Our Friday regular compiler Phi has brought this week’s string of mid-week puzzles to an end once again.
I found this to be a puzzle of medium difficulty on the Indy scale. I think that I have parsed everything satisfactorily. I haven’t, however, spotted any kind of theme, but perhaps other solvers have …
My favourite clues today are 4A and 5, both for smoothness of service; and 15, for including so many references to drunkenness. The “Christmas performer” in 6 was unfamiliar to me, and I also found myself wondering why Phi had chosen to use “their” in 23 rather than “his” or “her” – was this an attempt to be gender non-specific?
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
Across | ||
01 | PACER | Publicity material about expert regulator of competition
ACE (=expert) in PR (=publicity material, i.e. press release); a pacer is a pacemaker in a race |
04 | PTARMIGAN | Highland grouse, one seen in tramping around
A (=one) in *(TRAMPING); “around” is anagram indicator |
09 | OVERVIEWS | Done with struggles to accommodate women’s studies?
W (=women) in [OVER (=done, finished) + VIES (=struggles, fights)] |
10 | DOING | Activity I observed in character in nonsense verse
I in DONG (=character in nonsense verse, i.e. the Dong with a Luminous Nose, created by Edward Lear) |
11 | ACTOR | Performer given gold by a court
A + CT (=court, in addresses) + OR (=gold, in heraldry) |
12 | COMMUNIST | Left-wing Frenchmen in company department introducing a hint of socialism
MM (=Frenchmen, i.e. Messieurs) in {CO (=company) + [S<ocialism> (“hint of” means first letter only) + UNIT (=department)]} |
14 | ACADEME | A revolutionary edition adopted by the best seats of learning
[A + DE (ED.=edition; “revolutionary” indicates reversal)] in ACME (=the best, i.e. pinnacle of) |
16 | SAMOSA | Exotic food – prophet swallows it? On the contrary
AMOS (=prophet, in Old Testament) in SA (=it, i.e. sex appeal) |
17 | ALBERT | German with access to the throne? Warning enthrals British
B (=British) in ALERT (=warning); the reference is to Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria |
18 | HERRING | Here’s first wayward fish …
H<ere> (“first” means first letter only) + ERRING (=wayward, straying) |
21 | UNNATURAL | … strange new variety of tuna in 3
[N (=new) + *(TUNA)] in URAL (=river, i.e. entry at 3); “variety of” is anagram indicator |
23 | DRAMA | Medic and their American associates in tense situation
DR (=medic, i.e. doctor) + AMA (=their American associates, i.e. American Medical Association) |
24 | LIBRA | Sign some regular bills should be held over
Hidden (“some”) and reversed (“held over”) in “regulAR BILls” |
26 | NORWEGIAN | Like the fjords, never wearing out
NO (=never, as an emphatic answer) + *(WEARING); “out” is anagram indicator |
27 | WASTE AWAY | Was drink custom in decline?
WAS + TEA (=drink) + WAY (=custom, habit) |
28 | MINCE | Church Minister at first to speak affectedly
MIN. (=minister) + CE (=Church, i.e. Church of England) |
Down | ||
01 | PRO RATA | A parrot flutters to the appropriate degree
*(A PARROT); “flutters” is anagram indicator |
02 | CRESTFALLEN | Disappointed, tells France to become revolutionary
*(TELLS FRANCE); “to become revolutionary” is anagram indicator |
03 | RIVER | Current meat seeing a change of hands?
LIVER (=meat); “seeing a change of hands” means L (=left-hand) is replaced by R (=right-hand) |
04 | PRESCIENT | Here to pen chapter one, having foresight
[C (=chapter) + I (=one)] in PRESENT (=here) |
05 | ASSAM | Tea service one knocked over
MASS (=service, in church) + A (=one); “knocked over” indicates reversal |
06 | MIDSUMMER | Christmas in New Zealand, say, is absorbing day, claimed by Christmas performer
[D (=day) in IS] in MUMMER (=Christmas performer, i.e. actor in a folk-play at Christmas); in the Antipodes December 25 falls in the middle of the summer |
07 | GHI | Three characters in a row appear for item of Indian cuisine
G, H, I (=three characters in a row, i.e. consecutive letters from the alphabet); ghi (or ghee) is clarified butter |
08 | NIGHTS | Men on board dismissing leader in dark times
<k>NIGHTS (=men on board, in chess); “dismissing leader” means first letter is dropped |
13 | INSTIGATION | Encouraging wretched people to turn up amongst current people
STIG (GITS=wretched people; “to turn up” indicates vertical reversal) in [I (=current, in physics) + NATION (=people)] |
15 | EVENTUATE | Turn out to be still tight, rolling, inebriate ultimately
EVEN (=still) + TUAT (TAUT=tight; “rolling” indicates reversal) + <inebriat>E (“ultimately” means last letter only) |
16 | SCHOLARLY | Erudite choral works kept in secret
*(CHORAL) in SLY (=secret, stealthy); “works” is anagram indicator |
19 | GRANNIE | Old woman, former monarch, having oversight of orphan
GR (=former monarch, i.e. George Rex) + ANNIE (=orphan, in US comic strip, film and musical) |
20 | CURLEW | Scoundrel, mostly lascivious, doing for flapper
CUR (=scoundrel) + LEW<d> (=lascivious; “mostly” means last letter is dropped); the “flapper” of the definition is a bird |
22 | RENEW | Start again in Scottish town, abandoning father
REN<fr>EW (=Scottish town); “abandoning father (=FR, in religion)” means letters “fr” are dropped |
23 | DREAM | Aspiration about to be suppressed by mother
RE (=about, i.e. regarding) in DAM (=mother) |
25 | BUS | Vehicle that’s almost broken-down
BUS<t> (=broken-down); “almost” means last letter is dropped |
Benjamin Britten was born on 22nd November 1913 and there are a few of his works in the grid
I agree, at the easy end of the scale, but no less enjoyable for that. Re 17A I spent far too long trying to work out how ‘mit’ (German = with) could work, before the penny dropped. I see ‘Albert Herring’ (an opera by Benjamin Britten) appears at 17 and 18 across, and knowing Phi there are probably more sly references hidden elsewhere, but I don’t know enough about it to work them out. Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.
Damn it, I thought I was going to be first with that but Duncan just beat me to it!
Curlew River and Midsummer Night’s Dream (plus AH of course) – we can’t see any more. But, as is usually the case with Phi, there was no need to know the theme to solve the puzzle.
Lots to like: PTARMIGAN, ACADEME, MIDSUMMER and CURLEW among our favourites.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku.
I’m pleased to say that not only did I spot the theme, it actually helped me finish. I’d got 17ac and I looked at the grid and my mind filled in HERRING automatically. I realised I already had MIDSOMMER NIGHTS DREAM and having RIVER I immediatly started looking for CURLEW. I’ve just noticed I’d put INSPIRATION for 13dn, but I couldn’t work out how RIPS meant “wreteched people”.
Joyce on her own again. I started late as I was at a concert all evening. I ended up using the check button on a number of occasions to speed things up a bit. Like Dormouse, I had INSPIRATION for 13d but couldn’t parse it and also spent too long trying to use MIT in 17ac
Too late to start looking for themes so came straight here. I wouldn’t have spotted it anyway.
Thanks RR and Phi.