Enigmatist is always challenging, and this took me ages to finish, with the theme indicated in the Special Instructions…
…mostly referenced in the clues themselves – classical composers, works, musicians, and Classic FM radio presenters.
Edit: and a Nina too! thanks to Herb for the hint – we have Catherine BOTT, Anne-Marie MINHALL, Myleene KLASS, Nicholas OWEN, and Tim LIHOREAU as more Classic FM presenters around the grid
Favourites were 17ac, 20ac and 25ac [Edit: and now 16dn]. Many thanks to Enigmatist.
| Across | ||
| 8 | APPLAUSE | Charlotte’s content to hold Australian’s hand (8) |
| a Charlotte is a dessert containing fruit, so “Charlotte’s content”=APPLE; around AUS[tralian] Charlotte Green is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 9 | ONE MAN | The sort of band Jones (Jane) twice discovered pinching money (3-3) |
| [J]ONE[s] and [J]AN[e] “discovered” i.e. with their covers or outer letters removed; around M[oney] Jane Jones is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 10 | ÉTAT | Location of paintings retrospective shows class (4) |
| =state or rank=”class” TATE [art gallery]=”Location of paintings” in reverse/”retrospective” |
||
| 11 | TITCHMARSH | Gardener, little chap, strangely sham with cap of red (10) |
| =Gardener and Classic FM presenter Alan TITCHMARSH [wiki] TITCH=”little chap”; plus (sham r)* where r=r[ed] |
||
| 12 | RANCID | Police chief did this bad? (6) |
| A police chief RAN CID [Criminal Investigation Department] | ||
| 14 | ANATHEMA | A national song written about a curse (8) |
| A, plus (anthem)* with “written about” as an anagrind, plus A …or A, with ANTHEM written about it; plus A |
||
| 15 | ON WATCH | Who can’t broadcast with eye open? (2,5) |
| (Who can’t)* | ||
| 17 | AS USUAL | Routinely heard to use salsa in composition? (2,5) |
| (U U salsa)*, since “heard to use”=>homophone of “to use”=> two U’s=> U U | ||
| 20 | HEATHENS | We’ve no Messiah — Handel’s beginning to adopt chicken diet (8) |
| H[andel], plus EAT HENS=”adopt chicken diet” | ||
| 22 | BECURL | See uniform, intercepting US composer leaving home, make waves (6) |
| C=textspeak for “See”, plus U[niform]; both inside BERL[in]=”US composer” Irving Berlin, minus in=”home” | ||
| 23 | INDELICATE | How nice it can be with Aled being immodest! (10) |
| (nice it Aled)* Aled Jones is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 24 | NICK | Take leaders from newsman in Classic knees-up (4) |
| leading letters from N[ewsman] I[n] C[lassic] K[nees-up] Nick Bailey is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 25 | LASSIE | Barking movie star, smarter naked (6) |
| =the movie dog [c]LASSIE[r]=”smarter”, naked without its outer letters |
||
| 26 | TURNBULL | Commonwealth leader shot — very good one! (8) |
| Malcolm TURNBULL is the Australian Prime Minister [and Bill Turnbull a Classic FM presenter] TURN=opportunity=”shot”; plus BULL=bulls-eye=”very good [shot]” |
||
| Down | ||
| 1 | UP AT DAWN | Like The Lark, put ad around shelter (2,2,4) |
| (put ad)*, plus AWN=”shelter”=to cover with an awning | ||
| 2 | BLOT | Make mark on Brunning’s first collection (4) |
| B[running], plus LOT=”collection” John Brunning is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 3 | OUSTED | Brahms and Liszt used to put people out (6) |
| (used to)* – “Brahms and Liszt” is rhyming slang for ‘pissed’=’drunk’, and therefore an anagrind | ||
| 4 | TEA TRAY | What’s produced at three regularly? Yes! (3,4) |
| anagram/”What’s produced” of (at tre)*, where tre are regular letters of “t[h]r[e]e“; plus AY=”Yes” |
||
| 5 | TOWHEADS | How Date Nights finally dizzified blondes? (8) |
| tow=flax, TOWHEADS have flaxen or fair hair (How Date [Night]s)* |
||
