(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.) It’s been some time since I last blogged a Tramp. Today’s is just as tricky and just as enjoyable, with many clues having Muppets references. Thanks to Tramp. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
8 It went into space in newspaper feature, leaning characters on right missing (8)
COLUMBIA : [ “column”(a newspaper feature) + “bias”(a leaning;a tendency towards)] minus(… missing) their respective rightmost letters(characters on right).
Defn: One of the US space shuttles.
9 See 23 down
10 Just after leg and jacket for creature (4)
ONCE : ON(in cricket, the leg side;the side of the field to the left of a right-handed batsman as he faces the bowler ) plus(and) the outermost letters of(jacket for) “creature “.
Defn. and Answer: As in “call me just after/once you arrive”.
11 Swedish chef’s starter: an order for food (10)
SANDWICHES : Anagram of(… order) [SWEDISH + the 1st letter of(…’s starter) “chef ” + AN].
12 Fish – one on bed? (6)
KIPPER : Double defn: 1st: A cured fish, especially a herring; and 2nd: Crytically, one who kips;sleeps.
14 Ways Muppet calls for cuddles (8)
PASSAGES : ASS(a muppet;a stupid person) contained in(… cuddles) PAGES(calls for, over the public address system, say).
16 Then beat bad grade after one term in chemistry (7)
ISOTOPE : [ SO(then, as in “and so/then to bed” + TOP(to beat;to surpass) + E(a bad grade, in any alphabetical grading system) ] placed after(after, in an across clue) I(Roman numeral for “one”).
Defn: … for one of two or more forms of the same element with atoms containing a different number of neutrons.
18 Brown hesitant about growth (7)
SWARTHY : SHY(hesitant) containing(about) WART(a growth on the skin caused by certain viruses).
Defn: … or dark-complexioned.
21 Head couples to nose – Gonzo’s arm’s easy section with restricted movement (2-2,4)
NO-GO AREA : The 1st two letters, respectively, of(Head couples to) “nose – Gonzo’s arm’s easy “.
23 Cutting Muppets, originally outstanding (6)
MOWING : The 1st letter of(…, originally) “Muppets ” + OWING(outstanding;unpaid).
24 One calling helper, confused with tone (10)
TELEPHONER : Anagram of(…, confused …) [HELPER
plus(with) TONE].
Defn: … on the telephone.
26 Top margin on book (4)
BRIM : RIM(a margin;an edge) placed after(on, in an across clue) B(abbrev. for “book”).
Defn: As in “fill me up to the top”.
27 Smart one controlling puppet? Not right (5)
STING : “string”(one of those controlling a puppet’s movements) minus(Not) “r”(abbrev. for “right”).
28 Left Fozzie, perhaps, to produce too many? (8)
OVERBEAR : OVER(in surplus;left) + BEAR(an example of which;perhaps is Fozzie of the Muppets).
Down
1 Mostly Jim Henson animating chaps (8)
JOHNNIES : Anagram of(… animating) [ “Jim ” minus its last letter(Mostly) + HENSON].
Defn: Men;fellas.
2 Blow up big bird, female upset (4)
FUME : Reversal of(… upset) [EMU(a big Australian flightless bird) + F(abbrev. for “female”) ].
3 Old live series more 25 (6)
OBESER : O(abbrev. for “old”) + BE(to exist;to live) + SER(abbrev. for “series”).
Answer: If you were more obese, you’d be more huge(answer to 25 down).
4 Animal tastes plants (7)
CATNIPS : CAT(animal) + NIPS(tastes;takes a bite).
Like what the clue and answer says:
5 Sick records written up by week (4)
SPEW : Reversal of(… written up, in a down clue) EPS(abbrev. for “extended plays”, old sound recording and playback formats) plus(by) W(abbrev. for “week”).
Defn: and an0 To vomit or what is vomited.
6 Ring posh school for one working on a farm? (4,6)
DISC HARROW : DISC(a flat circular plate, like a ring with a solid centre) + HARROW(posh English public school).
7 Cancel date, turn over TV before endless sex (6)
DELETE : [ D(abbrev. for “date”) + reversal of(turn over, in a down clue) TELE(short for the television) ]placed above(before, in a down clue) “sex ” minus its 1st and last letters(endless).
13 Notice gap in organisation – hospital cuts could cause disease (10)
PATHOGENIC : Anagram of(… in organisation) NOTICE GAP containing(… cuts) H(abbrev. for “hospital”).
Defn: Descriptive of pathogens;disease-causing agents, especially micro-organisms.
15 Watched Statler and Waldorf’s opening sequence (3)
SAW : The 1st letters, respectively, of(…’s opening sequence) “Statler and Waldorf “.
17 A quiet couple in Bert and Ernie (3)
PER : P(abbrev. for “piano”, the musical direction to play softly) + the 2 letters common to both(couple in … and …) “Bert ” & ” Ernie “.
Answer: As in “price per/a piece”.
