Rodriguez appears in the Thursday slot, where he’s a fairly regular contributor.
Thursdays (and Rodriguez) usually mean something towards the trickier end of the spectrum; nothing here seemed unreasonable but some clues took a bit of teasing out. The solutions to 28a and 15d didn’t immediately spring to mind but were guessable. Some amusing surface images, especially the potentially slanderous 6a, the moral issues in 2d and the enthusiastic seamstress in 19d; I also liked the “corrupt person’s confession” in 14a. Perhaps our setter could have avoided starting three clues with “Maybe”, all indicating a definition by example; other indicators are available . . . Thanks to Rodriguez for an enjoyable challenge.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 6 | SCOUSER |
Maybe Rooney‘s drunk, snorting cocaine, right? (7)
|
| SOUSE (slang for drunk, as a noun = drunkard) containing (snorting = ingesting) C (slang abbreviation for cocaine), then R (abbreviation for right).
Slang for someone from Merseyside, for example the footballer Wayne Rooney. |
||
| 8 | ATTABOY |
Addicts keeping sober, with flipping rowdy encouragement (7)
|
| AA (abbreviation for Alcoholics Anonymous = addicts), containing (keeping) TT (abbreviation for teetotal = sober), then YOB (rowdy, as a noun = disruptive young person) reversed (flipping).
Expression of encouragement or approval, perhaps a corruption of “that’s the boy!”. |
||
| 10 | PHOTOBOMB |
In blocking Porto’s wingers fail to disrupt a shot (9)
|
| HOT (in = fashionable) inserted into (blocking) the outer letters (wingers) of P[ort]O, then BOMB (as a verb = slang for fail).
To spoil someone else’s carefully-composed photo (shot) by appearing in it uninvited. |
||
| 11 | DIRAC |
Doctor grasps paper by cooler physicist (5)
|
| DR (abbreviation for doctor) containing (grasping) I (paper = the newspaper known as i), then AC (abbreviation for air conditioning = cooler).
Paul Dirac, 20th-century physicist. |
||
| 12 | HALAL |
Prince Albert’s accepted in Abu Dhabi, say (5)
|
| HAL (name used for Prince Henry who later became King Henry V) + AL (shortened form of the name Albert).
Term denoting things (especially foods) that are permitted under Islamic law, for example in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. |
||
| 14 | INCUMBENT |
Corrupt person’s confession probed by new copper in office (9)
|
| I’M BENT (someone’s confession of being corrupt), containing (probed by) N (abbreviation for new) + CU (Cu = chemical symbol for copper, from Latin cuprum).
Incumbent as an adjective = descriptive of someone holding a particular position (for example a minister in a local church). |
||
| 16/21 | FIFTY SHADES OF GREY |
Remake of Godfather’s iffy? Yes, but it’s a spanking tale (5,6,2,4)
|
| Anagram (remake) of GODFATHERS IFFY YES.
Novel by E L James, describing the type of sexual activity for which “spanking” is a rather mild slang term. |
||
| 20 | LIFE STORY |
Is dishonest politician investing francs in account? (4,5)
|
| LIES (as a verb = is dishonest) + TORY (Conservative politician), containing (investing) F (symbol for French francs, before they were replaced by the euro). | ||
| 22 | LEHAR |
What American held in hands for composer (5)
|
| EH (eh? = what? = an expression indicating surprise or failure to hear what’s been said) + A (abbreviation for American), contained in L + R (abbreviations for left and right hands).
Franz Lehár, Austro-Hungarian composer. |
||
| 23 | CROAK |
Harsh noise from King Charles by his hiding place (5)
|
| CR (abbreviation for Carolus Rex = Latin for King Charles) + OAK (legend has it that King Charles II hid in an oak tree to escape from his enemies after defeat at the Battle of Worcester). | ||
| 25 | GREAT OUSE |
River carp sandwiches put away (5,4)
|
| GROUSE (carp = slang for complain or grumble) containing (sandwiching) EAT (put away).
