Another puzzle of the calibre we expect from Eccles, although a bit tougher for me than some of his recent offerings, to finish at least.
Here I am, posting last again – better late than never, I hope. I got off to a good start with this one, solving the two long anagrams quite quickly and a good few of the 4-5 letter entries. I then slowed down somewhat and had to pluck away at the clues one by one. My last-one-in was 13, where I have found the definition, and thus solved the clue, but I can’t follow what is going on in the wordplay, about South Shields say. I look forward to being enlightened later by other solvers.
As for my favourite clues today, I liked 6, for its “sharing” device; 12, for surface; 18, for ingenuity, once I had teased it out; 20D, for its “topless” device; and 24, for smoothness of surface.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MISUSE |
Ill-treatment is stopping contemplation (6)
|
| IS in MUSE (=contemplation) | ||
| 4 | EDUCTION |
America abandons teaching evolution (8)
|
| EDUC<a>TION (=teaching; “America (=A) abandons” means letter “a” is dropped); to educe is to develop, esp. from a latent or potential state, i.e. draw out | ||
| 10 | DENIGRATE |
Run down director to transfer country mansion at last, for millions (9)
|
| D (=director) + E<N for M>IGRATE> (=to transfer country; “mansion at last”, i.e. last letter of “mansioN (=N) for M (=millions)” means letter “m” is replaced by “n”) | ||
| 11 | BALLS |
Nonsense, absolute nonsense about everything (5)
|
| ALL (=everything) in BS (=absolute nonsense, i.e. bullshit) | ||
| 12 | RACK ONE’S BRAINS |
Think carefully: are carbon sinks complex? (4,4,6)
|
| *(ARE CARBON SINKS); “complex” is anagram indicator | ||
| 14 | TOWIE |
TV programme, in short, showing group of women in part of club (5)
|
| WI (=group of women, i.e. Women’s Institute) in TOE (=part of club, i.e. front part of a golf club, hockey stick, etc); the reference is to the UK reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex, or TOWIE for short, launched in 2010 | ||
| 16 | ROCHESTER |
List of people protecting Argentine Marxist in New York City (9)
|
| CHE (=Argentine Marxist, i.e. Che Guevara) in ROSTER (=list of people, rota); Rochester is a city in New York (State) | ||
| 18 | INEPTNESS |
Seven points written after one shows incompetence (9)
|
| I (=one) + N + E + PT + N + E + S + S (“seven points”, where six of them are points of the compass and the other one is the abbreviation “pt” for “point”) | ||
| 20 | MANON |
Chap running opera (5)
|
| MAN (=chap) + ON (=running, switched on); Manon is a five-act 1884 opera by Jules Massenet | ||
| 21 | MILK OF MAGNESIA |
I mismanage folk developing laxative (4,2,8)
|
| *(I MISMANAGE FOLK); “developing” is anagram indicator | ||
| 25 | LIE TO |
Almost stop false statement, extremely briefly (3,2)
|
| LIE (=false statement, untruth) + TO<o> (=extremely; “briefly” means last letter is dropped); to lie to is to become almost stationary with head to the wind, of a vessel | ||
| 26 | LITIGATED |
Lecturer, appeased after late start, took action (9)
|
| L (=lecturer) + <m>ITIGATED (=appeased; “after late start” means first letter is not used); litigated means “took (court) action” | ||
| 27 | POSITION |
Antiparticle with no resistance outside current location (8)
|
| I (=current, in physics) in POSIT<r>ON (=antiparticle; “with no resistance (=R)” means letter “r” is dropped) | ||
| 28 | LEAN ON |
Have confidence in force (4,2)
|
| Double definition: to lean on someone is to rely on them (for support) and to force them, put pressure on them to do something reluctantly | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MODERATRIX |
Dicky married to cross woman who is in charge (10)
|
| *(MARRIED TO) + X (=cross, symbolically); “dicky” is anagram indicator | ||
| 2 | SONIC |
Prickly character really lovely, mostly (5)
|
| SO (=really, very) + NIC<e> (=lovely; “mostly” means last letter is dropped); the reference is to the videogame and film character Sonic the Hedgehog, created in 1991 and who is naturally prickly! | ||
| 3 | SIGNORE |
Italian man pays no attention to raising son (7)
|
| IGNORES (=pays no attention to; “raising son (=S)” means letter “s” moves upwards in the word) | ||
| 5 | DWEEB |
American fool‘s date number one with bishop (5)
|
| D (=date) + WEE (=number one, as I need a number one) + B (=bishop); a dweeb is an American word for fool, idiot | ||
| 6 | CABBAGE |
Four Swedes in prison, sharing a vegetable (7)
|
