This was, as usual, a good quality puzzle from Phi.
There was a small theme in four of the across clues. The gateway clue at 24 led to ARTISTS, three of whom then featured in the long entries. I can’t discover any obvious link between the three named ARTISTS other than the fact their names or parts thereof comprise 15 letters.
In my case the entry to the theme was through TOULOUSE-LAUTREC which then led me to ARTISTS. DA VINCI fell quickly thereafter, but PISSARRO took longer as I was convinced for too long that we were looking for someone with the Christian Name MARCELLE [yes I realised eventually that there weren’t enough Es]
It’s depressing how laziness on the part of journalists has led to ‘-GATE‘ being used as indication of scandal, but I suppose it helped make a good clue at 12 down.
I think I have got to the stage now that the word ‘Statesman’ in a clue (13 a cross) immediately makes me think of an inhabitant of an American State. ‘
Favourite clues for me today were those for EASTER EGG (18 across for its linking of ‘boxing’ and ‘greatest’ without any connection with Muhammad Ali), GLIMPSE (22 across with it’s misdirection on the meaning of ‘notice’), FLAP (1 down for its simple and explicit imagery), and MYSTIQUE (16 down for it’s description of unlikely adolescent behaviour).
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 9
|
One of the 24 represented cardinal on video (8,2,5)
|
Anagram of (represented) CARDINAL ON VIDEO
|
LEONARDO DA VINCI (artist [24 across])
|
| 10
|
Set to encompass end each day (3,4)
|
PERM (short for PERMANENT WAVE, a long-lasting artificial wave or curl in hair induced or set by chemical treatment. Also reference ‘to set ones hair’) containing (encompass) DIE (end)
PER (DIE) M |
PER DIEM (daily; each day)
|
| 11
|
Meat product is steak (just a bit) in part (7)
|
(IS + S [first letter of {just a bit} STEAK]) contained in (in) ROLE (part in a play)
R (IS S) OLE |
RISSOLE (a fried ball or cake of minced seasoned meat or fish coated in breadcrumbs)
|
| 12
|
Fail to give up drug? Stir yourself (5)
|
WEAKEN (fail) excluding (to give up) E (ecstasy; drug)
|
WAKEN (stir yourself)
|
| 13
|
Statesman’s question carried by flapping banner (9)
|
ASK (question) contained in (carried by) an anagram of (flapping) BANNER
NEBR (ASK) AN |
NEBRASKAN ( a person from the State of Nebraska; statesman)
|
| 15
|
One of the 24 developed pics with sailor and La mer (7,8)
|
Anagram of (developed) PICS SAILOR and LA MER
|
CAMILLE PISSARRO (artist [24 across])
|
| 18
|
DVD bonus, for instance, boxing ‘Greatest’, mostly in action (6,3)
|
EG (for example) containing (boxing) (an anagram of [in action] GREATEST excluding the final letter [mostly] T)
E (ASTER EG*) G |
EASTER EGG (a bonus or extra feature hidden inside a website, computer game or DVD, that is only revealed after repeated or lengthy playing or viewing)
|
| 20
|
Boat good in mere (5)
|
G (good) contained in (in) BARE (mere)
BAR (G) E |
BARGE (example of a boat)
|
| 22
|
Moves slowly in – say – retracting notice (7)
|
LIMPS (moves slowly) contained in (in) (EG [for example, say] reversed [retracting])
G (LIMPS) E< |
GLIMPSE (notice)
|
| 24
|
They imagine lorries carrying stone for college (7)
|
ARTICS (articulated lorries) containing (carrying) (ST [stone] which replaces [for] C [college])
ARTI (ST) S |
ARTISTS (people who imagine as they create paintings)
|
| 26
|
One of the 24 suggesting combination of colour, easel and tutu (8-7)
|
Anagram of (suggesting combination of) COLOUR EASEL and TUTU
|
TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (artist [24 across])
|
| Down | |||
| 1
|
Panic followed rise of China (4)
|
F (following) + (PAL [friend; mate; china] reversed [rise of; down clue])
F LAP< |
FLAP (fluster; panic)
|
| 2
|
WWII battle closed bridge supported by Allied country (6)
|
TO (closed), as in ‘put the door to’ [close the door]) + BR (bridge) + UK (United Kingdom; one of the Allied countries [in the Second World War])
|
TOBRUK (A World War II battle)
|
| 3
|
Sensible king of a country dismissing premier (8)
|
R (Rex; king) + (NATIONAL [relating to a country; of a country] excluding the first letter [dismissing the premier] N)
|
RATIONAL (judicious, sensible)
|
| 4
|
Credit available for some Londoners (4,3,3)
|
ADAM AND EVE (it may be simply that ADAM and EVE are being considered as names of some Londoners here)
|
ADAM AND EVE (Cockney rhyming sland for believe [credit]. Cockneys are people born within the sound of Bow Bells in the East End of London)
|
| 5
|
Further attempt to raise river (4)
|
RE-DO (make a second or subsequent attempt to do something) reversed (to raise; down clue)
ODER< |
ODER (river in Germany)
|
| 6
|
Parsee scriptures have stabilised to some extent (6)
|
AVESTA (hidden word in [to some extent] HAVE STABILISED
|
AVESTA (the Zoroastrian holy Scriptures, sacred to an ancient dualistic religion founded or reformed by Zoroaster (Gr Zoroastres, Avestan Zarathustra, c.630 – 553 BC), whose scriptures are the Zend-AVESTA, and which is still adhered to by the Guebres in Iran and Parsees in India.)
