I filled the grid quickly by looking at the definitions, but parsing the wordplay took a lot longer! Thank you Methuselah.
It looks like there is a lot of stuff in here relating to the BBC series Line of Duty. I am the worst person to blog this puzzle as I have never seen it. I started looking bits up in Wikipedia then gave up, you probably know it all already.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | STEAL |
Snatch of metal caught on the radio (5)
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sounds like (as caught on the radio) "steel" (mettle) |
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| 8 | PERISCOPE |
Bent coppers i.e. people in deep may be shown up by this (9)
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anagram (bent) of COPPERS IE – "the deep" is the sea |
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| 10 | CHAPATI |
Fella briefly engaged in dodgy activity to make some bread (7)
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CHAP (fella) then AT It (engaged in, briefly) |
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| 11 | ACCENTS |
AC-12’s coppers showing signs of stress (7)
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AC and CENTS (America's coppers) – AC-12 is a reference to Line of Duty |
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| 12 | AMERICA |
Country‘s crime data evenly distributed (7)
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anagram (distributed) of CRIME and dAtA (every other letter, evenly) |
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| 13 | AT ISSUE |
Report from snout reportedly being discussed (2,5)
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AT ISSUE sounds like (reportedly) "atishoo" (a report form the snout, nose) |
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| 14 | TED HASTINGS |
Police leader probing strange deaths (3,8)
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STING (leader of The Police, rock band) inside (probing) anagram (strange) of deaths – definition refers to a character from BBC TV series Line of Duty |
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| 19 | OILIEST |
Most smooth, detailed poet from the east has India at heart (7)
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TS ELIOt (poet, de-tailed) contains (has…at heart) I (India) |
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| 21 | CURIOUS |
Copper’s bringing posh Spanish banker in for questioning (7)
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CU'S (copper's) contains (bringing…in) U (posh) RIO (river in Spanish, something that has banks) |
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| 23 | IONISED |
Acclaimed, but first to be dismissed and charged (7)
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LIONISED (acclaimed) missing first letter |
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| 25 | RADIANT |
Beaming traitor keeps lead from DI Fleming? (7)
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RAI (traitor) contains (keeps) DI (firstletter, lead from) and IAN (Ian Fleming, ? indicates perhaps) |
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| 26 | ELONGATES |
After coupling with another, tech billionaire stretches (9)
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ELON (Elon Musk) and GATES (Bill Gates) are two tech billionaires |
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| 27 | NAIVE |
Innocent Methuselah framed by villain on tape (5)
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I (Methuselah, the writer) contains (framed by) NAVE which sounds like (as heard on tape) "knave" (villain) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DECADENT |
Perhaps Blair years ultimately written about as corrupt (8)
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DECADE (a 10-year period, the Blair Years perhaps) then writteN abouT (last letters of, ultimately) |
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| 2 | ALKALI |
Those last seen in militia will attack Area 51 base (6)
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last letters of militiA wilL attacK areA then LI (51, Roman numerals) |
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| 3 | OPTICAL ART |
Deceptive designs sending a PC to trial (7,3)
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anagram (sending, to rouse to ecstasy?) of A PC TO TRIAL |
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| 4 | UREA |
Federal investigators over the pond uncovered something in the water (4)
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bUREAu (FBI, federal investigators in US, over the pond) missing outer letters (uncovered) – the water is urine |
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| 5 | C-SECTION |
Operation‘s legal proceedings repeatedly failing to get answers (1-7)
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CaSE and aCTION (legal proceeding, twice) missing (failing to get) A (answer, twice) |
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| 6 | POUNDS |
At least 100 coppers or plods (6)
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POUNDS is at least 100 pence (so measured in pounds) |
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| 7 | SOCIAL |
Friendly note on beauty treatment has lowered tone (6)