19 Restrict saucy thing – tart not available to climb inside (8)
HANDICAP : HP(the brand name of the brown sauce most popular in the UK) containing(… inside) reversal of(… to climb, in a down clue) [ ACID(tart;sharp to the taste) + N.A.(abbrev. for “not available”) ].
20 Sky might feature this children’s programme (7)
RAINBOW : Double defn: 2nd: … on British television.
22 Too many drugs and tablets going to South American port (6)
ODESSA : OD(abbrev. for “overdose”;intake of too many drugs) plus(going to) E(slang for Ecstasy, the drug commonly in tablet form, from which comes the nickname “tab”)S + S.A.(abbrev. for South American).
23,9 Current figure in caper shot with Kermit (6,5)
MARKET PRICE : Anagram of(… shot …) [CAPER plus(with) KERMIT].
25 Cuddle close to Cookie Monster (4)
HUGE : HUG(a cuddle) + the last letter of(close to) “Cookie “.
Defn: Descriptive of very big things, as in “monster truck”.
26 Perhaps attractive Miss Piggy in film? (4)
BABE : Double defn: 1st: Slang for a young woman (or man) perceived as being sexually attractive; and 2nd: The baby pig in the film of the same name.
… Also a term of endearment, as here.
(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)
Took a fair while, but eventually completed without aids.
Hovered between baby and babe for 26dn and fortunately chose the right answer.
Quite tricky but got there in the end.
Thanks scchua; is CATNIPS a dd (‘animal tastes’ and ‘plants’?) Good clue for PASSAGES, which I couldn’t sort out.
I liked this. I noted that for the most part, you could do this without knowing too much about the theme (you must know that Fozzie is a bear, but other than that).
All the main Muppets are here, with the possible exceptions of Elmo and Oscar the Grouch. This depends on whether you count them as “main,” since they only appeared (albeit in most episodes) on Sesame Street, not The Muppet Show or (to my knowledge) any of the movies. Also, I guess, no Rolf the dog, who was (inexplicably, now that I look back) my favorite as a kid.
Is OBESER a word?
Thanks, scchua. Left side, easyish: right side, especially towards the bottom, quite hard going but very satisfying to finish. Only a very vague grasp of the theme but as mrpenney (who seems to be quite encyclopaedic by contrast) says, it wasn’t necessary.
Ian @5, why not?
I solved 21a but could not parse it, and was defeated by 10a and 17d. Thank you scchua for explaining these. For my interest: were you actually able to use the wordplay to generate the solution, or did you have to work it out afterwards?
Tricky but fun, the Muppets weren’t really my era so I did have to think quite a bit – thank you Tramp and scchua too.
The Muppets were an ugly bunch. This is well reflected in more than one aspect of the puzzle.
Thanks, scchua.
Like crypticsue, I knew little about the Muppets but, as has been said, that was no real hindrance.
I did know that Tramp uses real people in his clues and so googled Jim Henson and found that he created the Muppets, which makes 1dn a typically brilliant clue. [I suppose you all knew that – and that there’s a RAINBOW connection, too.] http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rainbow_Connection
Too many more great clues to mention. Huge thanks, as ever, to Tramp. [We’re being really spoiled, with Rosa Klebb in the FT!]
To point out more references: of course, Big Bird is probably upset that he wasn’t capitalized, and Animal (in this Emmy-winning (!?) performance with Rita Moreno) probably slipped many people’s attention. He’d be upset too, since he’s probably never eaten a plant in his life. He eats musical instruments, usually.
I did enjoy this and liked the theme, since Kathryn and her sibs were big fans of Sesame Street. I remember it being very educational: Today’s programme is sponsored by the letter T! And Count Dracula for the numbers.
I found it hard going, though, and really struggled on the four-letter answers, particularly ONCE. I’m not really convinced that ONCE and JUST AFTER mean the same thing. In scchua’s example, I’d substitute ‘when’ rather than ‘just after’. And I’m not sure that ‘brown’ is the best synonym for SWARTHY, but I’m sure it’s in the thesaurus.
But a good puzzle and a fine blog. Thanks to both.
This was a highly enjoyable nostalgia trip, elegantly constructed. Particularly liked the reference to Rainbow for the real aficionados.
Thanks to Tramp and scchua. Count me as one who has only a fleeting knowledge of the Muppets.
I was raised on Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob! However, got there in the end. Like K’sD I wondered about ONCE and JUST AFTER. That was my last one in. Tried NO-GO ZONE for a while.
Cheers…
Thanks, scchua. I found this a bit trickier than usual.
I was a bit sniffy about “ring” cluing DISC, but one of the definitions Chambers gives for disc is “A quoit thrown by ancient Greek athletes” – so, fair enough.
As definitions go, “term in chemistry” ought to get some kind of prize for vagueness. 😉
I had ‘fair’ for 10a and so failed on 1d. Just = fair (jacket for = fr, ai = animal)but for the after leg bit thought maybe a cricket term.
Like grandpuzzler I went for NO-GO ZONE for a while. Wondered if I’d got SANDWICHES wrong too, when it gave me ***C at 6d.
