Tyrus has provided our cruciverbal workout for today, on a grid that contains a lot of fairly short entries and reveals fewer first letters than the average grid. It has been quite a while since it fell to me to blog one of Tyrus’ offerings.
The nature of the grid aroused my suspicions that we might have a Nina today, and indeed we do, related to 19A/18A/26/2. That said, it took me a long time to twig that there was a connection between this multi-entry clue and the Nina, but it certainly raised a big smile when the penny finally dropped.
My favourites today were 16 and 19D, both for surface; 18D, for the incorporation of the two meanings of “left-winger”; and 27, for the misdirection around crossword-setting.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
Across | ||
07 | AERO | Are nuts round bar to eat?
*(ARE) + O (=round, i.e. pictorially); “nuts” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the Aero chocolate bar |
08 | SOLTI | Conductor‘s notes
SOL + TI (=notes, in music) The reference is to Hungarian-born composer Georg Solti (1912-97) |
09 | ECRU | Fawn over credit union we’re trying to leave
CR (=credit) in EU (=union we’re trying to leave, referring to Brexit); ecru is the colour of bleached linen, hence “fawn” |
11 | NILOTE | Sent to Neil who lives by African river
*(TO NEIL); “sent” is anagram indicator; a Nilote is an inhabitant of the banks of the Upper Nile |
12 | BLAIRISM | B—— Murdoch has clout over style of government
B + [IRIS (=Murdoch, i.e. British writer) in LAM (=clout, hit)] |
13 | INFRINGE | Disobey call to stop unfair fine
RING (=call, phone) in *(FINE); “unfair” is anagram indicator |
15 | RADIUM | Element‘s odd, a copper admitted
[A + DI (=copper, i.e. Detective Inspector)] in RUM (=odd, strange) |
16 | PROW | Part of ship supporting weight
PRO (=supporting, in favour of) + W (=weight) |
19/18A/26/2 | HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW | Grow money tree and hoard – too difficult as those round here have typically proved
*(GROW MONEY TREE + HOARD TOO); “difficult” is anagram indicator; “those round here” refers to the perimeter of the puzzle, which spells out, reading clockwise from bottom right-hand corner “UKIP LEADERS // SPINAL TAP DRUMMER“; UKIP leaders don’t seem to stay in office for long, while the spoof heavy metal band Spinal Tap has had a series of fictional drummers who have died in strange circumstances |
20 | SANDER | Not so stupid claiming Duke’s a tool
D (=duke) in SANER (=not so stupid) |
22 | DICTATOR | Christian holding court, one-time control freak
[CT (=court, in addresses) + A + (=one) + T (=time)] in DIOR (=Christian, i.e. French fashion designer) |
25 | RIPPLING | Splendid around lake with small waves
L (=lake) in RIPPING (=splendid) |
27 | MILIEU | It’s deliberately misleading! Turn on the setter’s revolutionary setting
MI (I’M=the setter’s; “revolutionary” indicates reversal) + LIE (=it‘s deliberately misleading) + U (=turn, as in U-bend) |
28 | ETON | English half of Bolton, a privileged place
E (=English) + <bol>TON (“half of” means 3 out of 6 letters only are used) |
29 | LANCE | Caught in road – prick!
C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) in LANE (=road); to lance e.g. a boil is to prick it to release pus |
30 | MILK | Married, I occasionally like a drink
M (=married) + I + L<i>K<e> (“occasionally” means alternate letters only) |
Down | ||
01 | LEGION | No right to shackle large number
LEG-I<r>ON (=shackle); “no right (=R)” means letter “r” is dropped |
03 | ASTERN | Percussionist finally nears disaster at the back
<percussionis>T (“finally” means last letter only) + *(NEARS); “disaster” is anagram indicator |
04 | PLEB | Couple booing shows … one rather vulgar
Hidden (“shows”) in “couPLE Booing” |
05 | DISARRAY | Dairy product has most of Channel Island in confusion
SAR<k> (=Channel Island; “most of” means last letter dropped) in *(DAIRY); “product” is anagram indicator |
06 | REARED | Touching a traditionally coloured rose
RE (=touching, regarding) + A + RED (=traditionally coloured, i.e. for a rose) |
10 | RESCUER | One regretting hiding key for deliveryman?
ESC (=key, on a computer keyboard) in RUER (=one regretting); cryptically, a “deliveryman” might deliver one from danger or evil, so is a rescuer! |
14 | ENDED | Closed door to begin with – need to get dressed
*(D<oor> + NEED); “to begin with” means first letter only; “to get dressed” is anagram indicator |
18 | REALIST | He’s not deluded about top celebs
RE (=about, regarding) + A LIST (=top celebs) |
18 | TORTILLA | England footballer (left-winger) picked up snack
ALLI (=England footballer, i.e. Spurs player Dele Alli) + TROT (=left-winger, i.e. Trotskyite); “picked up” indicates vertical reversal |
19 | HEADLAMP | Light meal Penny had cooked
*(MEAL + P (=penny, i.e. in currency) + HAD); “cooked” is anagram indicator |
21 | DEPEND | Bank deputy’s target
DEP. (=deputy) + END (=target, aim) |
23 | COMPEL | Force the Spanish school to open
COMP. (=school, as in He went to the local comp) + EL (=the Spanish, i.e. a Spanish word for the) |
24 | OCELLI | Brought up Dicky’s green eyes
ILL (=dicky, sick) + ECO (=green, as in pro-environment); an ocellus is a single eye, eye-spot, an eyelike spot of colour |
Benchmark!
Tough for me today – new words in NILOTE and OCELLI and I didn’t stand a snowball’s chance of getting the Spurs football player.
Very much enjoyed the long anagram despite missing the reference to a perimeter Nina – Spinal Tap not on my radar, let alone their drummers!
Maybe Tyrus is out of my league but thanks to him for the challenge and to RR for all the explanations.
Enjoyed this a lot. Favourites MILK, LANCE, RESCUER. I put Blairist instead of Blairism, ignoring the initial B and thinking blat was clout. I am surprised to find it means bleat, but I’m sure I’ve heard it used to mean whack.
I remembered the Solti trick from Vlad’s excellent Genius puzzle some time last year.
Randomest nina ever?
Thanks Tyrus, RR
I pencilled in Blairist then thought it might spoil a good nina and the adjustment parsed perfectly.He’s good innit.
Just briiliant stuff; chortle
Thanks Tyrus & R_R
I am not worthy of such a puzzle. (Grovel, grovel.)
Thanks for the blog RatkojaRiku and especially for explaining the Nina. I saw drummer, but couldn’t make anything else out. I will now go and ask my live-in Nina spotter, while I have a large Monkey Shoulder.
Once again, cheers Jim. I owe you.
11/10 from me
@ Gila 🙂 I saw they here today bit I thought of Robin Day and John Nott and storming off in a huff.
Bloody brilliant
blatter
Thanks Jim and RR. I had many smiles on this. Not at his hardest but frankly i prefer entertaining to sheet hard work for the sake of it. Buy you a drink in Derby Tyrus if you’re there.
I had much help with this one (had the nina shown to me when I’d barely started!) but was grateful for it. I am hopeless with long anagrams too so happy to have that handed on a plate.
Didn’t know NITOLE (well, it could have been that…) or OCELLI.
Very clever stuff. Thanks to Tyrus and RatkojaRiku.
Many thanks to RR for a splendid blog and to others for their very kind comments.
See you at Derby, flash. Hope you can make it too, Conrad.