This is our 25th blog on 225 and, amazingly, our first Anax, so we approached it with eager anticipation, as he is one of the most challenging Indy setters and one of our favourites.
We weren’t disappointed, although we felt that it was on the easy side for the master of the well-constructed themed puzzle.
We had solved some of the themed answers before we finally confirmed the gateway clue at 4d, largely due to our lack of knowledge (or experience) of the Eurodance scene! We would like to point out however that we met at a 4d class back in the 1960s but after 1a. We were more into Latin American and Ballroom which didn’t feature in the puzzle. Mind you, we were very good at jiving – pity we aren’t now!!
| Across | ||
| 1 | Mum threw grass on and over 4 | |
| MASHED POTATO | MA (mum) + SHED (threw) + POT (grass, as in the drug) + AT (on) + O (abbreviation for ‘over’ in cricket) = a rather peculiar dance (4d – the theme) resembling the Twist and dating from 1962, when new dances seemed to be being invented every week. We’re not too sure about ‘at’ as a synonym for ‘on’ – can anyone come up with a context where the words are interchangeable? | |
| 10 | A smoker at home more healthy? | |
| INHALER | IN (at home) + HALER (more healthy) = smoker (unlike Bill Clinton?) | |
| 11 | Essential to admit line is bugged | |
| NEEDLED | NEEDED (essential) around or ‘admitting’ L (line) = bugged | |
| 12 | Difficult, when topless, to be aroused | |
| HORNY | (t)HORNY (‘difficult’ without the first letter, or ‘topless’) = aroused | |
| 13 | Heralds of night want match that is short | |
| EVENTIDES | EVENT (match) + ID ES(t) (Latin for ‘that is’ usually abbreviated to ‘i.e.’, without the last letter, or ‘shortened’) = heralds of night | |
| 15 | Psychoanalysts, those following nurses on Smith’s declaration | |
| FREUDIANS | FANS (those following) around or ‘nursing’ RE (‘on’, or concerning) UDI (Ian Smith’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence for the former Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe – when he was premier in 1965) = psychoanalysts | |
| 17 | Quiet people, not loud, want a 4 | |
| POLKA | P (quiet, in music) + (f)OLK (people without the ‘f’ (loud, in music)) + A = dance (4d) | |
| 18 | Make the cut, being far from clubhouse | |
| NOTCH | NOT (far from) + C (club) H (house) = make the cut | |
| 20 | Hard core tailor-made rocks one extracted | |
| ROAD METAL | Anagram of TA(i)LOR-MADE with I (one) omitted or ‘extracted’ – anagrind is ‘rocks’ = hard core | |
| 22 | Range of stories about pot of tea after rest | |
| ANNAPURNA | ANA (stories) around or ‘about’ URN (‘pot of tea’) after NAP (rest) = range – part of the Himalayas | |
| 24 | Is traveller one primarily accepted by Derby County | |
| ROAMS | O (first or ‘primary’ letter of ‘one’) in or ‘accepted by’ RAMS (nickname for Derby County FC) = is traveller | |
| 25/8 | In lift, therapist chatting about 4 | |
| TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC | Anagram of LIFT THERAPIST CHATTING (anagrind is ‘about’) = to dance (4d) | |
| 27 | Excessive parts provided for 4 | |
| GAVOTTE | OTT (over the top or ‘excessive’) in or ‘parting’ GAVE (provided) = a dance (4d) | |
| 28 | Big article about Peter Andre’s suffering | |
| CENTRE SPREAD | C (about, as in ‘circa’ or approximately) + an anagram of PETER ANDRE’S (anagrind is ‘suffering’) = big article | |
| Down | ||
| 2 | Put down song covered by former choirboy | |
| ALLAYED | LAY (song) in or ‘covered by’ ALED (Jones, the former choirboy who sang ‘Walking in the Air’ for the cartoon of ‘The Snowman’) = put down | |
| 3 | Mounts sale of rough food, say | |
| HORSE FAIR | Homonym of HOARSE (rough) FARE (food) = ‘mounts sale’ | |
| 4 | Social clubs entertained by Whigfield for example | |
| DANCE | C (clubs) in or ‘entertained by’ DANE (Whigfield – unknown to us – a Danish Eurodance singer, apparently best known for the song ‘Saturday Night’ which was a world-wide hit (except in this household!) in the summer of 1994) = social – the gateway clue. | |
| 5 | Mostly settled into work | |
| ONE-STEP | NESTE(d) (‘mostly settled’ – without the last letter) in OP (work) = dance (4d) | |
| 6 | I’ll wake up cuddling scribe | |
| AWL | Contained in or ‘cuddled’ by (I’l)L WA(ke) reversed or ‘up’ (in a down clue) = scribe | |
| 7 | Traditional hotels with disabled sports | |
| OLD-ESTABLISHED | Anagram of HOTELS and DISABLED (anagrind is ‘sports’) = traditional | |
| 8 | See 25ac | |
| 9 | Woman who does not sell up has left out 4 | |
| CHARLESTON | CHAR (woman who does) + NOT SEL(l) reversed, or ‘up’ in a down clue, with l (left) missing or ‘out’ = a dance (4d) | |
| 14 | Amateur poet covers rent through it | |
| DILETTANTE | DANTE (poet) around, or ‘covering’ LET (rent) in, or ‘through’ IT = amateur | |
| 16 | Port duty’s raised – please, no! | |
| STAVANGER | VAT’S (duty’s) reversed or ‘raised’ in a down clue + ANGER (‘please, no’, as an expression of anger if duty were to be raised) = port | |
| 19 | Joint soaks up jazz he likes | |
| HIPSTER | HIP (joint) + RETS (soaks) reversed or ‘up’ in a down clue = jazz he likes – how Yoda might describe a hipster! | |
| 21 | A gypsy heading north through part of Czech Republic | |
| MORAVIA | A ROM (a gypsy) reversed or ‘heading north’ in a down clue + VIA (through) = part of Czech Republic | |
| 23 | Creates sound? Is humming | |
| REEKS | Homonym of WREAKS (creates, as in havoc) = is humming, as in smelling | |
| 26 | Wearing out of oxygen atom | |
| ION | IN (wearing) around or ‘out of’ O (oxygen) = atom | |
I’d never heard of Whigfield, either, thought it might be a town in Yorkshire, say, so I googled it which didn’t help – thought 4dn might be “disco” which didn’t get me anywhere. But it did vaguely raise memories of the song “Saturday Night”, not because of any interest in Danish pop music but because I think it had minimal lyrics, something like “Saturday night, uh-uh” repeated over which made it something of a joke.
After a week, I can’t remember much more, but I did complete this once I got the dance theme.
I liked this crossword: I have to admit the first clue I entered was the Whigfield clue !
I’d never have guessed that Anax was a road-building geek. 20a is a spectacularly good clue if you happen to know about graded sub-base or MOT Type 1 roadstone.
I’m not sure that ‘atom’ is really a satisfactory definition for ‘ion’ though. Monatomic hydrogen is about 75% of the universe after all https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_atom
A right proper Saturday challenge if I remember it rightly, involving both the use of Tippex and overwriting. Just right for a wet day’s solving. Thanks to Anax and B&J.
sidey@3 If the ony road-building geekiness form Anax is 20 a, we should consider ourselves lucky. I work with someone who used to work in asphalt!!
16D I read “please, no!” to mean “please” in its infinitive sense and “no!” as indicating just the opposite – ie “anger”.
Thanks Graham Pellen@5. We think that makes better sense.