This was a puzzle I had to pick away at a bit at a time.
I never seemed to get a grip on it during the solve. The few answers I got on the first pass were only the tiny answers (COG, APT, YOWL etc.) and a bundle in the bottom right. I never seemed to have much in the way of crossing letters – especially not first letters – to help get the others till the last knockings.
So while solving I thought it was a tough puzzle. Now I have been through the clues and understood all the wordplay I wonder why I found it so tough. When you see the correct way of looking at the clue it is hard to see any other way of looking at it. The joy comes from the moment the correct way crystallizes in your thoughts.
If there is a theme I’ve missed here I fear I might be a touch peeved.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BABYCHAM | Bambi largely recollected keeping close to fizzy drink – this one? (8) (BAMB[i])* AInd : re-collected, around (keeping) [fizz]Y CHA (drink). The definition refers back to the previous part of the clue for us to understand we’re after a fizzy drink |
| 5 | WALLOW | Indulge oneself? Wife needs to approve (6) W[ife] ALLOW (approve). |
| 8 | COG | Minor employee from firm heading for glory (3) CO (firm, Company) G[lory] First one in. |
| 9 | JURY-RIGGED | Improvised reason trial isn’t fair? (4-6) Def. and Cryptic def. |
| 10 | SPOTLESS | So, as slept around, not a virgin (8) (SO AS SLEPT – A) * AInd: around. Not used in a very mis-directing way here |
| 11 | PICKET | Choose English team’s first striker (6) PICK (Choose) E[nglish] T[eam]. |
| 12 | ALSO | Too dismal, song needs outer sections removed (4) Hidden in dismAL SOng |
| 14 | CAPITULATE | A mine boring copper, overdue to cave in (10) A PIT (A mine) inside (boring) CU (copper) LATE (overdue) |
| 17 | EMPATHETIC | Call me back about way to reach understanding (10) CITE ME (Call me) all reversed (back) around PATH (way) |
| 20 | YOWL | Cry from unknown Member of Parliament? (4) Y (unknown) OWL (member of parliament, parliament is the collective name for owls) |
| 23 | SIEGES | I for one put in assets regularly, making investments (6) I EG (I for one, as in I for example) inside SES (alternate letters of ASSETS) Last one in. |
| 24 | HEIGHTEN | Get stronger female in rowing team? The opposite (8) EIGHT (rowing team) inside HEN (female) |
| 25 | LA TRAVIATA | Restore vital aria, one cut at opera (2,8) (VITAL ARIA AT – I (one, cut) )* AInd: Restore. |
| 26 | APT | Apartment is suitable (3) APT (Abbreviation for apartment) |
| 27 | STONED | High street department stores vanished, first off (6) [g]ONE (vanished, first off) inside (stored by) ST[reet] D[epartment] |
| 28 | PYRENEAN | A penny dreadful about soldiers – one from a range (8) (A PENNY)* AInd: dreadful, around RE (soldiers, Royal Engineers) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | BACKSPACE | Key clue for “moor”? (9) Backspace is a key on a (computer) keyboard. ROOM (space) reversed (back) gives a clue for MOOR. What do we call this these days? An anti-clue? |
| 2 | BUGLOSS | Plant causing disappearance of pests? (7) Cryptic Def. for the plant I only know from previous crosswords – so I must look it up… Oh, that one – pretty blue flowers |
| 3 | CAJOLE | Coax Jack into finally wearing fancy lace (6) J[ack] and [int]O inside (LACE)* AInd: fancy. Favourite clue for the smooth surface reading. |
| 4 | AEROSPACE | Quickly gathering ore’s not exactly rocket science! (9) (ORES)*AInd: not exactly, inside APACE (quickly) |
| 5 | WHIPPET | Treat domestic animal cruelly – this one? (7) WHIP PET – he’s doing self-referential wordplay again |
| 6 | LOGICALLY | Reasonably good island breaks in this area (9) G[ood] I[sland] inside LOCALLY (this area) |
| 7 | ODDMENT | Scrap old pieces covered in banned pesticide (7) DDT (banned pesticide) inside O[ld] MEN (pieces) |
| 13 | ORANG-UTAN | Run ragged with Tana, go ape (5-4) (RUN + TARA GO)* AInd: ragged. One of those I realised I “should have got earlier” if only from the letter count |
| 15 | ITINERARY | One can time railway route (9) I (one) TIN (can) ERA (time) RY (railway) |
| 16 | ELLINGTON | Tense from start to finish, counting on jazzman (9) TELLING (counting, as in telling a vote) with T[ense] shifted to the end, then ON. Then you get the jazzman I wrote in from the crossing letters. (Yes, I didn’t fathom the wordplay till writing this) |
| 18 | MAILLOT | Left to occupy post, returning to Jersey (7) L[eft] inside MAIL (post) and TO< (to, returning) |
| 19 | HUSBAND | Thriftily manage hot American group (7) H[ot] US (American) BAND (group) |
| 21 | OUTRAGE | 21st century boxing the start for Tyson Fury (7) OUR AGE (21st century) around T[yson] |
| 22 | AGNATE | Tycoon, not married, is related in father’s side (6) [m]AGNATE |
Lots to enjoy here. BABYCHAM gave fond memories of Hoskins’ ramblings in days of yore. (I guess this will be meaningless to more recent converts to the Indy.) Having missed the Command key yesterday, I was straight on to 1d today.
