I haven’t blogged a Hoskins puzzle for a while, so it’s good to get another chance today.
There were quite a lot of people referenced in the clues and in the grid. There were also a number of references to Australia and America plus allusions to France, Greece and China, but I don’t think there is anything to constitute a theme.
Quite a few clues had three or more components in the wordplay so there was a bit of thinking to do when describing the parsing.
| Across | |
| 1 | Settee Moir abused in bits of Shooting Stars? (10)
METEORITES (meteors [bits of stone or metal seen as shooting stars when they enter the earth’s atmosphere] that have fallen to earth) Anagram of (abused) SETTEE MOIR – Shooting Stars was a BBC quiz show presented by Vic Reeves[real name Jim Moir] and Bob Mortimer METEORITES* |
| 7 | Stalk 9 criminals with police backing (4)
STEM (stalk) S (final letter of [AT LAST, entry at 9 across]) CRIMINALS) + MET (METropolitan Police) reversed (backing) S TEM< |
| 9 | One who held up Heaven gets time in the end (2,4)
AT LAST (in the end) ATLAS (in Greek mythology, ATLAS was the Titan who held up the heavens on his shoulders) + T (time) AT LAS T |
| 10 | Four involved in archly contrived gallantry (8)
CHIVALRY (gallantry) IV (Roman numeral for four) contained in (in) an anagram of (contrived) ARCHLY CH (IV) ALRY* |
| 11 | Piece of rabbit that a couple will share? (3-2-3)
ONE-TO-ONE (a chat [bit of rabbit {informal term for talking at length}]) ONE-TO-ONE (something shared by two people) double definition. The whole clue could be seen as a cryptic definition ONE-TO-ONE |
| 12 | A shelter for little piggies in Wellington? (6)
TOECAP (CAP covering the toe of a shoe or boot [e.g. a WELLINGTON boot]) TOECAP (shelter for toes [little piggies]) TOECAP |
| 13 | Promote Delaware and Maine repeatedly as all the same in Paris (4,2,4)
TOUT DE MEME (French [Paris] for ‘all the same’) TOUT (recommend strongly; promote) + DE (abbreviation for the US State of Delaware) + (ME [abbreviation for the US State of Maine] + ME again, giving Maine repeatedly) TOUT DE ME ME |
| 16 | Old red line some players must not cross? (4)
OCHE (line behind which a darts player must stand to throw their darts) O (old) + CHE (reference CHE Guevara [1928 – 1967], Argentinian Marxist revolutionary; red) O CHE |
| 17 | Star necking bit of temazepam gets surprise (4)
STUN (surprise) SUN (star) containing (necking [drinking]) T (first letter of [a bit of] TEMAZEPAM) S (T) UN |
| 19 | Sadly, got AA memo about McLean’s end just now (1,6,3)
A MOMENT AGO (just now) Anagram of (sadly) GOT AA MEMO containing (about) N (final letter of [end] McLEAN) A MOME (N) T AGO* |
| 22 | Priest shot retired gypsy in organised persecution (6)
POGROM (organised massacre or persecution of an ethnic group) P (priest) + GO (attempt; shot) reversed (retired) + ROM (gypsy man; ROMany) P OG< ROM |
| 23 | Huge firm with a large holding in forfeiture (8) COLOSSAL (huge) (CO [company; firm] + A + L [large]) containing (holding) LOSS (in forfeiture) CO (LOSS) A L |
| 25 | Dis nurse in charge related to very old Greeks (8)
HELLENIC (pertaining to ancient Greece, but I think it also applies to modern Greece) HELL (Dis [the infernal world]) + EN (enrolled nurse) + IC (in charge) HELL EN IC |
| 26 | Hard to entertain tenor showing no interest (6)
STOLID (showing little or no interest) SOLID (hard) containing (to entertain) T (tenor) S (T) OLID |
| 27 | One that might have a hand in a bungled action (4)
MUFF (cylinder of fur or thick fabric for keeping the hands warm) MUFF (clumsy or bungled action) double definition MUFF |
| 28 | Picture that doesn’t say a thousand words? (6,4)
