I really enjoy Brummie’s crosswords – always entertaining and often with interesting vocabulary and wordplay.
I didn’t spot any particular theme here; the notable thing that jumped out at us were a couple of archaic usages (e.g. “Undo” for SEDUCE and HEELTAP to mean “dregs”). Anyway, this was a nice quick solve for us with plenty of entertainment along the way.
Update: As copmus points out below, “Surely TOBACCO ROAD, PENNY LANE, FIFTH AVENUE, EASY STREET make a bit of a theme” – quite right; I don’t know why I that didn’t occur to me. Thanks to everyone who pointed out that that setter name was wrong in the title, and to Gaufrid for fixing it.
Across
1. Fish steeped in drink is a big change (5-2)
SHAKE-UP
HAKE = “Fish” in SUP = “drink”
Definition: “a big change”
5, 12. Weed, by the way, is a 1930s’ classic (7,4)
TOBACCO ROAD
TOBACCO = “Weed” + ROAD = “the way”
Definition: “a 1930s’ classic” – referring to the novel
9. Gloomy day nurse (5)
DREAR
D = “Day” + REAR = “nurse”
Definition: “Gloomy”
10. Dancing in hipsters all but produces kidney problem (9)
NEPHRITIS
(IN HIPSTER)*
Definition: “kidney problem”
11. Consider high street chain’s rustic? (10)
COUNTRYMAN
COUNT = “Consider” + RYMAN = “high street chain”
Definition: “rustic” (as in “But mark the rustic, haggis fed”)
14. Some rocky resort of Crimea, a continental meeting place (4-7)
MESO-AMERICA
(SOME)* + (CRIMEA A)*
Definition: “a continental meeting place”
18. Foreign caste restricted by civil arm of repressive government (6,5)
POLICE STATE
POLITE = “civil” around (CASTE)*
Definition: “arm of repressive government”
22. Jumping flea on sailing boat, which can bite through to the vein (10)
LEAFCUTTER
(FLEA)* on CUTTER = “sailing boat”
Definition: “which can bite through to the vein” (referring to the veins of a leaf)
25. Strange start to ungainly forehand smash (7,2)
UNHEARD OF
U[ngainly] = “start to ungainly” + (FOREHAND)*
Definition: “Strange”
26. A toady said “piled up” (5)
AHEAP
A followed by HEAP sounds like “Heep” referring to Uriah Heep
Definition: “piled up”
27. Showered right in sterilised environment? (7)
SPRAYED
R = “right” in SPAYED = “sterilised”
Definition: “Showered”
28. Rotter takes flow controller’s dregs (7)
HEELTAP
HEEL = “Rotter” + TAP = “flow controller”
Definition: a new word for me: “dregs” – Chambers says “a small quantity of liquor left in the glass after drinking (old)”
Down
1. Undo leading edge of stage and draw out (6)
SEDUCE
S[tage] = “leading edge of stage” + EDUCE = “draw out”
Definition: “Undo” – an archaic meaning
3. Pop duo’s chemistry’s working, having united (10)
EURYTHMICS
(CHEMISTRY U)*
Definition: “Pop duo” referring to the band of Annie Lennox and David Stewart – we had to double-check that there wasn’t an H after the R
4, 21. The ’60s hit career of Lenny (constrained by Glass) (5,4)
PENNY LANE
PANE = “Glass” around (LENNY)*
Definition: “The ’60s hit”
5. VIP first spotted in a bunch? (3,6)
TOP BANANA
TOP = “first” followed by BANANA = “spotted in a bunch?”
Definition: “VIP”
6. Tidal wave drag (4)
BORE
Double definition: “Tidal wave” and “drag”
7. Comprehensive’s gripe about woolly hat (8)
CATHOLIC
COLIC = “gripe” around (HAT)*
Definition: “Comprehensive”
8. Outside broadcast about Pluto, taking in a molten volcanic rock (8)
OBSIDIAN
OB = “Outside broadcast” + DIS reversed = “about Pluto” + (IN A)* = “in a molten”
Definition: “volcanic rock”
13. Boyfriend possibly holding end of the firearm up, being free from controls (10)
DEREGULATE
DATE = “Boyfriend possibly” around [th]E = “end of the” + LUGER reversed = “firearm up”
Definition: “free from controls”
15. Sulphur introduced to drink — finished in the air (9)
SUSPENDED
S = “Sulphur” in SUP = “drink” + ENDED = “finished”
Definition: “in the air”
16. Is appreciative of software containing binary regression (8)
APPLAUDS
APPS = “software” around DUAL reversed = “binary regression”
Definition: “Is appreciative of”
17. Who embraces decisive argument? (8)
CLINCHER
Double definition: “Who embraces” and “decisive argument?”
