Grecian’s monthly puzzle appears today.
There is a clear BISCUIT or COOKIE theme to this puzzle, with names of types of or brands distributed throughout the grid as complete or part entries
With a little bit of help from the world-wide web I reckon the following appear as entries or parts of entries:
BISCUIT (generic theme)
SEA (type)
NICE (type)
FLORENTINE (type)
RICH TEA (type – spread across RICHER and TEA COSIES)
RITZ (brand name for crackers)
TUC (brand name for crackers)
OREO (type of cookie)
FIG ROLL (type – spread across COCKFIGHT and ROLL)
CUSTARD CREAM (type)
WATER (type of cracker)
DROP (type)
PARTY–RING (type – spread across PARTY and RINGLET)
COOKIE (generic theme)
VICTOR (a popular brand in India)
I have probably missed some – feel free to add some more. Of course, it wasn’t necessary to be aware of the biscuits when solving the clues. it wasn’t until I started writing the blog that I realised how many BISCUITs were in the grid.
Grecian has done well to get so many thematic items into the grid. I thought COREOPSIS was a little bit obscure for a daily cryptic until I realised that OREO was contained within it. DUMFRIES may not be a really well known town, but as I grew up in Scotland and retired to the Scottish Borders after working at south of the border and abroad for many years, the place was very familiar to me.
There were some very good surfaces to the clues including the film one involving Scorcese and The Deep [I realise he didn’t direct it himself]; the TEA COSIES clue involving Nova Scotia and selenium (which can be an insulator). and the clue referencing, Steve Cram, a former middle distance runner. There were other clever clues as well – the one linking the artists Modigliani with the Tate Gallery, and the constant thick fog.
Thanks to Grecian for an entertaining puzzle.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | First clue regularly penned by little object of desire for 9 (7)
BISCUIT (an object of desire for a COOKIE MONSTER [entry at 9 down]) ISCU (letters 2, 4, 6 and 8 [regularly] of FIRST CLUE) contained in (penned by) BIT (little) B (ISCU) IT |
| 5 | Scorcese’s gutted with prize for direction of The Deep (7)
SEAWARD (the direction you should go the find the deep SEA) SE (letters remaining in SCORCESE when all the central letters CORCES are removed) + AWARD (prize) SE AWARD |
| 10 | Sweet counter in Picturehouse cinema (4)
NICE (sweet) NICE (reversed [counter] hidden word in [in] PICTUREHOUSE CINEMA) NICE |
| 11 | Learning new technique initially in fine art school (10)
FLORENTINE (there are a number of art schools in Florence and the term FLORENTINE can also refer to artists in, from, or influenced by the naturalistic style developed in Florence in the 14th century) (LORE [learning] + NT [first letters {initially} of each of NEW and TECHNIQUE]) all contained in (in) FINE F (LORE NT) INE |
| 12 | Stop blokes getting Brahms and Liszt? (6)
BARMEN (MEN who write BARs of music, such as the composers Johannes Brahms [1833 – 1897] and Franz Liszt [1811 – 1886]) BAR (exclude; stop) + MEN (blokes) BAR MEN |
| 13 | Film star taking odds on golfer making birdies (8)
KESTRELS (birds; birdies) KES (name of a film released in 1969) + TR (letters remaining in STAR when the odd letters 1 and 3 are taken away [taking odds]) + ELS (reference the South African golfer Ernie ELS [born 1969]) KES TR ELS |
| 14 | Nova Scotia saving energy with revolutionary selenium insulators? (3,6)
TEA COSIES (thick covers for teapots to keep the tea hot; insulators) (Anagram of [Nova; new] SCOTIA containing (saving) E [energy]) + SE (chemical symbol for selenium) reversed (revolutionary) T (E) A COSI* ES< |
| 16 | German guy in F1 (5)
FRITZ (male German forename; German guy) F + RITZ (reference RITZ crackers; BISCUIT [entry at 1 across]) F RITZ |
| 17 | First sign of Steve Cram getting beaten (5)
STUCK (being defeated , by a crossword for example) S (initial letter of [first sign of] STEVE) + TUCK [stuff, cram) S TUCK |
| 19 | Flower posies arranged by coroner (9)
COREOPSIS (any annual or perennial composite plant of the genus COREOPSIS, mostly native to America, some species of which are cultivated for their showy flowers) COR (coroner) + an anagram of (arranged) POSIES COR EOPSIS* |
| 23 | Heart of Clement Freud is broken in Scottish town (8)
DUMFRIES (town in South West Scotland) Anagram of (broken) M (central letter of [heart of] CLEMENT) and FREUD IS DUMFRIES* |
| 24 | Hello! about to claim politician is naughty (6)
IMPISH (teasingly mischievous; naughty) HI! (a greeting) reversed (about) containing (to claim) (MP [Member of Parliament; politician] + IS I (MP IS) H< |
