I don’t think I have blogged a Tees puzzle for a while, but I try and solve the Independent puzzles every weekday, so I have solved many of his puzzles over recent weeks and months.
There were reference to two different WHITMANs in the puzzle, Slim and Walt. Neither has a birthday on the date of this puzzle so I don’t think there is a WHITMAN theme.
Most of the entries were familiar to me but I don’t have much opportunity to bring GONZO and SAMISEN into everyday conversation.
I wish all our Independent solvers a Merry Christmas.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Endless crude oil misused by humans? Absurd (9) LUDICROUS (absurd) (Anagram of [misused] CRUDE excluding the final letter D [endless] and OIL) + US (humans) LUDICRO* US |
| 6 |
Son in tree composes sacred poem (5) PSALM (sacred song, hymn or poem) S (son) contained in (in) PALM (type of tree) P (S) ALM |
| 9 |
King had this made specially for crossing river (5) DREAM (reference the phrase ‘I have a DREAM‘ in Martin Luther KING‘s speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28 1963) Anagram of (specially) MADE containing (crossing) R (river) D (R) EAM* |
| 10 |
Clock American magazine article? (9) TIMEPIECE (a clock is an example of a TIMEPIECE) TIME (American magazine) + PIECE (an article for a magazine) so taken together we have an article for an American magazine TIME PIECE |
| 11 |
Keep selfies circulating around: removing one is simple (10) EFFORTLESS (easy; simple) Anagram of (circulating) SELFIES excluding (removing) I (Roman numeral for one) containing (around) FORT (a keep) EF (FORT) LESS* |
| 12 |
Courtly love but no husband for this regretful lady (4) OTIS (reference the lyrics ‘Miss OTIS regrets she’s unable to lunch today’ in a song written by Cole Porter in 1933 or 1934) O (character representing zero which is the ‘love’ score on a tennis court; courtly love) + THIS excluding (but no) H (husband) O TIS |
| 14 |
Slim country and western singer with assassin (7) WHITMAN (reference Slim WHITMAN [1923 – 2013], American country and western singer) W (with) + HITMAN (assassin) W HITMAN |
| 15 |
New uranium crystal used in fission? (7) NUCLEAR (relating to, derived from, or powered by the fission or fusion of atomic nuclei; possessing nuclear weapons) N (new) + U (uranium) + CLEAR (crystal) N U CLEAR |
| 17 |
Substantial amount is duty Nadhim ultimately wasted (4,3) TIDY SUM (a good deal of money) Anagram of (wasted) IS DUTY and M (last letter of [ultimately] NADHIM) TIDY SUM* |
| 19 |
Element burning with pong when current put through (7) LITHIUM (the lightest metallic element) LIT (aflame; burning) + (HUM [smell] containing [put through it] I [electric current]) LIT H (I) UM |
| 20 |
Runs when piano produces rough sound (4) RASP (a grating or rough sound) R (runs) + AS (when) + P (piano) R AS P |
| 22 |
Duck in cove caught and stabbed (10) BAYONETTED (stabbed with a BAYONET) O (character representing zero, or no score, which is referred to as a duck in cricket) contained in (in) (BAY [cove] + NETTED (caught [a fish]) BAY (O) NETTED |
| 25 |
Commoners vote, enduring hard claims for attention (3,6) HOI POLLOI (the masses; commoners) POLL (ballot) contained in (enduring) (H [hard, in notation for pencil lead] + [OI {expression used to claim attention} + another OI {expression used to claim attention} giving claims for attention]) H OI (POLL) OI |
| 26 |
1 Across sentimentality about distant land (5) GONZO (absurd; LUDICROUS [entry at 1 across]) GOO (sentimentality) containing (about) NZ (New Zealand, distant land as far as solvers in the UK are concerned) GO (NZ) O |
| 27 |
Pottery expert consuming litres (5) DELFT (kind of earthenware pottery originally made at DELFT, Holland) DEFT (skilled; expert) containing (consuming) L (litres) DE (L) FT |
| 28 |
Back head to show austere approach (9) STERNNESS (austere approach) STERN (back [of a boat]) + NESS [head[land]) STERN NESS |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Accommodate duke in theatre box (5) LODGE (provide accommodation for; accommodate) D (duke) contained in (in) LOGE (a box in the theatre or opera house) LO (D) GE |
| 2 |
Like spring rolls? Main man devours one (4-5) DEEP-FRIED (spring rolls are deep-fried savoury pancakes) DEEP (ocean; main) + (FRED [man’s name]) containing [devours] I [Roman numeral for one]) DEEP FR (I) ED |
| 3 |
Firm needs million to guarantee settlement (10) COMPROMISE (settlement of differences by concession on each side) CO (company; firm) + M (millions) + PROMISE (guarantee) CO M PROMISE |
| 4 |
Bunting taken from door to landing (7) ORTOLAN (kind of bunting, common in Europe) ORTOLAN (hidden word in [taken from] DOOR TO LANDING) ORTOLAN |
| 5 |
Instrument is imported by Salvation Army people (7) SAMISEN (Japanese guitar-like instrument with three strings) IS contained in (imported by) (SA [Salvation Army] + MEN [people]) SA M (IS) EN |
| 6 |
Writer to apply zero pressure in Patmore’s case? (4) POPE (reference Alexander POPE [1688 – 1744], English poet and writer. There may well be other authors with the surname POPE) (O [character representing zero] + P [pressure]) contained in (in) PE (outer letters of [case of] PATMORE. PATMORE was also an English poet, but he lived in a different century to POPE) P (O P) E |
