Wiglaf is a setter I have struggled with in the past, so let’s see how we get on this time.
I found this difficult. Indeed, some of the clues would not have been out of place in a weekend barred crossword such as Azed or Mephisto as some of the component parts of the wordplay were fairly obscure.
Having said that, I really enjoyed working my way slowly through the puzzle.
Anyone who has read my blogs over a number of years will know that I’m a sucker for wordplay with many parts. I therefore applaud the clue to REED WARBLER at 11 across with its six components. I also got to use four colours when writing the parsing for PLASTIC ART (24 across) and HORSESHOE (16 down).
The parts I found most obscure were the meaning of Johnson in the clue for 4 across (explained in the Oxford Dictionary of English), the entry PLASTIC ART, the use of GE for earth at 9 down and the meaning of maria in the clue at 18 down.
I was aware of the composer GORECKI and the actress Linda Lovelace, but not the IDO language. I think the top row entries taken together probably understate the demeanour of the splendidly christened ‘John Wayne’, wife of the knife wielding Loretta , when he woke up.
Looking at the bottom row, Wikipedia makes quite a lot of TYRONE Power appearing in George Bernard Shaw’s play THE DEVIL‘s Disciple in Oxford in 1956.
I didn’t know who Glen Ponder was in 3 down, but I looked him up just in case and found he is a character in an Alan Partridge TV series.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
White dwarf found by Galileo initially? Only half of it visible (6)
|
G (first letter of [initially] GALILEO) + RUMPY-PUMPY (sexual intercourse; it) excluding the five letters of PUMPY which form half of the word to leave only the other half, RUMPY visible G RUMPY |
GRUMPY (one of Snow White’s seven dwarfs)
|
|
4
|
Is removing Johnson’s shilling pieces called for? (8)
|
BOB (shilling) + BITTS (sounds like [called for] BITS [piece]) BOB BITTS |
BOBBITTS (removes the penis; Johnson is defined in the Oxford Dictionary of English as American vulgar slang for the penis. The word BOBBITT derives from the action of Lorena BOBBITT who cut off her husband’s penis in 1993)
|
|
10
|
24 in desert (3)
|
RAT (the entry at 24 is PLASTIC ART which can be read a clue to RAT – an anagram of [plastic] ART) RAT* |
RAT (desert)
|
|
11
|
Singer concerned with Liberal supporter and Welsh Democrat, always looking back (4,7)
|
(RE [concerned with) + L [Liberal] + BRA [supporter] + W [Welsh] + D [Democrat) + E’ER [ever]) all reversed (looking back) (REE D W ARB L ER)< |
REED WARBLER (bird; singer)
|
|
12
|
Pat’s literally gutted with the French intervening without much thought (10)
|
LE (one of the French form of ‘the’) contained in (intervening) CARESS [touch affectionately; pat] + LY [letters remaining in LITERALLY when the central letters ITERALL are removed [gutted]) CARE (LE) SS LY |
CARELESSLY (without much thought)
|
|
13
|
Island nation finally banned whisky (4)
|
MALTA (island nation in the Mediterranean) excluding (banned) the last letter (finally) A MALT |
MALT (liquor, especially MALT whisky)
|
|
15
|
English writer, Sir Hugo, involved originally in play (8)
|
Anagram of (in play) SIR HUGO and I (first letter of [originally] INVOLVED) ISHIGURO* |
ISHIGURO (reference Kazuo ISHIGURO born 1954], English writer)
|
|
17
|
‘Thing from Another World’, screened by school? (6)
|
ET (extraterrestrial [from another world]) contained in (screened by) FISH (school is a collective noun for group of FISH) F (ET) ISH |
FETISH (fixation; thing)
|
|
18
|
Drop of milky liquid for 10? (6)
|
M (first letter of [drop of] MILKY) + URINE (example of a liquid) M URINE |
MURINE (mouselike, reference the entry RAT at 10 across. A RAT is a member of a genus of animals closely allied to mice)
|
|
19
|
It’s impolitic ignoring Queen – but it’s bold (8)
|
IMPRUDENT (ill-judged; impolitic) excluding (ignoring) R (Regina; queen) IMPUDENT |
IMPUDENT (impertinent; bold)
|
|
23
|
I finish off beer in a single continuous action (4)
|
ONE (I [Roman numeral for ONE) + R (last letter of [finish off] BEER) ONE R |
ONER (single continuous action)
|
|
24
|
At the end I see some overwhelming sculpture? (7,3)
|
PART (some) containing (overwhelming) (LAST [at the end] + I + C [see]) P (LAST I C) ART |
PLASTIC ART (any of the ARTs of shaping in three dimensions, such as ceramics, sculpture, modelling; art which is, or appears to be, three-dimensional)
|
|
27
|
More corny 13, unknown among nouveaux riches (11)
|
(MALT [entry at 13 across] + Z {letter often used as an unknown in equations]) contained in (among) an anagram of (nouveaux) RICHES SCH (MALT Z) IER* |
SCHMALTZIER (more sickly sentimental; more corny)
|
|
28
|
Language used by Lord Jim occasionally when going the wrong way (3)