20. Appear with whip raised (4,2)
CROP UP
Double definition: “Appear” and “with whip raised”
23, 2. If having upturned feet, entertain in the altogether dateless attraction of New York
FIFTH AVENUE
IF reversed = “If having upturned” + FT = “feet” + HAVE = “entertain” + NU[d]E = “in the altogether dateless”
Definition: “attraction of New York”
24, 19. Star, eyes rolling, appears in hit movie as a route to affluence
EASY STREET
(STAR EYES)* in ET = “hit movie”
Definition: “a route to affluence”
Thanks mhl. I agree, not a big challenge but nonetheless enjoyable. I hadn’t come across meso-america before but it was readily derivable.
Thanks to Paul and mhl. HEELTAP was new to me and I took a while before getting the vein-leaf connection for LEAFCUTTER. Ditto, given my weakness with popular music, I was slowed down by EURYTHMICS and PENNY LANE. Still, I did get through fairly quickly and much enjoyed the process.
Thanks mhl. Struggled in the SE corner with HEELTAP a novelty and last in 13D: I kept thinking gun/nug before the luger revealed itself. Poor Uriah Heep (26), the loser: toady and oodles of like words bring him to mind instantly.
Surely TOBACCO ROAD, PENNY LANE, FIFTH AVENUE, EASY STREET make a bit of a theme and there always is one in a Brummie puzzle-but then you’ve also headed the blog as a PAUL.
A fair challenge and one that passed my train test, though MESO AMERICA was unfamiliar and last in, it had to be right. Plenty to enjoy.
The title of this page should say Brummie not Paul
Thanks to Brummie and mhl
Thanks Brummie and mhl.
I enjoyed this last Saturday, did not have any real problems, but the pop group EURYTHMICS was new to me as was HEELTAP. SUP = drink was used twice, perhaps Brummie was looking into the bottom of his glass quite frequently?
Title corrected.
Oops, thank-you, Gaufrid, for fixing that. I’ve added a note about the mini-theme copmus pointed out too.
This was a very quick solve which left me wondering what I’d missed! I did notice the mini theme, which is unusual for me. I even noticed the Beatle connection with last week’s puzzle. Last week STRAWBERRY( fields forever); this time PENNY LANE which was it’s flipside.
Anyway quite enjoyable.
Thanks Brummie.
Thanks Brummie and mhl
As usual, I had left this for the week and was able to finish it in a single session over dinner last night after a day of helping a friend work with his gabion.
No real hold ups, except for a slight pause to check MESO-AMERICA (which I’d sort of heard of) and RYMAN (which I hadn’t). Didn’t see that a second T was required in POLICE STATE for a while and was trying to figure how POLIE was a civil arm until I started to use all of my fingers to count the letters ! :).
Finished in the SW corner with POLICE STATE, CLINCHER and APPLAUDS the last few in. Did notice the link in the theme answers for a change.
Although 20d could be a double definition, we solved it as a simple charade (whip = crop, raised = up), which seems just as plausible.
Thanks to S & B.
I only had time for a quick look at this last weekend and then not again during the week, so I came to it today with only NEPHRITIS, EASY STREET and the UP of CROP UP. I didn’t find the rest easy, but I got there in the end, and even spotted the mini-theme for once. HEELTAP was new to me but I got it from the wordplay. I initially entered EURHYTHMICS and had to reconsider when I ran out of spaces. The repetition of SUP = “drink”, used in a similar way both times, was a little strange. Is a POLICE STATE an “arm of repressive government”, or is it the POLICE force which is the repressive arm of a POLICE STATE? Either way, the solution is clear.
Thanks, Brummie and mhl.
Sid = about Pluto? Can anyone help me with this. Nice puzzle. My solving chum and I enjoyed it. Heeltap new to us.
smoz @13
Dis and Pluto are alternative names for the Roman god of the underworld. “About” indicates the reversal.
Thanks all
Enjoyable and straightforward except I failed miserably with meso finally settling on miss and wondering where on earth was a definition of a beauty pageant!
Thanks all
Enjoyable and straightforward except I failed miserably with meso, finally settling on miss and wondering where on earth was a definition of a beauty pageant!
Thanks mhl and Brummie.
All straightforward as noted above.
I’d heard of neither TOBACCO ROAD nor MESO AMERICA before but both easily gettable with a bit of research.
I did wince on behalf of non-UK solvers at the use of RYMAN in 11ac so congratulations to Brucew for getting there.
I too questioned the use of SUP = Drink on two occasions – 1ac and 25dn. A bit of editing might have been called for.
Stupidly hadn’t parsed the toady bit of 26ac – a shame when “Very ‘Eavy, Very ‘Umble” is one of my favourite albums.