GAFF kicks off the week with an anniversary puzzle…
The anniversary in question (I think) being the premiere of My Fair Lady in 1956. A fun puzzle.
Apologies for the lack of a grid image, and irregular formatting. The tool that I normally use for creating the blog was not working this morning.
Thanks GAFF!
ACROSS
1/4 Relax and maybe monitor gigolo (6,6)
LOUNGE LIZARD
LOUNGE (relax) and LIZARD (maybe monitor)
8 Can just be part of London (7)
MAYFAIR
MAY (can) + FAIR (just)
9 Bald guy confused with insect (7)
LADYBUG
(BALD GUY)* (*confused)
11 Links format of deed with latitude (6,4)
STROKE PLAY
STROKE (deed) with PLAY (latitude)
12 Chinese people haul wreckage (4)
LAHU
(HAUL)* (*wreckage)
13 Beat by a distance (5)
METRE
Double definition
14 Human tests contracted officers swallowing tea (8)
CAPTCHAS
CAPTS (officers) swallowing CHA (tea)
Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart
16 Clergyman holds Channel Islands most dear (8)
PRICIEST
PRIEST (clergyman) holds CI (Channel Islands)
18 Opening for light dog investigating leather leads (5)
PUPIL
PUP (dog) + I[nvestigating] L[eather] (leads)
20 Fall for Spain’s plain features (4)
RAIN
Double (cryptic) definition
21 Rose perhaps to be attendant to the bride (6,4)
FLOWER GIRL
Double (cryptic) definition
23 Student is second class breadwinner (7)
LEARNER
[c]L[ass] (second) + EARNER (breadwinner)
24 Let down by third guess in Wordle disaster (7)
LOWERED
[gu]E[ss] (third) in (WORDLE)* (*disaster)
25 Magic cape at Oscars (6)
HOODOO
HOOD (cape) at O O (Oscars)
26 Tell it’s wrong toy (6)
LITTLE
(TELL IT)* (*wrong)
DOWN
1 Inclined to report fast time (5)
LEANT
“Lent” = LEANT (fast time, “to report”)
2 Open in advance (2,5)
UP FRONT
Double definition
3 Did Gauguin ever envision hiding a legendary queen? (9)
GUINEVERE
[gau]GUIN EVER E[nvision] (hiding)
5 At first, ICE terrorises and loots your country (5)
ITALY
I[ce] T[errorises] A[nd] L[oots] Y[our] (at first)
6 Not repeating cataclysmic disaster when mast was lost (7)
ACYCLIC
(C[at]ACLY[sm]IC (mast lost))* (*disaster)
7 Bold laugh misplaced round bread (9)
DOUGHBALL
(BOLD LAUGH)* (*misplaced)
10 Group reduced charge for delivery (9)
ELOCUTION
ELO (group) + CUT (reduced) + ION (charge)
13 Remark has upset city (9)
MARRAKESH
(REMARK HAS)* (*upset)
15 Sleuth holds record for working with Italian banger (9)
PEPPERONI
PI (sleuth) holds (EP (record) + PER (for) + ON (working))
17 Bucking bronco is first injected with energy (3,4)
CON BRIO
(BRONCO)* (*bucking), I[s] (first) injected
19 Swineherds take time in the shade (7)
PIGMENT
PIG MEN (swineherds) take T (time)
21 Fire Spanish leaders for frustrating USA’s excessively gung-ho operation (5)
FUEGO
F[rustrating] U[sa’s] E[xcessively] G[ung-ho] O[peration] (leaders for)
22 It’s official — extremely risible First Lady (5)
REEVE
R[isibl]E (extremely) + EVE (first lady)
Thanks Gaff and Teacow. Loads of references to the show.MAYFAIR RAIN( in Spain),FLOWER GIRL,LEANER and LOWERED( Lerner and Loewe),HOODOO LITTLE( Eliza Doolittle ) and ELOCUTION ( Eliza received elocution lessons).No doubt there are others .
Lovely puzzle to start the week. Of course I didn’t spot the anniversary which now seems so obvious.
LOUNGE LIZARD made me smile
Thanks Gaff and Teacow
A vaguely thematic answer is GUINEVERE, who is a character in Camelot, another L&L musical.
Thanks Gaff and Teacow. Further to the first two comments, note ELIZA on the top row to go with DOOLITTLE on the bottom row.
Second row: FAIRLADY.
PB @4 and SM @5
Well spotted
Loverley puzzle.
Actually, the second row has M(a)Y FAIR LADY