What a preamble?! An author and one of his works to be found in the grid. Another thematic phrase to be resolved from clashing entries in the grid. And there’s more…
Wow. Educational…eventually…once the direction of the unclued entries was determined.
It all relates to W(illiam) S(chwenk) Gilbert, and his work TopsyTurv(e)yDom – hence reversed entries (with associated confusion)…with the clashing entries giving the following from another WSG work, Ruddigore:
‘THIS PARTICULARLY RAPID UNINTELLIGIBLE PATTER ISN’T GENERALLY HEARD AND IF IT IS IT DOESN’T MATTER’.
(So, I’m guessing the title, ‘Prestissimo’, relates to the ‘rapid’ patter…)
Hard work, but gettable – nice construction and clueing – a great mid- to hard- level EV, I felt…and I will remember ‘Schwenk’, as WS Gilbert’s middle name, in pub quizzes for many years to come…
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Answer | Clue / Logic/Parsing |
| 11A | ANT | Tapir misses one insect (3) / ANTa (tapir) without A (one) |
| 12A | SPUD | Digging tool tips over losing money (4) / SPUD = DUmPS (tips, without M – money) over |
| 13A | INAPT | Brew a pint? Not appropriate (5) / anag (i.e. brew) of A PINT |
| 14A | SKIRT | Go along the edge of street carrying drink (5) / ST (street) around KIR (drink) |
| 15A | CUR | Short, short dog (3) / CURt (short, cut short!) |
| 16A | LAIRS | Retreats from American city tax authorities (5) / LA (American city) + IRS (Inland Revenue Service, tax authorities) |
| 17A | EAST | Welfare state provides regular contributions for bridge player (4) / EAST = regularly space letters of wElfAreStaT |
| 18A | LIMY | Fifty one extremely messy and sticky (4) / L (fifty) + I (one) + MY (extreme letters of MessY) |
| 19A | FEN | Church abandoned barrier in bog (3) / FENce (barrier) minus CE (Church of England) |
| 20A | UNNEST | Make homeless compose tunes with an extra note (6) / anag (i.e compose) of TUNES + N (note) |
| 21A | KALI | Goddess starting to kiss boxer (4) / K (first letter of kiss) + ALI (boxer) |
| 24A | BEES | Heartless beauties – they can bring sweetness (4) / BEES = BEautiES missing middle letters, or heart |
| 25A | TEST | River renowned for fishing match (4) / double defn: test match, and River Test |
| 27A | WEAN | A new bouncing baby in Scotland? (4) / anag (i.e. bouncing) of A NEW |
| 28A | EUWE | Making regular appearances in chess quickwitted former champion (4) / Regularly spaced letters of chEss qUickWittEd – Max Euwe being a Dutch World Chess Champion |
| 31A | ATAP | Cooking pasta drop a bit of spaghetti in palm (4) / anag (i.e. cooking) of PASTA less S (first letter of, or ‘bit of’, spaghetti) |
| 33A | CRINGE | Stoop to call in Chancellor of the Exchequer (6) / CE (Chancellor of the Exchequer) around RING (call) |
| 35A | HOY | Drive on island boat (3) / Triple defn: HOY = to drive on (e.g. a horse), a Scottish island, and a type of boat |
| 36A | AGEE | A speck of granite? Mac’s eye’s not fully open in Aberdeen (4) / A + G (first letter, speck, of granite0 + EE (Scottish for eye) = AGEE being Scottish for ‘ajar’ |
| 37A | ACAI | Purple fruit in Central America eaten by sloth (4) / AI (sloth) around CA (Central America) |
| 39A | SPELL | Overs for a bowler to conjure up a bit of magic (5) / &lit/double defn: SPELL of overs in cricket, magic spell |
| 40A | ERA | Period drama with music where old Prince disappears (3) / opERA (drama with music) less O (old) and P (prince) |
| 41A | NOOSE | No love sex unknown wasted marriage for some (5) / NO + O (love) + SE (sex with the unknown, ‘x’ discarded) |