Fortunately, I knew the meaning of “investment” in 23a. BUGLOSS was a new one for me. I’d like to say MAILLOT was also new to me but I’m pretty sure I said that last time (and maybe the time before). AGNATE has appeared sufficiently often to remember that one.
I did spend a little time trying to dredge up a name of a Fury that fitted in 21d until I realised I didn’t need to. The pesticide at 7d took a while to remember but the rest seemed pretty straightforward for me.
I struggled in the left half and had to consult a word-list to get going again. I hadn’t seen AGNATE or MAILLOT before, that I remember, so thanks Klingsor for introducing me to them. I was surprised to learn that BABYCHAM is still made, not having seen it around for years. It was invented in 1953 by Somerset brewer Francis Showering and is now American owned but made in Australia. Here endeth today’s lesson.
Thanks Klingsor and Beermagnet.
Good crossword, all in but couldn’t parse STONED, so thanks Beer magnet!
COTD BUGLOSS, also LOI!
Thanks Klingsor!
A bit of a tustle here and there (new to me were bugloss, agnate and this meaning of sieges, and I also couldn’t parse stoned) but really very enjoyable.
We had a Pyrenean house for a while, so I’d often seen the maillot jaune whizzing by but I’m not claiming it as a theme – just a nice bit of reminiscence!
Thanks to Klingsor and Beermagnet.
Like Hovis, 1a brought back fond memories of Harry’s tales about Mrs Jalopy – wonder what’s become of the poor old soul? However, unlike Hovis, I did have to confirm 23a with Chambers.
Favourites were probably WALLOW, WHIPPET & ELLINGTON.
Thanks to Klingsor and to Beermagnet for the review.
I was having the same kind of solving experience as beermagnet – seemed to be getting nowhere fast – then had half an hour or so’s break, came back to it and the answers started rolling in steadily. Strange how that happens, so often.
My favourites were CAPITULATE, AEROSPACE, ODDMENT, ITINERARY, HUSBAND and OUTRAGE. I was saying only the other day how I love it when setters use the names of real people in wordplay.
Ah yes, Mrs Jalopy …
Many thanks to Klingsor and beermagnet.
Again, like beermagnet, Tatrasman, Jayjay and Eileen, this was a puzzle for a couple of sessions which was enough to achieve a satisfactory solve. Although MAILLOT was bung and shrug as the definitions that came up when I googled it were tights and swimsuits rather than jerseys. Wasn’t Babycham advertised with a Bambi figure back in the day? Which makes 1ac even better.
As well as MAILLOT, SIEGE as investment was new, along with AGNATE. I loved ODDMENT and had ticks for all those liked by Eileen and jane!
Thanks Klingsor and beermagnet
Looking back, I see MAILLOT appeared as recently as February this year in a puzzle by Buccaneer over in the FT, where it was defined as a sports top. I didn’t say it was new to me then but looking even further back, I did in a 2018 puzzle by Monk. Next time, I’ll remember it. Ah, who am I kidding.
Well spotted, PostMark @7! Babycham adverts did feature a long-lashed Bambi.
Much the same experience as everyone else – needed a couple of sessions and quite a bit of help but many seemed obvious in hindsight. Lots of favorites – SPOTLESS, PYRENEAN, CAJOLE, AEROSPACE, LOGICALLY and OUTRAGE.
I had a vague but incorrect memory of malliot being a top of some sort, and bugless and agnate were completely new to me, but the picture Beermagnet posted did make me think about getting some to sow.
We must be on Klingsor’s wavelength as we usually manage to work steadily through his puzzles with no real problems, and today was no exception. It helped, I suppose that we did know AGNATE (if only from a crossword sometime), the collective nouns for various birds, and ‘besiege’ as one meaning of ‘invest’. And LA TRAVIATA was a write-in from the enumeration without examining the anagram fodder in detail.
Favourites were JURY-RIGGED, CAJOLE and ODDMENT.
“What do we call [1dn] these days? An anti-clue?” We call it a ‘reverse-engineered clue’ although the analogy may not be strictly correct.
Thanks, Klingsor and Beermagnet.
I think that’s why Klingsor is so good. Not all that easy when you first see his clues, then quite obvious afterwards.
Babycham is still I think advertised with that Bambi figure. The first two ads that came up when I googled ‘Babycham’ had the picture on the pack.
I see several people had trouble parsing Stoned.
I suggest you don’t even attempt a puzzle in that state.
(c) Mike Giggler
Great puzzle as always from Klingsor. Like everyone else this yielded gradually. SIEGES was also out loi, and MrsW had vague recollections of the week investment meaning. AGNATE was new and I didn’t parse BACKSPACE and despite looking for a reversal I missed the reverse engineered clue – I really like this construction. Thanks to Klingsor and Beermagnet.