Called off the bench as substitute again because the scheduled blogger(s) didn’t post, so apologies for a fairly terse blog. I really enjoyed this one, as almost always with a Morph puzzle. He can be rude, you know. Several I can’t quite see in my haste, so Parse Along with Pierre while I go and pick my daughter up from work. Laters.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
8 Not having left famous house of ill-repute, ultimately winner of show
BIG BROTHER
BIG BROTHE[L] plus R for the last letter of ‘winner’.
9/24 Climax ends performances
COMEDIES
Sex and more sex. COME and DIES. I’m sure you can work it out. Heart attacks during vigorous sex aren’t unknown.
11 Sex work can lead topless angel astray
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE
Sex, sex and more sex. (WORK CAN LEAD [A]NGEL)*
12 Aga perhaps controlled Georgia
RANGE
A charade of RAN and GE.
13 Give party members donations
OFFERTORY
A charade of OFFER and TORY. Part of the Eucharistic service.
15 Backing singer maybe hired out for a small amount
DRIBLET
A reversal of BIRD and LET.
17 Stray from street in need of protection
WAYWARD
A charade of WAY and WARD.
19 Force to engage smooth criminals?
PRESSGANG
Kind of a cd, I guess, but please tell me.
21 Member of orchestra gets abuse after dropping final note
VIOLA
VIOLA[TE]
22 Pay to stay in bondage gear not found in Fifty Shades of Grey?
GOLDEN HANDCUFFS
It’s a term for persuading an employee not to leave; and I guess that the handcuffs in the novel mentioned weren’t GOLDEN. But I don’t know enough about that kind of sex to say.
25 REM and Icicle Works appearing after finale of Tenacious D?
SEMICIRCLE
(REM ICICLE S)* D is a SEMICIRCLE, innit?
Down
1 Covert observation on copper linked to left-winger
OBSCURED
A charade of OBS, CU and RED.
2 Puff up aged grains after cooking
AGGRANDISE
(AGED GRAINS)* Easy if you know French, because that’s where we’ve nicked it from.
3 Sorting out cases of tetter, influenza and gangrene?
TRIAGE
The outside letters of TetteR, InfluenzA and GangrenE. Easy if you know French, because that’s where we’ve nicked it from. The nurse you’ll see if you have the misfortune to go to A&E. So it’s an extended definition.
4 Watch revival of Dracula?
STAKE OUT
A cd cum dd.
5 ‘Licence to kill’ discharged
LET OFF
I get the ‘discharged’ bit …
6 Belgium’s veteran forward
BOLD
A charade of B and OLD.
7 Cure end of ham, slicing thin
REMEDY
An insertion of M in REEDY.
10 Animal waste left in county wasting energy
SLURRY
An insertion of L in SURR[E]Y. Don’t suppose there’s a lot of SLURRY in Surrey because they’re too posh. Plenty being sprayed on the fields round where I live. Makes your eyes water.
14 Old throne room perhaps raised above another seat of power
OVAL OFFICE
O, a reversal of LAV and OFFICE.
16 Was leaning – like famous old building?
LISTED
A dd.
17 Sleeper comedian ends in orgasmatron getting fired up
WAGON LIT
I swear that the setter is sex-crazed. A charade of WAG, ON for the outside letters of ‘orgasmatron’ and LIT for ‘fired up’. More French. Pity I wasn’t down to blog this in the first place.
18 Look up when crossing street for fast car
DRAGSTER
An insertion of ST in REGARD reversed. Only works because it’s a down clue.
19 Temple of Father and Holy Ghost, as Son omitted
PAGODA
I get the PA bit but I’m stuck on the rest. Left-footers tend to say Holy Spirit these days, since Holy Ghost frightens the children and the horses.
20 Oddly keen to tuck into grey, dry fruit
ASH-KEY
KE inserted into ASHY. The winged fruit of an ash tree. No, I hadn’t either.
21 Reeves has Minchin as fall guy
VICTIM
VIC Reeves followed by TIM Minchin.
23 Drum up dirty look
LEER
A reversal of REEL.
Many thanks to Morph and sorry not to have had more time to appreciate the puzzle.
19a is press as in smooth, gang as in dbe
well done Pierre for your supersub performance. My thanks to Morph for a high-end, top shelf puzzle. The Woody Allen Sleeper/orgasmatron reference is a highlight in WAGON LIT with OVAL OFFICE another outstanding clue.
I had LET OFF as licence(let) +off (kill/assassinate) and could only get PRESS (smooth) GANG (criminals) to work if one assumes members of a GANG are criminal.
Great puzzle, all solved interactively on the shiny new tool
Thanks for the blog, too, Pierre. I can’t parse PAGODA either, but enjoyed the puzzle.
5d is Licence – LET, kill – off as in he ‘offed’ his enemy.
Fave clue was 16d.
Hi Pierre, you’ve done a great job. 19 across is press = smooth + gang = criminals. Thanks, Morph. We actually completed this one. 9/24 was naughty but very clever.
Oooh, a parsing race!
19d – PA + GOD + A [“as” with s{on} removed]
I also assumed 5d was LET [license] + OFF [to kill], but now that you mention it I can’t see how it works with “licence” in place of “license”.
Also, thanks, Morph and Pierre.
My wife got pagoda straight away: pa + god (HG) + as s omitted
Isn’t it always the same. While you are typing, someone snaeks in ahead of you. Sorry to both.
Good man, Pierre! I was just wondering whether to contact Gaufrid to offer to blog when your placeholder popped up.
Quite a crossword, too – should have had an ‘adult content’ warning.
To expand on Liam M@1, the definition in 19ac is ‘force to engage’, referring to the press gang which forced (pressed) unfortunate individuals into naval service in the 18th and 19th centuries.
My CoD, though, was SEMICIRCLE – very subtle.
Thanks again, Pierre – and Morph of course
Leon @7, I know just what you mean.
More sex with first four top line being oats, thought holy ghost just god plus as without s(on) thanks Pierre, wonder where b&j are?
Gosh took rather too long to write that.
Thanks all for filling in the gaps.
Enjoyable – and very straightforward for a Thursday. Shame about Morph’s misspelling in 5dn. (Pierre – I have “member” not “members” in 13ac in my dead tree version; important for correct parsing)
Thanks both!