|
IDO (letters 2, 4 and 6 [occasionally] of LORD JIM) all reversed (going the wrong way) IDO< |
IDO (auxiliary international language developed [since 1907] from Esperanto)
|
|
29
|
Deuce! It’s time he was back (3,5)
|
T (time) + HE + (LIVED [was] reversed [back]) T HE DEVIL< |
THE DEVIL (Deuce is used in exclamatory phrases as a synonym for The Devil)
|
|
30
|
Power of film that takes place in Ulster (6)
|
TYRONE (reference American film actor TYRONE Power [1914 – 1958]) TYRONE |
TYRONE (reference County TYRONE, one of the six historic counties of Northern Ireland)
|
|
Down |
|||
| 1 | Polish composer and Russian writer talked about touring the City (7) |
GORKI (sounds like [talked about] GORKY [reference Maxim GORKY {1868 – 1936}, Russian author]) containing (touring) EC (post code for the City of London) GOR (EC) KI |
GORECKI (reference Henryk GÓRECKI [1933 – 2010], Polish composer) |
|
2
|
Unadulterated state (5)
|
UTTER (pure, unadulterated) UTTER |
UTTER (speak; state) double definition
|
|
3
|
Glen Ponder gets aroused by Linda Lovelace? (4,6)
|
Anagram of (gets aroused) GLEN PONDER PORN LEGEND* Glen Ponder was the band leader in the Alan Partridge TV series Knowing Me, Knowing You |
PORN LEGEND (Linda LOVELACE [1949 – 2002], American pornographic actress famous for her performance in the 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat)
|
|
5
|
Maybe Patsy Cline’s second whiskey and soda on the rocks (6)
|
Anagram of (on the rocks) L (second letter of [second] CLINE) and W (whiskey or whisky is the International Radio Communication codeword for the letter W) and SODA OSWALD* |
OSWALD (reference Lee Harvey OSWALD who is considered by some to the fall-guy [patsy] for the real killer of John F Kennedy in Dallas in 1963)
|
|
6
|
Weary of York? Head down south (4) |
EBOR (EBORacensus [of York]) with the first letter [head] E moved to the end [down south; down clue]) BORE |
BORE (weary)
|
|
7
|
Long-winded story about king and mother discovered (9)
|
TALE (story) containing (about) (K [king] + ATIV [NATIVE [mother] excluding the outer letters [dis-covered] N and E) Bradford’s gives NATIVE as a synonym for MOTHER. TAL (K ATIV) E |
TALKATIVE (long-winded)
|
| 8 | Cash and curry? 29 it is! (7) |
SCRATCH (the verb ‘to curry’ can be defined as to SCRATCH SCRATCH (slang for ready money or cash) |
SCRATCH (another name for THE DEVIL [entry at 29 across]) triple definition |
|
9
|
The earth may sometimes discharge water, ultimately in this (6)
|
GE (variant spelling of Gaea or Gaia [in Greek mythology, the goddess or personification of Earth]) + YSER (last letters [ultimately] of each of MAY. SOMETIMES, DISCHARGE and WATER) GE YSER |
GEYSER (spring that periodically spouts hot water and steam into the air)
|
|
14
|
Comic Paul Riley entertains college in a funny way (10)
|
Anagram of (comic) PAUL RILEY containing (entertains) C (college) PE (C) ULIARLY* |
PECULIARLY (in a funny way)
|
|
16
|
He loves her SS pants and footwear (9)
|
Anagram of (pants) HE and OO (two zeros; two love score in tennis; two loves) and HER SS HORSESHOE* |
HORSESHOE (equine footwear)
|
|
18
|
You won’t be able to see Maria after this time (7)
|
MOONSET (maria [plural of mare] is defined as any of various darkish level areas on either the Moon or Mars) so you wouldn’t be able to see maria once the MOON has SET MOONSET |
MOONSET (the time when MOON disappears below the horizon)
|
|
20
|
Patriarch’s tessellation (6)
|
MOSAIC (of or relating to Moses, the great Jewish lawgiver and venerable old man or patriarch) MOSAIC |
MOSAIC (a MOSAIC is constructed by a form of tesselation) double definition
|
|
21
|
Pottered about after releasing pressure valve (7)
|
Anagram of (about) POTTERED excluding (after releasing) P (pressure) TETRODE* |
TETRODE (thermionic valve with four electrodes)
|
|
22
|
Stuff that’s retracted fundamental muscles? (6)
|
GLUT (overfeed; stuff) + IE (id est; that is; that’s) reversed (retracted) GLUT EI< |
GLUTEI (plural of GLUTEUS [any of three muscles of the buttock [fundamental part of the body] and hip , the outermost of which is the gluteus maximus)
|
|
25
|
Some yogi masters turned up in China (5)
|
AMIGO (hidden word reversed in [turned up in] YOGI MASTERS) AMIGO< |
AMIGO (friend; pal; china)
|
|
26
|
Vice-Admiral at games has to use electronic cigarettes (4)
|
VA (Vice-Admiral) + PE (physical education; games) VA PE |
VAPE (use electronic cigarettes)
|
Thanks Wiglaf and duncanshiell
Well, I finished, but with too much use of wordsearches to be pleased with my effort. It was worth it for REED WARBLER, which I solved by building it up from its constituent parts (my favourite way of solving a clue). MOSAIC was also nice – are the two meanings related in any way?
