Ringoe provides today’s challenge – his 3rd puzzle in the Indy.
We found this an enjoyable, fairly straightforward puzzle. The theme became apparent fairly early on, which helped with some of the slightly trickier clues. Uncovering the theme didn’t help with 25d however – we needed some online assistance here as we had not come across the characters referred to in the clue – we initially thought they might have something to do with 14/18d (which neither of us have read) but were proved wrong. We were aware of 5d and 19ac from 9/27’s song, but we had to check that 5d’s surname is Earnshaw.
Congratulations to Ringoe for managing to get the book, the author, the two leading characters and the singer into the grid – just as the latest film is released.
A reversal of IT SONG (number) in AC (account)
A Spoonerism of BAIT (tempt) CUSH (‘Ham’s boy’ – in the bible)
PIC (‘still’ – photograph) round AT H (hospital) OGEN (melon variety)
M1 (motorway) RAGE (madness)
A reversal (‘turned’) of ALSO (‘on top’) GUY (man) + V (against)
ROW (quarrel) and an anagram (‘trashing’) of SNUG in BAR (pub)
N (nitrogen) in mIRE (pickle) missing the first letter (‘unopened’)
Double definition
HEAT (passion) + a reversal (‘back’) of FILCH (steal) + F (female)
AIR (show) E (energy) + an anagram (‘chewed’) of LEAD
LAME (unconvincing) NT (New Testament – ‘book collection’)
An anagram (‘surprisingly’) of THIS CLERK round or ’embracing’ I (one)
IS O (round) GONe (‘lifeless’) missing the last letter (‘not entirely’)
YELLER (‘caller out’) round (‘engaging’) O D (alternate or ‘occasional’ letters of good)
An anagram (‘excited’) of GAELIC + R (Romeo in the phonetic alphabet)
O (old) MEGA (enormous)
An anagram (‘badly’) of SLEPT SO
An anagram (‘renovated’) of YACHT
B (‘second-rate’) LOGGER (tree feller)
Double definition
T (time) HAIR (locks) round (‘securing’) IN (home)
An anagram (‘rowing’) of WITH HUNGER + EIGHTS (crews in Boat Race)
GOAl (aim) missing the last letter or ‘ultimately denied’
HEAR (judge) ThEN (‘in that case’) missing or ‘releasing’ the ‘h’ (husband)
HERD (‘keep animals together’) round A LB (pound)
FINES (punishes) S E (south and east – opponents in Bridge or other card games)
An anagram (‘grated’) of O (first or ‘initial’ letter of outrageous), LIBERTY and MEN
M (married) ABEL (Abel Magwitch – from Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’) – we had to check this – it’s a reference to Mabel Normand, friend and partner of Mack Sennet in the early days of the American film industry
Ditto re 25d, had forgotten Magwitch’s first name and no idea about the other ref. Isogon another newie. But friendly in all, with yes a timely theme. Ta Ringoe and B&J.
AIREDALE is also thematic, being the location of the Heights. Enjoyable but I found myself putting the answers in from the theme and parsing afterwards. Hard to think of famous Mabels. “Pickles’ table supervisor”?
Very true Petert. Wikipedia has more than 70 Mabels but I couldn’t identify any of them. I do however remember Have A Go and Mabel (Wilfred Pickles’s wife) on the table.
I didn’t mind some of the solutions being signposted as the clues were fun and smart. Rowing with Hunger made me laugh; it sounds about as awful as Wuthering Heights.
I enjoyed this but it was a shame to still be referencing Kate Bush from the 80s and nothing specifically to do with the new adaptation. It would have been cool to see for example ROBBIE, EMERALD or even CHARLI XCX in there.
I thought YUGOSLAV was a good clue and there were many others.
Apparently the tiara that Margaret Robbie wears in the film is called a Mabel tiara.
For me, an excellent puzzle. But it shows how themes can be so divisive. I love equally, Kate Bush, Dickens, and Wuthering Heights.
Choose a different songstress, author, authoress, and novel, and I might hate it.
The skill and artistry of 19(ac), HEATHCLIFF; and 23(d)/ 6(ac), EMILY BRONTE, are simply superb.
Two of the best clues I can think of.
Well, Ringo and Heathcliff and me, are Liverpudlians, so I may be biased, but I love it, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Cap high in the air, Ringoe, and BAJ
Digger @5: you are aware, right, that KATE BUSH is here because of her hit song WUTHERING HEIGHTS? Does Charli XCX also have a recording by that name that I’m not aware of?
I agree with the above comments that the theme being obvious made it a bit too easy to enter the theme entries, but also that I actually didn’t mind that much, since they were great clues. I especially liked the semi-&lit clue for HEATHCLIFF. Still, the fastest I’ve done an Independent Tuesday themer.
(I read the book back in high school, and I remember liking it, but high school was also a long time ago.)
I enjoyed this… spotted the/a theme but became confused soon after; when Magwitch appeared. I pondered on19th C literature in general. Well, that’s my excuse for not working out the book from the anagram sooner! I read the book long before Kate Bush burst into song, but I feel she singlehandedly did more for the popularisation of the Brontes than most. An extraordinary artist, who created her unique style of vocals, and choreography, which, I feel, shines through the test of time.
Thanks Ringoe and Bertandjoyce
mrpenney @8: Charli XCX created the soundtrack for the new Wuthering Heights film.