An Eccles puzzle today
I do enjoy Eccles puzzles as the clues are uniformly excellent. It was interesting today to see how well many of the anagram, containment, hidden word, and reversal indicators fitted smoothly into the clues.
There is always something new to learn when doing crosswords. Before today, I wasn’t aware that TONKA BEANS were toxic and I had not heard of the silent film star Louise BROOKS.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Formal document containing a Catholic’s letter (9) CHARACTER (letter) CHARTER (formal document) containing (containing) (A + C [Catholic]) CHAR (A C) TER |
| 8 |
Donation perhaps left in error (7) HANDOUT (gift; donation) HAND (a HAND could be either left or right, hence the use of perhaps when suggesting left) + OUT (not accurate; in error) HAND OUT |
| 10 |
Plant stylish hedge (7) INSTALL (pace firmly in position [plant]) IN (stylish) + STALL (delay; hedge) IN STALL |
| 11 |
Crumpled banknote wrapped around a toxic food additive (5,4) TONKA BEAN (seed of the TONKA tree which can be used as a flavouring in the preparation of some foodstuffs TONKA BEANs contain a chemical compound, coumarin which is toxic when consumed in high quantities) Anagram of (crumpled) BANKNOTE containing (wrapped around) A TONK (A) BEAN* Either A could be the one contained. |
| 12 |
One fleeced Al Capone, one conceded, when returning alcohol, primarily (6) ALPACA (an animal with a fleece; one fleeced) AL + CAPONE excluding (conceded) ONE and then reversed (when returning) + A (first letter of [primarily] ALCOHOL) AL PAC< A |
| 15 |
Cleaner receives award from the queen in assembly room (7) CHAMBER (the place where an assembly meets) CHAR (cleaner) containing (receives) MBE (Member of the British Empire; an award conferred by HM The Queen) CHA (MBE) R |
| 16 |
Wipe out many years, say, when time drifts away (9) ERADICATE (destroy or get rid of; wipe out) ERA (a period of many years) + DICTATE (say or read for another to write) excluding (drifts away) T (time) ERA DICATE |
| 19 |
Do reports badly, leading to instruction to sell shares (4,5) STOP ORDER (instruction to a broker to sell one or more shares when the price offered for them falls below a stipulated level) Anagram of (badly) DO REPORTS STOP ORDER* |
| 20 |
Thailand’s currency in difficulty (7) TROUBLE (difficulty) T (International Vehicle Registration for Thailand) + ROUBLE (Russian currency) T ROUBLE |
| 22 |
TV station expels new fashion designer (6) CHANEL (reference Coco CHANEL [1883-1971] a French fashion designer and businesswoman) CHANNEL (TV station) excluding (expelling) one of the N (new) CHANEL |
| 23 |
Bore pilot silly, which is novel (9) POTBOILER (a work of literature produced merely with regard to saleability, to secure the necessaries of life; novel) Anagram of (silly) BORE PILOT POTBOILER* |
| 25 |
Teletubby twice to regret making comeback to make catchy music (7) EUROPOP (popular music from continental Europe with simple melodies and lyrics usually sung in English) (PO [one of the Teletubbies] + PO again [twice] + RUE [regret]) all reversed (making comeback) (EUR OP OP)<
|
| 27 |
Small three-wheeler beginning to roll forward (7) STRIKER (forward player in many ball games) S (small) + TRIKE (three-wheeled tricycle) + R (first letter of [beginning to] ROLL) S TRIKE R |
| 28 |
Spooner’s crude technique that’s used to send messages (5,4) MORSE CODE (method of signalling and sending messages in which each letter is represented by a combination of dashes and dots or long and short light-flashes) Reverend Spooner would refer to MORSE CODE as COARSE (crude) MODE (technique) MORSE CODE |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Currencies firm for a long time (8) COINAGES (currencies) CO (company; firm) + IN AGES (for a long time, as I haven’t seen you IN AGES or I haven’t seen you for a long time) CO IN AGES |
| 2 |
When to get son donkey (3) ASS (stupid person; donkey) AS (when) + S (son) AS S |
| 3 |
