Mostly pretty straightforward clueing from Qaos today…
… and a theme that is surely hard to miss, with MICHAEL JACKSON (albeit with the two names swapped) in the top row. He was famous for his MOONWALKS, and several album titles appear in the grid. I am no expert, but I can see INVINCIBLE, OFF THE WALL, FOREVER [Michael], HISTORY and THRILLER – any more? Thanks to Qaos
| Across | ||||||||
| 1. | JACKSON | Pollock and other fish numbers returning (7) JACK (type of fish) + reverse of NOS, the definition referring to the American artist |
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| 5,26. | MICHAEL CAINE | Actor producing a cliche in a state (7,5) (A CLICHE)* in MAINE |
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| 9. | ICIER | Since I wear layers, it’s more cold (5) Alternate letters of sInCe I wEaR – “layers” seems a bit vague for this, but I suppose it’s clear enough |
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| 10. | MOONWALKS | Promenades that are out of this world (9) Cryptic definition |
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| 11. | INVINCIBLE | Cable binds black line after home’s impossible to conquer (10) IN (home) + B L in VINCE (Sir Vince Cable, UK politician), but the third I is unaccounted for (unless VC is known as Vincie to his friends, which I somehow doubt) |
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| 12. | OBAD | Nothing evil in short book? (4) 0 BAD – abbreviation of the the biblical book of Obadiah (the shortest book of the Old Testament) |
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| 14. | PRESS GALLERY | Squeeze right into ship where hacks might be found (5,7) PRESS (squeeze) + R in GALLEY |
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| 18. | EXHILARATION | Joy for old Benn is without end: people oust leader! (12) EX (old) HILAR[Y] (BENN – another UK politician, son of the late Tony [Wedgwood] Benn) + [N]ATION |
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| 21. | RUIN | I career around, then collapse (4) I in RUN (to career) |
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| 22. | OFF THE WALL | Unorthodox final position of Humpty Dumpty? (3,3,4) As Humpty Dumpty was after his fall… |
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| 25. | DOLCE VITA | Spoiled cat: “I loved the good life” (5,4) (CAT I LOVED)* |
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| 27. | FOREVER | Always in favour of First Lady (Republican) (7) FOR (in favour of) EVE (“first lady”) + R |
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| 28. | HISTORY | Welcome tale from the past (7) HI (welcome!) + STORY |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1. | JOIN IN | Legless man, one goes into pub to participate (4,2) JO[e] + I in INN |
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| 2. | CHIVVY | Badger picks up virus No 5 within city limits (6) HIV (virus) + V (5) in C[it]Y |
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| 3. | SPRING ROLL | Season and turn Chinese food (6,4) SPRING (season) + ROLL (turn) |
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| 4. | NIMBI | Clouds rising from Maghrib mines (5) Hidden in reverse of maghrIB MINes |
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| 5. | MOONLIGHT | Film work on a second job (9) Double definition – it’s the title of an Oscar-winning film from 2016 |
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| 6. | COWL | Allegedly, media mogul’s a hood (4) Homophone of [Simon] Cowell |
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| 7. | AD-LIBBED | Revised bible held by a theologian’s all made up (2-6) BIBLE* in A DD |
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| 8. | LAST DAYS | Armageddon might take a while? (4,4) Double definition |
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| 13. | FLUORESCES | Prepare clues for Everyman to begin with, Sunday lights up (10) (CLUES FOR)* + E[veryman] + S[unday] |
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| 15. | SCRUFFIER | Tailor cries over Trump becoming more untidy (9) RUFF (to trump, in Bridge etc) in CRIES* |
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| 16. | GET RID OF | Remove dish to fridge (3,3,2) (TO FRIDGE)* |
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| 17. | THRILLER | Time after time, I shall get the queen in sensational film (8) T[ime] + HR (hour, another “time”) + I’LL + ER |
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| 19. | CALICO | Boxer carries cold, firm cloth (6) C + ALI (boxer) + CO (company, firm) |
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| 20. | SLEEPY | Feeling tired, Mole takes shelter (6) LEE (shelter) in SPY (model) |
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| 23. | TEACH | Train tickets over 85% off per person (5) T[ickets] (six-sevenths is between 85% and 86%) + EACH (per person) |
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| 24. | DERV | Fuel stored in older vehicles (4) Hidden in olDER Vehicles – DERV is an acronym for Diesel-Engined Road Vehicle, and by extension refers to the fuel itself |
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Thanks Qaos and Andrew
Quite a quick solve, though I had a question mark against each of my first three entries. FOI JOIN IN, but I didn’t (and still don’t) see why “legless man” gives JO. I didn’t see what “up” was doing in 2d. The third was my mistake – I thought the fish was pollAck. It turns out that pollAck and pollOck are different species of fish – confusing, eh?
