On checking, I find that I haven’t blogged a Hypnos since June 2014, so it’s been a while since we’ve been out on a date. I found this hard by IoS standards, with several that I really struggled to solve and parse.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Fraud namely by Welsh politician
SCAM
A charade of SC, the abbreviation for SCILICET, ‘namely’, and AM for Assembly Member, which goes after the name of an elected member of the Welsh Assembly.
4 Talented IT maverick, a cultural dabbler
DILETTANTE
(TALENTED IT)*
9 Drink with a certain recipe held back for top figures
SUPREMOS
A charade of SUP and SOME R reversed. Plenty of Latin abbreviations already: R is for ‘recipe’, or ‘take’ and is allegedly seen on prescriptions.
10 Involve hospital department facing trouble
ENTAIL
A charade of ENT for ‘ear, nose and throat’ and AIL.
11 Group of pupils play on a computer
STREAM
A dd.
12 Very large appeal in a degree course that’s fitting
APPOSITE
Bit of a strained parsing, although it’s sound. An insertion of OS for ‘very large’ and IT for (sex) ‘appeal’ in A PPE. PPE is a degree at Oxford: Philosopy, Politics and Economics. Caring, sharing, call me Dave Cameron has one. Rhodri Morgan, AM, First Minister for Wales also has one. It’s just that he doesn’t go around being deeply offensive by calling people ‘terrorist sympathisers’.
13 Member in health body drops a type of bread
WHOLEGRAIN
WHO is the ‘health body’; LEG is the ‘member’; RAIN is the ‘drops’.
14 Settle in suburban estate
NEST
Hidden in suburbaN ESTate.
16 European film on a grand scale
EPIC
A charade of E and PIC.
18 I tend Eric’s terrible rash
INDISCREET
(I TEND ERICS)* with ‘terrible’ as the anagrind.
21 A second pair of TV brothers provided return for tax official
ASSESSOR
I’ll have a stab at this by saying that it’s A, S and ROSSES reversed. The ‘pair of TV brothers’ are Paul and Jonathan ROSS. What ‘provided’ is doing in there I have no idea. If my parsing of the ROSSES bit is correct, I don’t like this clue at all, because that is seriously obscure knowledge.
23 After vacation, slowly check plan of action
SYSTEM
A charade of SY for the outside letters of ‘slowly’ and STEM.
24 Skimpy garment in sport one introduced for good
BIKINI
BIKING with the G replaced by I.
25 Opinion divided by English cricketer that’s florid
BEETROOT
An insertion of E in BET followed by Joe ROOT. My bet/opinion is that Joe Root will be England captain one day.
Down
2 Places to try above joint for seeking favours
COURTSHIP
A charade of COURTS and HIP. I’m not madly in love with ‘seeking favours’ as a definition of COURTSHIP. If you’re going down that route, then just put ‘sexual favours’, then we’d all know what’s occurring. Or perhaps Hypnos is too shy.
3 Poet is Frenchman with time arising to pen verse and lines
MARVELL
M for Monsieur, an insertion of V for ‘verse’ in ERA reversed, and LL for ‘lines’. Andrew MARVELL (1621-1678). Probably best known for To His Coy Mistress, whose main thrust, if I might use that word, is about getting the kind of favours mentioned just above.
4 Media games might upset an acting doyenne
DAME MAGGIE SMITH
Good surface. (MEDIA GAMES MIGHT)* Maggie Smith’s done so much outstanding stuff it’s hard to know where to start, but I really want to go to see her latest film, The Lady in the Van.
5 Soprano switching parts before opera’s end in opera venue
LA SCALA
The soprano is Maria CALLAS. If you put the last three letters first and add A for the last letter of ‘opera’, you get LA SCALA, the Italian opera house.
6 Actor I left is with hot pop group in Roman location
THE SPANISH STEPS
This parsing is getting a bit silly for an IoS puzzle. It’s THESP[I]AN, IS, H and STEPS for the ‘pop group’ who disbanded 15 years ago.
7 Mechanic favouring a side without a leader
ARTISAN
[P]ARTISAN.
8 Flavouring for drink an unexpected revelation
TWIST
A dd.
15 First woman with daughter entering shop is quayside worker
STEVEDORE
An insertion of EVE and D in STORE.
17 Priest in charge in church producing split
CREVICE
An insertion of REV and IC in CE.
19 Permanent art institution located in bend, nothing less
DURABLE
An insertion of RA for Royal Academy in D[O]UBLE bend. Don’t we need ‘type of bend’?
20 Unconventional sort found on odd platform
ROSTRUM
A charade of (SORT)* and RUM.
22 Pass quickly over page to be economical
SKIMP
A charade of SKIM and P.
Many thanks to Hynos for this morning’s puzzle.
Morning Pierre
Bit quiet round here innit?
Just so you don’t feel lonely I’ll say I don’t find anything much to disagree with in your assessment.
Never heard of Steps (no surprise there) but entered confidently because how many Roman places are there that are Spanish?
Guessed there were brothers called Ross. I took the ‘provided’ to mean ‘provided you return’, so not a problem.
5 down recalls an old Take it From Here sketch where Jimmy Edwards is a Svengali like agent taking an aspiring soprano (June Whitfield) in hand and produces a contract for a performance which she reads over.
June (delighted): La Scala in Milan?
Jimmy: Look closer- its a cellar in Mile End.
Forgot to say I’ll get me coat.
Pierre, 26a is missing, I leave the parsing to you, DD?
Showing no expression, unlike an Oscar ceremony? (10), SPEECHLESS
Just got to 27a, it is missing too, homophone of mean?
Appearance in base announced (4), MIEN
Thanks Hypnos and Pierre.
Hard going and I needed Pierre’s help with some of the parsing, SCAM, although we did have SC = ‘scilicet’ a little while ago somewhere, ASSESSOR and THE SPANISH STEPS.
I particularly liked LA SCALA and DAME MAGGIE SMITH (I too would like to see the film, have read the book).