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I am filling in for scchua today, on a tricky-in-places assignment from Slormgorm.
I am not sure I entirely understand 18D. If there is wordplay besides the cryptic definitions that I have proposed, I do not see it. See KVa@1.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HOPHEADS |
Humans, primarily, dope has affected? (8)
|
| &lit and first letter of (primarily) H[UMANS] + anagram of (affected) {DOPE HAS} | ||
| 5 | BANDIT |
Criminal bishop with sex appeal (6)
|
| B (bishop) + AND (with) + IT (sex appeal) | ||
| 10 | GALLOWS |
Where villains once hung out in public? (7)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 11 | ABANDON |
A strip of colour close to maroon, perhaps (7)
|
| A + BAND (strip of colour) + ON (close to) | ||
| 12 | THE MISSUS |
My wife suits hems done in a new style (3,6)
|
| Anagram of (done in a new style) SUITS HEMS | ||
| 13 | EXTRA |
Old coat-shedding stray bit player (5)
|
| EX (old) + inside letters of (coat-shedding) [S]TRA[Y] | ||
| 15 | ARGON |
During a service, pass gas (5)
|
| GO (pass) inside (during) {A + RN (service)} | ||
| 16 | HEADLAMP |
Smack on bonce causes shiner (8)
|
| HEAD (bonce) + LAMP (smack) | ||
| 19 | GIRL BAND |
Female censored on radio in Sugababes? (4,4)
|
| GIRL (female) + homophone of (on radio) BANNED (censored). The mashup Freak Like Me is still pretty cool (from 23 years ago–jeepers). | ||
| 20 | GREEN |
Raw vegetable? (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | OUTDO |
Old hat and party cap (5)
|
| OUT (old hat) + DO (party) | ||
| 23 | AMPUTATOR |
I take members off a tram up to Barking (9)
|
| Anagram of (barking) A TRAM UP TO, with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 25 | CORNISH |
My name is Henry from a South West county (7)
|
| COR (my) + N (name) + IS + H (Henry) | ||
| 27 | PROMOTE |
Encourage the sale of dance books by European (7)
|
| PROM (dance) + OT (books) + E (European) | ||
| 28 | RATHER |
A little old man exchanging one franc for one rupee (6)
|
| [F]ATHER (old man) exchanging F (one franc) for R (one rupee). I cannot decide whether this should more appropriately say “exchanging one rupee for one franc”? | ||
| 29 | PROTESTS |
Objects in experiment held by experts (8)
|
| TEST (experiment) inside (held by) PROS (experts) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HIGH TEAS |
Having made fifth slice of toast, open Ocean meals (4,4)
|
| HIGH [S]EAS (open ocean) exchanging (having made . . .) the fifth letter S into the first letter of (slice of) T[OAST], with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 2 | POLTERGEIST |
Furniture mover to get pliers for reassembly (11)
|
| Anagram of (for reassembly) TO GET PLIERS | ||
| 3 | EMOTIONAL |
Passionate proposal during dinner with no starter (9)
|
| MOTION (proposal) inside (during) [M]EAL (dinner) minus first letter (with no starter) | ||
| 4 | DISCS |
Century covered in Norfolk town records (5)
|
| C (century) inside (covered in) DISS (Norfolk town) | ||
| 6 | ADAGE |
Proverb: a Democrat always gets even at summits (5)
|
| First letters of (at summits [of]) A + D[EMOCRAT] + A[LWAYS] + G[ETS] + E[VEN] | ||
| 7 | DAD |
Bloke with issue lawyer put to Democrat (3)
|
| DA (lawyer) + D (Democrat), with “issue” in the sense of “progeny” | ||
| 8 | TONGA |
State of government? Hardly flipping high grade! (5)
|
| {G (government) + NOT (hardly, as an interjection)} all inverted (flipping) + A (high grade) | ||
| 9 | HATSTAND |
On which the Derby might rest in Kentucky? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition, with a capitalization misdirection, referring to a hat apparently more commonly known as a “bowler” in the UK | ||
| 14 | TEMPESTUOUS |
Violently raging criminal seems put out (11)
|
| Anagram of (criminal) SEEMS PUT OUT | ||
| 16 | HEADACHE |
Hard drug bill: long reason to not go through with it? (8)
|
| H (hard) + E (drug) + AD (bill) + ACHE (long), presumably referring to sex | ||
| 17 | LIGHTS OUT |
Wild lust I got around husband … time for bed! (6,3)
|
| Anagram of (wild) {LUST I GOT} around H (husband) | ||
| 18 | SNORTERS |
We order drinks first for Nespresso & Coke fans? (8)
|
| 21 | OSCAR |
Ordinance Survey automobile award (5)
|
| OS (Ordinance Survey) + CAR (automobile) | ||
| 22 | OLIVE |
None survive being yellowy-green looking (5)
|
| O (none) + LIVE (survive) | ||
| 24 | PAPER |
Salesperson turning over a penny daily (5)
|
| REP (salesperson) inverted (turning) around (over) {A + P (penny)} | ||
| 26 | RAT |
One likely to leave ship sailor capsized (3)
|
| TAR (sailor) inverted (capsized) |
SNORTERS
We order=SORTERS
first for Nespresso=N
SORTERS drink(s) N
Def: Coke fans?
