A quick solve for a Friday, with lots of nice and smooth cluing. Favourites were 10ac, 19ac, 29ac, 9dn, and 22dn.
Twigged the theme from PRODIGY [band] and FIRE/STARTER [song], but only knew one other song which wasn’t in the grid. Googling reminded me of the singer Keith FLINT and revealed more songs: WARRIORS DANCE, BREATHE, VOODOO PEOPLE, POISON, FIRE/JERICHO.
| Across | ||
| 1 | JERICHO | Joe’s excited touring sumptuous old city (7) |
| (Joe)* around RICH=”sumptuous” | ||
| 5 | BREATHE | Inspire soldiers to swim outside (7) |
| RE (Royal Engineers)=”soldiers” with BATHE=”swim” outside | ||
| 10 | FIRE | Document exchanges hands — it’s too hot to handle (4) |
| FI[L]E=”Document”, with L(eft) changing to R(ight) | ||
| 11 | MANUSCRIPT | Football team’s caught by trip arranged in writing (10) |
| MAN[chester] U[nited]’S=”Football team’s” + C (caught) in cricket + (trip)* | ||
| 12 | POISON | It makes me sick when one’s taken in by spoon-bending (6) |
| I=”one” taken in by (spoon)*, with “bending” as anagrind | ||
| 13 | WARRIORS | Woman arrived before 10 with 19 or so fighters (8) |
| W (Woman) + ARR[ived] + IO=the digits 1 and 0=”10″ + RS which is “oR So” UNDRESSED=19ac i.e. with the outer letters removed | ||
| 14 | REFERRALS | Make a mistake to be wearing outrageous flares with transfers (9) |
| ERR=”Make a mistake” inside (flares)* | ||
| 16 | FLINT | Nothing is returned wrapped in paper and stone (5) |
| NIL=”Nothing” reversed/”returned”, inside FT=Financial Times=news “paper” | ||
| 17 | DANCE | Maybe cancan can be racy, wearing delightfully exotic tops (5) |
| (can)*, inside the top/first letters of D[elightfully] E[xotic] | ||
| 19 | UNDRESSED | Naked Chef — is he? (9) |
| “Chef” ‘undressed’ or with the outer letters removed, gives “he“ | ||
| 23 | FAVA BEAN | Gardner is hugged by admirer in plant (4,4) |
| AVA Gardner the actress + BE=”is”; both inside FAN=”admirer” | ||
| 24 | VOODOO | 50050000? Magic (6) |
| V=”5″ in Roman numerals + OO=”00″ + D=”500″ in Roman numerals + OO=”00″ | ||
| 26 | PLATYPUSES | Mammals stay supple after exercising (10) |
| (stay supple)* | ||
| 27 | LAID | Positioned face to the west (4) |
| DIAL=”face” e.g. of a watch, reversed/”to the west” | ||
| 28 | STARTER | Course includes minimalist art, erroneously (7) |
| “Course” as in part of a meal hidden in minimaliST ART ERroneously |
||
| 29 | PRODIGY | Wonder how expert’s homework attains low grade? (7) |
| as in ‘boy wonder’ PRO=”expert” + DIY=”home work” around G=”low grade” after grades A-F e.g. at GCSE |
||
| Down | ||
| 2 | EPISODE | Record single does rock event (7) |
| EP=”Record” + I=one=”single” + (does)* | ||
| 3 | ITEMS | Objects to special police force turning up after lunchtime (5) |
| S (special) + MET=”police force”, all reversed/”turning up” after I=1 or 1pm=”lunchtime” | ||
| 4 | HUMANER | More compassionate charioteer takes fake name (7) |
| Ben HUR=”charioteer” around (name)* | ||
| 6 | ROSARY | Sorry criminal steals archbishop’s first beads (6) |
| (Sorry)* around the first letter of Archbishop | ||
| 7 | AIRFIELDS | Song about life and extremely dangerous places to land (9) |
| AIR=”Song” + (life)* + the extreme outer letters of DangerouS | ||
| 8 | HYPERON | Very small thing used to promote Reagan? (7) |
| =a type of subatomic particle HYPE=”promote” + RON[ald] Reagan |
||
| 9 | SNOW BLINDNESS | Inability to see small present at first: a bipolar issue? (4,9) |
| a potential issue at either the North or South Pole, so “bipolar” BLINDNESS=”Inability to see”; with S (small) + NOW=”present” going first |
||
| 15 | ENCHANTER | Magician‘s striking entrance holding top hat (9) |
| (entrance)* around the top letter of H[at] | ||