SILENT FILM (moving picture without sound) SILENT FILM (reference the phrase ‘ a picture tells a thousand words’; a SILENT FILM doesn’t tell any words out loud) SILENT FILM |
| Down | |
| 2 | Use up a bit of energy doing no good around north Ohio (3,4)
EAT INTO (use up or make inroad into) E (first letter of [a bit of] ENERGY) + (AT IT [engaged in criminal activity; doing no good] containing [around] N [North]) + O (abbreviation for the US state of Ohio) E AT I (N) T O |
| 3 | Demand Congress must release last of files (5)
EXACT (insist upon; demand) SEX ACT ([sexual] congress) excluding (must release) S (final letter of [last of] FILES) EX ACT |
| 4 | Singer on drug taking break in squalid room (7)
RATHOLE (squalid room) (RAT [American slang term for someone who informs on others; singer] + E [ecstasy; drug]) containing (HOL (HOLiday; break) RAT (HOL) E |
| 5 | Facial hair of jazz fan sent up by the Man (5)
TACHE (mousTACHE; facial hair) CAT (a jazz fan is sometimes referred to as a cool CAT) reversed (sent up; down entry) + HE (the man) TAC< HE |
| 6 | Pin hoax on model-type and the French (7)
SKITTLE (a pin used in the game of the similar plural name [SKITTLEs]; Chambers defines SKITTLEs as a form of ninepins in which a ball or cheese is used) SKIT (hoax) + T (reference Model T Ford cart) + LE (one of the French forms of ‘the’) SKIT T LE |
| 7 | As dope cut fantastically might become thus? (6,3)
SPACED OUT (in a dazed or stupefied state, possibly caused by the taking of drugs) Anagram of (fantastically) AS DOPE CUT – possibly a cryptic &Lit clue as well SPACED OUT* |
| 8 | Bachelor in Barking hears Aussie’s gas constantly (7)
EARBASH (Australian informal term for talking incessantly; gas [chatter] constantly) BA (Bachelor [of Arts]) contained in (in) an anagram of (barking) HEARS EAR (BA) SH* |
| 14 | Musical symbol lent force in new arrangement (5,4)
TENOR CLEF (musical symbol) Anagram of (in new arrangement) LENT FORCE TENOR CLEF* |
| 15 | Old head of Orica is brilliant Australian (3)
EXO (informal Australian word for ‘excellent’; brilliant Australian) EX (former; old) + O (first letter of [head of] ORICA. Apparently Orica is a global mining company) EX O |
| 18 | I used to think of God and naked beaux (7)
THOREAU (reference Henry THOREAU [1817 – 1862], American philosopher; someone who used to think) THOR (Scandinavian thunder God) + EAU (letters remaining in BEAUX when the outer letters are removed [naked]) THOR EAU |
| 19 | Gangster flash northern detective nuts (7)
ALMONDS (nuts) AL (reference AL Capone [1899 – 1947], American gangster) + MO (MOment; flash) + N (Northern) + DS (Detective [sergeant]) AL MO N DS |
| 20 | Sick European brought up boy for novelist (7)
ELLISON (reference Ralph ELLISON [1913 – 1994], American writer [novelist]) (ILL [sick] + E [European]) reversed (brought up; down entry) + SON (boy) (E LLI)< SON |
| 21 | Icy city spies will infiltrate close to Poyang Lake (7)
GLACIAL (icy) (LA [Los Angeles; American city] + CIA [Central Intelligence Agency; spies]) contained in (will infiltrate) G (final letter of [close to] POYANG) + L (LAKE). Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China) G (LA CIA) L |
| 23 | Rhodes and other parasites Catholic rejected (5)
CECIL (reference CECIL Rhodes [1853 – 1902], English colonialist) (LICE [wingless parasitic insects] + C [Catholic]) all reversed (rejected) (C ECIL)< |
| 24 | ‘Small’ Conservative old females mock (5)
SCOFF (mock) S (small) + C (Conservatives) + O (old) + (F [female] + F [female] giving females) S C O F F |
Lovely puzzle. STEM and MUFF and SPACED OUT. &Lit because of the anagram? Thanks Duncan and HOSKINS.
