Eccles continues to entertain us with Independent puzzles on Wednesdays.
I am always impressed by the quality of Eccles’ wordplay and today just reinforced that impression.
I wondered where ‘folded’ came from in the clue for CHOIR, but when I read the definition for quire, I came across the reference to folded sheets.
There was one clue where I thought Eccles may have slipped when I thought that ‘wielding’ did not always mean ‘handle skilfully’ in the wordplay for YIELDING, but then I realised that Eccles meant ‘fielding’, an appropriate component.
I thought I would highlight some of Eccles’ best surfaces today, but when I had already selected three from the first four clues, those for ANARCHY, ALPHA MALE, and PAT CUMMINS I decided I would have too long a list for people to read through. Let’s just say this was a very good puzzle.
KARAOKE is a word I always have difficulty spelling as the middle A doesn’t slip off the tongue.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Times has to cut education programme (7)
ERASMUS (European Union’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe) ERAS (time periods; times) + MUSt (has to) excluding the final letter (cut) T ERAS MUS |
| 5 | Cunning to spread some chaos (7)
ANARCHY (utter lawlessness; chaos) ARCH (cunning) contained in (to spread) ANY (some) AN (ARCH) Y |
| 9 | Singing group folded sheets, reportedly (5)
CHOIR (singing group) CHOIR (sounds like [reportedly] QUIRE [24 sheets of paper {now often 25} of the same size and quality; formerly, four sheets of paper or parchment folded together to make eight leaves) CHOIR |
| 10 | I like lap dancing, meat and beer? (5,4)
ALPHA MALE (The dominant male animal or person in a group. I suppose I can be considered as referring to Number One, the best and most dominant?) Anagram of (dancing) LAP + HAM (meat) + ALE (beer) ALP* HA M ALE |
| 11 | Cricketer dropping catch utilises Mitchell Marsh’s tips batting second (3,7)
PAT CUMMINS (PAT CUMMINS [born 1993], Australian cricketer who is currently captain of the Australian Test and One Day International teams) PAT (dropping such as a cowPAT) + CUMM (first letter of [tips] each of Catch, Utilises, Mitchell and Marsh) + IN (at the crease; batting) + S (second) – Mitchell Marsh is currently captain of the Australian T20 cricket team PAT CUMM IN S |
| 12 | Ran away from policeman arresting unqualified driver (4)
FLED (ran away from) FED (FEDeral agent [of the FBI]; policeman) containing (arresting) L (learner; unqualified driver) F (L) ED |
| 14 | Excuse to go round valleys for lecture (4,1,6)
READ A LESSON ([deliver a] lecture) REASON (excuse) containing (to go round) DALES (valleys) REA (D A LES) SON |
| 18 | Quick way to get property on board (5,6)
FLEET STREET (property on a Monopoly board) FLEET (quick) + STREET (road; way) FLEET STREET |
| 21 | Head to lament leaving Missouri (4)
BEAN (head) BEmoAN (lament) excluding (leaving) MO (abbreviation for the US State of Missouri) BEAN |
| 22 | Sex worker is expert in avoiding law (10)
PROSTITUTE (sex worker) PRO (PROfessional; expert) + inSTITUTE (established law) excluding (avoiding) IN PRO STITUTE |
| 25 | Taximeter running for a further period (5,4)
EXTRA TIME (further period of play, after the nominal final whistle, due to the scores being equal) Anagram of (running) TAXIMETER EXTRA TIME* |
| 26 | Getting others to conceal lump (5)
INGOT (mass of unwrought metal, especially gold or silver; lump) INGOT (hidden word in [to conceal] gettING OThers) INGOT |
| 27 | Knocked back liquor and wine, ultimately receiving fine for singing along to tune (7)
KARAOKE ( the [originally Japanese] practice and entertainment, popular at public venues and parties, of singing pop songs to accompanying backing music provided from a large pre-recorded selection similar to a jukebox system, by a karaoke machine) (ARAK [strong alcoholic drink made in Asian countries] reversed [knocked back)] + E (last letter of {ultimately} winE]) all containing (OK [okay; adequate; fine]) KARA< (OK) E |