| 18 | A BAD LOT | Unscrupulous person‘s problem at Christie’s? (1,3,3) |
| Christie’s the auction house sells items in ‘lots’, so A BAD LOT might be a problem for them | ||
| 20 | REVISER | One who edits text about 6’s queen (7) |
| RE=”about” + VI=”6″ in Roman numerals + ‘S + ER=Elizabeth Regina”queen” | ||
| 21 | ELOPING | European uprising? At home, government’s running away (7) |
| POLE=”European” reversed/”uprising” + IN=”At home” + G (government) | ||
| 22 | PEOPLE | Masses of work occupied footballer (6) |
| OP=”work” inside PELE=the Brazilian “footballer” | ||
| 25 | OILED | Drunk worked hard — time to quit? (5) |
| [t]OILED=”worked hard” with ‘t‘ for “time” leaving | ||
Would never have seen the theme if you’d told me which words were part of it, but at least it didn’t spoil the puzzle, as themes sometimes do. As you said manehi, smooth and fair with Qaos’s trademark bit of science and numerical wizardry. Many thanks for the fun Qaos.
Thank you, manehi.
Theme-blind as normal.
Very rapid solve this morning with only one gripe at 15d where H= top hat, apparently. The Don would sooner lose a limb than offer such a clue.
Good close to the week, however.
Nice weekend, all.
Thanks Qaos and manehi
Yes, surprisingly easy for a Friday, though I am old enough for “Gardner” to suggest AVA and “footballer” PELE. I don’t understand the theme even now you have told me there was one!
I’m scientifically aware, but I’ve never heard of a HYPERON. Hadron wouldn’t fit, though.
ROSARY was my favourite.
I thought this was a fun little puzzle, despite a couple of clues I found incorrect. I finished it faster than any in weeks, but I didn’t spot the theme despite knowing well there must be one. After the last answer went in, a quick search revealed the theme – I’d never heard of the band or any of their songs.
Hur is surely incorrect as the name of the charioteer in 4d. The name was Ben-Hur, where the Ben part was either a bona-fide part of the last name, or it indicated son-of. In either case, Hur was not the name. Finally, in 28a, the answer is INCLUDED IN the given phrase.
Short but sweet – got Friday off to a flying start. Liked the naked chef and SNOW BLINDNESS.
Talking of outrageous flares I once had a pair of puce 28″ crushed velvet loon pants. My then girlfriend three up on them and they were never the same again.
Thanks both.
Thanks, Qaos! That was super fun. And for , I think, the first time ever I spotted the theme whilst tackling the crossword. And this helped me solve two further answers. And it’s a theme I like. Firestarter, a classic piece of music! RIP Keith Flint!
Enjoyed that. Missed the theme as always despite being a bit of a fan of The Prodigy. Easier than normal (maybe even too easy!) but still much fun and no niggles.
Thanks both.
Thanks both.
I rarely spot themes, and would never have seen this one – I’ve heard of the band but wouldn’t have been able to name any of their songs or members. I was in a hurry and dnf: missed PRODIGY which I should have seen, and STARTER on which I agree with Dr. WhatsOn@4. I wondered if it might be a “hidden in” clue, but decided it couldn’t be because of the word “includes”; I suppose with more time I’d have seen it but I still don’t like it at all.
Thanks to Qaos for a fun and as others have said a relatively quick solve. Also thanks to manehi for the parsing of UNDRESSED (very neat) and FAVA BEAN (loi and I’d forgotten about Ava G and missed the is = be ruse again). Like TheZed I’m not familiar enough with Prodigy’s music to have got the the theme if I’d had all the words given to me but it’s good to see contemporary culture referenced. HYPERON was my favourite as it was also a new word as well as a smooth clue.
