Always a privilege to blog a landmark: 14,000 is not only a nice round number, it’s also almost exactly half of Don Bradman’s career first-class run total…
So the cricket mini-theme is appropriate, even though here in Yorkshire’s cricketing heartland (Jim Laker and SF Barnes both used to play at the ground just across the road from me) the rain is still rattling on the windowpanes. A toughish puzzle, this one, I thought, all in all – and a very enjoyable one. Thanks Bradman.
ACROSS
1. DRIPPING D [duke] + ripping [old-fashioned term for ‘good’]
6. BEMUSE Emu [bird] within BSE [Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow Disease]
9. UPROAR Pro [someone paid] within UAR [United Arab Republic]
10. NAGASAKI Nag [troublesome person] + a + saki [kind of monkey] to give the Japanese city
11. COALESCING Co [company] + ales [drinks] + cent [bit of money]
12. ECRU EC [postal code for the City of London] + RU [rugby union, game]
13. BANGOR Bang [thrill] + OR [Other Ranks, soldiers, men] to give the Welsh university town
15. EARL GREY Gre(edy) within early [before expected time] to give the bergamot-flavoured tea
18. DENIZENS Zen [kind of Buddhism] within Denis [man’s name]
20. PURISM S [Saint – not st, which seems a dirty trick] within purim [Jewish festival]
21. OPAL O [old] + pal [chum]
23. GEORG SOLTI Anagram of got girl so + (Mahl)e(r) to give the Hungarian-born conductor
25. TEAMWORK Anagram of worm within teak [wood]
26. ASSUME Ass [fool] + (yo)u + me [Bradman, the setter]
27. GENTLE Gentile [one outside religious community, although I’m not sure what ‘member’ is doing there] minus I [one]
28. RATTLERS L [fifty] within ratters [dogs that kill rats]
DOWN
2. REPROBATE Rep [agent] + rob [overcharge] + ate [had]
3. PROWL PR [spin, Public Relations] + owl [wise guy]; the surface gives us another cricket reference
4. IN RESERVE Anagram of ire nerves
5. GENOESE Reversal of on within geese [birds] to give a person from an Italian city with an unlikely cricketing history
6. BIGHT Bright [clear] minus r [river]
7. MESSENGER Mess [muddle] + eng [English] + er [hesitation]
8. SAKER Sake [advantage] + r [rook, castle, in chess] to give an old term for a cannon (David Saker is also the England cricket team’s bowling coach)
14. GUILLEMOT Lemo(n) [sour fruit] within guilt [bad feeling] to give the north Atlantic auk
16. REPUGNANT P [Prince] + U [title of respect? – or respectability, as in ‘U and non-U’?] within (p)regnant [expecting]
17. EAST TIMOR Anagram of state + I [one] + mo [bit of time] + r [right]; the whole provides the definition
19. SHOCKER Sounds like a slurred version of soccer [football]
22. PIECE Pie [food] + CE [church (of England)]
23. GLOBE G [good] + lob [sort of delivery] + (And)e(rson); the allusion to England bowler Jimmy Anderson completes the final cricket reference
24. OUSEL Louse [insect: technically incorrect, but we’ll let it go] with the L transposed
Thanks Bradman for an excellent crossword and Ringo for the blog. Favourite clues 26ac for the self-reference and the “& lit” 17dn.
23ac: I think this really has to be Anagram of got girl so containing e: “excited” is the anagram indicator and “about” the containment indicator.
16dn: U as a title of respect – think of U Thant
24dn: Chambers 2008 gives louse a wingless parasitic insect. It may not be technically correct, but I firmly support the view that if a standard dictionary gives it, then the setter is entitled to use it.
Thanks for the blog, Ringo.
I agree with you about ‘member’ in 27 ac, and dislike ‘OR’ = men.
I’d forgotten that Bradman is Pasquale or I wouldn’t have given this a go..
W2 D1 L1 eh?
Make that W3… throughly enjoyed this, with the wonderful self-referential clue for ASSUME my favourite.
Thanks Bradman and Ringo.