This is our first Eccles blog – as far as we can tell, it is only the 4th Eccles puzzle to feature in the Indy.
It was all good fun, with several clues edging into toilet humour – nothing too taxing, but not a write-in – just right for a mid-week alternative to Dac. There was some excellent surface readings – 9d in particular was good fun. However, we think 18ac is a slightly weak clue unless we are missing something. What do others think?
| Across | ||
| 1 | It’s a shame devotion is pointless (4) | |
| PITY | PI |
|
| 3 | Gangster writes to original members of Calvin Klein’s staff (10) | |
| ALPENSTOCK | AL (Capone – gangster) PENS (writes) TO C K (first letters or ‘original members’ of Calvin Klein) | |
| 10 | A bit tense, following strange chaps (7) | |
| ODDMENT | T (tense) following ODD MEN (strange chaps) | |
| 11 | The art enclosure provides cheer (7) | |
| HEARTEN | Hidden or ‘provided’ in ‘tHE ART ENclosure’ | |
| 12 | Upset spectator with rain delay (13) | |
| PROCRASTINATE | An anagram of SPECTATOR and RAIN – anagrind is ‘upset’ | |
| 15 | Gross, if your shoulders become bony (6) | |
| OSSIFY | Hidden in or ‘shouldered’ by ‘grOSS IF Your’ | |
| 16 | Force branches into walls (8) | |
| RAMPARTS | RAM (force) PARTS (branches) | |
| 18 | How to use a lock that is often close to Home (5,3) | |
| ENTER KEY | Is it a sort of cryptic definition – you ENTER a KEY to use a lock, and there an ENTER KEY on a keyboard. Our Apple computers don’t have a HOME key but PC keyboards do. From what we can see on US layout keyboards the two keys are quite close to each other. | |
| 20 | Prohibit an American fruit (6) | |
| BANANA | BAN (prohibit) AN A (American) | |
| 23 | How to obtain answer from Maria’s name tag (13) | |
| ANAGRAMMATISE | The answer tells you that it’s an anagram of MARIA’S NAME TAG | |
| 25 | International politician died after drink spiked (7) | |
| IMPALED | I (international) MP (politician) D (died) after ALE (drink) | |
| 27 | Aroma of nettle (7) | |
| INCENSE | Double definition | |
| 28 | Wind instrument encountered in an expressive type of music by Queen (10) | |
| ANEMOMETER | MET (encountered) in AN EMO (expressive type of music – a new one on us!) ER (Queen) | |
| 29 | Rob Key from Kent bagging duck in tie (4) | |
| KNOT | K |
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | Belittled bear, and what it did in the woods (4-6) | |
| POOH-POOHED | POOH (bear – Winnie the Pooh) POOHED (defecated – what bears do in the woods) – quite why bears have this reputation when all the other forest animals do it too, we don’t know! | |
| 2 | Training outside is boring (7) | |
| TEDIOUS | An anagram of OUTSIDE – anagrind is ‘training’ | |
| 4 | Continue to house half of Tate Modern (6) | |
| LATEST | LAST (continue) round or ‘housing’ TE (half of ‘Tate’) | |
| 5 | Fair to welcome northern folk (8) | |
| ETHNICAL | ETHICAL (fair) round or ‘welcoming’ N (northern) | |
| 6 | Fight to trim bottom in health resort (3) | |
| SPA | SPA |
|
| 7 | To last longer than clothing on a Pride march? (7) | |
| OUTWEAR | People on a Pride march might have come out, so they might be clothed in OUT WEAR | |
| 8 | Considerate type (4) | |
| KIND | Double definition | |
| 9 | Upwardly mobile Trump, without hesitation, starts to invite Russian multi-millionaires onto American land (5,5) | |
| TERRA FIRMA | FART (‘trump’) reversed or ‘upwardly mobile’ round or ‘without’ ER (hesitation) + the first letters or ‘starts’ of Invite Russian Multi-millionaires A (American) | |
| 13 | Dapper barn dancer stripped completely, revealing figure (10) | |
| APPEARANCE | ||
| 14 | Watch part of scene with me, and tap excitedly (10) | |
| ESCAPEMENT | An anagram of SCENE, ME and TAP – anagrind is ‘excitedly’ | |
| 17 | Envy German having game in bed, and ogle regularly (8) | |
| BEGRUDGE | G (German) RU (Rugby Union – game) in BED + |
|
| 19 | Turkey and plenty of squash (7) | |
| TRAMPLE | TR (Turkey) AMPLE (plenty) | |
| 21 | Six silver pens with name on found in French city (7) | |
| AVIGNON | VI (six) in or ‘penned’ by AG (silver) N (name) ON | |
| 22 | Organisation of mounted police in Ireland (6) | |
| EMPIRE | MP (mounted police) in EIRE (Ireland) | |
| 24 | Vice is a necessity when visiting many countries (4) | |
| VISA | We weren’t too sure about this, but think it must be: V (Vice, as in Vice-President – VP) IS A | |
| 26 | Go here due to alcohol from time to time (3) | |
| LOO | Alternate letters (‘from time to time’) of |
|
Thanks B&J
Re 24dn, the online Collins confirms V. as an abbreviation for ‘vice’ in titles.
In 18ac I would dispute the ‘often’. As you say, there is no Home key on an Apple keyboard and on a standard Windows keyboard the Home key is separated from the Enter key by Insert and Delete. However, on a Windows laptop keyboard the Home key is immediately (diagonally NE) adjacent to the Enter key. The ‘often’ therefore depends on what percentage of the total number of keyboards are Windows laptops.
Enjoyable solve with some super surfaces and several laughs. Biffed 24d; LOI 18a with a nice PDM when it finally clicked. Many thanks to B&J for the write-up (and 24d enlightenment), and to Eccles for a really nice puzzle.
Thought ENTER KEY quite OK and also discovered I had a Home key on my keyboard. TERRA FIRMA top notch, excellent wordplay in 12A, 3A, liked 1D.
29A references the longtime Kent batsman and captain, Rob(ert) Key, who also played 15 Tests for England.
Thanks to Eccles and Bertandjoyce.
Terrific puzzle from Eccles – all the humour those of us who know him well have come to expect plus cracking surfaces and artful anagrams like 12a and 23a. 9d and 13d also outstanding. Many thanks Eccles.
Thanks for the fine blog B&J (I think I played cricket in your home village in the summer), and to commenters.
9d was a late replacement for a rubbish clue, and introduced a second American=A, so apologies for the repetition.