(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.) This is the first Puck I am blogging, and fortunately, it’s one of his easier, but no less interesting, ones; solving was helped by getting the mini-theme early on. Thanks to Puck for the enjoyment. The mini-theme is based on …
folklore, from which the setter’s pseudonym is derived. Many of the answers are aliases of Puck. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Ornament? Composer’s almost room for one (6)
BROOCH : “Bach”(Johann Sebastian, composer) with “room” minus its last letter(almost …) reversal of(for) “a”(one).
5 Uncovered aunt desperately lying about age? Just a little awkward (8)
UNGAINLY : “aunt” minus its 2 outermost letters(Uncovered …) + anagram of(desperately) [LYING containing(about) 1st letter of(… Just a little) “age ” ] .
9 Something Arabs or Bedouin have imbibed (8)
ABSORBED : Hidden in(Something … have) “Arabs or Bedouin “.
10 Demons? Fashionable young reporter has one (6)
INCUBI : IN(fashionable;trendy) + CUB(a novice;young reporter) plus(has) I(Roman numeral for “one”).
Defn; … in folklore, preying on females who are asleep.
11 Made notes about animals (4)
GNUS : Reversal of(about) SUNG(made;voiced musical notes).
12 Upbeat current film has visual restraint (10)
OPTIMISTIC : [ I(symbol for an electric current in physics) + MIST(an obscuring film) ] contained in(has … restraint) OPTIC(visual;relating to sight).
13 Stiff examination involving mark set by female (6)
FORMAL : [ ORAL(an examination) containing(involving) M(abbrev. for “mark”) ] placed after(set by, in a down clue) F(abbrev. for “female”).
Defn: … in manner;starch.
14 Paint picture of second bed in flower (8)
DESCRIBE : [ S(abbrev. for “second” in time notation) + CRIB(a small bed, especially for babies) ] contained in(in) DEE(any of the flow-ers;rivers with the same name in Wales, Scotland and England).
16 Was in contact with John Peel? Sorry, no idea about that (8)
ADJOINED : DJ(abbrev. for “disc jockey”, which the late John Peel of BBC Radio 1 was) contained in(… about that) anagram of(Sorry) NO IDEA.
19 Heartless men wrongly take over Times, heartlessly (6)
ROBOTS : ROB(to wrongly;illegally take) + O(abbrev. for an over in cricket) + “Times ” minus all its inner letters(heartlessly).
21 Playing Puck not Bottom, learn he is a helpful creature (10)
LEPRECHAUN : Anagram of(Playing) [ “Puck” minus its last letter(not Bottom) + LEARN HE].
Defn: … in folklore who will take you to his crock of gold, but only if you catch him first.
23 Insane woman’s backing poet (4)
OWEN : Hidden in(…’s;contraction of “has”) and reversal of(backing) “Insane woman “.
Answer: Wilfred, English WW1 poet.
24 Father of actor undergoing split (3,3)
OLD MAN : OLDMAN(Gary, English actor) enumerated as 3,3(undergoing split).
Answer: A term for one’s father.
25 After I left, floor covering is in a state (8)
ILLINOIS : [I + abbrev. for “left”] placed before(After …, …, in an across clue) LINO(short for “linoleum”;a type of floor covering) + IS.
Defn: … in the USA.
26 Final appearance of Desmond, N in Sunset Boulevard (4,4)
SWAN SONG : SWANSON, G(G for Gloria, actress who portrayed Desmond, N – N for Norma – in the film Sunset Boulevard).
27 Female king? The Spanish are ready (6)
SHEKEL : SHE(pronoun for a female) + K(abbrev. for “king” in chess) + EL(Spanish for “the”).
Defn: Slang for ready money;cash.
Answer: Any coin.
Down
2 I am dressing 24, holding up party (5,10)
ROBIN GOODFELLOW : ROBING(dressing;putting on a robe) { [ O(abbrev. for “old”;1st part of the answer to 24 across) FELLOW(man;2nd part of the answer to 24 across) ] containing(holding) reversal of(up, in a down clue) DO(a party;a function) }.
Answer: An alias for the folklore character, Puck, the chosen pseudonym of the setter of this puzzle, the “I” of the definition.
3 Top boss? Mum mouths off: “Animal!” (7)
OPOSSUM : “Top boss? Mum ” minus(… off) the 1st letters, respectively(… mouths).
4 It’s a frightful thing, almost struggling to walk without glasses on, initially (9)
HOBGOBLIN : “hobbling”(struggling to walk;walking with a lame awkward movement) minus its last letter(almost ..) containing(without) the 1st letters, respectively, of(… initially) “glasses on “.
Defn: … in folklore.