| 6 | METAPHYSIC | In what orchestras make, the pay varies — there’s no universal system of thought (10) |
| M[u]SIC=”what orchestras make”, around (the pay)*, minus u[niversal] | ||
| 7 | I AM SAM | Film, the essence of J Williams: Amistad (1,2,3) |
| Hidden in [Will]I/AM/S AM[istad] SAM Pittis is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 13 | CHARTREUSE | Suchet’s fancy, blending in variety of rare liqueur (10) |
| (Suchet rare)* John Suchet is a Classic FM presenter |
||
| 16 | CLERIHEW | Edmund C Bentley, for instance mocked gently; Vivaldi, when cut, cut again (8) |
| Edmund CLERIHEW Bentley gave his name to a form of humorous biographical poem [wiki] Vivaldi was a CLERI[c] with the last letter “cut”; plus HEW=”cut” again Edit – see Muffyword @8 – the clue is itself a clerihew poem |
||
| 18 | AGRICOLA | General passages written up inspired by Indian city? (8) |
| =a Roman general LOCI=”passages”, reversed/”written up” and inside AGRA=”Indian city” |
||
| 19 | ESPARTO | Gnossiennes, part of which this ropemaker‘s got into (7) |
| =a strong grass used to make rope Hidden in [Gnossienn]ES PART O[f], with “[ha]s got into” as the hidden indicator |
||
| 21 | ETNEAN | Camille Saint-Saëns, without Ms Callas, is, I suspect, typical of a European hothead (6) |
| =resembling Mount Etna (Camille Saint-Saens)* minus Ms Callas is I |
||
| 22 | BLEARS | Makes dim British listeners embrace the overture to Lohengrin (6) |
| B[ritish] EARS=”listeners” around L[ohengrin] | ||
| 24 | NIBS | Bills writers run up in bars on vacation (4) |
| =Bills of birds; and =the writing points of pens reversal/”run up” of IN; plus B[ar]S with its inner letters vacated |
||
In 16D I can’t quite make “Edmund C Bentley, for instance mocked gently” work as a definition of CLERIHEW, even though the connection is obvious. I also think “Vivaldi” is pushing it as a definition of “cleric”, even given that he was an example of one.
Fine puzzle and a worthy tribute – which is what the preamble amounted to – not really essential to the solve.
Many thanks to setter Enigmatist and Manehi – and also Classic-FM best – and least pretentious classical music station I know of – which I can actually listen to “out here” by pulling a bit of a shonky.
@Jason #1.
We crossed – so I’ll bite.
Edmund C Bentley – one name for the guy
CLERIHEW – another
exact equivalence.
Vivaldi = cleric
He was one. Admittedly back then you had to be to get a formal education.
What do you want – a “perhaps”?
Even if you call it a DBE not everyone signals all of them.
When you see the name Enigmatist and that it is a themed puzzle, the cryptic grey matter does tremble a bit – but this turned out to be really friendly (for an Enigmatist that is) and even though I didn’t know a lot about the theme, the clues were very helpful and so it didn’t take me long to sort out.
My particular favourite was 20a, although I did smile at ‘Charlotte’s content’ in 8a when the penny finally dropped
Thanks to Enigmatist and Manehi – and Congratulations to Classic FM
Great puzzle-many thanks to manehi for all those details.
Thanks Enigmatist, Manehi
I managed to a) finish this pretty quickly and b) understand the clues, both of which are firsts for me and an Enigmatist. 11 anagrams certainly helped. On the other hand, I still found some of it a bit like pulling teeth, eg 22d, 21a. I liked TURNBULL, TOWHEADS, NIBS and particularly APPLAUSE (a plain vanilla clue, for some welcome relief). Agree with Jason@1 about the mocked gently bit – is there something more to it?
Re 16D, I tried to convince myself the clue itself was a clerihew, but it’s missing the second rhyme. Maybe I’m missing something?
Edmund C Bentley,
for instance mocked gently;
Vivaldi, when
cut, cut again
Don’t miss the Nina!
@Muffyword and @Herb, and especially @Enigmatist – wow!
