Today’s installment from Gozo has the usual assortment of relatively straightforward clues with a number of rather more difficult ones in the mix . . .
. . . all in the service of a theme, this time “trees.” I found 12, but there may well be some more that I failed to spot.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SPINET |
Fixed peg inside harpsichord (6)
|
| PIN (peg) inside SET (fixed) | ||
| 4 | SCABBARD |
Dull bank payment system backed cover (8)
|
| {DRAB (dull) + BACS (bank payment system, i.e., Bankers’ Automated Clearing Services)} all reversed (backed) | ||
| 10 | EYEWASH |
Viewer lived next to Henry. Rot! (7)
|
| EYE (viewer) + WAS (lived) + H (Henry) | ||
| 11 | PELMETS |
Valances from ruined temples (7)
|
| Anagram of (ruined) TEMPLES. A new word for me | ||
| 12 | RITA |
Girl resident in GB (4)
|
| Hidden in (resident in) [GREAT B]RITA[IN] (= GB spelled out) | ||
| 13 | MIDFIELDER |
Filmed dire collapse of footballer (10)
|
| Anagram of (collapse) FILMED DIRE | ||
| 15 | ALCOTT |
US novelist in rural cottage (6)
|
| Hidden in [RUR]AL COTT[AGE], referring to Louisa May Alcott | ||
| 16 | NEW DEAL |
Roosevelt’s plan for naked swimmer is reported (3,4)
|
| Homophone of (is reported) NUDE EEL (naked swimmer), referring to Franklin Delano Roosevelt | ||
| 20 | CLOAKED |
Wrapped up warmly, with the truth well hidden (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | ASSURE |
Quell any doubts of Jenny going by river (6)
|
| ASS (jenny, with a capitalization misdirection) + URE (river) | ||
| 24 | UZBEKISTAN |
Zaniest UK bishop out in Tashkent’s land (10)
|
| Anagram of (out) [ZANIEST + UK + B (bishop)] | ||
| 26 | OPEL |
Somewhat hopeless car firm (4)
|
| Hidden in (somewhat) [H]OPEL[ESS] | ||
| 28 | SUBLIME |
Glorious Blues I’m playing (7)
|
| Anagram of (playing) BLUES I’M | ||
| 29 | PRO RATA |
Commensurate backing in Qatar or Pakistan (3,4)
|
| Hidden in [Q]ATAR OR P[AKISTAN] reversed (backing) | ||
| 30 | PALMETTO |
Metal pot cooked State tree (8)
|
| Anagram of (cooked) METAL POT (State tree of South Carolina) | ||
| 31 | ORDEAL |
Gold? It’s lead in disguise, severe test shows (6)
|
| OR (gold) + anagram of (it’s . . . in disguise) LEAD | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SPEARMAN |
Small apple I left out for armed soldier (8)
|
| S (small) + PEARMA[I]N ([a variety of] apple) minus (left out) I | ||
| 2 | IDENTICAL |
Battered Latin dice are alike (9)
|
| Anagram of (battered) LATIN DICE. Strictly speaking, should the cryptic grammar be “is alike”? | ||
| 3 | ESAU |
New statue now and again reveals OT character (4)
|
| Alternate letters of (now and again) [N]E[W] S[T]A[T]U[E] | ||
| 5 | CUP OF TEA |
It’s just my brew! (3,2,3)
|
| Cryptic (and/or possibly double) definition | ||
| 6 | BALDERDASH |
More obvious career for cobblers (10)
|
| BALDER (more obvious) + DASH (career) | ||
| 7 | AHEAD |
A top up (5)
|
| A + HEAD (top) | ||
| 8 | DESIRE |
Game opponents in dreadful want (6)
|
| {E (i.e., East) + S (i.e., South)} (game opponents, i.e., in bridge) inside (in) DIRE (dreadful) | ||
| 9 | CHOIR |
Vocalists having sheets, we’re told (5)
|
| Homophone of (we’re told) QUIRE (sheets) | ||
| 14 | STEAK KNIFE |
Cutlery item from a fete Kinks organised (5,5)
|
| Anagram of (organised) A FETE KINKS | ||
| 17 | AQUAPLANE |
Greenish-blue tool for slide (9)
|
| AQUA (greenish-blue) + PLANE (tool) | ||
| 18 | REASSERT |
Reimpose authority redistributing non-U treasures (8)
|
| Anagram of (redistributing) TREAS[U]RE minus (non-) U | ||
| 19 | KEELHAUL |
Carpet from university residence is spoken of (8)
|
| Homophone of (is spoken of) [KEELE (University) + HALL (residence)] | ||
| 22 | RUNS UP |
Arrives hurriedly and gets into debt? (4,2)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | RAMPS |
Upgrades power in pile-drivers (5)
|
| P (power) inside (in) RAMS (pile-drivers) | ||
| 25 | BABEL |
The Sheep-Pig has left making a confused noise (5)
|
| BABE (The Sheep-Pig, referring to the 1995 film) + L (left) | ||
| 27 | YOUR |
Not my report from the old days (4)
|
| Homophone of (report from) YORE (the old days). I think this clue could plausibly be read either way, though. |
I vaguely remember EYEWASH in another crossword some time ago, but I’ve never encountered it to mean rot. British? Hogwash would be my word of choice. And the three UK-specific clues required some web searching— Pearman apples, BACS and Keele university. I initially chose the wrong one in the ambiguous 27d.
It took me a while to build momentum, then it flew by thanks to a friendly grid and a lot of anagrams. At the end, I needed time for SPINET (did not know the term) and RUNS UP (which I do not think, in itself, means get into debt)
Liked ALCOTT, UZBEKISTAN, MIDFIELDER, AHEAD, loved the hopeless OPEL, and thought BALDERDASH was clever
Similar to GDU, I did not know the parochial terms, and also had to research apple types.
Thanks Gozo and Cineraria
Good stuff.
Liked new deal, balderdash, keelhaul.
Didn’t like your (I went yore)
I think deal (in 31a) is an additional tree. I was oblivious to the theme until I came here
Thanks both.
In fact deal is unit of measurement of timber boards, now considered obsolete. Dates my old man, who use to talk about deal boards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_(unit)
Light, witty and breezy entertainment from Gozo, as ever.
I had many ticks including SPINET, CLOAKED and KEELHAUL but favourites were BALDERDASH and BABEL for ‘the sheep-pig’. Saw some but not all of the theme entries; should have been more alert as Gozo does like a theme from time to time.
Deal always reminds me of Jane Austen.
Thanks for the fun, Gozo, and Cineraria for the blog.