Happy Saturday Indy solving
I was expecting something themed from Mev who has often produced puzzles with a reference to the day or something else that is often well hidden, but I cannot see anything.
And checking the date, it is quite a significant one for many people.
So what have I missed?
Never mind. This was a bit easier than I thought it might be, getting going with 5A and filling in the top right corner quite quickly. That was not to last. I was misled at several points especially 1/19 for which of course I wrote in PANDORA’S BOX. That had me straining for an answer to 2d ending in X.
When I had that X on the grid I was convinced there was going to be a pangram. And even after correcting it to JAR I was still on the lookout, especially after I got 13 to supply the then missing X.
Alas! No Q.
Once the trickier bits were out of the way the rest was filled in quick enough, especially with all the crossing letters available by then.
One bit of wordplay I’m not 100% sure about for 18A TAN
| ACROSS | ||
| 1/19 | PANDORAS JAR |
Criticise terrible roads – shock source of troubles? (8,3)
|
| PAN (ROADS)* AInd: terrible JAR (shock) Tried very hard to make BOX work from the wordplay and didn’t get JAR till the R from 2d appeared |
||
| 5 | DIVINE |
Eat around six? Perfect! (6)
|
| DINE (eat) around VI (six) First one in |
||
| 10 | CORNCOB |
My new strong horse gets some maize (7)
|
| COR (My!) N[ew] COB (string horse) | ||
| 11 | HELMETS |
Headgear that guy allows to protect back of cranium (7)
|
| HE (guy) LETS (allows) around [craniu]M | ||
| 12 | ICHOR |
What flows through 5 Greeks and mythic horse-man (5)
|
| hidden in mythIC HORse-man | ||
| 13 | ROUX |
Chef‘s sauce ingredient (4)
|
| Double Def. Ref. Michel &/or Albert Roux (both fathers and sons) Serious chefs <Wiki> |
||
| 14 | BLUE |
Sad university sportsperson (4)
|
| Double Def. | ||
| 16 | RETAIL CHAIN |
Chat with airline about several places to shop (6,5)
|
| (CHAT AIRLINE)* AInd: about. | ||
| 18 | TAN |
Brown booth stripped down (3)
|
| [s]TAN[d] Is a booth a Stand? I cannot think of another way to get TAN | ||
| 20 | DRIED FRUITS |
Not very juicy food from fir set druid reeling (5,6)
|
| (FIR SET DRUID)* AInd: reeling. | ||
| 22 | CASE |
Songwriter Neko starts to create another sad elegy (4)
|
| First letters (starts) of C[reate] A[nother] S[ad] E[legy] I have never heard of this person Wiki: Neko Case |
||
| 24 | IDOL |
The first old rocking Billy? (4)
|
| I (The first, i.e. 1, I) (OLD)* AInd: rocking. Ref. <Wiki: Billy Idol> |
||
| 26 | MIGHT |
Power Russian plane with hydrogen tank at the front (5)
|
| MIG (Russian plane) H[ydrogen] T[ank] | ||
| 28 | SEIZURE |
Certain to contain final elements of the Iraqi blitz attack (7)
|
| [th]E [iraq]I [blit]Z inside SURE (certain) | ||
| 29 | FUNERAL |
Joyous time before opening of lamentable ceremony (7)
|
| FUN (joyous) ERA (time) L[amentable] | ||
| 30 | ASSAYS |
Tests of materials like, for example, sulphur (6)
|
| AS (like) SAY (for example) S[ulphur] | ||
| 31 | CRUSADED |
King Edward pocketing American bill went on campaign (8)
|
| CR (King) USA (American) D (bill) ED[ward] Last one in |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PICKIER |
More discerning, irrational and cold, Starmer turns guts (7)
|
| PI (irrational, π) C[old] KEIR (Starmer) with E<>I swapping (turns guts) | ||
| 2 | NORTH STAR |
Sailor follows old prime minister’s guiding light (5,4)
|
| NORTH’S (old prime minister’s) TAR (sailor) | ||
| 3 | OSCAR WILDE |
Writer so upset about cycling director Billy (5,5)
|
| SO< CA (about) {Billy} WILDER (film director) “cycling” the R to the front <Wiki: Billy_Wilder> |
||
| 4 | AMBER |
Resin found occasionally in rising creek by moat (5)
|
| Alternate (occasionally) backwards (rising) hidden in cReEk By MoAt | ||
| 6 | ISLE |
Maybe Avalon features in this legend (4)
|
| Hidden in thIS LEgend | ||
| 7 | IDEAL |
One preparation of lead is best (5)
|
| I (LEAD)* AInd: preparation of. | ||
| 8 | EPSTEIN |
Sculpted penis outside hollow travertine tomb of 3 was made by him (7)
|