Got there but didn’t enjoy much. A lot of reqlly clunky cluing i thought. Heathens, becurl , clerihew esparto , one man are all rubbish. Or let’s say very inelegant!
I usually look out for some sort of nina in his puzzles but not living in the UK or knowing any of these presenters gives me a good alibi[-thanks for the info
Rewolf @11
Your opinion and you’re entitled to it. Mine is that your comment is one of the most churlish I have ever seen on this thread. As Muffyword @8 has shown (for example) the clue for CLERIHEW is absolutely perfect.
I’m with James and Rewolf. Too many clunky clues. To those already listed I’d add 7d. Admittedly very impressive with Nina and Clerihew. I probably would have enjoyed more if I’d appreciated the theme. All those adverts! It’s Radio 3 for me, which I still every day am grateful exists.
@Herb – Nina
OK I give up. Where is it?
Admittedly I forgot to look first time round – despite a: grid with sticky out edges b: who the setter is – – now alerted I still can’t find it.
BTW a fairly friendly grid – not like the shocker on today’s FT – which I finally finished.
@JollySwagman – I’ve highlighted the Nina in the blog. I did have a quick look earlier, giving up after a cursory glance at Lihoreau’s unusual letters
Oops – just saw above – never heard of most of them. Presenters. Nonentities really. Better to just play the records.
Crossed – thanks M.
I also couldn’t find the nina, even given Herb’s hint, but it’s pretty remarkable. Thanks for the pretty diagram. Lihoreau’s a great name – any other surnames with all the vowels? Oddly, when searching the grid, I noticed that the third row from the bottom has all the vowels, and it only lacks an L, of which there are plenty adjacent, to provide the fodder for Lihoreau.
Thank you Enigmatist and manehi – one of Vivaldi’s violin concertos is being played on Classic FM radio as I type this – I live in France so am not meant to hear it, but I typed in my son’s English postcode (and I do pay certain UK taxes, so will continue to use the site).
A super puzzle, even though I only recognise the name Myleene KLASS among the presenters – which fooled me into first entering CROMWELL at 26a. I did, however, spot the CLERIHEW.
This is my third try to post – if you press backspace twice everything disappears, I have discovered. GRRR!
My heart sank when I saw the name of the setter on today’s puzzle, as I have had encounters with Enigmatist before that ended up in the too hard basket. I also thought I would be on a hiding to nothing when I read the Special Instructions, however ultimately knowledge of the UK Classic FM station was not crucial to the solve. Now that I have read the forum though, I am in awe of the way Enigmatist managed to include the names of so many of the radio personnel in the clues and the Nina, which added a while new level of subtlety and cleverness that I would not otherwise have perceived.
It was a real bonus to have the example of a CLERIHEW as the clue for 16d, so thank you to Muffyword@8. I did have to google Edmund C Bentley to get this one, and to check that my guess at 11a, TITCHMARSH, was right.
Sorry to be parochial, but I did like that the Aussies got a look-in. I got TURNBULL at 26a fairly easily, but then I was convinced that 8a must include PELL as the Australian (top cleric George Pell, our man in Rome, though currently back in Australia to face the music). That sent me up a very dry gully looking for a Classic FM presenter named Charlotte Spelling. Once I got 3d OUSTED, I had to rethink that entirely.
Favourites were 12a RANCID, 26a TURNBULL (though not my favourite as PM at all), 16d CLERIHEW, and 21d ETNEAN.
I had to laugh out loud when 4d was my LOI, the last of many TEA TRAY moments in what was a tricky, enigmatic and enjoyable puzzle, full of twists and turns.
I’m not sure what you mean by churlish. I completed the puzzle but am talking about the surfaces. Of those I mentioned take becurl. ‘See uniform, intercepting US composer leaving home, make waves’ . What?! i suspect Enigmatist would admit it’s not a great clue.
Well, Enigmatist doesn’t always yield easily, but he does (usually) yield. Today, some fairly straightforward stuff like ANATHEMA bundled in with some tortuous clueing – though the best of these, when you realise what’s going on, turns out to be the brilliant CLERIHEW.