| 28 | Boxer, perhaps, and female rowing crew cycling next to river (7)
FIGHTER (a boxer, for example [perhaps]) F (female) + EIGHT (rowing crew) cycling one letter to the left with the first letter, E, going to the end to form IGHTE) + R (river) F IGHTE* R |
| Down | |
| 1 | Seasick, regularly exercises to secure a welcome relief (6)
ESCAPE (a welcome means of distraction or relief) (ESC [letters 2, 4 and 6 {regularly] of sEaSiCk] + PE [physical exercises]) containing (to secure) A ESC (A) PE |
| 2 | Breaks wind, covering head to limit nasty smell, and performs emergency stop (6)
ABORTS (performs emergency stop) fARTS (breaks wind) excluding (covering) the first letter (head) F containing (to limit) BO (body odour; nasty smell) A (BO) RTS |
| 3 | Daisy spread ceremonial procedure around university (10)
MARGUERITE (the ox-eye daisy or other single chrysanthemum) (MARGE [MARGarine {spread made from vegetable oils and fats}] + RITE [ceremonial procedure]) containing (around) U (MARG (U) E RITE) |
| 4 | Host is primarily sympathetic and friendly (5)
SWARM (throng [host] of insects) S (first letter of [primarily] Sympathetic) + WARM (friendly) S WARM |
| 5 | Attachment of plaster without protective equipment? Not British! (9)
APPENDAGE (a secondary part attached to a main part; attachment) bANDAGE (plaster) excluding (without) B (British) containing (without; outside) PPE (personal protective equipment) A (PPE) NDAGE |
| 6 | A fuel for ovens (4)
AGAS (ovens) A + GAS (fuel) A GAS |
| 7 | King‘s personal energy enthralling French city (7,1)
CHARLES I (title and regnal number of a King) CHI (an individual person’s life-force; energy) containing (enthralling) ARLES (city in the South of France) CH (ARLES) I |
| 8 | Obedient Tory at last skilfully handling ousting leader (8)
YIELDING (submissive; obedient) Y (final letter of [at last]) torY + fIELDING (handling skilfully) excluding (ousting) the first letter (leader) F Y IELDING |
| 13 | Both of us marching in part of Yorkshire (4,6)
WEST RIDING (formerly a division of Yorkshire. Following Local Authority re-organisation, the West Riding is governed differently today) WE (both of us) + STRIDING (marching) WE ST RIDING |
| 15 | Perhaps Nirvana are following fertile fans (9)
AFTERLIFE (Nirvana is defined as the cessation of individual existence, to which a Buddhist or Hindu aspires as the culmination of the meditative state; loosely, a blissful state. This could be descriptive of the AFTERLIFE) A (area; unit of area] + F (following) + an anagram of (fans) FERTILE A F TERLIFE* |
| 16 | One may turn back at work? (3,5)
OFF BREAK (a ball in cricket that turns from the offside towards the legside on pitching) OFF BREAK (if a person is OFF a BREAK, they could be back at work) cryptic definition OFF BREAK |
| 17 | Ramshackle tram taking ages shifting Taylor Swift? (8)
MEGASTAR (reference Taylor Swift [born 1989], American singer-songwriter, considered by some people to be a MEGASTAR) Anagram of (ramshackle) TRAM containing [taking] an anagram of (shifting) AGES M (EGAS*) TAR* |
| 19 | Save time following move (6)
BUDGET (a plan to restrict expenditure; a plan to save) BUDGE (move) + T (time) BUDGE T |
| 20 | Superior gambler (6)
BETTER (superior) BETTER (one who gambles) double definition BETTER |
| 23 | Terrace I put outside hotel (5)
SHELF (terrace) SELF (distinct individuality; I) containing (put outside) H (hotel is the international radio communication code for the letter H) S (H) ELF |
| 24 | Ring Henry and Oscar (4)
HALO (ring of light or colour) HAL (Henry) + O (ring-shaped character) HAL O |
More brilliance again from Eccles.