Is “White” in 1a simply misdirection? “dwarf” by itself would do.
btw, very clearly explained blog – thanks!
4 reminded me of a Clinton era sketch of Then and now
Smoking grass and mowing the grass
Playing House music and paying off the house
President Johnson,,, and the president’s Johnson
A bit American for me.
(Per)severed in vain on 4a, which possibly I could have guessed from the wordplay, but even so I would have had no idea what was going on. Had also forgotten the Roman name for York, and didn’t know any of the three meanings of SCRATCH.
All in all failed pretty miserably and to be frank I was a bit 1a by the time I finally gave up. Still, excellent clues such as those for OSWALD, HORSESHOE and especially REED WARBLER did give some pleasure along the way.
Thank you to Wiglaf and to Duncan for a great job in making sense of everything.
Far too hard for me. Packed it in with 10 missing and even that was using aids to get 1d and 15a. The ‘white’ in 1a isn’t so much a misdirection as a reference to Snow White, which I thought was brilliant given the astronomy surface. Nice to see crosswords that defeat me so utterly where this site helps to improve my solving skills. Many thanks to all.
Hovis @5
Thanks. Clever, as you say!
Thanks Wiglaf, Duncan
Too hard for me, too, but also confounded by the website which has been more than usually slow over the last couple of weeks. I thought Johnson was what it was, but didn’t think to put it with ‘is removing’, and didn’t have the B from BORE being the only helpful crosser. Didn’t get MOONSET, not knowing ‘Maria’, though I like it. Also missed MURINE. The Glen Ponder/porn legend anagram is mentioned in an Alan Partridge show.
Hardest one I’ve tried for ages and didn’t finish by a long way. Still, as Hovis says, good to be reminded that your solving is still a work in progress.
I’ve always associated MURINE only with mice, because it derives ultimately from the Latin word for the little creature; but dictionaries give ‘and other similar rodents’, so something learned there.
It wasn’t just others who considered OSWALD a patsy: he said it himself.
Thanks to S&B.
Tough one. Needed help to finish. 96% me 4% help. Some really obscure stuff here. A bit of a chore by the time (about an hour) I’d got through it. Thanks Wiglaf and Duncan
Similar reaction to Wordplodder@4. Took some hard thinking but often satisfying. The co-solver not happy with rat (noun) being equated with murine which as KD helpfully informs also pertains to rodents other than mice. Is murine also used as a noun ? Also re 18a I felt that liquid is too vague. Agree with Copmus @3 re 4a. Would prefer 7d to read uncovered rather than discovered. Not to keen on splitting words to supply a different meaning.
Thanks to S and B
Well, I completed it with only a modicum of cheating, but too much a plod to be really enjoyable.
1dn is a favourite composer of mine, so that was one of the first in.
I toyed with REAR WINDOWS for a bit for 11ac and the W gave me 5dn even though 11ac was wrong.
There was a bit in one of the Austin Powers films which consisted of as many euphemisms for penis as they could think of. I found it very funny, which probably says something of my sense of humour. Also, there was a New Zealand TV series called The Almighty Johnsons and every time I mentioned it to American friends, they burst out laughing.
Similar experience to most, a bit too hard and completion aided by liberal use of the ‘show errors’ button. About 6 words and/or meanings I’d never come across, including of course Johnson. With a B as the first letter and ‘Is removing’ in the clue I spent too long trying for a word starting BOR. Quite an apt monicker for the lovable mop top/world statesman/buffoon or whatever. Thanks to Wiglaf for the challenge and Duncan for the colourful blog