5 Unruly youth, first out of bed, with hairstyle changed to latest version (7)
UPDATED : TED(short for “teddy boy”;unruly youth of the 50s and 60s in Britain) placed below(first …, in a down clue) [ UP(and about;out of bed) plus(with) D.A.(abbrev. for “duck’s arse, or ass”, a hairstyle with the hair swept to the back of the head, so as to resemble a duck’s tail, adopted by the teddy boys as identification) ].
6 Harsh-sounding brother (5)
GRIMM : Homophone of(-sounding) “grim”(harsh;severe).
Defn: Either one of the two Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob, who wrote tales from folklore.
7 One that cuts new coins Ireland (7)
INCISOR : Anagram of(new) COINS contained in(in) IR(abbrev. for “Ireland”).
Defn: … in a set of teeth.
8 Someone like me to throw up a pork pie on the hearth? (3-3-2-3-4)
LOB-LIE-BY-THE-FIRE : LOB(to throw up high) + LIE(in rhyming slang, a “pork pie”) + [BY THE FIRE](on the hearth;on the floor of a fireplace that extends outward into the room).
Answer: A folklore figure similar to Robin Goodfellow aka Puck, the setter;”me”. Also known as a brownie.
15 Kills a little time at Angler’s Rest, ultimately getting drunk (9)
STRANGLES : S(abbrev. for a second;a little time period, in time notation) plus(at) anagram of(… getting drunk) [ANGLER’S + last letter of(… ultimately) “Rest“].
17 Eight in a row? (7)
OARSMEN : Cryptic defn: Refering to the crew in competitive rowing.
18 Criminal activity of daughter somewhere in London (7)
DEALING : D(abbrev. for “daughter”) + EALING(a district in W. London).
Defn: … buying and selling illegal substances.
20 Have to get in a cheesecake (7)
BROWNIE : OWN(to have;to possess title to) contained in(to get in) BRIE(a soft cheese).
Defn: … made with chocolate and nuts.
Answer: See 8 down.
22 Unable to love choral music (5)
CANTO : CAN’T(cannot;unable to) plus(to) O(letter indicating 0;love in tennis scores).
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The following pictures have unidentified links to the puzzle.
(Please post comments on ONLY the picture quiz hereinbelow. To post comments on the crossword puzzle, please click here.)
Recognising a Beattle in #1 and by process of elimination plumping for George Harrison, I was led to his wife Pattie Boyd who, Google tells me, was also married to Eric Clapton (who may be the other bloke shown), who (again, thanks to Google) I see had a guitar called “BROWNIE.”
#2 is a map of Chile, birthplace of Pablo Neruda, who wrote CANTO General.
#3 depicts two riders eventing on horses, who have INCISORs (as do the riders). There have also been horses named HOBGOBLIN and BROWNIE, and no doubt other answers from the crossword.
#4 is a poster for a French film called “La Faute a Voltaire,” and Voltaire wrote “Candide,” whose title character was notoriously OPTIMISTIC.
There is also a more recent horse named ROBIN GOODFELLOW.
Thanks to Google, I find that Robin Goodfellow is a racing tipster in a rival newspaper – is that related to pic3? Are the posters of Pudsey (Children in Need) significant?
Hi, Ian SW3, half done:
Pic1 is of the eternal triangle, and that was Eric Clapton who had BROWNIE, his guitar in the early days.
Pic4 was to suggest OPTMISTIC, which Candide was initially, due to indoctrination by his mentor, Pangloss, which name is now associated with baseless optimism.
Pic 2 That connection didn’t occur to me, though the one I’m thinking of is also literary. Hint: You’ll have to look closely at the map.
Pic 3 I wasn’t thinking of specific horses, but about them and events in general.
Sorry Shirl, we crossed. You’ve really got sharp eyes, but sadly that’s not it.
#2 Santiago is the main character in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The OLD MAN and the Sea – is that your connection??
Although you’ve done #1, there is another connection in 9 (‘something’): According to Boyd, Harrison’s song “Something” was written for her.
Well, I did find this!! Say It With Brownies Cheers on Team GB in the Eventing!
Thanks, Robi. OLD MAN and the Sea is much more convincing.
I’m still stumped by the horses, unless they’re a Cockney reference to the four OARSMEN of the Apocalypse.
I have found a painting, Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli, featuring an incubus and a horse. And that is the end of the gnus ( sorry)
Right Robi, about Papa (old man) Hemingway’s novel. Ian SW3, Shirl and Robi, must compliment you on your ingenuity, but pic3 is still elusive. I presume none of you keep horses. 🙂
STRANGLES is a disease suffered by horses.
Was horsey once -lived to tell the tale.
Right! JollySwagman: Equine distemper aka STRANGLES is highly contagious and leads to cancellation of equestrian events.