Eccles returns to the midweek slot this week.
Another smooth puzzle as expected from this setter, with a good mixture of clues – a few write-ins and a few head-scratchers – just the way we like it!
We had to check the antelope at 22d, which we had never come across before, and we also needed some electronic assistance for the dog at 20d, which featured in a TV soap that we have never watched. You learn something every day from cryptics!
SECOND (back) ROW (argument) – two rugby players on the 2nd row of the scrum
VICtim (casualty) with ‘tim’ leaving + E (drug)
An anagram (‘out’) of SON CRIES
ELViS (‘The King’) with ER (Queen) replacing or ‘kicking out’ ‘i’ (international)
iGLOO (accommodation in north) missing or ‘abandoning’ the ‘i’ (ITALY) + MY (goodness)
H (height) AIRLINEr (‘Boeing perhaps’) missing the last letter or ‘nearly’
S (small) CULLS (picks)
A reversal (‘on reflection’) of NICER (more pleasant) after P (parking) + CT (court)
A double definition? The second referring to being in the toilet
SUBTLE (crafty) with the ‘t’ (‘final’ letter of tenant) moving to the end or ‘east’ in an across clue
An anagram (‘complicated’) of RULING ON
SQUAd (group) missing the last letter or ‘most of’ + L (left) L (lake)
VIE (fight) round or ‘arresting’ SAG (decline)
O (Oscar in the phonetic alphabet) in or ‘wearing’ TAIL (dog) CAT
SAY (speak) round T (Tesla)
HE’S (that man’s) in TAURUS (The Bull)
A homophone (‘in audition’) of STEAL (appropriate)
CARP (find fault with) + a reversal (‘setting up’) of LOO (John)
A reversal (‘about’) of AN (article) + STY (foul place)
A homophone (‘reportedly’) of ROWS (ranks) + HIP (popular)
DINES (eats) in WEE (urinate – ‘number one’) S (middle or ‘essential’ letter of brasserie)
VIVA (‘long live’) aLDI (supermarket) with only one ‘a’ (American)
CHOICE (decision) round or ‘welcoming’ R (Republican), N (nationalist) and L (Liberal) in separate locations
ChARTIST (political reformer) with ON (running) replacing ‘h’ (Henry)
An anagram (‘up’) of UNCLE CUTS
HUNGRY (eager) round or ‘capturing’ A
An anagram (‘fragments’) of IN EIGHT
B (black) OUNCE (cat) R (registered) – apparently BOUNCER is the name of a dog in the TV soap ‘Neighbours’ (which we have never watched)
SAGA (long story) round I (one – ‘single’)
L (large) tOADS (amphibians) missing ‘t’ (temperature)
Smooth fun and inventive clueing from Eccles as usual, which I enjoyed a lot although I do think including a dog from a soap opera 40 years or so ago is a step too far.
Isn’t “at” in 11a surface padding?
Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J.
20d BOUNCER (Neighbours) [1987–1993, RIP] (so only 31 years ago)
‘Thirteen weeks after finishing his final scenes on Neighbours, Bouncer died of cancer, aged seven.
Following his death, Bouncer was sent more tributes from fans around the world than any of the human cast.
In 2015, Neighbours paid homage to Bouncer during its 30th anniversary by introducing Bouncer 2, … “definitely a direct descendent (sic)” of the original Bouncer. … the result of one of Bouncer’s “few notable affairs when he was on the show” and … a “nice nod to history”.’
More annoyingly on 11a, Boeing is a manufacturer, not an airline.
For 9a ELVERS, here’s The Guardian‘s Tim Dowling on Something fishy in 2001. Interesting article. Great punchline.
Seasider @3. Boeing is an airliner which without the R (nearly) as indicated by B&J gives you airline.
Absolutely loved this – one of my favourite Indy puzzles of the year. Smooth, amusing surfaces with just the right level inventive misdirection for my taste; pretty much every clue and PDM made me smile.
Took me a while to get in the groove; FOI was half way down the grid: PRECINCT. But then I got on the wavelength. I thought the bottom half was easier than the top, perhaps because it seemed that a little less lateral thinking was needed there.
Favourites were CARPOOL, STEEL, ELVERS, TAIL COAT, GLOOMY, VISAGE, CON ARTIST, NIGHTIE, BOUNCER and VIVALDI.
Thanks all!
Another smashing puzzle from Eccles. I did make the same mistake as Seasider @3 and failed to think of ‘airliner’, a word I can’t recall using or even particularly coming across. It did seem like an odd error so it was good to be corrected by the blog. I liked the definition for CAR POOL in particular. nho the dog.
Thanks Eccles and B&J
A very nice puzzle indeed. I did, somehow, know the dog, and therefore enjoyed it. The wordplay was fairly kind for those who understandably did not. CAR POOL was lovely.
Thanks Eccles and B&J
Always enjoy an Eccles puzzle although I don’t like it when he uses lavatorial references and there were three of them today – slapped wrist for our setter! As for the Neighbours dog – Mr Google confidently assured me that the animal in question was called Trevor and even showed me a photo of him, not very helpful on this occasion……….
CAR POOL reminded me of the brilliant tv series starring Peter Kay, wish we had more of that ilk. I also wish my local supermarket stocked VIVALDI potatoes!
Many thanks to Eccles for the puzzle and to B&J for the review.
There is something just short of a Jorum, where a crossword leads you to a word you didn’t know you knew. If you had asked me to name the dog in Neighbours, I could never come up with it, but once I’d figured out the wordplay, I recognised it. [Just like the other day, if you had asked me to come up with a list of architects I.M. PEI would not have come to mind, but did surface once I tried to parse the clue.]
Very good puzzle. Top faves: SECOND ROW, HAIRLINE and CAR POOL.
Thanks both.
LOADS
I think the ‘of’ is not part of the def.
Bouncer is also a helpful assistant warrior dog in Far Cry 5 on the XBOX (not helpful and bet none of you play this game, or do you? )
Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to both.