| 7 |
007 not someone lacking in manners? (5) AGENT (007, James Bond is a fictional Secret AGENT) A + GENT (a well mannered person; someone not lacking in manners) A GENT |
| 8 |
Virtuoso rounds lake and medium whirlpool (9) MAELSTROM (particularly powerful whirlpool) MAESTRO (virtuoso) containing (rounds) L (lake) + M (medium) MAE (L) STRO M |
| 13 |
Strange cut perhaps not targeted (10) SCATTERGUN (random, indiscriminate, wide-ranging; not targeted) Anagram of (perhaps) STRANGE CUT SCATTERGUN* |
| 14 |
Doctor was there with daughter for turning point (9) WATERSHED (crucial point or dividing line between two phases, conditions, etc) Anagram of (doctor) WAS THERE + D (daughter) WATERSHE* D |
| 16 |
Old weapon put in cold storage for life (9) EXISTENCE (state of being; life) EX (old) + (STEN [type of gun; weapon] contained in [put in] ICE [cold storage]) EX I (STEN) CE |
| 18 |
Complaint from Tees before son gets stuck into the beers (7) MEASLES (disease; complaint) ME (Tees, the crossword setter) + (S [son] contained in [gets stuck into] ALES [beers]) ME A (S) LES |
| 19 |
Catty 6 Down? (7) LEONINE (lionlike; catlike) LEO NINE (LEO IX [1002 – 1054] was a POPE [another meaning of 6 down]) LEO NINE |
| 21 |
Succeeded with murder in facility (5) SKILL (deftness; facility) S (succeeded) + KILL (murder) S KILL |
| 23 |
Saving rupees, bed down in rubbish (5) DROSS (refuse; rubbish) DOSS (go to bed) containing (saving) R (rupees) D (R) OSS |
| 24 |
American writer close to Walt 14 Across? (4) POET (Walt WHITMAN [entry at 14 across] [1819 – 1892] was an American POET) POE (reference Edgar Alan POE [1809 – 1849]. American writer) + T (last letter of [close to] WALT) I suppose we could debate whether Walt is part of the definition or is just used in a component of the wordplay) POE T |
This was good fun as we have come to expect from Tees, although it was shame to see two of my bugbears: a vague man in 2d; and an unindicated American word in 26a.
SAMISEN was a new word for me, and I don’t think the definition for 15a is accurate.
OTIS was my favourite.
Many thanks to Tees and to Duncan.
Very enjoyable. Maybe the definition for 15A should be ‘used in fission’ rather than just ‘fission’? Thanks Tees and Duncan.
Tatrasman @2. That works for 15a! Thanks.
Medium solve for our two brains together today. ORTOLAN and that meaning for bunting was new for us (we don’t even know all the fish yet, do we have to study birds now?!) and we’d never heard of the OTIS reference.
Thank you Tees and Duncanshiell
I spent a while unsuccessfully trying to parse OTIS (now obvious) and LEONINE (not so obvious) and learnt a couple of new words in LOGE and SAMISEN, so a good challenge. I didn’t know the LUDICROUS sense of GONZO either, thinking it just referred specifically to the Hunter S. Thompson style of journalism.
Happy to see the re-appearance of ORTOLAN in crossword-land.
Thanks to Tees and Duncan
Another enjoyable Tees production
Thanks to him and Duncan
That def at 15a is an adjectival phrase. Or at least I hope it is. AND Collins says GONZO is British slang. So there. AND an ortolan can be a bobolink. Can’t it Pierre.
I am so hungover today. It is my birthday, and I got drunk on the wrong night, although we are going out again tonight. I can’t say I’m relishing it. I’m hoping that the Tesco Finest cottage pie that I’m just about to gobble, with a bit of broccoli, will save me, but I doubt that it will. That bloody Icelandic vodka. Made with water filtered through volcanic lava it says, but I feel as bad as I have done in the past when recovering from consuming cheaper Russian vodka filtered through Mr Putin’s underpants. Or whatever.
Many thanks Duncan and all.
Happy birthday Tees x
Thanks Tees! I for one don’t mind unindicated Americanisms and would go so far as to encourage them.
– Josh from New York
Happy birthday, Tees. It’s not possible to get drunk on the wrong night x
Quite enjoyed this one with the standouts for me being DREAM & OTIS. Just a thumbs down for the random chap in 2d. I did have to look up SAMISEN, another one for the memory banks.
By the way – Chamber does list GONZO as American slang, I thought he was just a character on The Muppets!
Thanks to Tees and also many happy returns – not sure your choice of meal will line your stomach sufficiently for another drinking bout! Thanks also to Duncan for the review.
Happy Birthday Tees, you might do better with Islay single malts than with vodka but that’s my bias. Thanks for a well-crafted crossword with particular favourites being LUDICROUS, DEEP-FRIED, and EXISTENCE. Oddly, LEONINE in the papal sense was recently in a Guardian crossword. Thanks Duncan for helping me understand WHITMAN, OTIS, LITHIUM, and GONZO.
Nice work, JayJay@10 and Hippy Burpday to The Tickler. 🙂
I blew out the birthday drinks. Watched London Has Fallen (which is rubbish, don’t bother) and Die Hard, which is similarly crap, albeit with a bigger budget, instead.
Regarding FRED, names are banned in the Torygraph daily. Solvers got fed up having to guess all the time. I sort of agree that it’s a bit of a cheat. Sort of. ‘Man who said right’? Yeah luvvit.