I was puzzled by the definition for ALPHA MALE, but Duncan’s explanation must be correct.
The policeman in 12a is not British!
My page is littered with ticks which, after a considerable struggle, I have pruned down to ANARCHY, PAT CUMMINS, FLEET STREET, PROSTITUTE, CHARLES I, AFTERLIFE, OFF BREAK and HALO.
Many thanks to Eccles and to Duncan.
Very smoothly done. I took ALPHA MALE to be a clue-as-definition which works fine for me and, whilst I knew FED would get someone’s goat, the lack of a US indicator didn’t concern me too much. OFF BREAK, AFTERLIFE, SWARM, EXTRA TIME, ALPHA MALE, ANARCHY and ERASMUS are my biggest ticks. I was surprised to learn today that ‘taximeter’ is one word: I think I have assumed it to be two for my entire adult life without having ever seen it written down!
Thanks Eccles and duncan
A dnf, for me: ‘Done/No Fun”. Fair play, that cricket ( its terms and suchlike ), is a favourite topic amongst setters, but it’s not my sport, so PAT CUMMINS (11ac) was a grind- bit of a Boycottesque charade.
14(ac), READ A LESSON, rather “green paint”?
ARAK, 27(ac), (as reversed)….hmm.
Too many “single-letter” devices ( 5 of ’em in 11ac!).
Hotel, Oscar, female, following, river, university, second, learner, time, primarily Sympathetic, TorY at last, et cetera.
OK (fine), to get FARTS and BO into a single wordplay and a 6-letter solution, is fun, and smart. (2d); and to spot that TAXIMETER=EXTRA TIME, is a proper Eccles clue, as were many others.
Not the best of Eccles……which still rates it as blooming good.
Cheers , E & duncan
I would add WEST RIDING to the long list of great clues above. I agree with PostMark that ALPHA MALE is a cad.
Yes, I see ALPHA MALE as CAD as well. The QM makes no sense otherwise, and I think it works well in painting a picture of the intended character. I liked PAT CUMMINS, but with the clue heavily leaning on cricket in every direction, I can understand grumbles from non-followers. ANARCHY, AFTERLIFE and OFF BREAK my other big favourites.
Thanks both.
Help! I can’t see how “are” in the clue for AFTERLIFE equates to area or A.
John Dunleavy @ 6
Both Chambers and Collins list A as an abbreviation for ‘are’ and mention that it is a metric area measurement.
Each dictionary also defines ‘are’, pronounced ‘air’, as a land area of 100 square meters (1/100th of a hectare)
Hi John
‘a’ is the abbreviation of ‘are’ (in the sense of the metric unit of measurement of area).
Another excellent offering from our setter although I did have to investigate the required cricketer – rather a big ask for me despite managing the OFF BREAK!
ALPHA MALE gets my plaudits today for its brilliant surface read.
Thanks to Eccles and to Duncan for the review.
Thanks both. For me, FLEET STREET and OFF BREAK are top amongst many impressive clues. Didn’t know arak in KARAOKE but was easily guided by the rest of the fodder, and despite being a cricket fan PAT CUMMINS was Pat Ohwhatshisface until I remembered to use the wordplay.
I had heard of neither the cricketer nor the flower, so I was defeated by the NW. I am not complaining, just commenting. But one day I will make good on my threat of making a puzzle loaded with baseball players, terms, and teams, and cackle with glee as I get my revenge. (What–you’ve never heard of Shohei Ohtani? He’s only the–oh, wait, sorry. As you were.)
John @6: the “are” (with a long a) for A trick is a staple–store it away for future reference. It’s most often seen in the wild as ha for hectare, the most-used measure of land measurement outside the US and UK, but of course it works by itself too.
Great fun which with the two cricket references was a miracle I completed. Quite chewy in places I thought.
Agree with the blogger there were some great clues here but I really liked ALPHA MALE. Didn’t quite get are=a for AFTERLIFE so thanks to previous commenters for clearing it up.
Cheers blogger and setter.
Ah, thanks Duncanshiell and Rog. Never come across that before.