I did see the theme but not all the thematic entries – I was never a fan. I hadn’t heard of Simon Cowell either.
Favourites were AD-LIBBED and SCRUFFIER>
Thank you Andrew. The most straightforward solve for a long time – even more so than Monday’s for me. Of course, I’m not clever though, as I didn’t spot the glaringly obvious theme. Enjoyable all the same. So, many thanks to Qaos.
Even I spotted the theme…
Shame we didn’t have room for BEAT IT there’s so much scope for amusing and lewd cluing.
Yes, I agree with muffin .. I thought JO was iffy since Jo itself is a name?
We enjoyed this even if it was gentle.
Thanks, Andrew for the blog and Qaos for a great puzzle – another one proving that they don’t need to be a slog to be enjoyable.
I did spot the theme and knew, from general knowledge, that THRILLER and [O]BAD were Michael Jackson albums but wasn’t sufficiently interested to research any more – just thankful that it wasn’t my blog!
Lots of good clues – my favourites, especially for the surfaces, were EXHILARATION, DOLCE VITA and SCRUFFIER [I didn’t know RUFF = Trump but was delighted to find it – what a wonderful gift that man has been to compilers!]
Pity about 11ac – perhaps ‘a’ or ‘one’ somehow got omitted: I don’t buy ‘Vincie’, either, Andrew. 😉
Yes, a bit of a walk in the park with Qaos today, but very enjoyable especially SCRUFFIER, DOLCE VITA and THRILLER. Nice surfaces. Thanks to Q & A.
The theme may have been hard to miss, but I still managed to miss it!
Many thanks to Q&A
I was confused by the extra ‘i’ in 11a and I could not parse 15d.
I failed to spot the theme.
New for me DERV.
Thanks Andrew and Qaos
I remember him as the cute kid in The J Five and, despite taking no notice since, I’ve seen the moonwalk and vaguely register Thriller the album. Did any of it ring the synapses? Nope, zilch. No matter, an easy solve. Ditto re several dnks: Vince the Cable, ‘cowl’ the mogul, derv the fuel (and vehicle), and only recalled that Benn senior was Hilary post-solve. [Wonder how Benn fils and Jeremy C would have got on].
Nothing too Qaotic otherwise. A few chestnuts (spring roll, calico, sleepy, etc) made it all a pleasant stroll. Thanks Q and A.
Having now read the 8 posts that arrived during my slow pick and peck, I too now own to not (and still not) parsing legless Joe, and totally missing the unaccounted-for i in invincible. There’s usually more going on than one thinks!
I must admit that I missed the error in INVINCIBLE too. The theme was unusually obvious for Qaos, and the whole thing pretty straightforward especially by ecent Tuesday standards, but I enjoyed it.
Thanks to Qaos and Andrew
Very enjoyable and not too tough. Wonderful not to have to resort to “looking lots of things up” (except to verify the hidden DERV as correct at 24d – I was with michelle@8 there) as I worked my way through it. I liked it when I spotted the theme at the end, although Michael Jackson was never one of my favourite performers.
Others have mentioned the people’s names involved in the clueing: fortunately I knew Jackson Pollock and Michael Caine, but I was definitely stumped on some of the others. For instance, I couldn’t parse 18a EXHILARATION properly, although I knew vaguely that someone called Benn was a UK politician. Have also never heard of Vincent Cable (INVINCIBLE 11a) and neither did I know Simon Cowell for 6d COWL. Still, the word plays and crossers were all most helpful. I think Qaos is an excellent setter.