Lawless American agent held in custody at first (8) ANARCHIC (lawless) A (American) + NARC (American NARCotics agent) + HIC (initial letters of each of [at first] HELD, IN and CUSTODY) A NARC HIC |
| 4 |
Inclination to drill until Thursday (4) TILT (inclination) TILT (hidden word in [drill] UNTIL THURSDAY) TILT |
| 5 |
Sensitive Conservative regularly dithers about thick-skinned individual (10) RHINOCEROS (thick skinned animal; thick skinned individual as in ‘he has the hide of a RHINOCEROS) (SORE [sensitive] + CON [Conservative) + IHR [letters 2, 4 and 6 {regularly} of DITHERS]) all reversed (about) (RHI NOC EROS)< |
| 6 |
An Arabic drink knocked over in Asian city (6) ANKARA (capital city of Turkey, a country with the majority of its land area considered to be in Asia) AN + ARAK (strong Arabian or Asian drink) reversed (knocked over) AN KARA< |
| 7 |
Pothead captured in bust on Erraid (6) STONER (habitual taker of drugs such as cannabis [pothead]) STONER (hidden word in [captured in] BUST ON ERRAID) – Erraid is an island in the Inner Hebrides so the phrase ‘bust on Erraid’ is possible, although very unlikely) STONER |
| 9 |
Black underpants supporting several balls – that’s too much of a load (10) OVERBURDEN (load too heavily) OVER (there are six [several] balls in an OVER in cricket) + B (black) + an anagram of (pants) UNDER OVER B URDEN* |
| 13 |
Toy weapon has unusual rings to crack safe (10) PEASHOOTER (small tube for blowing PEAS through, used as a toy weapon) (Anagram of [unusual] HAS + OO [two ring shaped letters]) contained in (to crack) PETER (a safe) PE (ASH* OO) TER |
| 14 |
Fail to secure weapon? Not I – it can go off without reason (5,5) FALSE ALARM (warning of danger which turns out to have been unnecessary; a warning without reason) FAIL excluding (not) I + SEAL (to secure) + ARM FAL SE AL ARM |
| 17 |
Heroes in fancy restaurant (8) NOSHERIE (a place where food is served) This spelling is in Collins dictionary. Anagram of (fancy) HEROES IN NOSHERIE* |
| 18 |
A falling pound stops professional recess (8) PROLAPSE (a falling down) L (symbol for pound sterling) contained in (stops) (PRO [professional] + APSE [recess]) PRO (L) APSE |
| 20 |
Asian drunk discussed office worker (6) TYPIST (office worker) TY (sounds like [discussed] THAI [native of Thailand; Asian]) + PIST (sounds like [discussed] PISSED [drunk]) TY PIST |
| 21 |
Streams silent movie star (6) BROOKS (streams) BROOKS (reference Louise BROOKS [1906-1985], American film actress who starred in seventeen silent films) double definition BROOKS |
| 24 |
Care for back (4) REAR (breed and foster; care for) REAR (back) double definition REAR |
| 25 |
Head of Parlophone loves scat (3) POO (faeces; SCAT can be defined as animal droppings as well as being a type of nonsense singing) P (first letter of [head of] PARLAPHONE) + OO (two occurrences of a letter representing zero [love score in tennis]) to give ‘loves’ P OO |
All good fun. Thanks to Eccles and Duncan.
In 21d, we took this as a reference to Mel BROOKS, who made the film “Silent Movie”.
I had 21d as DavidO.
Like the last Eccles, there were a few unknowns for me, but all clued in a way I could guess and check. Today, these were: TONKA BEAN (hyphenated in Chambers), STOP ORDER, NOSHERIE and I could only vaguely recall hearing of ARAK. The usual welcome humour made for a fun solve.
DavidO @1: Thanks for that. Mel Brooks came to mind – I’m not going to reopen the old debate about GK but I’d be a little surprised if Eccles expected us to know of Louise Brooks. Though whether he also expected us to be able to locate Erraid, I cannot guess.
Apart from the unforgivable NOSHERIES (not Eccles’ fault it exists), this was a pleasure throughout. Lots to laugh at (and, with Paul in the Guardian, potentially a ribald morning). TYPIST is a homophone to smile at (though Trappist used a similar device not that long ago) and MORSE CODE is a nice Spoonerism. CHARACTER, INSTALL, CHAMBER, ERADICATE and TILT were my other ticks but, for COTD, with OVERBURDEN (despite a dubiously valiant attempt by Mr Halpern), Eccles takes the prize for coffee-spluttering rudery.
