Eccles on Wednesday is a regular two-weekly occurrence at the moment.
As usual, Eccles gives us smooth surfaces to his clues as well as providing some interesting wordplay devices
We frequently see IN being clued as ‘at home’ as part of the wordplay. Today we had it the other way round in FATHOMED at 16 across
We had a couple of clues where the same word or words was used twice – ‘state’ in 15 across for UGANDA and cash / study at 25 down for READ. 25 down was also notable for the fact that it provided two different but similar wordplays for one definition.
I learnt a new meaning of ‘shot’ in the clue for IRIDESCENT.
Good fun – thanks Eccles.
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| Across | |||
| 1 | Extra jam, perhaps, is popular (10) |
WIDE (a WIDE ball in cricket is recorded as an extra) + SPREAD (jam is an example of a spread) WIDE SPREAD |
WIDESPREAD (found, operative, etc in many places, thereby considered to be popular) |
| 6 | Some recipes from the east of impressive proportions (4) |
EPIC (hidden word (some) reversed (from the east) in RECIPES) EPIC< |
EPIC (impressive; large-scale) |
| 9 | Clever leader is accommodating, at the moment (7) |
KING (leader) containing (accommodating) NOW (at the moment) K (NOW) ING |
KNOWING (intelligent; clever) |
| 10 | Collusion? California loudly shows disapproval (7) |
CA (California) + HOOTS (shows disapproval) CA HOOTS |
CAHOOTS (in company or partnership; collusion) |
| 12 | Backtracking oil producer’s at first an advocate of Home Rule (10) |
(RAPE’S [rapeseed’s {oil producer’s}]) reversed (backtracking) + AT + IST (first) SEPAR< AT IST |
SEPARATIST (a person, seen by Unionists as an advocate of Home Rule) |
| 13 | Field exposed when fencing is removed (3) |
LEA |
LEA (meadow; field) |
| 15 | State: "You look a state" (6) |
U (sounds like [state] YOU) + GANDA (sounds like [state] GANDER [look or glance]) U GANDA |
UGANDA (a State in Africa) |
| 16 | Understood female in Germany (8) |
F (female) + AT HOME (in) + D (Deutschland; International Vehicle Registration for Germany) F AT HOME D |
FATHOMED (understood) |
| 18 | Body fluid and fly found in mug (8) |
PUS (body fluid) + HOVER ( remain aloft flapping the wings; fly. There is also a HOVERfly insect) PUS HOVER |
PUSHOVER (a person easily persuaded or won over, as is a person described as a mug) |
| 20 | Reportedly spirit-like spirit? (6) |
DJINNI (sounds like [reportedly] GINNY [like the alcoholic spirit GIN) DJINNI |
DJINNI (class of spirits in Muslim theology and folklore) |
| 23 | Leaves note with answer (3) |
TE (seventh musical note of the scale in the sol-fa notation) + A (answer) TE A |
TEA (dried and prepared leaves of the tree of the same name) |
| 24 | I smell following purge, awareness essentially shot (10) |
I + (RID [purge] + E [central letter of [essentially] AWARENESS]) + SCENT [smell]) I RID E SCENT |
IRIDESCENT (Displaying a spectrum of colours that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer’s position changes; SHOT can be defined as showing a play of colours, as in a textile woven to give a changing colour effect) |
| 26 | It cuts the chat at sea (7) |
Anagram of (at sea) THE CHAT HATCHET* |
HATCHET (small axe for use in one hand; it cuts) |
| 27 | Saleman allowed European to be charged (7) |
REP (REPresentative; salesman) + LET (allowed) + E (European) REP LET E |
REPLETE (completely full; charged) |
| 28 | Lapwing loses it, twisting to give cry (4) |
PEEW WEEP< |
WEEP (cry) |
| 29 | Religious office in hot periods abandoned (10) |
Anagram of (abandoned) HOT PERIODS PRIESTHOOD* |
PRIESTHOOD (religious office) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | Pan’s People finally aware of bigotry (4) |
WOK (cooking pan) + E (last letter of [finally] PEOPLE) WOK E |
WOKE (alert to social and political injustice; aware of bigotry) |
| 2 | Couple study advanced body parts (7) |
DUO (couple) + DEN (study) + A (advanced) DUO DEN A |
DUODENA (portions of the small intestine; body parts) |
| 3 | Lead from salt mine of Wieliczka possibly taken outside with excessive cleaning (4,3,6) |
(S [first letter of {lead from} SALT] + PIT [mine] + POLISH [Wieliczka is likely to be a name form Poland, so ‘of Wieliczka’ is possibly POLISH]) containing (taken outside) AND (with) S PIT (AND) POLISH |
SPIT AND POLISH (cleaning to excess) |
| 4 | Container of chopped-up garb and assorted gubbins, primarily (6) |
Anagram of (chopped-up) GARB + AG (first letters of [primarily] ASSORTED and GUBBINS) RAGB* A G |
RAGBAG (bag for rags and thrown-away garments) |
| 5 | Cary, in reality, mostly gets Victor to replace book of records (8) |
ARCHIBAL ARCHIVAL |
ARCHIVAL (descriptive of records) |
| 7 | Interrogate male about liberal pest, maybe (7) |
(PROBE [interrogate] + M [male]) containing (about) L (liberal) PROB (L) E M |
PROBLEM (a word that could describe a troublesome person [pest]) |
| 8 | Criminal is captured displaying classic comedy prop (7,3) |
Anagram of (criminal) IS CAPTURED CUSTARD PIE* |
CUSTARD PIE (classic slapstick prop, used especially in early US films in which comedians threw CUSTARD PIEs at each other) |