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FACIAL (beauty treatment) with the note (tone) FA lowered to SO |
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| 9 | EASTER |
Preview clip with culprit finally sent down … this calls for a celebration (6)
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tEASER (preview clip) with culpriT (final letter of) missing (sent down) |
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| 13 | ANTICHRIST |
Isn’t it arch working for the enemy? (10)
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anagram (working) of ISNT IT ARCH |
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| 15 | DRESSAGE |
Fancy riding in gear some time? (8)
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DRESS (gear, clothes) AGE (some time) |
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| 16 | SPORADIC |
Isolated police officers brought back to catch wicked one (8)
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COPS (police officers) reversed (brought back) containing (to catch) RAD (wicked, very good) and I (one) |
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| 17 | NOVICE |
New recruit covering up corruption? (6)
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ON (covering) reversed (up) then VICE (corruption) |
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| 18 | TSETSE |
Superintendent sets example, arresting sucker (6)
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found inside (is arrested by) superintendenT SETS Example – a blood-sucking fly |
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| 20/24 | LINE OF DUTY |
Criminal due to fly in for police show featuring 14 (4,2,4)
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anagram (criminal) of DUE TO FLY IN |
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| 22 | RED ANT |
Worker in community armed DS Arnott regularly (3,3)
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every other letter (regularly) of aRmEd Ds ArNoTt |
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| 24 |
See 20
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I really enjoyed this, more so as I am a great fan of Line of Duty. With a themed puzzle timing can be crucial – DS Arnott is now DI Arnott, but it doesn’t affect the clue!
I dislike the American “word” RAD with a passion but it seems to have found its way into British dictionaries, and I’m not sure about 26a which needs the first name of one billionaire and the surname of another, but those minor niggles aside, this was a lot of fun.
Some of the parsing took me a while to resolve and I needed to phone a friend for help in this respect with both 14a & 5d.
Many thanks to Methuselah and to PD.
PeeDee and I prove that it is possible to solve this crossword without ever watching Line of Duty. I did know 14a mainly from watching Adrian Dunbar’s interesting Northern Ireland road trip programme
Thanks to Methuselah and PeeDee
Unlike Rabbit Dave, I didn’t enjoy this. Not being a fan of police or any other dramas, and only slightly aware of Line of Duty, much of the parsing was a struggle, and I failed in the NE corner. At 7A, surely SO is usually up the scale from FA, since it’s usually sung rising; OK, it can be falling too but ‘raised tone’ would have worked. And at 16D ‘sporadic’ is not ‘isolated’, though no doubt somebody will say it’s shown thus in some dictionary or other. So now I challenge a kind setter to have a theme based on a documentary series. Despite all this, thanks Methuselah and PeeDee.
We too had not seen or heard of line of duty, and had the same qu’s as tatrasman@3, and others, among which, America is not a country, pounds needs to be at least 200 coppers. We didn’t parse a lot of the answers, found some definitions loose and had never heard RAD for wicked.
We liked elongates and at issue though.
Thanks to Methuselah and Peedee
Themed puzzles are fine as long as knowledge of the theme is not needed to solve the puzzle. That was the case for me here. I’ve never watched it, though I had heard of it. When 14A emerged as a possibility (and my penultimate answer), I allowed myself a check on the Internet to verify that there was such a character. Favourite clues, CURIOUS and OILIEST. I too found some of the parsing quite tricky so thanks, PeeDee, for explaining it all so fully. Many thanks to Methuselah for an enjoyable puzzle.
What crypticsue said….almost. TED HASTINGS defeated me – I assume he’s either an actor or the lead character but, not having the faintest what I was working towards, I certainly didn’t see the Sting/Police device – which is clever.
My experience was most unlike our blogger’s. I didn’t find solutions occurring readily – though when they finally arrived – or, as in the case of IONISED and DECADENT, I resorted to help – they were fairly enough clued. And I’d bunged in ORCA unparsed which turned out to be UREA! I was rather proud of myself for spotting RAD – although I share Rabbit Dave’s loathing of the word.
I was briefly surprised by SPORADIC but then thought ‘occasional’ which fitted with isolated so I moved on. I loved the definition of PERISCOPE – I took ‘up’ to be what is seen through the viewfinder and it made the whole puzzle worthwhile. ELONGATES is also a lovely spot by our setter.