Liked ONE-TO-ONE, SILENT FILM and SPACED OUT.
Excellent puzzle and a very neat and comprehensive blog (as always)!
Thanks Hoskins and duncanshiell!
SPACED OUT
Sofamore@1 (If I may…)
As dope cut fantastically might become thus? (6,3)
The whole clue works as a def.
And the whole clue is utilised by the wordplay: (AS DOPE CUT)* might become SPACED OUT.
Thus both conditions for an &lit clue are fulfilled.
I have a doubt though: A doper might get SPACED OUT but I don’t see a word pointing towards a doper (rather than just dope). I am missing something.
CECIL
What is the purpose of the ‘other’ in the clue?
KVa@2 I had dope in the clue meaning ‘fool’ and ‘cut’ meaning intoxicated thus becoming spaced out. I also thought of dope as drug but that doesn’t really work.
Sofamore@3
Thanks. That’s plausible.
I struggled in the NW corner but eventually twigged 9A in a ‘doh’ moment and the rest fell into place. Not sure about ‘Hellenic’ = ‘very old Greeks’ – the term is still in use today; indeed Greece is officially the Hellenic Republic. Thanks Hoskins and Duncan.
KVa @ 3
‘other’ – I think Hoskins maybe expressing a view on colonialism in general
Great fun as always from Hoskins although I haven’t counted but there did seem to be an awful lot of single letter abbreviations used.
My repetition radar bleeped with “a bit of” appearing twice to indicate a first letter, and I don’t think “hol” exists in the singular form – Chambers and Collins only show “hols”. Like others, not sure about the “other” in 23d but then this setter always did like a bit of the other.
Plenty of ticks, too many to list.
Many thanks to Harry and to Duncan.
Well said Duncan@6. I wasn’t game enough to say it. Political Hoskins.
Thanks dunan@6 for your response.
Rabbit Dave@7
RATHOLE
There is one entry in Collins that says (under hols):
sometimes hol
SILENT FILM
Interestingly There is a 2012 film titled A Thousand Words. And there is a SILENT FILM titled A Thousand Words (short film-source IMDb).
There’s a Nina – X marks the spot.
I missed the nina and a very nice one it is indeed.
Yep, check out the diagonals…..
KVa @9. HOL is only listed in Collins as an American listing so it’s still a yellow card from me!
Rabbit Dave@13
Dunno how to interpret this:
hols
in American English
(h?lz)
PLURAL NOUN
(sometimes hol) Brit informal holiday
Maybe the setter will find time to drop by and clarify.
KVa @14, Americans use “vacation” and rarely, if ever, the British term “holiday” (although why that should be considered informal in the UK is a bit is a bit of a mystery). So, my (possibly wrong) interpretation is that “hol” is an American usage and that Collins are being helpful to Americans by explaining that this word is derived from the British word “holiday”, which they might not be aware of.
Very Hoskins. The usual whiffs of drugs and taste of alcohol. All very enjoyable. Thanks Frankie G for highlighting the nina – you may be amused to hear that I still have Eccles’ puzzle up from yesterday. Of course, the inevitable happened when I saw your comment – yep, I opened up yesterday’s grid and wasted a few minutes desperately scanning any and all diagonal lines – with no joy.
Thanks Hoskins and duncan
Wondering why in 19a Hoskins chose “McLean’s end” to clue an “N”, I found Malcom (sic) McLean ‘who invented the … shipping container’ …
… and the the first container ship – Ideal X
PostMark@16 🙂 [Another hint – Frankie Muniz]
Late in but I did enjoy this one from our ‘arry. 15d was a ‘guess and check’ and I didn’t realise that EARBASH was specifically Australian.
Favourite was definitely SILENT FILM with a nod to SPACED OUT.
Thanks to Hoskins and to Duncan for the review.
KVa @14 – “In American English” means the listing is from an American source (eg Websters) but “Brit informal” indicates that the usage is British (and informal!).
The foot of each entry usually gives more info about the source.
Malcolm X was in London on 8th Feb 1965 just two weeks prior his assassination. 8th Feb was address to Congress of Council of African Nations and 11th lecture at LSE
Thanks Setter and Blogger