Thanks Eccles and Duncan
Looks like I got the wrong BROOKS. Mel seems a better bet now that I know he wrote, directed and starred in Silent Movie. I’m afraid that films and the cinema are topics that I know very little about, so I just tried googling silent movie actors named BROOKS and came up with Louise.
My mind went straight to Louise. Mel didn’t occur to me, even though I’m well aware of him. I wonder which one Eccles was thinking of, or if it was both. 🙂
FALSE ALARM & OVERBURDEN were my favourites. Thanks Duncan & Eccles.
The usual entertaining solve from Mr Every Other Wednesday
Thanks to him and Duncan
At first I thought Mel Brooks only directed ‘Silent Movie’ but on checking was reminded that he also starred in it, so probably him. Strange that tonka beans are toxic when they feature in many recipes, also used in perfume apparently. Great fun, so thanks Eccles and Duncan.
Always nice to start the day with Eccles and a cuppa
His name was Mel Fun in the movie which I thought was hilarious
The overhead shot of about 20 stiff coffees the morning after he slipped off the wagon
And the only person that spoke was,……C’etait lui!(MM)
Surely a false alarm is something that has gone off without reason not something that can do so?
That aside I thoroughly enjoyed this – especially the cheeky 9D.
Thanks to Duncan and Eccles
reddevil @ 9: There can be a reason for a false alarm. At places I’ve worked variously through the years they’ve been triggered by external workmen drilling through a power cable, dust from internal works setting the sensors off, and injudicious placing of a toaster.
All the usual fun and games from Eccles with the exception of that dreadful NOSHERIE – does anyone actually say that? Quite liked the Spoonerism which is unusual for me and my favourite was TYPIST, made me laugh out loud.
Thanks to Eccles for the puzzle and to Duncan for the homework on silent movie stars.
reddevil, good point; if it can go off, with or without reason, it’s just an alarm.
OVERBURDEN is a noun, albeit rather an odd one – I don’t think Eccles was giving us a tortured verb.
All good fun, thanks Eccles, Duncan
Simon S @10 I suppose the correct definition of a false alarm is one that has gone off for a reason other than that for which the alarm was designed but I’m not suggesting that should be in the clue!
Either way it is one that has gone off and not one that can.
great fun as ever. As often seems to be the case, I can just put “ditto” against Jane’s comment @11. I would just add that I thought Eccles was back in his tougher vein this week, but that’s not at all a criticism.
Late solve today, and I thought quite a tough one too, though not as many obscure words as the last Eccles. Very smooth surfaces as usual and some nice misdirection.
I agree NOSHERIE is a truly dreadful word, and agree with it’s definition (warning – don’t click if easily offended) in the urban dictionary here
Thanks Eccles and Duncan.
Thank you to Duncan for the usual comprehensive blog, and to all who commented. I must admit, I was thinking of Louise Brooks. I thought she was reasonably well known, although Mel is more so, and I would probably have used an adapted version if I had thought of him (perhaps even just capitalised the S and M so it could have worked either way.) My knowledge of her first came from an OMD song, I think.
I thought this was going to be another day of failing to finish as I got a bit stuck in the top left, but somehow it all came to me.
Louise Brooks was the first one that came to me, too. I’ve seen Pandora’s Box many times I think I have an old VHS tape of it somewhere and it was revived at the BFI quite recently. Fun fact: her last film starred John Wayne.
Thanks Eccles & Duncan, this was lots of fun. Glad I’m not the only one who cringed at NOSHERIE. Mel was the BROOKS who came to my mind, but as soon as I read the blog, I knew Louise rang a bell – Pandora’s Box, of course!
Tatrasman @7 – many other commonly eaten types of beans are toxic if not cooked properly. Be careful out there.
Great fun. NOSHERIE last in & a head scratch but otherwise a pretty straightforward solve. TYPIST & OVERBURDEN both brilliant. I too thought Mel rather than Louise.
Thanks all