| 42A | LOSEL | Rascal secretly leaves Cyprus (5) / cLOSELy with CY (Cyprus) discarded |
| 43A | TUFT | Trade union newspaper crest (4) / TU (Trade Union) + FT (newspaper) |
| 44A | ICI | Big company here in France (3) / &lit/double defn: ICI the company, ici = ‘here’ in French |
| 45A | WIDEN | Will’s to throw open Women’s Institute’s private room (5) / WI (Women’s Institute) + DEN (private room) |
| 46A | ATTENDING | Waiting on Dan get tin heated (9) / anag (i.e. heated) of DAN GET TIN |
| Down | ||
| Clue No | Answer | Clue / Logic/Parsing |
| 1D | DHARMA | Lawyer accepts injury calling attention to injustice (6) / DA (District Attorney, lawyer) around HARM (injury) |
| 2D | YIPPY | Radical in Paraguay following dog’s cry (5) / YIP (dog’e cry) + PY (Paraguay) – YIPPY being a variant of hippy? |
| 3D | VAT | Tank tax (3) / double defn: VAT = tax, vat = tank (of liquid) |
| 4D | RUSSEL | Philosopher’s unfinished material (6) / (Bertrand) RUSSELL missing last letter |
| 5D | TRIODE | Editor changed valve (6) / anag (i.e. changed) of EDITOR |
| 6D | YORKIST | Civil war partisan amended one story about King (7) / anag (i.e. amended) of I (one) + STORY, around K (king) |
| 7D | STRETTE | Fluid tester takes time making notes quicker at the end (7) / anag (i.e. fluid) of TESTER + T (time) |
| 8D | PRIAL | Trinity perhaps in Scripture lesson taken by Father Lambert (5) / PA (father) + L (Lambert, unit of brightness), around RI (Religious Instruction, lesson) |
| 9D | OILS | Old Italian – the special paintings (4) / O (old) + IL (‘the’ in Italian) + S (special) |
| 10D | TRATT | Restaurant serving up pastry on time (5) / TRAT (tart, served ‘up’) on T (time) – TRATT being short for trattoria, Italian restaurant |
| 16D | YIKE | Turn key – I must go in to make alarm sound! (4) / anag (i.e. turn) of KEY, with I going in |
| 22D | INSIDES | Vicious piercing girl’s guts (7) / INES (girl’s name) including SID (Vicious, Sex Pistol) |
| 23D | GET LOST | In a flap let go, be quiet! Go away! (7, 2 words) / anag (i.e. in a flap) of LET GO, plus ST (interjection, hush!)) |
| 26D | SPEY | Flower of Scotland played originally in rising, that’s true (4) / SEY (yes, rising) including P (original letter of played) – ‘flower’ being a flowing river, not a flowering plant |
| 29D | UNFORM | Rip up military dress with no hint of individuality (6) / UNiFORM without I (first letter, or hint, of individuality) |
| 30D | POSEUR | Postal Order sure to confuse one who’s affected (6) / PO (postal order) plus anag (i.e to confuse) of SURE |
| 32D | AGASSI | Wimbledon champion once retired is legend (6) / AGASSI = IS + SAGA (legend), all retired, or reversed |
| 33D | CAHOW | Dog devouring a seabird (5) / CHOW (dog) including A |
| 34D | RADIO | In past era diodes found in this (5) / &lit-ish, hidden word in ‘eRA DIOdes’ |
| 36D | AROID | Plant giving help around Romania (5) / AID (help) around RO (Romania) |
| 38D | CAST | Throw about stone (4) / CA (circa, about) + ST (stone) |
| 42D | LIN | Regularly televising waterfall (3) / regularly spaced letters of teLevIsiNg |
Thanks, mc.
It’s worth noting that this was set exactly 100 years to the day when Gilbert died. There are also some references to Gilbert and Sullivan in the clues. For example, 36A, the quotation in the crossword comes from the song “My eyes are fully open”. Then 9D, the show it comes from has paintings that come to life.
Tony – many thanks for the extra info – and gives the theme a more solid context that I had failed to spot…my knowledge of G&S being limited to models of modern major generals, etc.