Morph has given us a puzzle today that was an entertaining solve
I thought there might be a sports theme with references to car, prize fight, Leeds United, [PSV] Eindhoven, Chelsea, play, single and not out in the clues, but it’s not sustained in the grid.
The puzzle was nearly a pangram – I can’t see an F. My last one in was 10 across CONJUGATE, and I was still short of a J as well as the F at that point, so thinking it was a pangram helped.
The clue for 25 across, DAZZLED, was excellent with ZZ Top and LED Zeppelin both referenced obliquely.
I also liked the rotation on top of the reversal in DRAMA at 23 across.
SPAG BOL at 7 down held me up for a bit as the phrase in our house is SPAG BOG
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
A & E changing round, exit becomes entrance (7)
|
GETAWAY (escape; exit) swapping (changing round) the first A and the E gives GATEWAY
|
GATEWAY (entrance)
|
|
5
|
Car set off with new parts (6)
|
Anagram of (off) CAR SET RECAST* |
RECAST (with actors given different [new] parts)
|
|
9
|
Prize fight with commercial setting (5)
|
WAR (fighting) contained in (with … setting) AD (advert; commercial) A (WAR) D |
AWARD (prize)
|
|
10
|
Perhaps run through to have drink after do filled up (9)
|
CON (swindle; do) + JUG (drink) + ATE (filled up [with food]) JUG is after DO |
CONJUGATE (to give the various inflections or parts of (a verb); to run through the parts of a verb)
|
|
11
|
Board of examiners analysing set of statistics (10,5)
|
DISSECTING (analysing) + TABLE (set of data [statistics)
|
DISSECTING TABLE (where a biologist will examine a dead animal)
|
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12
|
Leeds United managers hints match officials received payment (4,3)
|
LUM (first letters of [hints of] each of LEEDS, UNITED and MANAGER) containing (received) UMPS [umpires; match officials]) L (UMPS) UM |
LUMP SUM (payment)
|
|
14
|
Rank outsiders of Eindhoven holding Chelsea – missing main opportunity to lead (7)
|
EN (first and last letters of [outsiders] EINDHOVEN containing (holding) ([CHEL {CHELSEA excluding (missing) SEA (main}] + O [first letter of {to lead} OPPORTUNITY]) E (CHEL O) N |
ECHELON (particular level in the hierarchy of an organization; rank)
|
|
15
|
Making money from tobacco plug’s a bad thing (5,2)
|
QUID (plug of tobacco) + SIN (moral offence; bad thing)
|
QUIDS IN (very favourable or profitable situation; making money)
|
|
17
|
Confirm presence in audience of playwright (7)
|
CHEKHOV (sounds like [in audience] CHECK OFF [confirm presence])
|
CHEKHOV (reference Anton CHEKHOV [1860 – 1904], Russian playwright)
|
|
19
|
Seconds in Indian restaurant unfinished? Fried cauli with side of raita, not on menu (15) |
EXTRA CURRY (seconds in Indian restaurant) excluding the last letter (unfinished) Y + an anagram of (fried) CAULI + R (right; first letter of [side of] RAITA) EXTRA CURR ICULA* R |
EXTRACURRICULAR (subject or activity, outside and additional to the regular academic course; not on menu)
|
|
22
|
Old-fashioned means of protection from pyramid scam? (5,4)
|
CHAIN MAIL (reference CHAIN letters which had to be forwarded to lots of people or the world would end; akin to a pyramid scam where each new member of a scheme has to persuade a number of others to invest to ensure returns of investment. The mathematics of exponential growth shows that the whole world would be involved very quickly. Only those at the very top level of the scam could ever benefit)
|
CHAIN MAIL (old fashioned means of protection)
|
|
23
|
Play 9 over and over again for wife (5)
|
AWARD (9 across) reversed and then the W further (again) spun through 180 degrees (over) to become an M AWARD —-> DRAWA< —-> DRAMA |
DRAMA (play)
|
|
24
|
Nervous editor’s gone running outside (2,4)
|
Anagram of (running) GONE containing (outside) ED (editor) (play) ON (ED) GE* |
ON EDGE (nervous)
|
|
25
|
Top Zeppelin precursors on day one caused amazement (7)
|
D (day) + A (one) + ZZ (reference the rock band ZZ Top where the letters ZZ are the precursors of Top) + LED (reference the rock band LED Zeppelin where the letters LED are the precursors of Zeppelin)
|
DAZZLED (caused amazement)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Creatively dealing, conquer inflation (14)
|
Anagram of (creatively) DEALING CONQUER GRANDILOQUENCE* |
GRANDILOQUENCE (bombastic or pompously inflated language)
|
|
2
|
Man’s dealt with rot in timber (7)
