I loved this puzzle from Goliath. My past attempts at solving his grids hadnt been encouraging so it was with some dread that I got to this one. I got to the theme pretty quickly and then it was smooth sailing from there on. Had to look up an alternative meaning for one of the clues (…) . All in all, a fine treat from a fine setter.
The (mini) theme of course is the famous detective Sherlock Holmes (who continues to be an all-time favorite of mine). I found the theme in 1,5ac ; 9ac, 24,27ac , 28ac, 29ac, 23dn-13ac-26dn . Did anybody have more?
FF: 10 DD : 9
23| Across | ||
| 1, 5 | SHERLOCK HOLMES |
Monarch surrounded by cheap stuff left in accommodation for 29 (8,6)
[ ER (monarch) covered by SHLOCK (cheap stuff) ] L (left) in HOMES (accommodation) – Answer to 29ac is SLEUTH. |
| 9 | MORIARTY |
Pollster gets stylish villain (8)
MORI (pollster, UK organization) ARTY (stylish) |
| 10 | EFFLUX |
Discharge once covered loud complaint (6)
EX (once) covering [ F (lord) FLU (complaint) ] |
| 12 | LOATHSOME |
15 5 to a fault (9)
Answer to 15 is ABHORRENT. Answer to 5 is HOLMES. The solution is an anagram HOLMES TO A |
| 13 |
See 23
|
|
| 14 |
See 21 across
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|
| 16, 20 | TWICE AS MUCH |
What music is playing round church? Double that (5,2,4)
Anagram of WHAT MUSIC around CE (church) |
| 19 | ON A WHIM |
Loose woman admits greeting without considering the consequences (2,1,4)
Anagram of WOMAN admitting HI (greeting) |
| 21, 14 | WIND WARD |
Exposed triumph by theologian over conflict (8)
WIN (triumph) [ DD (theologian) over WAR (conflict) ] |
| 24, 27 | BAKER STREET |
Gerry hit station where 5 lived (5,6)
Triple def; Name of a hit song by Gerry Rafferty; a station on the London undergound; and of course, 221B. |
| 25 | COTEDAZUR |
Nice area initially cleared up and razed to ground (4,5)
Anagram of C U (initially Cleared Up) RAZED TO |
| 27 |
See 24
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|
| 28 | POLYMATH |
One learned from Harvard course offered by institute of higher education (8)
POLY (institute of higher education) MATH (harvard course) |
| 29 | SLEUTH |
Transaction state, not as tracker (6)
SaLE (transaction) UTaH (state) without the letters A,A clued as A’S (as) |
| 30 | ATTENDER |
An individual present: a slice of meat, tenderised (8)
Hidden in “..meAT TENDERised” |
| Down | ||
| 1 | SIMILE |
Look pleased to welcome one, as pleased as Punch perhaps? (6)
SMILE (look pleased) containing I (one) |
| 2 | EARWAX |
Hearing problem? Perhaps wear a cross (6)
Anagram of WEAR followed by A X (cross) |
| 3 | LEASH |
. . . or restraint (5)
Cryptic clue. One of the meanings of LEASH is a set of three. The “…” represents this. |
| 4 | CAT FOOD |
Tom needs this act of God not to begin reforming (3,4)
Anagram of ACT OF gOD (without beginning) |
| 6 | OLFACTION |
Naked holy sect making sense (9)
OL (naked hOLy) FACTION (sect) |
| 7 | MALINGER |
Somewhat abnormal in Germany to shirk responsibilities (8)
Hidden in “..abnorMAL IN GERmany..” |
| 8 | SEXINESS |
Allure of sixes and sevens, not half confused (8)
Anagram of SIXES and sevENS (not half) |
| 11, 21 | WENT WITHOUT |
In rewriting tune, how idiot lacked! (4,7)
TWIT (idiot) in anagram of TUNE HOW |
| 15 | ABHORRENT |
Repulsive brother an abomination (9)
Anagram of BROTHER AN |
| 17 | BOMBASTS |
Fail as Eliot rants (8)
BOMB (fail) AS TS (eliot, the writer) |
| 18 | VALKYRIE |
Rider almost mixed sandwiches: initially lemon jelly (8)
VARIEd (mixed, almost) containing (sandwiches) [ L (initially Lemon) KY (jelly) ] |
| 20 |
See 16
|
|
| 21 |
See 11
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|
| 22 | IZZARD |
Eddie’s last letter (6)
Double def; Comedian, and archaic spelling for ‘Z’ |
| 23, 13, 26 | ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE |
Author crashed the only car around (6,5,5)
Anagram of THE ONLY CAR AROUND |
Thanks Turbolegs and Goliath. Some tricky old stuff here. Needed your help to parse 18 and 22. Nice work, both!
A lovely challenge this one. Lots of great clues including 25ac, 29ac, 1d, 6d, and 18d – my last one in which I would not have got without the checkers. Not to mention the theme of course. All in all a real pleasure to solve so thanks Goliath and TL too.
Thanks, Turbolegs and Goliath. Unusually demanding, this one. Delighted to come across the word Izzard for the first time.
Impossible – binned it. I hate themed + GK when I expect a cryptic.
Can someone explain why setters write “not half” when they mean “half”?
Coby at #5, because the surface usually reads better, while the cryptic instruction is unchanged, I would guess.
What an excellent puzzle – great fun from beginning to end. Many thanks Goliath, and also to Turbolegs for the helpful blog. One of the most fun puzzles I’ve completed in weeks!
Thanks Goliath and Turbolegs.
Fun puzzle with a good mixture of styles.
As often when there’s a lot of linked clues, it took a while to get going before it all began to take shape. Not too difficult but neither was it ‘elementary’!
I did need your help to parse 3 and 22 dn – both new sub-definitions for me.
The make up of 18dn did of course remind me of that now-defunct station – KYTV (what is a wall without a dish?).
Happy days.
Thanks Goliath and Turbolegs
Found this one tough that and it hung around from 19/01 until 28/01 – just could not crack the SLEUTH / VALKYRIE pair for ages. Inspiration finally hit when I focused on ‘tracker’ as the defintion and spotted the devious use of as (a’s) – would have helped the cause immensely to have just revisited 1a again !! VALKYRIE then had to be the other and finally found the K-Y jelly to put me out of my misery.
Still missed the parsing for LEASH (had not come across that definition before) and WENT WITHOUT (more as an oversight than anything).
Clever theme and a very good challenge.
A bit concerned that Wagonman’s bin may be getting rathr full having seen similar posts on different puzzles. 😮