It’s Friday today, so not surprising to find Phi occupying the slot this morning.
I found that I got about three quarters of the way through this one before grinding to a halt, with most of the SE quadrant still unsolved. In the end, although I knew how the wordplay would work, I couldn’t come up with the song at 3/14 unaided, and so turned to Google. The last one in was 4, since the definition was not clear to me – please advise if I have parsed it wrongly. My favourite clue today was the & lit. at 23.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in double-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | TRAMP | Traveller parking behind vehicle
TRAM (=vehicle) + P (=parking) |
| 04 | TACTFUL | Like diplomat, rich, circulating round court, universally loved initially
[CT (=court) in TAF (FAT=rich; “circulating” indicates reversal)] + U<niversally> L<oved> (“initially” means first letters only) |
| 09 | EL ALAMEIN | English all routed – and I mean routed – in battle*
(E (=English) + ALL + I MEAN); “routed”, used twice, is anagram indicator |
| 10 | ECLAT | Applause recalled story about Caruso’s debut
C<aruso> (“debut” means first letter only) in ELAT (TALE=story; “recalled” indicates reversal) |
| 11 | ADHESION | Attachment had distributed revolutionary public talk
*(HAD) + ESION (NOISE=public talk; “revolutionary” indicates reversal); “distributed” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | IMPISH | I’m quiet – is Henry mischievous?
I’M + P (=quiet, i.e. piano) + IS + H (=Henry) |
| 15 | AWASH | Doused in water? One used to be hot
A (=one) + WAS (=used to be) + H (=hot |
| 17 | ECUMENISM | Religious movement is following blokes in church with hesitation
[MEN (=blokes) + IS] in [EC (=church, i.e. Established Church) + UM (=hesistation)] |
| 18 | STABLE LAD | Would-be jockey’s attempt to take first place, holding line
STAB (=attempt) + [L (=line) in LEAD (=take first place)] |
| 20 | SNAFU | United supporters returned in a bad state
U (=united) + FANS (=supporters); “returned” indicates, here full, reversal |
| 22 | LETTER | Communication improved with lecturer replacing book
L for B-ETTER (=improved); “with lecturer (=L) replacing book (=B)” means letter “b” is replaced by letter “l” |
| 23 | FAMILIAL | Son’s holding mother back, showing such concern?
AM (MA=mother; “back” indicates reversal) in FILIAL (=son’s, i.e. pertaining to a son); & lit. |
| 26 | GUSTO | Zeal and energy suppressing appetite, though not at first
<l>UST (=appetite; “though not at first” means first letter dropped) in GO (=energy) |
| 27 | PIER GLASS | Water surrounding large cracked mirror
*(LARGE) in PISS (=water, i.e. urine); “cracked” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | GOSPELS | Religious narratives? Leave one out of plausible tales
GO (=leave) + SP<i>ELS (=plausible tales; “leaves one (=I) out” means letter “i” is dropped) |
| 29 | SWELL | Grand // organ feature
Double definition: a swell is a device for varying the tone of an organ |
| Down | ||
| 01 | TRACHEA | Elevated skill restricting pain in windpipe
ACHE (=pain) in TRA (ART=skill; “elevated” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 02 | AMASS | Active service: gather together
A (=active) + MASS (=service, i.e. religious) |
| 03/14 | PEE PO BELLY BUM DRAWERS | 22 13 29 1 Across 19 – Flanders & Swann in rude intellectual health?
PEE (=letter, i.e. entry at 22) + PO (=humourless, i.e. 13, as in po-faced) + BELLY (=swell, i.e. bulge, entry at 29) + BUM (=tramp, entry at 1 Across) + DRAWERS (=artists, entry at 19); the reference is to a “rude”, anything but “intellectual”, song by British comedy duo Flanders & Swann |
| 04 | TUNA | Barrel’s article where such may be shot?
TUN (=barrel) + A (=article, i.e. in grammar); & lit., since a tuna barrel appears to be a piece of fishing tackle |
| 05 | CREAM TEAS | Male invested in produce when making meals
[M (=male) in CREATE (=produce, as a verb)] + AS (=when) |
| 06 | FELLINI | Collapsed on Italy’s foremost film director
FELL IN (=collapsed) + I<taly> (“foremost” means first letter only); the reference is to Italian film director Federico Fellini (1920-93) |
| 07 | LOT | Biblical refugee’s // lot
Double definition: Lot fled from Sodom in Genesis |
| 08 | METATARSAL | Maltreats a broken bone
*(MALTREATS A); “broken” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | HUMOURLESS | Solemn doctor breaking rules in hospital (American)
[MO (=doctor) + *(RULES)] in [H (=hospital) + US (=American)]; “breaking” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | HELLEBORE | Torment tolerated after injection of drug – aconite?
