Eccles provides our midweek entertainment again this week.
Not quite as tricky as usual for this setter, but no less enjoyable, with the usual smooth surfaces.
PITCHING (trying to sell) WEDGE (jam)
A homophone (‘from dictator’) of STEEL (metal)
GOLD (‘or’ – in heraldry) + PATE (head) round or ‘covering’ L (first letter or ‘source’ of liquid)
C (Conservative) in or ‘blocking’ MEDIATION (negotiation)
PAR (standard) T (time)
A reversal (‘backing’) of REP (representative) MACS (personal computers)
E (last letter or ‘ending’ to programme) LEG (on in cricket) fInAnCe (even letters only or ‘oddly ignored’)
EARNESt (sincere) missing the last letter or ‘mostly’ round R (rector)
DEC (deceased) AGO (since) N (November in the phonetic alphabet)
A reversal (‘making comeback’) of aLIAS (assumed name) missing or ‘abandoning’ A (America)
FLIGHT (voyage) round or ‘welcoming’ an anagram (‘crazy’) of STIR
ALI (Mohammed Ali, who described himself as ‘the greatest’) A (first letter or ‘leader’ in Africa) following INTER (Italian football team – Inter Milan)
A + a homophone (‘reported’) of SERB (woman from Belgrade, maybe)
bRIGHTOn (seaside resort) missing or ‘rejecting’ the first and last letters or ‘outsiders’ + F (following) + an anagram (‘changes’) of RECENT
POST (advertise) MASTERS (degree) HIP (‘in’ – trendy)
TEN (X in Roman numerals) round or ‘protecting’ R (Republican) + D (Democrat)
An anagram (‘manoeuvring’) of CHEER PILOT
An anagram (‘when tweaked’) of NOR GATE – it took a while to realise that the ‘gate’ is a reference to an electronic circuit in computing
WELl (considerably) missing the last letter or ‘shortened’ ME (setter) round or ‘receiving’ CO (company)
DO (party) PE (games)
MAN (chap) dAyTrIp (alternate or ‘regular’ letters) in ENG (England)
PrETTY (quite) with the ‘r’ (right) missing or ‘getting out’ + CON’S (prisoner’s) TABLE (record)
An anagram (‘dancing’) of CLAPS NICE + E (middle or ‘central’ letter of residential)
I (one) and tRaFfIc (alternate or ‘periodic’ letters) in or ‘stopping’ ALTER (modify) – we weren’t sure about the inclusion of ‘held up’ in the clue – it seemed to be an unnecessary reversal indicator? However, as it is a down clue, it is fair to say that the I is ‘held up’ by RFI – and it makes an excellent surface
SET (collection) round or ‘enthralling’ KILL (butcher)
D (500 in Roman numerals) I (International) STAFF (employees)
A homophone (‘picked up’) of GRATE (fireplace)
Double definition
Lots of neat cluing as always with Eccles. Some cute definitions like ‘home for writers’, ‘delivery office’ and, of course, ‘hovercraft’. Faves inc PITCHING WEDGE, ELEGIAC, INTER ALIA, PETTY CONSTABLE (though a nho for me) and SKILLET.
Thanks Eccles and B&J
In 15D I took “held up” to mean that the “I” is above the “RFI”. Arguably not necessary but helps with the surface.
I have run out of superlatives for one of my favourite setters, so I’ll just say please keep them coming every week.
Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J.
Plenty to like. Very good puzzle.
My top faves: PITCHING WEDGE, RIGHT-OF-CENTRE, POSTMASTERSHIP, PETTY CONSTABLE and
PENCIL CASE.
Thanks Eccles and B&J.
What Rabbit Dave@3 just said.
Loved, BRIGHTON, turning into RIGHT-O (26ac).
Loved, NEGATOR, 4(d), novel and crafty.
I didn’t quite feel the flow of the AIR FILTER, 15(d), because I didn’t factor in, it was a “down” clue, so thanks to BJ and Hounddog@2.
My brain said “sending out” or “sending off” might be more accurate, for EMANATING (7d), but I may be wrong, I usually am.
I got, but didn’t recognise, the “PETTY” part of 8(d); better-half came to the rescue.
The usual Eccles, enough said.
Super stuff, E & BJ
Superb as ever and containing the expected couple that required investigation. Favourite by a mile was RIGHT OF CENTRE.
Many thanks Eccles, keep them coming. Thanks also to B&J – especially for the homework on ‘gate’ which went over my head.
All very nicely done. KVa has picked all my favourites. PETTY CONSTABLE rang the vaguest of bells, as I have never known a policeman to be small-minded.
This puzzle was exactly the length of my rail commute today, as I started it shortly after I sat down on the train, and entered the last entry just as we pulled into the stop where I get off. Commenting on this because this is the first time that’s happened–when I do these on the train, until today I’m either done a little early or have a few more entries to go when I have to get off.
For quite a while I had CONSTABLE entered without the PETTY, as I’m another who had never heard of that title. The PETTY got typed in about when we were at Chicago and State, the first downtown stop (mine is Monroe, the fourth such).
Thanks Eccles. There’s a guarantee of excellence with an Eccles crossword as was the case today. My top picks were INTER ALIA, RIGHT-OF-CENTRE, POSTMASTERSHIP, DOPE, and SKILLET. I couldn’t fully parse AIR FILTER (saw the pieces but couldn’t put them together) and DECAGON. Thanks B&J for the blog.
MrP@8
Your posts are more intriguing than the darned puzzles are.
I’m thinking Raymond Chandler, and a B/W film noir.
” Mine is Monroe, downtown, the fourth such after Chicago and State”
I can hear Bogart.