|
| 7
|
Single rule broken by John Knight, a bystander (8)
|
(ONE [single] + R [rule]) containing (LOO [toilet; john] + K [knight])
ON (LOO K) E R |
ONLOOKER (bystander)
|
| 8
|
Classify business problem (10)
|
PIGEON (a variant of PIDGIN, a Chinese corruption of ‘business’) + HOLE (difficulty; problem)
|
PIGEONHOLE (classify)
|
| 12
|
Opener, say, in cricketing scandal? (6,4)
|
WICKET (important part of a cricket game) + GATE (suffix frequently used to describe a scandal ever since the WATERGATE robbery in 1972 that led eventually to the resignation of Richard Nixon as President of the United States)
|
WICKET GATE (a small opening; opener)
|
| 14
|
Part raised during wild Babel that may be got across (10)
|
RIDGE (a narrow elevation or raised strip along any surface; part raised) contained in (during) an anagram of (wild) BABEL
B (RIDGE) ABLE* |
BRIDGEABLE (may be got across)
|
| 16
|
My son’s unusually quiet – it’s something inexpressible (8)
|
MY + S (son) + an anagram of (unusually) QUIET
MY S TIQUE* |
MYSTIQUE (a sense of aura or mystery; something inexpressable)
|
| 17
|
Hacker possibly picked up regrets about a semi-automatic program (8) | RUES (regrets) reversed (picked up; down clue) containing (about) (A + BOT [a computer program designed to perform routine tasks, such as searching the Internet, with some autonomy])
S (A BOT) EUR< |
SABOTEUR (person who undertakes malicious or deliberate destruction or damage of machinery, including the hacking of software; hacker possibly)
|
| 19
|
Draw on my Opel, if carelessly positioned (6)
|
Anagram of (if carelessly positioned) MY OPEL
|
EMPLOY (use; draw on)
|
| 21
|
Where you’ll see men coming in to relax? (6)
|
OR (other ranks; men) contained in (coming in to) REST (relax)
RES (OR) T |
RESORT (a likely place in which to find soldiers/men engaged in rest and relaxation)
|
| 23
|
Convenient requests to abandon place unknown (4)
|
(PLEAS [requests] excluding [to abandon] PL [place]) + Y (common symbol for an unknown value in mathematics)
|
EASY (convenient)
|
| 25
|
Fictional logician having no positive impact (4)
|
SPOCK (reference the character SPOCK in the fictional Star Trek series. He had many ranks throughout the series) excluding (having no) P (positive)
|
SOCK (impact)
|
For the artists, Camille Pissarro painted Soleil levant sur la mer (the sun rising over the sea) and Toulouse-Lautrec painted The Clowness Cha-U-Kao in a Tutu. As for Leonardo, I imagine some cardinals must have appeared in his works and Dan Brown was lambasted by more than one outraged cardinal for his work the Da Vinci Code.
Took rather less than time than Donk yesterday, but nonetheless enjoyable. Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell.
Duncan, a minor typo in your wordplay entry at 19D and perhaps the words “in London” are redundant (except in the unlikely event of somebody being born outside London yet within the sound of Bow Bells).
“in London” referring to 4D.
gwep @ 1 and 2
Thanks – typo and redundancy corrected
I enjoyed the clear clueing of this puzzle and I was able to solve the theme of this puzzle via the long anagrams for Toulouse Lautrec and Leonardo da Vinci. I particularly enjoyed 1d, 10a, 7d, 12d, 23d, 16d, 21d.
New words for me were BOT, AVESTA, PIGEON = ‘business’.
I couldn’t parse 25d and was unsure of the definition “DVD bonus” for 18a.
Thanks Phi and Duncan.
Having got 24ac as the gateway clue, LEONARDO DA VINCI fell into place from a first glance at the anagram fodder; CAMILLE PISSARRO and TOULOUSE-LAUTREC took a bit more teasing out, though.
CoD was WICKET GATE, though it was something of a facepalm moment when I twigged it.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan
A lot of words that were hard to clue I would think, like MYSTIQUE and TOBRUK, all handled very well by another of the strict cluers. Very accessible for solvers , and a fine piece of work. Thnaks pHi!
Rowly
Thanks, Duncan.
Nice little theme today – getting the gateway clue and two of the artists was a big help in getting started. Like others, PISSARRO was my last artist in, but I’m sure I’ve come across him in an Eimi puzzle some time or another. (On which point, we haven’t had a crossword from the editor recently – has he retired from setting?)
WICKET GATE was my favourite today, mainly because the midnight weeing on the Oval square by the English team after being presented with the Ashes was referred to by the Indy cricket correspondent in his report as ‘the latest Watergate’.
Thanks, Duncan for a splendid blog, as usual. I hadn’t been able to parse the “to” bit of TOBRUK, and didn’t understand why “pigeon” was linked to “business”. I wasn’t aware that EASTER EGG was a DVD bonus either, though it had to be the answer, so thanks for the detail there, too.
Thanks, Phi. I couldn’t help smiling at SOCK.
I am hoping the ladies’ team won’t do the same.
I like gwep’s efforts to reconcile the various painters, but old sceptic me, I’m not convinced…. as with OICHOR! The usual accuracies from Phi, and a satisfying way to end a good week.
My thanks to all.
Nothing specific intended for the painters, other than a general sense that Leonardo had hung around cardinals, T-L overlapped with Degas who certainly did do tutus, and I was pretty certain Pissarro had painted the sea at some point (he certainly crossed vast amounts of it in his life, and if he had painted the sea he would clearly have painted it in French, anyway).