| 26 | Most tedious restoration of The Elgin Marbles finally ahead of time (10)
LENGTHIEST (most tedious) Anagram of (restoration of) THE ELGIN + S [last letter of [finally] MARBLES) + T (time) LENGTHIE* S T |
| 27 | Register of vocal part (4)
ROLL (register) ROLL (sounds like [vocal] ROLE [part in a play]) ROLL |
| 28 | Roland Rat successfully holding back pink cat (7)
CUSTARD (a pink cat that featured in the children’s animation Roobarb and CUSTARD that first aired in 1974, with an updated version shown in 2005) CUSTARD (reversed [back] hidden word [holding] ROLAND RAT SUCCESSFULLY) CUSTARD< |
| 29 | Jets ignoring leader of Sharks’ appeals (7)
PRAYERS (appeals) SPRAYERS (jets) excluding (ignoring) S (first letter of [leader of] Sharks) – the clue references the street gangs in West Side Story. PRAYERS |
| Down | |
| 2 | International gallery without frame for Modigliani copy (7)
IMITATE (copy) (I [international] + TATE (an art gallery]) containing (without; outside] MI (outer letters of [frame for] MODIGLIANI) I (MI) TATE |
| 3 | Colour of carbon paper (5)
CREAM (a colour) C (chemical symbol for carbon) + REAM (a quantity of paper, nowadays more likely to be 500 sheets rather than 480 [20 quires]) C REAM |
| 4 | Footballers in local street upset little kids (7)
INFANTS (little children [kids]) (FA [Football Association; footballers] contained in [in] INN) + ST (street) reversed (upset; down entry) A few people might say the FA doesn’t really have any footballers in its governing body, given their recent management of the game) IN (FA) N TS< |
| 6 | Jolly English opener on top of other side (4,2)
EVER SO (to a great extent; jolly informal term [splendid; very agreeable] as in ‘jolly’ good, EVER SO good) E (first letter of [opener] ENGLISH) + VERSO (the back of a leaf of printed or manuscript material; the other side) this being a down entry, the E is on top of the letters of VERSO. E VER SO |
| 7 | Top-drawer treatment for a tear (5,4)
WATER DROP (a tear is a DROP of WATER. Chambers defines WATER DROP as a tear; Collins doesn’t seem to have a definition for the entry) Anagram of (treatment) TOP-DRAWER WATER DROP* |
| 8 | Butterfly in part of Barnet (7)
RINGLET (some people’s hair [barnet] have RINGLETs [long curls of hair]) RINGLET (a type of butterfly with small ring marks on its wings) double definition RINGLET |
| 9 | Muppet took no mercies unfortunately (6,7)
COOKIE MONSTER (A blue Muppet character, best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating catchphrases, such as "Me want cookie!") Anagram of (unfortunately) TOOK NO MERCIES COOKIE MONSTER* |
| 15 | Constant thick fog ruined contest (9)
COCKFIGHT (contest between gamecocks) C (a constant in mathematics) + an anagram of (ruined) THICK FOG C OCKFIGHT* |
| 18 | Prime Minister kind of cross about being short? (7)
TRUDEAU (reference Justin TRUDEAU [born 1971), the current Prime Minister of Canada. His father Pierre [1919 – 2000] was also Prime Minister of Canada) TAU (a T-shaped cross) containing (about) RUDE (curt; being short) T (RUDE) AU |
| 20 | One putting out European champion (7)
EVICTOR (one who expels another from a dwelling for instance; one putting out) E (European) + VICTOR (champion) E VICTOR |
| 21 | Damaged urinals getting closed (7)
INSULAR (blinkered; closed [to new ideas]) Anagram of (damaged) URINALS INSULAR* |
| 22 | Queen singer holding one more flush (6)
RICHER (more flush with money) (R [Regina; queen)] + CHER (reference the singer CHER [born 1946]) containing (holding) I (Roman numeral for one) R (I) CHER |
| 25 | Person somewhat left out (5)
PARTY (person) PARTLY (somewhat) excluding (out) L (left) PARTY |
Thanks Grecian and DS
I spotted quite a lot of the biscuits, but nowhere near all – I’m not particularly a biscuit eater.
There’s a factual error in the clues – the director is Scorsese, though he is often misspelled.
Well I sussed the theme was food…..but as Simon says-I’m not a bicky man-unless it means filthy lucre
Thanks all.
(Marty’s correct spelling could be part of a clue for Erling Haarland (or Phil Foden these days)
Like Simon, I was ignorant of some of the biscuits but spotted enough (including the hidden ones) to realise that there was a brilliantly-executed theme.
I have to go out shortly but just had to say how awesome I found this puzzle – some simply stunning clues, with superb surfaces and intricate wordplay rousing many a smile and sigh of satisfaction when twigged. I haven’t time to comment on them but I had big ticks (some of them doubles) for BISCUIT, KESTRELS, TEA COSIES, FRITZ, LENGTHIEST, CUSTARD, PRAYERS, INFANTS, EVER SO, COCKFIGHT and RICHEST.