Thanks again to both.
I wonder whether any other examinations than the GCSE use a grade G (29A) ? The revised grading system for the current GCSE now uses 1-9, so perhaps, clueing G as a grade will need a ‘former / ex” indication.
Another who had no knowledge of the theme but this did not stop this being an enjoyable solve. Agree that the inclusion in 28a was wrongly worded. I particularly liked 19a which I failed to parse. Thanks both.
Dr Whatson@4: yes, the character’s name is Judah Ben-Hur. Calling him Hur would be like referring to the noted poet as Gonagle. The clue was gettable despite that, but it’s irritating.
I’ve never even heard of Prodigy, so the theme was lost on me, not that it mattered.
UNDRESSED was clever. I bunged it in and sued the check button, with no idea how to parse it.
Although I expected a theme, solved without much difficulty (thanks manehi for clarifying parsing of some clues) but couldn’t see anything in common bar 24a and 15d – I’ve never heard of the band.
As Dr.W@4 remarks, the clue to 28a is wrong, the inclusion being the other way round.
First time ever that I’ve finished all 5 puzzles in one week (I needed help with the parsing on most but let’s not quibble when I’m feeling good!). I guess that means it’s been an easier week (none of what the more experienced amongst you might term ‘chewy’ puzzles). But, like the rest of this week’s fare, I thought this puzzle, though not too tough, was clever and fun. My only minor quibblet might be the use of top twice (delightfully exotic tops & top hat).
Thanks to Qaos and manehi. Enjoy your weekend all.
Unusually for me, I finished without needing Collins or wikipedia to confirm any answers, so it must have been an easy Friday. Still lots of fun in spite of the flaws noted above. My favourite was Qaos’ signature mathematical clue for VOODOO. Thanks to him and manehi.
It took me ages to twig how 19a UNDRESSED worked, but I now think it’s brilliant. Isn’t it an &lit? Otherwise it could be open to the objection that “naked” is doing double duty as the definition and part of the wordplay.
I liked the charioteer in 4d. Yes I know that he wouldn’t be referred to as Hur, but come on, it’s a bit of fun!
Many thanks Qaos and manehi.
I also took objection to 28a. Arguably it works OK, if stretching the rules a little: Course in “cludes minimalist art, erroneously”. Outrageous but not a sending off offence?
BlueCanary@5, I had gorgeous gold crushed velvet flares, lent them to one of our boys for a party, never saw them again. Sigh. Yes, a one-cuppa job, albeit with no idea re theme, a total nho. And I take back what I said about Imogen, took almost as long for Gardner to activate Ava as it did for Laurel to activate Stan or Hardy the other day, so it’s not them, it’s me aging brain. Fun easy number today, thanks both.
23: An obscure bean and an obscure actress. I did spot the fan bit, but that didn’t help me.
The rest was good though
howard@18 -obscure actress? She is listed 25th among the American Film Institute’s 25 Greatest Female Stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
howard @ 18
I have the beans in my store cupboard as a matter of course
Fava beans were famously consumed with liver and Chianti in Silence of the Lambs.
Got part of the theme from PRODIGY and FIRE STARTER, and it helped with BREATHE but didn’t know the others. All fairly straightforward and enjoyable. On my way to rainy York now…
Thanks to Qaos and manehi.
Hyperon to a satire?
Neither FAVA nor AVA are obscure if you do American crosswords at all regularly. Both are old standbys in fully-checked grids thanks to their helpful vowel-consonant ratio. (Of course by that standard TERI GARR is the greatest actress ever, with both first and last name as crossword cliches.) Ms. Gardner is usually clued as “One of Frank’s exes” or some such, but she had a much more interesting career than that would suggest.
And I agree about Ben-Hur, but the clue was gettable enough that it doesn’t really matter.
An easy but fun xwd for a Friday; I’m another who couldn’t see the theme. I’d heard of The Prodigy, but I’d be danged if I could name a single one of their songs.
Thanks to all.
