Alchemi has provided the Tuesday puzzle in this week of national mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, and it helped to lighten the atmosphere for a while at this sombre time, not least for its multiple references to quintessentially British humour. I feel in the mood for nostalgia in this of all weeks, and this puzzle provided it in spades.
Tuesday is theme day, and it is 20 that is our gateway clue, referring to numerous figures in British popular culture. There are, however, a couple of misleading references to 20 in 7 and 17, which provided a little extra challenge.
I think that I have solved and parsed everything to my relative satisfaction, although I am not sure whether 17 is a double or triple definition – any thoughts? My favourite clues today were 11, for making me smile; and 22, for the clever use of the comma in the wordplay. However, the true value of this puzzle is greater than the sum of its parts.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | TEARS UP | Between drinks, Republican starts to cry
R (=Republican) in [TEA (=(a) drink) + SUP (=(to) drink)] |
| 05 | BESETS | Hems in vegetables containing sulphur
S (=sulphur) in BEETS (=vegetables, i.e. sugar beets, beetroots) |
| 08 | EXPLORERS | Cook and Hudson – old proles shocked to receive king
EX- (=old, former) + [R (=king, i.e. rex) in *(PROLES)]; “shocked” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the English explorers James Cook (1728-79) and Henry Hudson (1565-1611) |
| 09 | AREAS | Live like perches?
ARE (=live, exist) + AS (=like); perches are imperial measures of distance and area |
| 11 | WOOZY | Back in Sydney Zoo, wombats confused and unsteady
Hidden (“in”) and “reversed (“back”) in “sydneY ZOO Wombats” |
| 12 | SICK LEAVE | Cutter has a way of not working on this
SICKLE (=cutter, in agriculture) + AVE (=a way, i.e. avenue) |
| 13 | REED STOP | Part of organ Sheeran features in strange poster
ED (=Sheeran, i.e. English singer-songwriter) in *(POSTER); “strange” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | TALENT | Gift storybooks
TALE (=story) + NT (=books, i.e. New Testament) |
| 17 | NUMBER | 20 // possibly even // less sensitive
Triple definition: 20 is a number, a figure AND a number can be even or odd AND the adjective “number” means less sensitive |
| 19 | BACKACHE | Support American Revolutionary’s complaint
BACK (=(to)support) + A (=American) + CHE (=Revolutionary, i.e. Che Guevara) |
| 22 | IN COMMAND | Exercising authority at home, nationalist deportations beginning
IN (=at home) + COMMA (=,) + N (=nationalist) + D<eportations> (“beginning” means first letter only) |
| 23 | SIREN | Warning about vice grips
RE- (=about, regarding) in SIN (=vice) |
| 24 | SWEEP | 20 character cries back to front
WEEPS (=cries); “back to front” means last letter moves to front of word; the reference is to the popular TV glove puppet, created by Harry Corbett (=entry at 20) and appearing in shows presented by Harry and his son Matthew Corbett |
| 25 | ODOURLESS | Lacking fragrance, rose should be moved away from front of house
*(ROSE S<h>OULD); “away from front (“first letter”) of house” means letter “h” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “moved” |
| 26 | WHINED | Listened to turn and complained
Homophone (“listened to”) of “wind (=turn, twist)” |
| 27 | KRYPTON | Where Superman would be in his element
Cryptic definition: Planet Krypton is where Superman came from, while krypton is also a chemical element |
| Down | ||
| 01 | THE TWO RONNIES | Grinding stone wore thin on 20 show
*(STONE WORE THIN); “grinding” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the British comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett (=entry at 20) |
| 02 | APPROVE | Son of Welsh prince to wander, OK?
AP (=son of, in Welsh names) + P (=prince) + ROVE (=to wander) |
| 03 | SOOTY | Ordinary toys broken by 20 character
*(O (=ordinary, as in O-level exam) + TOYS); “broken” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the popular TV glove puppet, created by Harry Corbett (=entry at 20) and appearing in shows presented by Harry and his son Matthew Corbett |
| 04 | PRESS BOX | Iron crate which contains reporters
PRESS (=(to) iron, e.g. trousers) + BOX (=crate) |
| 05 | BISECT | Piece about small city district cut in half
[S (=small, of sizes) + EC (=city district, in London)] in BIT (=piece) |
| 06 | SMALL TALK | Polite conversation shops obsessively follow around
MALL (=shops, i.e. shopping centre) in STALK (=obsessively follow around) |
| 07 | TEENAGE | Support for one article brought up under 20
TEE (=support, in golf) + NAGE (E.G.=for one, for example) + AN (=article); “brought up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 10 | STEPTOE AND SON | Teaspoons tend to bend on 20 show
*(TEASPOONS TEND); “to bend” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the British sitcom starring Harry H Corbett (=entry at 20) |
| 14 | STEAM OPEN | Terrible poem as 10 secretly get at other’s mail
*(POEM AS TEN (=10)); “terrible” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | HANDBOOK | Instructions Spooner’s group catch
Spoonerism of “band (=group) + hook (=catch, e.g. fish)” |
| 18 | MACBETH | King invests American subject with decoration
CBE (=decoration, i.e. Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in MATH (=American (school) subject, i.e. maths in the UK) |
| 20 | CORBETT | Actor queen laid in bed
[R (=queen, i.e. regina) + BET (=laid, staked)] in COT (=bed); the reference could be to any number of the Corbetts mentioned in this puzzle! |
| 21 | HAROLD | 20 character to keep being found outside topless bar
<b>AR (“topless” means first letter is dropped) in HOLD (=keep); Harold Steptoe was the character played by Harry H Corbett (=entry at 20) in Steptoe and Son |
| 23 | SORRY | Pitiful // 20 show
Double definition: sorry means pitiful, as in a sorry sight AND Sorry! was a TV sitcom starring Ronnie Corbett (=entry at 20) |
Thanks for the very kind review, RR. To be honest, I vaguely worried that Steptoe in particular was a bit too old, but serendipitously it is a bit more “topical” given the vats of nostalgia being poured everywhere this week.