River in eastern England (pronounced ooze). |
||
| 27 | STERILE |
Mobster, I learn, essentially unable to create issue (7)
|
| Hidden answer (essentially = just the middle of a word or phrase) in [mob]STER I LE[arn]. | ||
| 28 | ENNUIED |
Bored taking cannabis, did you say? (7)
|
| Homophone (we hear) of ON WEED (slang for using cannabis as a recreational drug).
Affected by ennui (boredom or dissatisfaction). |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | COCO |
Disney’s film business doubled (4)
|
| CO (abbreviation for company = business) repeated (doubled).
2017 Disney / Pixar animated film. |
||
| 2 | PRIORITY |
In religious residence, sex is a pressing matter (8)
|
| IT (slang term for sex, though I don’t think I’ve seen it used much lately outside crosswords) in PRIORY (religious residence). | ||
| 3 | MALBEC |
Kind of red coat worn by clubber, periodically (6)
|
| MAC (short for mackintosh = waterproof coat) around (worn by) alternate letters (periodically) of [c]L[u]B[b]E[r].
Red = short for red wine; Malbec is a dark purple grape variety or the red wine made from it. |
||
| 4 | STUD |
Boss working hard to clear debts (4)
|
| STUD[ious] (working hard) without IOUS (debts).
Boss = stud = a rounded knob on a surface. |
||
| 5 | UBERMENSCH |
I must leave Munich’s beer supply for admired figure there (10)
|
| Anagram (supply = in a supple manner) of MUN[i]CHS BEER, with the I omitted (leaving).
Extended definition: term in German philosophy (so in Munich) for a superior human being. |
||
| 6 | SAPPHO |
Don’t talk about something downloaded by love poet (6)
|
| SH (sh! = don’t talk! = a command to be quiet) around APP (something downloaded to a phone or computer), then O (love = zero in tennis scoring).
Ancient Greek lyric poet; other ancient writers seem to have admired her work, but most of it is now lost. |
||
| 7 | SHOPLIFTS |
Sing about free ride, with intro from Stevie Nicks (9)
|
| SHOP (as a verb = sing about = slang for betray to the authorities) + LIFT (as in “do you want a lift home?” = a free ride in someone else’s car) + introductory letter from S[tevie].
Nick, as a verb = slang for steal; shoplift = steal from a shop. |
||
| 9 | YACHTS |
Marina may welcome these revolutionary extremists from steadfast, heroic army (6)
|
| End letters (extremists), reversed (revolutionary), in S[teadfas]T H[eroi]C A[rm]Y. | ||
| 13 | LEFT-FOOTED |
Maybe Labour, and its old leader Miliband, like Messi? (4-6)
|
| LEFT (politically left-wing, for example the Labour Party) + FOOT (its old leader = Michael Foot, leader of the Labour Party in the 1980s) + ED (Ed Miliband, Labour MP and another former party leader).
A footballer who predominantly kicks with his or her left foot, such as the Argentinian player Lionel Messi. |
||
| 15 | MIDDLETON |
English playmaker has heart, not retreating (9)
|
| MIDDLE (heart = the central part of something), then NOT reversed (returning).
I think Rodriguez means the Jacobean playwright Thomas Middleton, but I needed Wikipedia to help me with that. |
||
| 17 | HAY FEVER |
Bad reaction to bloomers in comic play (3,5)
|
| Double definition. An allergic reaction to pollen (from flowers = bloomers); or a 1924 play by Noël Coward. | ||
| 18 | SLACKS |
Lass excited about turning up silk trousers (6)
|
| Anagram (excited) of LASS, around KC (abbreviation for King’s Counsel = lawyer, otherwise known as a “silk” from their formal workwear) reversed (turning up = upwards in a down clue).
For once “trousers” is not an inclusion indicator, but means clothing for the lower body. |
||
| 19 | FRIEND |
Maybe Rachel Riley’s beginning to bore devoted fan (6)
|
| Beginning letter of R[iley] inserted into (boring) FIEND (slang for someone very fond of something, as in “crossword fiend” = a devoted fan).
Definition by example: Rachel is a character in the TV sitcom Friends. |
||
| 21 |
See 16 Across
|
|
| 24 | KNIT |
Insert tip of needle into clothing – so do this? (4)
|
| First letter (tip) of N[eedle] inserted into KIT (slang for clothing, as in “keep your kit on”).