| ABBA (=four Swedes, i.e. the four singers/musicians that make up the group) in CAGE (=prison); there are two x “a” in “cabbage”, not three x “a”, so one x “a” has to be shared when “ABBA” is placed in “CAGE” | ||
| 7 | ISLINGTON |
I pitch to north London district (9)
|
| I + SLING (=pitch, hurl) + TO + N (=north) | ||
| 8 | NOSE |
Reportedly is aware of aroma (4)
|
| Homophone (“reportedly”) of “knows (=nose)”; a nose is the aroma of a wine, say | ||
| 9 | CAREFREE |
Unconcerned about official losing heart (8)
|
| CA (=about, regarding) + REF<e>REE (=official; “losing heart” means middle letter of word is dropped) | ||
| 13 | IRON MAIDEN |
Spiky type intoned “I am no right-winger from South Shields” (4,6)
|
| An iron maiden is an instrument of torture, hence “spiky type”; I cannot sort out the wordplay, alas | ||
| 15 | WEEPINESS |
Small trees on sierra showing quality of trees often found by river? (9)
|
| WEE (=small, in Scotland) + PINES (=trees) + S (=Sierra, in NATO alphabet); the reference is to weeping willows, often found growing by rivers) | ||
| 17 | CASUALTY |
Actors on show with yen to bury regular characters in durable TV series (8)
|
| <d>U<r>A<b>L<e> (“regular characters” means alternate letters only) in [CAST (=actors on show) + Y (=yen, as in Japanese currency)] | ||
| 19 | TAKE OUT |
Destroy US restaurant (4,3)
|
| A takeout is the US equivalent of the British takeaway; to take someone out is to kill or destroy them, in slang | ||
| 20 | MINOGUE |
Short time on fashion magazine, topless, for pop icon (7)
|
| MIN (=minute; “short” means abbreviation used) + <v>OGUE (=fashion magazine; “topless” means first letter is dropped); the reference is to Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue (1968-) | ||
| 22 | FOLIO |
Painting of revolutionary in book (5)
|
| OIL (=(type of) painting) + OF; “revolutionary” indicates reversal | ||
| 23 | SATAN |
Evil being took article (5)
|
| SAT (=took, e.g. an exam) + AN (=article) | ||
| 24 | CLIP |
Caught body part in fastener (4)
|
| C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) + LIP (=body part) |
This setter’s inventiveness is well showcased here particularly with the parsing for INEPTNESS, CABBAGE (my favourite) and IRON MAIDEN.
A shame about the US slang abbreviation used in 11a. (Chambers agrees!)
Many thanks to Eccles for a fun challenge. Thanks too to RR.
Can you help me with the parsing of IRON MAIDEN, please, Rabbit Dave? I really want to understand it if it is so impressive.
Re: 13D, “from south” is a reversal indicator and “shields” shows the hidden word.
Thanks both. I am equally clueless regarding IRON MAIDEN and for LIE TO had wrongly entered lie by, wherein the by comes from the extremes of ‘briefly’ which was how I read the instruction, and the definition I found is very similar.
IRON MAIDEN is a reverse hidden. Very well hidden. What a wonderful puzzle! CABBAGE INEPTNESS are both brilliant.
Our setter sadly continues his foray into lavatorial humour but I doubt that I can stop him. Ah well, I did enjoy most of this one and thank our reviewer for the parsing of 18a which had defeated me.
Top marks here went to RACK ONE’S BRAINS, LEAN ON & WEEPINESS.
Thanks to Eccles and to RR for the review.
‘Another puzzle of the calibre we expect’ exactly. I also started well but as it seems every Wednesday, slowed down towards the end until finally the puzzle was completed. Top marks for the nicely hidden reversal IRON MAIDEN which I could solve but not see until I read the blog. One or two TV references were beyond my ken, not having TV or living in the UK. I put in Castaway unparsed for CASUALTY until I realised the error and checked Google which also came to the rescue for SONIC the hedgehog (another spiky type) and TOWIE which I could solve and parse but not understand. I’m not complaining. I’m partial to an Eccles and always look forward to Wednesdays in the I, so thanks very much to him, and to RR for the blog.
All good stuff. I’m another who tried LIE BY, so I can’t claim to have finished unimpeded. The state of my knowledge of UK TV: I had heard of CASUALTY but not TOWIE, the latter of which seemed unlikely but well clued. It’s news to me that BS is an Americanism; but then I don’t agree with Rabbit Dave that all Americanisms have to be signaled. (It’s required only for the ones that you wouldn’t expect an average solver to get without the signal, and of course for all American spellings. If it’s in the dictionary, it’s fair game as long as the definition given by the setter is accurate.)