Just to confess my personal shame: yesterday I failed to finish Chifonie. Today I finished Enigmatist. What is going on?
The nina was no use to me and not spotted alas as I’m not a Classic FM listener.
A lovely puzzle, pretty tricky but still at the more accessible end of Enigmatist’s range. Although I saw the possibility of the perimeter nina pretty early it didn’t help much since most of the names were unfamiliar. A few unfamiliar solutions but all of them were fairly clued.
Thanks to Enigmatist and manehi
I thought this to be ridicuously tortuous until I read the blog, not managing to fully parse quite a few. Now I realise it’s brilliant!
Thanks to Enigmatist and manehi. The special instructions were little help to me in the US (e.g., I struggled with the first 5 letters of TITCHMARSH) and I needed help parsing ONE MAN and NIBS, but I did eventually fight my way through.
We always look forward to Enigmatist and this one didn’t disappoint. Our last one in was 24d which turned out to be an easy one! We made up becurl because it fitted and found out it was a real word, lol. Thanks to everyone.
Don’t know anything about Classic FM and the Nina therefore passed me by, but I found this satisfying, if for no other reason than it was a much gentler than expected Enigmatist puzzle. Still, I ended up missing CLERIHEW which I see (now that it has been explained) was the cleverest clue of the lot, so I was defeated yet again. Maybe I’ll get there one day.
Thank you to Enigmatist and manehi.
I heartily agree with BlogginTheBlog@25. Couldn’t finish it but full of admiration for the creativity of it all, and that’s without even being aware there was a Nina!
Thanks a lot Enigmatist and manehi.
Thanks Enigmatist; masterly piece of setting
Thanks manehi; I didn’t see the NINA and it wouldn’t have helped, apart from Myleene KLASS, who must be known to most people (it’s just all Hear’Say).
Many PDMs when I BIFD a few. I didn’t know Vivaldi was a cleric, but that was a super clue, once all the explanations came in.
Very clever puzzle, but the thematic references went over my head. This was a DNF for me today, as I ran out of time.
Jason @1 and JS @3
I read the CLERIHEW clue as:
Edmund C Bentley – definition
For instance mocked gently; Vivaldi when cut = CLERI(C) (since he’d more properly be described as a great composer)
cut again – HEW
i.e the DBE is indicated.
Thanks, manehi (much needed blog today) and Enigmatist. Wish I’d done it more justice.
This felt like being at school when the big kids tell jokes that you don’t understand, but laugh anyway.
Hats off to the setter, and the blogger, but too much for me so I’m off to slam my bedroom door and listen to Coldplay.
This was the easiest Enigmatist puzzle I’ve done. Indeed I wondered at one point if another setter had kidnapped him and was holding the chap in captivity. I know nothing about Classics FM except that it employs some loathsome presenters- David Mellor,Myleen Klass etc-and has a policy of reducing music to the blandest of the bland.
But I did enjoy the puzzle. I especially liked TURNBULL,TITCHMARSH end BECURL which sounds like a dodgy firm of solicitors!
Thanks Enigmatist.
Didn’t do this one, but was directed here by catarella from the Guardian blog re 16d, CLERIHEW. I think Phitonelly’s parsing @31 is right, else what is “mocked gently” doing?
I’ve written clerihews, including the clerihew of E. Clerihew Bentley:
E. Clerihew
Ee, what ‘e knew!
‘E’s the one that taught
The art of keeping it short
MrsH@32 summed it up for me today, although I’d put John Mayall on (he’s touring again this autumn) – a classic bluesman. With hindsight it is a masterclass in crossword construction but I’m with those who found some surfaces contrived – even non-sensical. I did think the definitions for 20a and 21d were excellent. And all the learning about CLERIHEW thrown in as a bonus. So as usual there’s more to appreciate than criticise – thanks Enigmatist and manehi for help with the parsing.
@MrsH (32)
that you, Jane? 🙂
I enjoyed knowing the theme of the puzzle beforehand since I wouldn’t have understood even a fraction of the clues otherwise. In the end I was defeated though – the British definition of “etat” was new to me as was “titch” and I still don’t understand how LOCI = passages. I have to join those who question Vivaldi = cleric as a meaningful clue, although adding a “perhaps” would have helped me not at all.