When I wrote 17, I thought it was 20 possibly// even less sensitive, but you can read it how you like if it succeeds in justifying the correct answer.
My favourite clue is 24, but that’s more because he was one of my heroes than because it’s a stunning feat of cruciverbalism.
This was challenging with a lot of typical Alchemi deviousness on show, but it was pleasantly nostalgic and great fun.
TEARS UP is a new expression for me, and one which seems slightly strange.
It’s probably worth mentioning that SMALL TALK was a game show hosted by Ronnie Corbett.
With plenty of great clues to choose from, AREAS was my favourite and, similar to our reviewer, I liked the clever use of the comma in 22a.
Many thanks to Alchemi and to RR.
Hard work, including being stuck a few times, but as pointed out the nostalgia was very welcome. STEPTOE AND SON wasn’t too old for me, Alchemi @1; I remember seeing the very first episode way, way back when and even as a child, finding it both sad and funny, probably as intended.
I didn’t know either of the puppet characters and missed the significance of ‘perches?’ as imperial measures. AP as ‘son of Welsh’ was also new. Favourite was the punctuation as wordplay COMMA at 22a.
Thanks to Alchemi and RR
Well and truly caught out on the parsing front with 22a and stupidly I never thought of perches in the rods, poles etc manner.
Something of a little devil this one but thanks to Alchemi for the challenge and to RR for setting me straight on the parsing front.
Thanks both. Liked the treatment of the theme, in all its guises. Did not know ‘perch’ in that sense, and APPROVE caused me to seek assistance, never considering OK had been used as a verb, and not knowing the AP portion – I am partly descended from the Welsh but on the female side, and a small amount of research still leaves me unclear on what if anything it stands for (which might make some sense)
A bit of devious cluing here and there but we got it all. TEARS UP was new to us but we checked it in Chambers (which does state ‘chiefly US’). We were on the alert, too, for red herrings which look as though they’re part of the theme but aren’t as Alchemi does tend to use them (see his comment on the blog for Indy 9921, 31/07/2018). We liked the ‘comma’ device, too.
We did think it might turn out to be a pangram as well, but in the end it was five letters short.
Thanks, Alchemi and RR.
This was my third puzzle today – hence the late showing – and also my favourite.
Growing up in the 70s, I saw all those programmes with their respective Corbetts. I cheerfully remember the Steptoe episode in which their house was divided in half but given my tender years back then, it was SOOTY and the expressively squeaky SWEEP who stirred the fondest memories.
The comma in 22 was most cunning as mentioned and I liked the use of ‘cutter’ in 12 because though cluing ‘sickle’, it could also refer to one who ‘cuts school’ or work (albeit without permission).
Thanks for the fun, Alchemi and to RatkojaRiku for a well-cribbed blog.
Thanks Alchemi and RatkojaRiku.
Not being a Brit, had to dig and verify for shows other than THE TWO RONNIES which I had heard of. In the process learnt MACBETH and SMALL TALK are also TV shows.
APPROVE and TEENAGE are favs.
As often happens, I only got the key clue, 20, after getting most of the related ones. I liked the “son of Welsh”. I have a vague memory of Harry H Corbett feeling that Steptoe an Son somewhat spoiled his serious acting career. Did he play Macbeth? Thanks, both.
Me@9 Apparently he played Hamlet, but not Macbeth.
Petert @9 & 10. According to Wikipedia, in 1962 Harry H Corbett was working at the Bristol Old Vic, where he appeared as Macbeth, when he was recruited by Galton & Simpson to play Harold Steptoe in what was intended to be a one-off appearance in an episode of Comedy Playhouse.
Rabbit Dave Thank you so much. I felt there had to be a connection.
Rabbit Dave @ 11 & ilippu @ 8:
Well spotted. Having filled the grid with as many references as possible, when I came to clue them I thought too few people would have known about a Macbeth at Bristol Old Vic or Small Talk (which I didn’t remember at all) to make those connections a compulsory part of the syllabus; so I left them there for the very attentive student to recognise.
Thanks Alchemi. Not knowing the Corbetts made this crossword quite the journey in the dark but the excellent cluing allowed me to complete it albeit with a bit of letter revealing toward the end. Oddly, I had heard of all the titles in the crossword so that helped. Thanks RR for the blog.
Fantastic work. I loved the way the different Corbetts were worked in and the extra misleading 20s added an extra bite. Brilliant.