Didn’t know MOONLIGHT 5d was a film but got that one from the “second job” part of the clue. Had never heard of RUFF for “Trump” – Bridge terms always catch me out – but again it was gettable. Ticks for 5,26a MICHAEL CAINE 25a DOKCE VITA, 27a FOREVER, 28a HISTORY, 8d LAST DAYS and 20d SLEEPY.
“Blame it on the Boogie” suggests not to blame it on the sunshine nor the MOONLIGHT, another MJ reference. Pity two “Moons” crossed though, I thought.
Thanks to Qaos and Andrew.
[DOLCE VITA of course (always check your work!). Despite not liking Michael Jackson’s oeuvre much, I felt kind of sad as I considered the theme: his life story was pretty tragic really, and its end somehow inevitable given the way in which his lifestyle was so far removed from reality and normalcy. That kind of fame, who’d want it?]
Indeed, JinA. With all the image-surgury, the fame, the lostness, the sad end…
As a non bridge player, couldn’t parse Scruffier, but a nice gentle solve nevertheless.
20D. SPY (model) . Typo?
I persuaded myself that Qaos used BL for black and line for I but even then they are not in the right order. Perhaps he ll drop in and comment!
I couldn’t parse Scruffier either. Nor can I see where the extra I comes from in Invincible. Not being a fan of Mr Jackson I failed to spot the theme entirely.
Eileen @5-maybe his only redeeming feature!
Thanks Qaos for a less Qaotic solve than normal but good setting with all the themed entries.
Thanks Andrew; once I got DOLCE VITA and MICHAEL CAINE, I thought there must be a connection. MOONWALKS was one of my last in, thinking that there couldn’t be two moons together; then I saw MICHAEL JACKSON!
I did notice the missing ‘i’ in EXHILARATION and assumed it was just a mistake. I couldn’t believe that OBAD was a word – and it isn’t. I couldn’t seem to fit ‘op’ into 5d.
[Old joke – why did Michael Jackson call his album “Bad”?
Because he couldn’t spell “appalling”!]
For INVINCIBLE, I took black to be BL and line to be I, and I wasn’t too bothered by the order, though perhaps I should have been.
Muffin, surely if headless man might give (j)OE, then legless man can give JO(e)? I liked the surface, but the solution was on the easy side.
Overall, very enjoyable.
11a: I think 1B is a grade of pencil, ie how black the graphite is.
I loved the surface of 18a, referring to Tony Benn’s left wing views.
Brian
Hmmm compared to the usual Q grapple found this a bit run of the mill TBH. The theme was rather telegraphed. Did like SLEEPY however.
Not surprised the non Brits hadn’t heard of the lesser spotted Benn or the polymath da Vinci(e) Cable. Our politicians all seem to be pygmies compared to the big beasts of the 50s 60s and 70s.
[copmus@19, my old leftie mate Ted over the road (95, and bright as a button) reckons DT is the spanner the world needs; ever the optimist, old Ted]
Don’t think I’ve ever solved a cryptic so fast…and that was without spotting the theme. Retrospectively, the solve was like a moonwalk in itself. Fun, bouncy and gravity-light. Thanks Qaos for making me feel almost invincible! (Re Jacko he was born hopelessly talented and pursued his craft tirelessly. His joy came chiefly from his work. I worked with Liz Taylor years ago and she spoke of him with huge affection and respect) Thanks Andrew too.
Thanks to Qaos and Andrew. An easier ride than the previous Qaos puzzle. I knew DERV from previous puzzles and had come across Simon Cowell but had to struggle with the clues including Vince Cable and Hillary Benn.
