As usual a very high quality prize puzzle from Paul – lots to smile about and a pretty accessible theme…
… although I should say that we turned out to be surprisingly weak on the “20”s here, which turned out to be PIRATEs. In fact, we guessed TEACH, SILVER and SPARROW early on but couldn’t see what the link between those words might be!
Across
1. Dog in jelly, perhaps? (6)
SETTER
Double definition: “Dog” (as in an Irish Setter, say) and “jelly, perhaps?” as in “something that sets”
4. Cut article by some caustic youth leaders (6)
SCYTHE
THE = “article” beside (“by”) S[ome] C[austic] Y[outh] = “some caustic youth leaders”
Definition:
9. Chief of Hopi also called for a war dance (4)
HAKA
H[aka] = “Chief of Hopi” + AKA = “also called”
Definition: “war dance”
10. 20 bans bones (10)
BARBAROSSA
BAR + BAR = “bans” followed by OSSA = “bones” (ossa is the plural of the Latin ‘os’, meaning bone)
Definition: “[PIRATE]”, referring to Hayreddin Barbarossa
11. British novelist, more crafty? (6)
ARCHER
Double definition: “British novelist”, referring to Jeffrey Archer and “more crafty?” as in “more arch”
12. 20 not entirely 20, one providing a spark? (8)
GUNFLINT
GUN[n] = “[PIRATE] not entirely” (referring to Ben Gunn) + FLINT = “[PIRATE]”, (referring to Captain Flint)
Definition: “one providing a spark?”
13. One fighting to write libretto in small opera, not on (9)
SWORDSMAN
WORDS = “libretto” in S = “small” + MAN[on] = “opera, not on”
Definition: “One fighting”
15. Moustache’s back, go for a blade! (4)
ÉPÉE
[moustach]E = “Moustache’s back” + PEE = “go”
Definition: “a blade!”
16. Pen for writer of contemporary music (4)
CAGE
Double definition: “Pen” (as in an enclosure) and “writer of contemporary music”, referring to John CAGE
17. Discarding thin part of neck, soft leg eaten (9)
SCRAPPING
SCRAG = “thin part of neck” around P = “soft” (piano in musical notation) + PIN = “leg”
Definition: “Discarding”
21. Decree found in letters of RC priest (8)
RESCRIPT
(RC PRIEST)*
Definition: a new one for us: “Decree” – RESCRIPT is defined in Chambers as: “an edict or decree”
22. 20 member on end of yardarm (6)
MORGAN
ORGAN = “member” on [yardar]M = “end of yardarm”
Definition: “[PIRATE]”, referring to Henry MORGAN
24. Charity event rent asunder, if ending in boozer (10)
FUNDRAISER
(ASUNDER IF R)* – the R in the anagram fodder is from [booze]R = “ending in boozer” and the anagram indicator is “rent”
Definition:
25. 20 bluff, by the sound of it (4)
KIDD
Sounds like “kid” as in “to kid someone”
Definition: “[PIRATE]”, referring to William Kidd
26. 20 pieces of eight (6)
SILVER
Definition: “[PIRATE]” = Long John SILVER and “pieces of eight”
27. Brief toss to catch gold coin once (6)
FLORIN
FLIN[G] = “Brief toss” around OR = “gold”
Definition: “coin once”
Down
1. 20’s bird (7)
SPARROW
Double definition: “[PIRATE]” = Jack SPARROW
2. 20 school (5)
TEACH
Double definition: “[PIRATE]” = Edward TEACH, a.k.a. Blackbeard and “school” as in “to school someone / to teach someone”
3. Boards having severe problem, scrub floors on ships (7)
EMBARKS
I couldn’t see how to parse this one, so many thanks to my colleague Matthew, who kindly explained it: [sever]E [proble]M [scru]B = “severe problem scrub floors” + ARKS = “ships”
Definition: “Boards”
5. Hole opening in road, careful to go round it (6)
CRANNY
R[oad] = “opening in road” in CANNY = “careful”
Definition: “Hole”
6. I’m going to work, entertaining idle fancy about project leader (6-3)
TOODLE-PIP
TO + OP = “work” around (IDLE)* around P[roject] = “project leader”
Definition: “I’m going”
7. Concentrate, having put German city centre on the outskirts (7)
ESSENCE
ESSEN = “German city” + C[entr]E = “centre on the outskirts”
Definition: “Concentrate” (as a noun)
8. You’re expecting a possible result from this? (9,4)
PREGNANCY TEST
A lovely cryptic definition: “You’re expecting!” is indeed a possible result from a pregnancy test
14. As was Guy Fawkes, playing dice with a girl? (9)
REGICIDAL
(DICE A GIRL)
Definition: “As was Guy Fawkes”
16. Possible bouncers in patterned cloth, did you say? (7)
CHEQUES
Sounds like “checks”
Definition: “Possible bouncers” – a cheque might bounce
18. Officer places space station in Russian machine, upside down (7)
ADMIRAL
MIR = “space station” in LADA = “Russian machine” reversed
Definition: “Officer”
19. It’s in northwest London (and seen elsewhere) (7)
NEASDEN
(AND SEEN)* – I’m not crazy about elsewhere as an anagram indicator, but it contributes to a very nice surface reading…
Definition: “It’s in northwest London”
20. Copy one in to babble (6)
PIRATE
PRATE = “babble” around I = “one”
Definition: “Copy” in the modern sense of “to copy without permission”
23. Someone stopping to shave head, leaves tidier? (5)
RAKER
BRAKER = “Someone stopping” without the first letter (“shave head”)
Definition: “leaves tidier?” (very nice, I think!)