Three reasons to be happy today..
1. Qaos Crossword
2. Remembered half way through that there must be a theme
3. Spotting the theme itself! (18th Century Poetry and other obscure literature are totally lost on me, but The Prodigy is right up my strasse!)
Thanks Qaos and Manehi!
As Prodigy was my loi, had little idea what the theme might be. Fun to solve, though.
Like some other commenters, I have never heard of the band, but I didn’t need to know that or any other thematic entries.
This was an enjoyable solve, and I liked MANUSCRIPT, POISON and UNDRESSED especially.
I did know FIRE STARTER but I never connected it PRODIGY. The only other number of theirs I’ve heard of rejoiced in the title ‘ “Smack my bitch up” which I see the setter wasn’t tempted by! Nice puzzle though!
Thanks Qaos.
Didn’t see the theme of course, and it wouldn’t have helped if I had. Still managed one of my fastest finishes for a long time, which I put down to consistently excellent and fair clueing. I only needed to come here for the Naked Chef’s parsing, which is clever.
Thanks to Qaos and manehi.
Didn’t think I was going to spot the theme until my nearly-LOI which was PRODIGY, which I immediately connected with FLINT to twig the now-bleeding-obvious! Not the first time Qaos has themed a crossword on a band but at least I saw this one after totally missing Deep Purple earlier this year. Thanks to Qaos and Manehi – and RIP Keith Flint.
Thanks to manehi and Qaos
W = woman is a new one for me
As a physicist, I did know about HYPERONs, but it’s an old-fashioned term even in particle physics. There are particles with names like “Lambda hyperon”, but they’re generally referred to simply as Lambda particles. I forget exactly what properties of a particle make it a hyperon.
I failed to parse UNDRESSED, but now that I’ve seen the parsing it’s my favorite clue. Not being a product of the UK educational system, I also didn’t know that GCSE grades went all the way to G.
I often fail to spot hidden-word clues, and it always surprises me because in hindsight they seem so obvious. But I don’t blame myself for failing to spot STARTER. As others have pointed out, the indicator is just wrong. (badaos2 @16’s parsing is ingenious, but I don’t buy it.)
Hi ted
I did look up “hyperon”. Apparently it’s a hadron containuing at least one strange quark, but no top, bottom or charm quarks. Rather an esoteric definition!
Thanks, muffin! I thought about looking it up but couldn’t be bothered.
I think the terminology must date from before the last three quarks had been discovered. Up and down quarks are by far the most common (e.g., they’re the only ones that appear in protons and neutrons), and for a time the only other one known was the strange quark, so I guess a particle that contained strange quarks went “beyond” (hyper-) the others. Once the other quarks were known, this specific categorization became less useful, so it’s no wonder that the term went out of common use.
The interesting things one learns here! Not only HYPERON, a term unknown to me, but the fascinating exchange between muffin and Ted. Thanks, both!
A number of pleasing clues here, led perhaps by UNDRESSED and the WARRIORS derived from it.
I share the discomfort with 28ac. I presume the setter was thinking something like “includes [elements of].”
An alternative that would have worked for me would be “Course covers minimalist art, erroneously,” where “covers” is to be understood in the sense of “stretching across.”
I must also admit to being bothered by 15d, both because I struggle to see “striking” as an anagrind and because TOP HAT <> “H”, as noted above.
Still! A fun puzzle. Thanks to Qaos and manehi.
I read ‘low grade’ to be the first (low) letter from ‘grade’. So thank goodness it was also a ‘g’!
Aren’t GCSE grades all numbers nowadays?
I enjoyed this one, as I always do Qaos’ puzzles, but I’d never heard of the band, so the theme was completely opaque to me.
My first puzzle back from hospitalized-computer exile. (No, I wasn’t hospitalized, the computer was.)
I have finally learned always to look for a theme with Qaos, and since that moment there has not been one I could spot. I vaguely think I may have heard of Prodigy, or The Prodigy as it’s apparently called, but didn’t know a person or a title connected with it. Last time it was the Enigma Variations. Oh, well, some day my GK will overlap with Qaos’s, I hope.