The number of comments by not long after noon indicates I was not the only one to find this straightforward. At first I just thought I was on Qaos’s wavelength and then realised it was a pretty straightforward crossword for once! I even saw the theme, though I also remember to look. Not being a fan, the only help it gave me was to look for “Michael” in the actor anagram (5,26) which then solved quickly. I spent a little while looking to fit “fart” into 15D once I had the ‘f’ crosser but the POTUS (and Qaos) had the heart to let me club myself on the dead once I dug myself out of that hole. They are diamonds in the ruff…
I enjoyed the politicians – being misled towards Big Benn rather than Hilary, and Vinc(i)e (all but invincible) and also confused by the ‘i’ here. “Layers” as an alternates indicator was not clear to me – once I had the first and last letters I could see what it had to be, but cannot see I would have solved it from scratch ever. Some elegant surfaces such as “forever” and “history”, and I liked “sleepy” which was my LOI apart from “Obad” which I’m not counting as it isn’t a word 🙂 It just had to be from the wordplay and the theme. With “calico” I felt the term “carries” suggests that c(old) and co(mpany) should be inside Ali not around him, though I appreciate one can carry things on the outside. It’s a pity this term is ambiguous when constructing wordplay.
Overall a fun zing – thank you Qaos and Andrew
Brian@23 There is no 1b, it’s just b. 11a is an error which can happen to a setter but it is remarkable that it is not corrected in the editorial process.
Easier than normal and a theme I spotted. Yay. Favourite was ad-libbed for a good surface.
Many thanks qaos and Andrew
Thanks to Qaos and Andrew. Not much to add here, a bit of a gentle stroll from Qaos, with a blatant theme. That said, my knowledge of MJ is minimal, therefore the theme did not help that much. I liked the amusing off the wall, as well as history and last days. Thanks again to Qaos and Andrew.
I agree with others that “layers” is a bit suspect, and that Obad is not a word, but I have one more. Does anyone else think “picks up” in 2d is not quite acceptable? Usually the connector between the definition and indication is null or a light word/phrase like “is” or “gives”. On the other hand, it does give one some 18a to breeze through for a change. TQ&A.
More like a Monday puzzle I felt. I thought layers was fine but would have preferred it on a down clue (I’m picturing sedimentary layers). Remarkably, didn’t spot the obvious theme because I’d half convinced myself that Qaos had included a movie theme, even though it was far too heavily signalled, with Moonlight & Michael Caine explicit and (La) Dolce Vita quite transparent. But there are others; Last Days is a Gus Van Sant movie. Invincible is a Mark Wahlberg film. Jackson could be Peter Jackson of LOTR fame (OK, I’m really stretching it there). Shows it’s easy to disappear up your own fundament sometimes!
Andrew – there is a typo @ 20d (MOLE v MODEL).
All in all, good fun. Thanks to Q & A
Obad is given in Chambers as the abbreviation for the biblical book of Obadiah, so ‘short book’ seems fine as a definition.
Thanks Qaos and Andrew.
Thank you Qaos and Andrew.
Very enjoyable, but Vince Cable and Hilary Benn were unknown to me (I used TONy, so failed to fully parse 18a).
Obad. is given in the COED as the abbreviation for Obadiah.
Thanks to Qaos and Andrew, in particular for OBAD, my TILT.
I’ve managed to learn to be alert for a theme when it’s Qaos on the job so I spotted it early and it didn’t help at all. But a gentle solve was nonetheless enjoyable with CHIVVY my COD for presenting an old favourite little-used word, with a nod to Dr. Whatson@31 in re of the surface construction.
Spent a little while when reading the blog wondering why the usual references to “setter and blogger” had suddenly transmogrified into “Q and A” which, while making sense in that the setter provides the “questions” and the blogger the “answers”, seemed a strangely spontaneous leap to popular usage.
Silly me…
Grant in F, a thought that might tickle your mate Ted:
If a nation is ever stupid enough to elect a leader that some
feel awfully indignant about because they wouldn’t dream
of inviting him to dinner, all they have to do is vote him out
a little later.
The only problem is that they might need the help of some
who might think twice about ‘avin ‘im ‘ome for tea.
The BBC is compiling a superb archive of Alistaire Cooke’s
surprisingly fresh and pertinent letters.
He sagely pointed out in 73/74 that however objectionable,
foul-mouthed, tricky or dishonest in his personal dealings a
president is, he cannot be impeached until he breaks his oath.