E (=drug, i.e. ecstasy) in [HELL (=torment) + BORE (=tolerated)]; hellebore is the winter aconite, in botany |
| 19 | ARTISTS | Performers bear up in topless roles
TIS (SIT=bear, i.e. weigh, press; “up” indicates vertical reversal) in <p>ARTS (=roles; “topless” means first letter is dropped) |
| 21 | ABIGAIL | Maid’s a significant bother
A + BIG (=significant) + AIL (=bother) |
| 24 | INGLE | Sensation of warmth not initially provided by fire
<t>INGLE (=sensation of warmth; “not initially” means first letter dropped) |
| 25 | OPUS | Work over? Then drink up
O (=over, i.e. in cricket) + PUS (SUP=drink; “up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 26 | GAG | Group forgetting new joke
GA<n>G (=group; “forgetting new (=N)” means letter “n” is dropped) |
I was able to finish this puzzle assisted by the “check” button and the internet. New words for me were PIER GLASS, INGLE, and PEE PO BELLY BUM DRAWERS (thanks to youtube).
I particularly liked 4a, 20a, 13d, 18a & 28a.
Thanks for the blog, RatkojaRiku. I needed your help to parse 26a, 3/14 and 19d – SIT = ‘bear’ seems like a stretch to me as I can’t think of any sentences where I can interchange the words. Can someone help me by giving an example?
I needed to use aids to get the F&S song, and only then did ECUMENISM go in as my LOI. I am so used to seeing church mean “ch” or “ce” that I didn’t consider “ec” until the last checker was in place.
As far as sit=bear is concerned, off the top of my head I can’t think of a sentence in which one could interchange for the other, but that doesn’t mean the relevant meanings aren’t close enough for crossword purposes.
Thanks P and RR.
3,14 only a distant inkling even though I’m a huge F&S fan.
I read 4d just as TUNA being a type of fish and using the phrase “shooting fish in a barrel” – which means doing something very easy. The meaning itself isn’t relevant to the clue – just the fact of it being an expression.
“Bear” is given as a meaning of “sit” in Chambers.
The 5-ton weight sits on the supporting beam = The 5-ton weight bears on the supporting beam?
Works for me.
Re. 19 down. You can use ‘to sit something out’ meaning to bear/ endure something unpleasant happening? Would very much like to hear Phi’s comment on this clue.
As a F&S fan for over 50 years 3/14dn went straight in and helped me with some of the other clues alluded to. But what with that, plus SNAFU (Situation Normal, All F***ed Up) and 27ac I began to wonder if Punk had ghost-written this one for Phi – only joking! 🙂
The song in question, btw, was a satire on the mid-60s fashion in some quarters for deliberate vulgarity.
Good stuff, Phi – and thanks too to RR.
Well, I knew the song but it’s a long time since I last heard it, and I couldn’t remember the full phrase, but got there in the end without googling it.
I, too, got stuck on the bottom right, and went off and did some other stuff for a couple of hours. They finally came to me then, apart from 23ac and I was about to resort to an e-search when that answer came to me as I was waiting for my browser to load.
F&S were quite clear that their song related to an intellectual fondness for “talking rude” – Angry Young Men, and all that – hence the clue. Possibly a rather dated reference – except I recently lent my boxed set to a younger colleague whose choir were doing a concert full of their songs.
Well quite: what on earth the poster at #3 is thinking about is quite beyond me, and (I’m sure) most genuinely ‘huge F&S fans’.
Gawd luvvus, and thanks Shed for a really excellent puzzle.
Shed? Who IS Phi anyway?
Alchemi@4
thanks for the example demonstrating SIT = BEAR. I can understand it now.
I believe I and Shed need to be kept apart in case people get phished.
We didn’t start this until after midnight and like RR we suddenly ground to a halt after a really good start!
Finishing it this morning, Bert suddenly had a brain wave and a quick google search confirmed the song. We then listened to it while we finished the puzzle.
Thanks RR for the blog as we didn’t bother to check ec= church and also couldn’t parse 4d although again, Bert vaguely remembered a saying about fish in barrels.
Thanks Phi for the puzzle and also for presenting the opportunity to listen to the Flanders and Swann song!
Re 12, author! Author!