My main reason for chiming in though is this Titchmarsh person (whom, incidentally, Wikipedia apparently does not consider to be “notable”). Is he the Titchmarsh that gets mentioned by Vicky Pollard in a Little Britain sketch? I’ve never gotten that reference. Thanks.
One of the best.
I especially liked 13D, which was a Labour of Hercules beyond compare…and strained my petites cellules grises perry much, getting myself in a knot over The Charterhouse of Pearma. Poir bleu!
James @19:
Felt a need to respond to your (perhaps rhetorical) question regarding surnames and vowels. A famous American’s name contains 5 vowels and 2 consonants. I noticed this while driving one day!
@Farmer
Not rhetorical. There’s a Brazilian footballer called Aurelio who sort of matches your description. Still thinking.
Terrific stuff, particularly the CLERIHEW clue. Like Xjpotter (@ 13), my radio is tuned more or less permanently to Radio 3 (can’t stand the adverts on Classic FM, and find the idea of “Smooth Classics” a bit sickly), so I had no idea about most of the presenters – apart of course from Catherine Bott (fine soprano and much missed R3 presenter). But in any case I noted the setter and then dived straight in, completely missing the special instructions.
Rather late in the day, but I wondered as Bluedot does why loci is supposed to be synonymous with passages. I would hazard that it isn’t.
@James
After a visit to wiki, felt I should mention that there are alternate spellings of this name. I had only remembered the 7-letter version (which has attained familiarity unrelated as a common noun).
Sorry. Meant “unrelated to the famous American” in the above.
In 3D how does “put people out” = ousted? To put people out is to oust. A people put out could be the ousted but that isn’t the word order in the definition.
It was hard enough without this.
I’m in the dissenting group.
Ran out of time and gave up on 8 clues in lower half. The theme was over my head as I do not know the radio station.
Of the ones I solved, TOWHEADS was new to me and I needed help to parse 9a, 22a.
Thanks B&S
@baerchen (36): No, I usually hold fire in these circumstances.
Eric @45 – “put” in the past tense.
BlueDot & Xjpotter – my Chambers gives one definition of ‘locus’ as: “a passage in a book, piece of writing, etc”. Similar to its other meanings of ‘place’ or ‘location’, but applied to a text.
Peter Aspinwall @33
I too know little of Classic FM although I do listen to it occasionally. Even so I finished the puzzle but found it a little disappointing for Enigmatist. Not much imagination in the cluing which was also a little loose at times.
It doesn’t always reduce “music to the blandest of the bland.” although this can happen. (especially at the weekends).
It’s main purpose for me is to be a brief refuge from Radio 3 when they insist on playing Judith Weir or her ilk (or even that dreadfully puerile jazz).
I do agree with you however on your choice of loathsome presenters.
Only got to this this morning. Pretty tough, imho, but a dazzling variety of devices. How does he do it? Thanks to S & B.
Nonentity? How dare you?! I’m a Z-lister, surely. 🙂
Saved for Saturday morning’s coffee, presuming it would be a time-consuming solve; in fact, I can’t recall an Enigmatist being so, relatively, straightforward! And very enjoyable – perhaps my view less jaundiced than some since I saw that the clue for 16d was itself a clerihew before tackling wordplay (incidentally, for those suggesting Vivaldi is a weak dbe for “cleric”, was he not known as the Red Priest?). Particularly enjoyed construction of ONE MAN, AS USUAL, HEATHENS and CLERIHEW of course.
I agree with beery (again) and Tony Sever – a satisfying puzzle.
I also shun Classic FM, mainly because the music ‘breaks’ (from the main business of advertising) are too short! Thus missed the Nina – though I did have a quick look….
Many thanks to Enigmatist. Great blog, manehi!
Agree with Xjpotter @ 14 (and the 2 bloggers he/she refers to). However I gave up trying to complete.
I also gave up listening to C.FM years ago due to the adverts. The various BBC programmes also have an annoying habit of suddenly breaking into adverts (albeit for their own programmes), so I don’t listen to them much either.