| 11 | Possibly the aim of bowls and snooker players: to win big (3,3,7) |
HIT THE JACK (the aim in lawn bowls is to get the bowl closest to THE JACK [not necessarily to HIT it I don’t think]) + POT (the aim in snooker is to POT balls) HIT THE JACK POT |
HIT THE JACKPOT (have a big success or stroke of good fortune) |
| 14 | Young dog and cat perhaps present Sesame Street? (6,4) |
PUP (young dog) + PET (a cat could be a PET) + SHOW (present) PUP PET SHOW |
PUPPET SHOW (descriptive of the television program Sesame Street) |
| 17 | Clock catalogue (8) |
REGISTER (to become aware of; to clock) REGISTER |
REGISTER (catalogue) double definition |
| 19 | Surprise promising young actress with time up (7) |
STARLET (promising young film actress) with the letter T (time) moved up this down entry to form STARTLE STARTLE |
STARTLE (surprise)
|
| 21 | New team in France getting discontented Ronaldo for nothing? Anything but (3-4) |
N (new) + ONZE (French for eleven, a number of players in many team sports) + RO (letters remaining in R N ON ZE RO |
NON ZERO (anything but nothing) |
| 22 | Order grade to be changed, getting C for German (6) |
DE DECREE |
DECREE (order) |
| 25 | Cash short? Study Cash missing upfront? Study (4) |
READ
|
READ (study) |
Eccles’ fortnightly outings are always a treat to look forward to. This one was right up there with his best offerings and his perfect surfaces provide the icing on the cake.
I needed to check Chambers for the meaning of shot needed for 24a, but I am not at all sure how you might use it in a sentence.
Picking a favourite is quite a challenge but I’ll settle for the excellent FATHOMED with CAHOOTS hard on its heels.
Many thanks to Eccles and to Duncan.
Far from a PUSHOVER. I did remember IRIDESCENT for ‘shot’ from somewhere in crossword land (where else?) and dredged up Cary Grant’s real name, though I still had trouble in parsing the clue correctly. A few barren periods staring at the grid along the way and I was glad when the last ones – the related FATHOMED and REGISTER – finally went in.
Thanks to Eccles and Duncan
Another enjoyable crossword from Eccles – thanks to him
No problems here with the meaning of iridescent, I marked 10a, 5d and 21d for favouritism
Thanks also to Duncan
Once again, I’m in complete agreement with crypticsue.
Rabbit Dave – re ‘shot’: I think it’s most commonly heard in ‘shot silk / taffeta’ – see here
Many thanks, as ever, to Eccles and Duncan.
Good old Eccles
You do learn in crossword land, don’t you? I’ve known there’s a fabric called shot silk without ever bothering to check what it is (not being of the silk-wearing fraternity) and now I know. In addition to the clues mentioned above, I liked the startled starlet. Very cute. Thanks to Eccles and Duncan for setting the day off well
Eileen @4. Many thanks for the link regarding shot silk. I’m not surprised I’ve never heard of it before!
Everything and anything is fair in crosswords, otherwise we would not seek to solve them regularly. I did feel the setter was a little evasive today – Cary in 5dn means nothing to my understanding unless you happen to be aware of his born name nearly 120 years ago – a younger person than I might find such clueing a turn-off, and could even dispute that the current ‘widespread’ (1ac) is in any way popular! All very clever of course
….widespread virus, that is…..nurse!
The sort of stady solve one expects from this setter, very satsfying.
In 3dn there’s more to Wieliczka than just being a Polish name. Googling revealed that the Wieliczka salt mine is part of a Unesco World Heritage site as described here.
In 12ac we wondered for a moment if the answer would be ‘Llewellyn’ with ‘well’ reversed as the backtracking oil producer, but there weren’t enough letters and no way would it parse anyway.
Favourites were FATHOMED, NON-ZERO and READ.
Thanks, Eccles and Duncan.
Great fun re cary being tricky well there certainly aren’t many to check on. Actually knew that and it was immediately obvious. Eccles certainly isn’t one of the older setters! Good stuff all round thanks Duncan and Eccles. Pity we won’t all be in York this weekend.
What can we say? Another great puzzle from Eccles with the usual smiles and head scratching. His clues are always fair but take some teasing out on occasions.
Liked 25d and 3d in particular.
Thanks Eccles and Duncan.
Many thanks to Duncan, and all who commented. I have been to the Wieliczka salt mine, and it is very much recommended. I had actually intended for bleak to be the meaning for exposed in 13a, but it matters little.
Very late in but wanted to set my mind at rest over the parsing of 5d – I didn’t know Cary Grant’s given name. 21d was a guess – never heard of it until today.
Favourite was HIT THE JACKPOT. Least said about 1d the better…………
Thanks to Eccles and to Duncan for the review.
What’s wrong with 1d?
Eccles 1d no idea. Sorry but if the idea of being described as that definition is offensive or the dancing troupe from totp was, well. Perhaps my best mitigation is wrong clue from the wrong crossword from wrong paper in the wrong year.