Is there a definition element to 17d or have I missed something?
I really enjoyed this, partly because I spent many a half hour being amused by the Muppets when the older kids were little. [ My viewing of the show was interrupted one Friday evening by the phone, summoning me to the hospital for the birth of our third child. A good enough reason, I suppose. 🙂 ]
I managed this unaided in two sessions, which was satisfying, as well as being entertaining. Thanks a lot, Tramp, for a clever puzzle. Thanks also to scchua.
David Mop@7, for 17down and 10across, I probably got the answers from the wordplay, as in these cases, it was more difficult to pin down the definition. On the other hand, for 21across, I had in mind NO-GO Zone at first, but after trying to fit it into the wordplay, saw, from the wordplay what it was. So, it varies by the clue, but I think that, for all cryptics, the solving process is a feedback loop, so it’s not possible to categorically say whether one solved it via either one or the other (the wordplay or the definition).
Trailman@17, I think you missed the “A” in the clue that I underlined.
Thanks for the very comprehensive blog scchua. Thanks for the comments.
rhotician@9: perhaps you could explain so that I can improve? In fact, don’t bother.
Have a good Bank Holiday
Neil
Rho, fair assessment?
didn’t know disc harrow but fairly clued.
wot no mad bomber?
thanks tramp good fun.
An enjoyable puzzle that I found on the tricky side. I was a huge fan of the Muppets when they first appeared on our screens even though they were aimed at a younger age group. I even gave Fraggle Rock a go for a while. Back to the puzzle, PER was my LOI after ISOTOPE. The clue for CATNIPS is definitely not a DD and can be parsed just like scchua said, IMHO. Although OBESER looks like an ugly word, and I would probably use “more obese”, I can’t think of a reason why it isn’t a valid one. Count me as another who initially thought of “no-go zone” for 21ac but I couldn’t see where the “zone” would come from, and then I saw the correct parsing.
Yes, eventually sorted without gadgets or searching, but I fell into the same pitfalls as others along the way.
I found this an absorbing and satisfying solve.
Thanks Tramp, scchua and posters.
Yes, a tricky challenge but well worth persisting with. Last in was ONCE because it took a long time to understand the definition, and there were a few tricky parsings. As usual with Tramp the need for knowledge of the theme was minimised. Thanks to Tramp and scchua
Finished this but spent ages trying to parse PASSAGES, ONCE and DELETE.(and failed)
Should have got ASS = MUPPET but still not convinced that “once” = “just after” (“after” yes but “just after”?). Also never seen TELE as an abbreviation for TV only TELLY!
Enjoyable and challenging puzzle nevertheless.
Thanks to Scchua and Tramp
Seems like about one in three CAPTCHAs are incorrect at the moment?
Ian @ 5 Is OBESER a word?
It shouldn’t be what with it being an absolute like DEAD but then DEADER exists so who knows?
In 2000 had the privilege of meeting – very briefly – Rick Husband, who was commander of Columbia’s ill-fated mission STS 107. I recommend this video http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=II7QBLt36xo which has a little bit of every shuttle mission in it. I “get something in my eye” every time I watch it.
Thanks Tramp and scchua
Nice puzzle … but ended up changing ISOTOPE to ISOTYPE in a last minute of madness :(. PER was my last one in and the best clue for mine when I saw how it worked.
Didn’t parse PASSAGES and only got COLUMBIA half right – had COLUM[N] B[R]IA[N] without ever finding a feature column in a newspaper anywhere !
I liked the misdirection with NO-GO AREA where the anagram of no-go zone is just about there in ‘nose Gonzo’.
Interesting that there was no real Muppet theme as such – rather that the names of Muppet characters appear in the clues but are used, apart from Fozzie Bear, as other definitions or as fodder for letters. It didn’t matter whether you even knew that the show existed … which is quite brilliant.
Thanks scchua @19. I take the point about solving by iterative looping of definition, wordplay and crossers. I try to do it myself! But I do think that sometimes setters forget themselves, and spoil the wordplay by constructing it on the basis that the solver is also in the happy position of having the answer in front of them. In that situation the cryptic crossword becomes just a quick crossword with poor definitions.
Got hominin as a rather uncommon equivalent of hominids for the Henson anagram. Missing j instead of m. And like so many people above, I struggled with once.
Super puzzle. Many thanks to Tramp (no idea what Rho was thinking…) Great blog from Scchua and some lovely links from posters much appreciated. (FYI Underlining can’t always be seen – particularly when accessed from (some?) “smart” ‘phones)
Thought I’d mention that I’ve contributed to 15 squared maybe a dozen times in last couple of months….never had problems with a captcha!
Re captchas – I second what William F P says @31 – I’ve only ever had one rejected and that was because I didn’t read it correctly. Maybe it’s a browser specific issue…
Another challenging Prize puzzle. I was expecting a tougher one today, and I wasn’t disappointed. Didn’t even spot the theme till I got the last but one, but that is probably just me!