Extended definition: knit = to create fabric (typically clothing) using needles. |
||
| 26 | UZIS |
Ms Quatro has lowered head and arms (4)
|
| SUZI (Suzi Quatro, US rock musician), with the first letter (head) moved to the end (lowered, in a down clue).
Arms = weapons, in this case Israeli-manufactured automatic guns. |
I found this to be a most enjoyable challenge with some very clever clues, a few of which needed quite a bit of head scratching.
The threefold repetition of “maybe” was a bit irksome and, even though it is in the dictionaries, 28a is a ghastly verb in my book.
There were too many good clues to mention them all.
Many thanks to Rodriguez and to Quirister.
Some delightful clues in here: DIRAC is cleverly put together; HALAL’s surface made me smile but I guess that depends on how one interprets Prince Albert; likewise FIFTY SHADES is very neatly done; CROAK makes good use of King Charles; PRIORITY is amusing; LEFT-FOOTED is a delightful assembly of elements and it’s nice to see ‘trousers’ as a def rather than a hidden indicator in SLACKS.
Thanks Rodriguez and Quirister
Thanks Rodriguez and Quirister!
My faves:
INCUMBENT, FIFTY S O G (Is there more to the surface?), SLACKS and KNIT.
Don’t tell Rabbit Dave: Loved ENNUIED! That’s my COTD.
Thought of RAVEL before LEHAR for the hand-holding composer, but he didn’t parse.
Thought of CRASH before CROAK, but that tree didn’t fit the historical facts.
Thought of FORTY SHADES OF GREEN(1961) before FIFTY SHADES OF GREY(2011) – 50 years of difference.
Did Prince Albert really have a ‘Prince Albert’? – The Guardian can tell us…
Thanks R&Q
Rodriguez, entertaining as always. INCUMBENT was my pick of the bunch of today. UBERMENSCH was fun too, and Rodriguez was probably wise to avoid a taxi-related clue.
SUZI Quatro spent two weeks at the top of the chart in February 1974 – a golden anniversary – with…
…Devil Gate Drive
Thanks Rodriguez and Quirister. The CERN Twitter/X account has tweeted that on this day in 1928 Paul Dirac published a paper predicting the existence of antimatter.
A film other than ET! That and 28ac were of the bung and hope variety. Rather like the gnu from a few weeks ago, it seems I’ve been mispronouncing ennui for years.
Thanks for the education, puzzle and blog.
PHOTOBOMB is a little more recent – oed.com dates it to 8 May 2008, and it was Collins’ Word of the Year in 2014.
Here’s Paul McCartney photobombing George Harrison in 1964 – 50 years before that – and a diamond anniversary.
I’ve had a busy day, so have only just got round to this – and I’m glad I found the time: most enjoyable, as ever.
My ticks were for 16ac FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, for the clever anagram, 22ac LEHAR, for the construction, 23ac CROAK, for the reminder of enjoying learning at primary school about Oak Apple Day (see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Apple_Day ), 27ac STERILE, for being cleverly and accurately hidden, 4dn STUD for a new twist on the boss / stud chestnut, 6dn SAPPHO, because I was tickled by the thought of Sappho on her phone, 13dn YACHTS, for the construction and surface and 18dn SLACKS, for the same reason as PostMark and the reminder that a silk is now KC, not QC.
Many thanks to Rodriguez for the fun and to Quirister for her characteristically interesting and friendly blog.
11, Dirac: Doctor Who’s least favourite companion (if you don’t count Rose) Adric was so named because it’s an anagram of Dirac and they were both good at sums.
A lovely puzzle. Enjoyed
I looked up SLOANS for 18d (LASS* around ON = about), which seemed to make sense since they are a type of stylish trouser.. probably not silk though. I doubt I’d have got the legal reference. Enjoyed this, thanks. Specially liked the 50 shades anagram.
The link @10 returns “URL signature expired” so here’s an alternative:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/70rukp/paul_mccartney_photobombs_george_harrison_1964/