverse hidden: martYR A SORry |
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| 25 | CHER | Dear revolutionary – and its leader (4) CHE (revolutionary) + R[evolutionary] |
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| 26 | LAIN | Set down in language without first thought (4) LATIN less T[hought] |
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I was looking for a bit more to nail down 3, but couldn’t see it.. am I missing an idiom, or something?
As well as the obvious BONAR LAW and LIZ TRUSS we have HEATH, CANNING, GLAD STONE, BALD WIN, CHAMBER LAIN…
I found this a bit of a mixed bag, which makes sense if it is indeed a collaborative effort. Was a bit held up by bunging in CHANCEL for 20dn, but otherwise it was pretty smooth. There seems to be a bit of a Conservative PM theme, with mentions of Thatcher, Truss, Cameron, Heath and Lord Canning (another very short-lived premiership). Many thanks to O & A. Aha, beaten to it by Lord Jim, who has spotted even more PMs, though not all Tories.)
Thanks Andrew. I agree with others this was a mixed bag, with some delightful clues, favourite, was Functional, and some less so. I think with Omnibus we get some clues that are based on jokes that exist in the setters head I.e. 19 (and 21)d. I have plenty of bad things to say about The Deluded Lady but neither of those references would be ones I recognise.
Lord Jim @2: Don’t forget the much-beloved(!) 5d-25d THAT-CHER
Thanks Omnibus and Andrew
Several unparsed – 16, 17, 23a, and 4d (never heard CANNING for firing).
Major eyebrow raise at TOOTHCOMB. Frequent mistake in hyphenation – it’s a fine-tooth comb, not a fine tooth-comb!
Good spot on all the PMs.
Only got 3 down by having crossers, TRIFLE fitted, click check. Move on, having internal rant about yet more use of non-English.
Thanks Lord Jim @2 for pointing out the theme.
I found that all a bit ‘clunky’, but I can’t set a crossword, so no criticism from me.
I’m not sure how I was supposed to solve 3d without translating via Google. More intelligent people than me, please advise.
Thanks Andrew for the heads-up on some of the parsing.
Thanks Omnibus.
‘Andrew, once’ possibly being ‘royal’ held me up until there was really no way to parse the rest of the clue.
After yesterday’s revelation about prime numbered crosswords could the theme be a nod to that?
Tricky in parts and quite enjoyable overall. I needed a fair bit of online help for the GK.
I enjoyed the foreign language words in this puzzle as they are all quite commonly used – BAD, CHER, ZUPPA INGLESE.
Favourites: AWESOME, TRIFLE, BALD, EARLIEST, EGOIST (check parse); LYRE (loi).
New for me: CAPO = a clamp fastened across all the strings of a fretted musical instrument to raise their tuning by a chosen amount; ZIL = Soviet−Russian vehicle (for 19d); CAMBER = bank; NLS = National Library of Scotland; CANNING = firing/sacking, dismiss from job; 1922 to 1923 UK PM Andrew BONAR LAW; TOOTHCOMBS.
I could parse my answer for 8ac but I did not understand why GOAL AREA = poacher’s hunting ground. I supposed this clue has something to do with football? Oh, I see:
A goal area poacher is a specialized soccer striker focused on scoring from close range within the penalty area, often requiring minimal touches to score.
Learnt something new today, not that I really understand what this means – it’s gobbledegook to me!
I could not parse 26d or 27ac thinking it might be an anagram of SENT O 😉
I finally picked up on the theme of UK PMs – a few I noticed were Heath, Truss, Bonar Law, Gladstone, Canning, Chamberlain and I’m sure there are more! (Yes, see comments above)
“Andrew once at Number 10” and “Would-be Iron Lady” are curiously not cryptic at all. Clunky in parts as Andrew says, but some nice bits. Thanks both.
Just a tweak on 3 DN – the Italian ‘non e niente’ is the equivalent of the English ‘it’s nothing’. Hence, a trifle.
Re 3 down: Nobody’s said it yet, and I didn’t know, but apparently ‘Zuppe Inglese’ is a kind of Italian trifle.