|
Anagram of (dealt with) MANS and ROT TRANSOM |
TRANSOM (crossbeam; timber)
|
|
3
|
Say financial index raised large amount (5)
|
(E.G. [for example; say] + DOW [reference DOW Jones Industrial Average, a financial indicator in the United States]) all reversed (raised; down clue) (WOD GE)< |
WODGE (lump; large amount)
|
|
4
|
Sailor may snatch rum (9)
|
Anagram of (rum) MAY SNATCH YACHTSMAN* |
YACHTSMAN (sailor)
|
|
5
|
Nick single, not out (3,2)
|
RUN (single in cricket) + IN (not out)
|
RUN IN (arrest; nick)
|
|
6
|
Strapless item flatters weed (5,4)
|
COURTS (flatters) + HOE (to weed)
|
COURT SHOE (low-cut ladies’ SHOE without straps or laces)
|
|
7
|
Left over rolls filled with end of veg served up as informal meal (4,3)
|
(L [left] + O [over in cricket scoring notation] + [BAPS {rolls} containing {filled with} G {last letter of (end of) VEG}]) all reversed (served up; down clue) (SPA (G) B O L)< |
SPAG BOL (informal description of the meal SPAGhetti BOLognese)
|
|
8
|
Verne characters arranged to be endlessly at sea in fictional creation (5-5,4)
|
Anagram of (arranged) VERNE + NEVER LAND (be endlessly in the air or at seas) NEVER* NEVER LAND |
NEVER-NEVER LAND (imaginary place; fictional creation)
|
|
13
|
Kept going and pressed suit, covering mark (9)
|
SUED (pressed [legal] suit) containing (covering) STAIN (mark) SU (STAIN) ED |
SUSTAINED (maintained; kept going)
|
|
14
|
Aim to get dodgy cleric like this? (9)
|
END (aim) containing (get) an anagram of (dodgy) CLERIC EN (CIRCLE*) D |
ENCIRCLED (If the aforementioned dodgy cleric is ENCIRCLED the authorities may be able to get him / her)
|
|
16
|
Happening where Kelly was singin’ in Halifax? (2,5)
|
IN T’ RAIN (In The Rain as enunciated by an inhabitant of Halifax, Yorkshire)
|
IN TRAIN (Gene Kelly is well known for singing the song Singing In the Rain or as a Yorkshireman would put Singin’ IN T’ RAIN) |
|
18
|
House accommodating old bag (7)
|
HALL (manor-house) containing (accommodating) OLD H (OLD) ALL |
HOLDALL (large strong bag)
|
|
20
|
Treatment for winged horse raised with wings clipped (5)
|
PEGASUS (fabled winged horse in Greek mythology) reversed (raised; down clue) excluding (clipped) the first and last letters (wings) P and S USAGE< |
USAGE (treatment)
|
|
21
|
Goldsmith hiding identity when turning up in Spanish port (5)
|
(ZAC [reference ZAC Goldsmith, Conservative candidate for Mayor of London] containing (hiding) ID [identity]) all reversed (turning up; down clue) (CA (DI) Z)< |
CADIZ (Spanish port)
|
thanks to Morph for a lovely puzzle. My thoughts were exactly the same as Duncan’s: thought about the pangram, loved the ZZ Top reference,and thought about the same theme idea (although it is sustained in the grid, boom boom).
We called it “spag bog” too!
Loved it – thanks Morph! Like others I was hunting for the F, looking for my mistakes! BTW, has a setter ever designed the grid so that the blocked squares provide the shape of the missing pangram letter(s) does anyone know? It must have been done somewhere, else can I copyright it? 🙂
-Encota-
Thanks, Duncan, fine blog as always.
Morph on good form, although I found it hard (it is Thursday, after all). A good few that I could solve but not parse. I would never have understood EXTRACURRICULAR or DAZZLED in a month of Sundays.
And a bit of footie and a bit of politics. Those that still can’t see the setter’s name at the top of the puzzle wouldn’t have had much trouble working out who was compiling today.
Yes, an enjoyable puzzle though quite challenging. The parsing of DAZZLED (very good) and USAGE was beyond me and I pretty well guessed CONJUGATE, my LOI.
Among many top clues, SPAG BOL was my favourite.
Thank you to Morph and Duncan
There’s no F in Pangram!
(Would you believe I did it deliberately for that gag? Oh well, worth a try!)
Yo, Morph. “There is no ‘F’ in pangram” is genius of the highest order. We were all looking for it, none of us got it and so you win, hands down.. Gosh, I love the Indy.
Gx
@morph
titter
And of course, to continue the (football) theme: there’s only one F in Fulham, there’s only one F in Fulham, one F in Fulham … to be sung to the tune of Guantanamera. But Morph is an Arsenal geek, so he’d never be heard singing that one.
I’m going out now.
The first thing Bert said when checking for the pangram that wasn’t – There’s no F in pangram!
There was plenty of fun though.
Thanks Duncan and Morph.