Thanks Methusela and the hard working – in every respect this weekend – PeeDee
I’m another who hasn’t watched Line of Duty but didn’t find it a problem. 14a had to be a name and the wordplay was clear.
Panthes@4 – If something cost 150p you could say it was one-and-a-half pounds – not commonly used, but not incorrect.
Thanks all
Whilst not strictly necessary, I think that being a fan of Line of Duty certainly contributed towards the enjoyment of this solve and possibly made clues like that for 14a easier to work out.
Is this a debut – I don’t recall having met this setter previously? Either way, I shall look forward to seeing his next offering.
Thanks to Methuselah and also to PeeDee for the review.
I am ashamed to admit that I used to use RAD in the UK when I was younger, so not just an Americanism. I must have thought I sounded so sophisticated. As various commenters point out using this word is not clever and not cool, and this is just another thing to add the list of embarrassing childhood memories now.
Also interesting to read that others have not seen Line of Duty either. I had begun to believe from reading the newspaper and listening to the radio that Line of Duty is the program that everyone is watching and everyone is talking about.
Another who has not watched L of D, I remembered Poirot knew a policeman called Hastings. Seemed to fit a ‘police’ theme, though I now know he was not ‘Ted’. Enjoyed the puzzle despite my ignorance. Thanks to setter and reviewer.
Quite a challenge as w don’t watch LOD, but with last week’s and this week’s Radio Times to hand we almost finished although we struggled with the parsing. 4dn was the one we couldn’t get.
Some very nice clues, though. We particularly liked LIONISED and OILIEST.
Thanks, Methuselah and PeeDee.
Question about SOCIAL: isn’t SO above, not below, FA? The clue should then be “…raised tone…”?
What everyone else said. So is definitely above Fa in the tonic scale. Never seen the programme, despite the hype. Needed the blog, so thanks to PeeDee. Like PostMark @6 my favourites were periscope and elongate. Very nice, both. Thanks to Methuselah.
Quite right about the higher tone everybody. I didn’t stop to think about it very long, I just assumed that the Methuselah know what he/she was doing and wrote it in the blog.
To be fair on 7d, it can be read either way. Note on beauty treatment (I.e., the FA in facial) has a lowered tone (compared with the SO in social). I agree that this is not the obvious reading, so (pardon the pun), it may just be an error.
Thanks Methuselah and PeeDee.
I don’t watch Line of Duty but my husband does, and google helps!
Two typos in the blog:
RAT, not RAI at 25a
At 9d, T is sent town, to follow the S, not missing.
Panthes @4 2p coins are coppers. A hundred of them would be two poundS.
What everyone else said. Not having seen line of duty I found this annoying, but all gettable. Didn’t like sporadic with its dodgy definition and unknown “rad” but admired elongates and periscope.
Thanks for the blog, PeeDee. I’m glad commenters on the whole seem to have enjoyed the puzzle.
Rabbit Dave @1, you take a first name from one and a surname from the other because ELON GATES is what Elon Musk might be called if he married or coupled up with Bill Gates.
Panthes @4, America might not strictly mean USA in a geography textbook, but it’s commonly used just about everywhere else, so is surely fair enough for a crossword! For 6d you need 100 two-pence pieces as Katherine has said @16.
Chambers online has ‘sporadic’ and ‘isolated’ as synonyms. Finally, mea culpa re: the bum note at 7d. Thanks again to PeeDee and to those who have left feedback – now I’m off to watch the latest episode!
I don’t watch LOD either, but have picked up vague knowledge of it through the ether, and managed a full solve. Albeit with a few pauses for solver’s block. Liked 2, 6, 16, 17, 7a, 8, 11, 23, 25.
Cheers Methuselah, and thanks PeeDee.
Great stuff.
Methuselah @18. Many thanks for popping in (just seconds before yesterday evening’s LOD!) and for the explanation of ELONGATES, which makes sense. Also my heartfelt thanks for writing “mea culpa” and not the truly dreadful “my bad”!
I’m looking forward very much to your next puzzle.