Thomas More (Bolt): “I cannot arrest a man because he is bad.”
Afternoon folks – many thanks for the comments and to Andrew for the detailed blog. At least today’s ghost theme wasn’t too obscure. I’m sure there will be tougher puzzles later in the week for those that want more of a challenge.
Apologies for the missing “i” in 11 ac. It’s amazing how these things can get through so many checks, but entirely my fault as it was in the original submission.
Best wishes,
Qaos.
Enjoyable.
I liked the misdirecting surface of EXHILARATION, apparently referencing the former Lord Stansgate. However, son Hillary was obvious from the solution. I also liked OFF THE WALL, SCRUFFIER (I used to play Bridge), DOLCE VITA, etc.
I regard Michael Jackson as an entertainer rather than as a musician; his original videos were trend-setters. However, I did not commit his titles to memory, so the theme did not help me.
Finally, a historical note. My all time favourite clue when I was a kid (i.e., in the 1960s) was “Not we, not he, but you only, Eve” (second person). I had never seen this before, so I was delighted to solve it. However, I notice that Eve’s standing as second person or first lady/woman seems to be fairly common in clues, at least more recently.
Thanks Qaos and Andrew.
Thank you Andrew and Qaos.
Couldn’t miss the theme, which non-plussed me,
given that this is Qaos.
I was surprised that RUFF wasn’t more familiar to some regulars; I thought it
was a bit of a chestnut, but maybe that’s The Times.
To me TRUMP = RUFF not DONALD ( = DUCK)
It reminded me of that section in Betjemen’s autobigraphy in verse Summoned by Bells:
…..Ladies, vaguely designated aunts, would come to at-homes……
… ‘If you’d finessed my trump’ [oh, it was trump not ruff] … ‘Length is strength, you know’…
…Those hot post-mortems…I’d wait for someone nice to be dummy, who would talk to me…
A lovely book I really regret leaving in England. Still, I have the BBC’s Where Angels Fear to Tread
for the winter evenings. E.M. Forster is very rude about Italians, but I suppose we forgive him because
he is twenty times as caustic about the English. (Mild racism in misanthropy’s clothing ?)
Attila: What a wonderful clue.
I left a note about a whole crossword on this theme on the Arachne puzzle blog – 21st November, but it was a trifle late.
Thanks Qaos and Andrew. Yes, very straightforward, only took an hour or so. I spotted the theme early on but I was relieved to know almost none of the references apart from THRILLER – never could stand MJ, sorry !!
Quite a brisk solve and,for once, I got the theme although I can’t claim to have clocked all the references. MJ was clearly a talented lad with the potential to be a fine soul singer but got lost in showbiz. For me his finest moment was the flipside to “I want you back” Smoky Robinson’s ” Whose lovin’ you”- soul on stilts!
I couldn’t parse SCRUFFIEST but assumed that RUFF=Trump. Benn and Cable were obviously familiar to me- I missed the extra I. Like Julie, I didn’t care much for the MOON crossings but both had to be right.
Fun,
Thanks Qaos.
Easier than Vulcan yesterday but fun. FOI DERV.
Regarding Obad as an abbreviation – yes of course, but isn’t that the problem? Isn’t it the convention that abbreviations and all manner of trickery can be used in the cryptic part of the clue, but that answers must be words in their own right? Or have I been under an illusion for all these years? Or have things changed?
I still haven’t gotten round to completing Friday’s Crucible (!), but seeing that Qaos (one of my faves) was today’s setter, I had to get it done first. I love his ghost themes, and I found today’s as enjoyable as ever, even though MJ himself was far from my favorite musical act. It seems that, except for MOONWALKS and the name MICHAEL JACKSON itself, Qaos used only album titles to fill out the theme, so perhaps I was just a little bit disappointed when the solutions did not yield other theme-worthy possibilities such as NEVERLAND RANCH, SELF-ANOINTED KING OF POP, BUBBLES THE CHIMP, ELEPHANT MAN BONES, HAIR ON FIRE, PAEDOPHILE, or OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENTS.