Huge thanks to Grecian for a super start to the day and thanks to Duncan for the blog.
My top faves:
BARMEN (No Cockney! A German-Hungarian cocktail!), TEA COSIES (Super Nova!), EVER SO (good on both sides. The surface as well as the cryptic reading) and TRUDEAU (Just in case…He is 1.88 m tall).
SEAWARD
Looked at the def suspiciously. Apologies to Grecian. SEAWARD is a noun too!
On the whole, a lovely puzzle and an excellent blog!
Thanks both!
Great fun – a big smile came over my face as the theme started to emerge. Particularly liked FRITZ and CUSTARD. Thanks, Grecian and Duncan.
For once, I am going with the ‘What Eileen said’ comment. She has summed up this excellent puzzle perfectly.
Thanks to Grecian and duncan
Delicious! A most enjoyable puzzle from Grecian. Like others, I didn’t spot all the biscuit references, some of which were unfamiliar or too well-hidden. But I still had fun with this grid, especially once I filled in 9d COOKIE MONSTER, which helped with many of the other solutions.
Thanks to previous posts, especially those from Eileen and KVa, all my favourite clues have already been mentioned. So just to say many thanks to Grecian for such a delightful crossword, and to duncanshiell for the great explanatory blog.
Knew Seabiscuit(2003) as the movie about the horse, sired by Hard Tack, both meaning ‘a type of cracker eaten by sailors’.
Failed on COREOPSIS. I guessed the fodder but couldn’t find an order I felt happy with. Also entered a dubiously parsed EMITTER at 20d having typed “Mitter champion” into my favourite search engine. It told me Gerhard Mitter was a sportscar driver from the 60’s. That’s too obscure I thought, and so it proved. Should really have gone back to it I suppose.
I did spot the biscuit theme toward the end, but didn’t see many of the “hidden” ones.
Thanks as always to the setter and blogger.
Especially liked 14a TEA COSIES for the ‘lift and separate’ of “Nova Scotia” to get a Latin adjective as an anagram indicator…
nova: ‘Adjective – inflection of novus – feminine nominative/vocative singular’ – “new” …and the anagram fodder – a Latin proper noun:
Scotia ‘ Etymology – From Scōtī (“the Scots people”). – Proper noun – Scōtia f sg (genitive Scōtiae); first declension – “Scotland” – Synonym: Calēdonia
Usage notes – Apparently, in some Classical sources, Scōtia is confused at times with Hibernia (“Ireland”).’
I think that one takes the biscuit. Thanks G&DS
FrankieG @10: a more up to date source (1930) would be Sellars and Yeatman’s glorious 1066 and All That which explains everything: The Scots (originally Irish, but by now Scotch) were at this time inhabiting Ireland, having driven the Irish (Picts) out of Scotland; while the Picts (originally Scots) were now Irish (living in brackets) and vice versa. It is essential to keep these distinctions clearly in mind (and verce visa).
Thanks both. I often bemoan some of the high-brow themes we see, so biscuits with an ingredient of Muppets was very welcome. I agree with the blog that FA for footballers in INFANTS is an error, but it actually directed me to the right answer, so who’s to worry? First time I think I have encountered a non-English anagram indicator, and I did not know Florentine as an art school, though I now learn it is also a cookie.
Completely beaten today, best summed up by my last reveal being STUCK. Sometimes I just have to tip my hat to the setter and move on to tomorrow.
Thanks both.
Not completely beaten but I had to reveal CUSTARD and TEA COSIES. The former is a total mystery to me and the second was very good. I had all the parts but with it being a two-letter word I couldn’t put them together. Should have tried harder but I had spent enough time on the puzzle. I thought the theme might be puppets but the biscuit motif is very good. LIke Pete HA3@13 I tip my hat and move on to tomorrow, or today since it is 7 am in my neck of the woods and I’m just about to print off the n ext one. Excellent blog from duncan as usual.
Sofamore @14: The former is a total mystery to me This might help.
Thanks both
Lots to like today. COOKIE MONSTER and CUSTARD were best for the memories. TEA COSIES was favourite. I thought COREOPSIS was well known? Seems I was wrong.
Nearly failed to unravel DUMFRIES which is a disgrace – I was born there.
PostMark@11 – 🙂 – and PostMark@15 – yesterday we had a blue dog from 2018; today it’s a pink cat celebrating a 50th (Golden) anniversary.
Sorry for the late response. I’ve been over the Atlantic for most of the day. Thank you to Duncan for the usual excellent blog and to all of you solvers for some lovely feedback. Huge apologies to one of my all-time favourite directors – schoolboy error! G
Thanks Grecian and Duncan. Found that a real step up from yesterday’s stroll. Nothing I would complain about – just hard work.
I had completely misremembered the colours of roobarb and custard – but the mad theme tune is now thoroughly embedded
A very good puzzle as usual from Grecian, but I was surprised to see mention of Clement Freud given what was revealed about him after his death.
Custard is a pink cat. Thanks very much PM@15