Thanks mhl. This yielded very few answers on the first scan and I found it hard to get into. PIRATE emerged early enough on but doubtfully and it took some time to relate it to any of the 20 clues. The NW corner held me up, not quite sure why in retrospect but I hadn’t helped myself by allowing some crossing letters to fixate me on SWALLOW for 1d. I’m not much of a film goer and had never heard of Captain Sparrow.
I had to wonder about 3d too. I employed the same logic as Matthew and you but I’m still doubtful that ‘floors’ can = last letters of words.
Thanks to Paul and mhl. I’ve used RESCRIPT in my work (as a theatrical term) but not in this sense, but I did manage to parse EMBARKS. New to me were NEASDEN and TOODLE-PIP. SETTER was my LOI; the answer was clear from the crossers but I did not get the link to jelly. An enjoyable challenge.
I’ve had to get up to take my wife to the station, so unusually I’m on this site early and before the blog runs to dozens, so thought for once I’d leave a comment.
We took a while to get into this, not helped by having grandchildren all over us, but once we got going it proved easier than the usual Paul, but very clever in places. There were a nice set of variants on the theme – we had to Google to find out why ‘Teach’was right but having got there it rang a bell.
I’ve just read the blog for Bogus yesterday – a great but hard puzzle – it took a while to find answers as (Smiley face apart) we’d not heard of any of the main bits.
Off to the station
Fairly plain sailing once the theme emerged, but I felt I got there the hard way: eventually PREGNANCY TEST (nice!), TOODLE-PIP and ESSENCE gave enough crossers to guess at GUNFLINT, and I finally realised 20 must be PIRATE. Given hints like ‘pieces of eight’ and ‘yardarm’ in the clues, I felt I’d been rather slow.
RESCRIPT was clearly clued, which was as well as I’d not heard of it. I liked REGICIDAL, and thought BARBAROSSA was an elegantly economical clue. Nice one, Paul, thanks for the blog, mhl.
Thanks Paul and mhl
Fun, but on the easy side for a Prize. I had trouble parsing EMBARKS too, but mainly because my ships were BARKS rather than ARKS.
The last time I came across Captain Flint as a pirate, I thought (Swallows and Amazons aside) “surely he was Long John Silver’s parrot?” Further research showed that was correct, but the parrot was named after a pirate (as your link confirms, mhl).
Neasden was a favourite location for Private Eye magazine.
However I must confess that I solved BARBAROSSA and thought that he was in Pirates of the Caribbean too. I’ve only just got around to checking and found that I was thinking of Hector Barbossa – an “ar” short (inappropriate for a pirate!)
Like muffin@5 I failed to parse 3d because of BARKS rather than ARKS – but on reflection shouldn’t BARKS be BARQUES?
There was lots to like with an interesting theme. EPEE seemed typical Paul and TOODLEPIP was my favourite. The NE corner put up a fight – not helped by having CRATER in for 5d which just about parses if you stretch the meaning of cater. However GUNFLINT put paid to that iffy idea and CRANNY was loi.
Thanks Paul and mhl.
WhiteKing @7
BARK is a valid (though less common) spelling, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque
Thanks both. I enjoyed this. Slight niggle with John Cage being “contemporary” as he died 25 years ago
Thank you Paul and mhl.
I enjoyed solving this crossword, but near the end realised it was yet another all male one. I could not see what John CAGE and Jeffrey ARCHER were doing in it, apart from complaints by the latter about ‘piracy’ of his books, both answers could have been worked into the PIRATE theme.
I was another who failed to parse EMBARKS, like muffin @5 my mind got stuck on BARKS for ‘ships’.
The clues fro PREGNANCY TEST and TOODLE-PIP were great!
Spent a long time staring at this with nothing in but 9a, HAKA. 1a, “Dog in jelly, perhaps” (Kim’s favourite dish?) was such a compelling yet disturbing surface it was hard to parse, but when the penny dropped the puzzle started to unravel as I could pencil in SPARROW and TEACH for 1a & 3a — without seeing the link at first. 21a had to be an anagram of “RC priest” and RESCRIPT seemed the only possibility, so I was relieved to see “decree” in the BRB. That gave me the position of “one” in the theme’s key clue and the rest fell reaonably easily thereafter. Surprised to realise I knew the names of so many pirates, though I had to confirm TEACH with Google.
8d, PREGNANCY TEST was a great CD. Given it was Paul, I’m surprised it took me a while to see why 25 was EPEE. Of course I had to Google the usual Pauline operatic reference to confirm 13, SWORDSMAN.
A very enjoyable puzzle that reminded me of some of the old Araucarian themers.
I enjoyed this and found it very much easier than Paul’s Thursday puzzle with which I struggled. The PIRATE theme emerged reasonably quickly but I had trouble with GUNFLINT which was my LOI. Not much else to say. Good middle range Paul,for which I thank him.
I got quite a few of these, including the theme, though for 25a I mistakenly entered “Rous” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rous), which coincidentally also fits the clue perfectly.
Thanks To Paul for an enjoyable puzzle and to mhl for explaining it so well.
Enjoyed the pirate theme though some of the refs are very obscure— Cap’n Jack sparrow is a movie pirate of recent vintage and Teach for Blackbeard ? I’d certainly never heard of that
Surprised no one mentioned 11A ARCHER. I thought British novelist was a v strange definition far too general – there must be 1000s of potential candidates- and British ? I assumed was a pointer to an initial B. And arch for crafty ? Seems a weak link to me
I was held up for a while by 5d – I put in CRATER but the grammar didn’t seem right, “Cater (for)” might be equivalent to “Care (for)” but not “Careful”. So I was relieved when CRANNY clicked – much later on!
Everything else was fine. Theme was a good laugh – even if it’s been used before I think!