Remembering that Qaos has frequently achieved a higher percentage of themed answers, I took to Google after solving (and before coming here) and came up with three additional solutions in the grid that are arguably “themey” (even if Qaos did not intend them as such): MOONLIGHT — from the “Blame it on the Boogie” lyrics, as already noted by Julie in Australia @12; EXHILARATION — because after he died it was reported that MJ had been “exhilarated by death” and had “died three times” (from drug overdoses, followed by CPR by his doctors or bodyguards, an experience he allegedly enjoyed) in the 18 months before his actual passing; and LAST DAYS, because there was a documentary film named “The Last Days of Michael Jackson” that aired on TV (here in the US at least) earlier this year, which created some controversy due to its unflattering portrayal of its subject.
Many thanks to Qaos and Andrew and the other commenters.
Dr Whatson @ 44
My understanding of the convention is that if it’s supported by at least one ‘recognised’ dictionary it’s fair game. Otherwise, surely what is considered acceptable becomes a matter of personal choice, which would lead to Q/Ch/aos. I should add that I am very much in favour of boundaries being pushed and new conventions being established, such as ‘French art’ = ‘es’, which seems to have emerged in the last three or four years [no doubt someone will prove me wrong with an earlier citation.
It’s a personal view, of course; other views are available.
It is vine for cable in invincible. Nought to do with vince cable.
Or is it?
Dick Johns @47 and 48
Qaos sportingly dropped in earlier (@37) to own up to the error in the clue for INVINCIBLE
Ah thank you and apologies. Really enjoyed this one esp. Exhilaration.
Thanks Andrew and Qaos.
It’s funny counting the “i”s is the exercise of the week..(without naming another puzzle).
Someone forgot to dot the “i”s and cross the “t”s….
Thanks Qaos for taking the blame, after having submitted a version that had the missing i.
You are a gentleman!
Keep them coming!!
Attila@38
I was delighted to see Eve as fruit picker, thanks to Arachne!
I find the comments @45 an unfortunate use of an excellent crossword as an excuse to peddle tittle tattle about a tragic life and not particularly worthy of this site. Does the Daily Mail do a crossword?
Van Winkle @53 (and “All”),
Apologies if any of my comments @45 went over the line. I did say that I enjoyed the ghost theme, as always — I know that not every commenter here welcomes them, but to me they show an extra level of the setter’s skill, as well as playfulness, and Qaos (among others, Brendan first jumps to mind) has often amazed me, and I think many others in this forum, by how many themed terms he has managed to pack into a grid, which makes the puzzle a double challenge, first to solve all of the cryptic clues as usual, but second, if you like to do so, to see if you can spot the hidden theme and locate *all* of the answers that are part of it. And today the quantity of themed answers seemed to me to be a bit lower than what Qaos has often managed to achieve, so I was looking for any possible others. Apart from my editorial comment “self anointed”, any of the first 4 or 5 things I listed — as well as any of his many well-known singles — were well known parts of MJ’s life and *could* have been part of an MJ ghost theme, and I did in fact look to see if any of them might be hidden in the grid somewhere. [I’ll admit, the last two I listed about his alleged criminal conduct and his court settlements relating to same were more gratuitous comments by me, but these were not victimless acts, and I don’t think his spectacular fame and fortune, or tragic circumstances he is said to have experienced in his childhood, or even his unfortunate and untimely death, should cause that part of his life and legacy to be disregarded when his name comes up.] Anyway, I’m sorry if anything I said offended — not my intention, now or ever.
Van Winkle @53,
Yes the Daily Mail does (or did) a cryptic crossword, my father attempted it every day and used it to encourage my first faltering steps at solving cryptics.
And guess who’s writng them.
You’d be surprised!
This came in my Weekly for 7 December. Pleased that I could fill it out without resorting to extraordinary measures, coming here to check I see of course the verdict was it was quite easy. FOI 22; LOI 19
My weekly arrived in my postbox today, half way up a mountain in Asturias. Thanks to Qaos and Andrew.
Is it too obvious to mention that Qaos seems to be outing himself as an Observer setter (Everyman) in 13d? (Or perhaps it’s been noted and I’ve missed it…)