Mog provides us with today’s challenge. We thought it was a while since we blogged a puzzle by Mog but on checking, someone has completed the last two Mog crosswords that we were scheduled to blog as we were away!
Tuesday is theme day, and we like themed puzzles – this one is based around the concept of a single two-word answer (15ac) leading to two separate sets of thematic entries. All the thematic clues are readily identifiable by including reference to 15ac, but because there are two theme words, the surfaces suffer at times.
The themes are SATELLITES and DISHES, with a rather random selection of examples of each. We are not well-versed in astronomy, so we had to check all the satellites – moons of Jupiter (8ac and 26ac), Saturn (19ac) and Mars (7d and 22d).
An anagram (‘broadcast’) of MEAN EDGY
EEL (fish) round or ‘netting’ a reversal (‘repulsed’) of MAN (island)
E (energy) CHOp (hack) missing the last letter or ‘not quite’
CO (company) A (advanced) TO (toward) FARMS (agricultural sector)
SCRAPE (pickle) in or ‘filling’ SKYR (cheese – ‘dairy product’)
A (American) LSO (London Symphony Orchestra)
A clue-as-defintion: an anagram (‘working’) of IT HAS TELLIES with D (last letter or ‘back’ of feed) ‘plugged in’
HEAR (try – as in court case) with the last letter or ‘finale’ moved to the front
PULLED (extracted) P (quietly) + wORKs missing the first and last letters or ‘without casing’
An anagram (‘wildly’) of LET’S ACT + SLY (scheming)
wOVEN (‘as is web’) missing the first letter or ‘opening’
A reversal (‘returning’) of RUE (regret) PA (per annum – ‘yearly’) round or ‘consuming’ O (Oscar in the phonetic alphabet)
U (university) + a reversal (‘retired’) of VAN (leaders) + OWED (unpaid)
PA (secretary) + an anagram (‘twisted’) of NECK round or ‘catching’ A + S (small)
NY (New York) LO (look) retraNSlates (middle or ‘essential’ letters)
D (diamonds) COR (wow) in or ‘encrusted with’ REAL (proper)
ME (setter) S A (first letters or ‘starts’ of skip accoutrements)
EV (electric vehicle) in DOUR (dreary)
CA (circa – ‘about’) LAMA (priest) RabbI missing the middle letters or ‘on vacation’
DEMOS (shows) round or ‘blocked by’ I (first letter or ‘head’ of ITV1)
PAL (mate) round or ‘hoarding’ HIs missing the last letter of ‘most of’
subTRACTION (withdrawal) missing or ‘not including’ ‘sub’ (boat)
EVE (night before) RAY (beam) round or ‘sucking up’ YD (yard)
An anagram (‘excited’) of SEEM and HORN
HI (welcome) AT (present) US (crossworders)
The Beatles played in Hamburg before they achieved fame and became known as the Fab Four – in Hamburg they were PRE-FAB
PHOtOS (snaps) with the ‘t’ (time) replaced by B (book)
SO (very) UP (high extremity?)
I liked PREFAB and PHOBOS. I only knew RHEA was a moon, because I looked it up for another puzzle, but needed help to get DEIMOS.
Beaten by DEIMOS in the end: nho and I did not connect ‘shows’ with DEMOS. Quite a tricky puzzle – even after I had worked out what I was meant to be doing with the two halves of the key word. And DISH does not give one a lot to go on when looking at that section of the themers.
I liked SATELLITE DISH, itself. A very nice &lit. Other faves inc PHIAL, HIATUS and PREFAB.
Thanks both
Rhea was the one nho, and it’s the second biggest of Saturn’s too … I thought it was a bird! No, skyr the cheese was another (if it was in the MP cheese skit I missed it!). Pre fab needed all crossers to twig but then got a chortle. All good fun, ta Mog and B&J.
Great concept with the twin themes happening at the same time, though as you say the selection of dishes in particular was pretty random. I found the bottom right corner most difficult (OVEN and UNAVOWED) but I got both in the end.
I liked the clue for ENAMEL. I’m always wary of fish in crosswords but eel is a very fair one to use.
Skyr is more of a yogurt than a cheese.