A minor correction in my earlier post: SORTERS drinks N.
RATHER
Exchanging F for R seems all right to me. My understanding could be flawed.
HATSTAND
Kentucky because it’s an Americanism?
Enjoyable puzzle. Great blog as usual.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria.
Ditto KVa@1 on 18d S(N)ORTERS.
10a GALLOWS: “hang. v. … I.3. To fasten up or suspend on a cross or gibbet, as a mode of capital punishment. …
In this sense, hanged is now the specific form of the past tense and past participle; though hung is also used.”
When you’re sitting there
In your silk upholstered chair
Makin’ bets on Kentucky Derby Day
I’ll be in my basement room … etc.
Nothing to with hats, great song though …
The other band, in 19ac, was a nho. My London nieces were into the Spice Girls in that era, but Sugababes probably slipped between uncle ginf’s visits.
So, yes, enjoyable puzzle, lots of nice associations, thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria.
Most of it came out relatively easily for me.
My favourites were OUTDO, RAT, HEADACHE, and BANDIT
I could not parse ARGON or SNORTERS. In fact I was lucky to even guess the answer for the latter. Thanks Cineraria and KVa for helping
KVa@2 asked about Kentucky in HATSTAND. I agree it indicates that Derby is the American term for bowler.
Enjoyable puzzle and blog
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria
I liked furniture mover for POLTERGEIST. I imagine it’s been done before.
On the other hand, I had seen RATHER before but needed to be reminded.
My picks were the &lit HOPHEADS, and the CD GALLOWS.
There are a few druggy solutions and clues.
And there are 3 x HEAD and 3 x BAND in the answers. Is there any significance in that?
I did not manage to quite parse the substitution in HIGH TEAS, not spotting that ‘the fifth’ was referring to the S but taking it as the fifth letter in toasT and neither did I solve SNORTERS which is a very typical clue for this setter. (pdm @6: if you think this one has quite a few druggy solutions, you should see the same setter in his Hoskins-guise in the Indy!). I liked HOPHEADS, THE MISSUS, HEADLAMP, CORNISH, POLTERGEIST, HATSTAND and HEADACHE. Interesting to see GREEN a day after it caused some debate in the Indy: I struggle to accept singular green as vegetable. Chambers notes it as plural for vegetable or leaves.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria
Now I think 28A is intended to parse as: RATHER (a little) = FATHER (old man) if you substitute (exchanging) F (one franc) for R (one [of the] rupee[s]).
It’s Ordnance not Ordinance Survey. A common mistake!
Lots to enjoy here although I struggled with the NW and SE corners.
Kicking myself about Poltergeist and I thought 1A might be hopheads but then thought no, surely not.
2A I thought might be Gibbets, I’m glad I didn’t put that one in.
Thanks to SLORMGORM and Cineraria
I found this quite straightforward but also struggled to parse snorters. GIRL BAND and HATSTAND were my favourites. Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria.
We liked this. Yes, there were sex and drugs references but they weren’t too in-your-face – fairly subtle in fact. Our favourites were CORNISH, HIGH TEAS and LIGHTS OUT.
Thanks, Slormgorm and Cineraria.
In 16A, why is SMACK == LAMP? Thanks in advance.
John, if you lamp someone you hit/smack them.
I liked the connection between 16a and 5 a: HEADACHE leading to banned it (at least for tonight).
Favourites today were the aforementioned HEADACHE, the neat anagram and definition for 2d POLTERGEIST, and the cleverly misdirected charade at 25a CORNISH.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria for the fun.