| (PENIS)* AInd: Sculpted, around T[ravertin]E Ref. Jacob the sculptor <Wiki: Jacob Epstein> |
||
| 9 | THOUSAND |
Grand soda hunt abandoned (8)
|
| (SODA HUNT)* AInd: abandoned. | ||
| 15 | INCREMENTS |
Cool rector comes in to fix small steps (10)
|
| IN (cool) R[ector] in CEMENT (fix) S[mall] | ||
| 17 | CHILDREN |
French dog accepts prime bits from older kids (8)
|
| [o]LD[e]R i.e. the 2nd, 3rd and 5th prime number positions of OLDER, in CHIEN (dog, in French) | ||
| 18 | TRIGGERED |
Time oil worker and journalist set off (9)
|
| T[ime] RIGGER (oil worker) ED (journalist) | ||
| 19 | JOCASTA |
Overly affectionate mother‘s job can stay unfinished (7)
|
| JO[b] CA[n] STA[y] Mother of Oedipus <Wiki: Jocasta> |
||
| 21 | SETTLED |
Determined badger’s place was in front of the field (7)
|
| SETT (badger’s place) LED (was in front …) | ||
| 23 | SHIPS |
Sends his weird extra text (5)
|
| (HIS)* AInd: weird, PS (extra text) | ||
| 25 | LIFER |
Pilot lowering female prisoner (5)
|
| FLIER (pilot) shift F (from female) down. | ||
| 27 | FURY |
Billy who once rocked animal product on seat of Harley (4)
|
| FUR (animal product) [Harle]Y The old rocker who wasn’t really very old <Wiki: Billy Fury> |
Thanks beermagnet. I think stand/booth works in the sense of a stall at a fair or market.
I can’t see a theme either.
Yep, (s)TAN(d) worked for me and a market stand/booth is what I had in mind. Says something about my age that when I first met the clue for CASE, I wondered if the singer Nico (Velvet Underground/Andy Warhol etc) has been misspelled! Was in blissful ignorance about the JAR until forced to think again by the puzzle – nho. Enjoyable puzzle but over surprisingly swiftly. CHILDREN my favourite construction. DIVINE is surely eat around four 😉
Thanks both
Reckon CRUSADED is CR + US + AD + ED.
Given the avoidance of the obvious topical definition of EPSTEIN, I feel the theme must involve the notorious files, which have turned out to be a Pandora’s Jar, have been released in Increments, feature an Isle, the head of a Retail Chain, Children, have Triggered Fury etc.
There is something else to be spotted… [Edit: no Petert@4, not that, for goodness sake.]
Ah. This looks like it.
Thanks Mev
Nice puzzle but please setters stop with these obscure themes, designed to make us all feel ignorant!
Ancient Leader
Thanks beermagnet for the blog, and all solvers/commenters so far and to come. (Yes to [s]TAN[d] & Hovis @3.)
One internet point to DuncT @6 , as there are five Natalie Haynes book titles in the grid. No room for The Ancient Guide To Modern Life or Stone Blind, and the title of No Friend To This House hadn’t been released when I wrote this. (Not that I could have squeezed that one in.) I highly recommend Ms Haynes’ books, both factual and fiction, and also her excellent radio show Natalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics which takes a lighter look at some ancient works. All episodes are available on iPlayer.
Ericw @7. The point of ghost themes is that the solver can complete the puzzle with no knowledge of them. I don’t *expect* anyone to see them, they’re meant as a fun easter egg for those who do, or who read the blog. I don’t put themes in to make anyone feel dim, but rather to celebrate and spread the word about things I like.
It was only after I wrote 24a that I realised there was another Billy at 27d, and that the surface could arguably describe him. So I tried to return the favour in 27d. Then another Billy revealed himself in 3d. I had a look around to see if I had accidentally put any other Billys in, and I found https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Blue and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Tan . Neither well known enough for me to try to work them in. 🙂 Ikea’s Billy bookCASE? Nah.
The surface of 8d is entirely factual, barring the wrong type of limestone. Funnily enough, only a few weeks ago I was going through some old photos, and I found a photo of it which I’d long forgotten taking.
Here’s a track from Neko.
Sorry about the lack of a Q. Thanks to my test solvers, and the boss for the slot.
Cheers!
Comment #9