Thanks to Nutmeg. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1. Drive bishop away from bumpiest ground (7)
IMPETUS : “b”(abbrev. for “bishop” in chess notation) deleted from(away from) anagram of(… ground) “bumpiest“.
5. Bird box commotion (7)
SPARROW : SPAR(to box without landing heavy blows, as a form of training) + ROW(a commotion/a loud noise).
9. Elite revolutionary stirs soft drink (5,4)
CREAM SODA : CREAM(the elite/the best) + reversal of(revolutionary) ADOS(stirs/commotions).
10. Rigid measure from head of state (5)
RULER : Double defn: 1st: A graduated rigid rod, as opposed to a flexible tape, used for measuring linear size.
11. Sound made by files was revolting (4)
ROSE : Homophone of(Sound made by) “rows”(files/lines of people or things).
Defn: … against, say, a ruler.
12. Colleague having tea with firm first (10)
STABLEMATE : MATÉ(tea from the leaves of a South American shrub, high in caffeine) placed after(with … first) STABLE(firm/steady).
Real stablemates:
14. Devoted to razor-sharp side on field (4,2)
KEEN ON : KEEN(razor-sharp/cutting very easily or quick to understand) + ON(the leg/one side on/of a cricket field – better to use “of field” instead of “on field”?).
15. Went round gallery guarded by staff (7)
ROTATED : TATE(originally, the art gallery in London now called Tate Britain) contained in(guarded by) ROD(staff/a long stick).
16. Here’s fine wine — no good abstaining! (7)
FASTING : F(abbrev. for “fine”, as in an F pencil, slightly lighter in marking than an HB) + ASTI(a light sparkling wine, from Asti, Italy, of course) + NG(abbrev. for “no good”).
Defn: … from consumption of, say, food.
18. Dissent remains after new uniform rejected (6)
UNREST : REST(what remains/the remainder) placed after(after) reversal of(… rejected) [N(abbrev. for “new”) + U(abbrev. for “uniform”) ].
20. Mayan peeled onion sent over for religious leaders (10)
AYATOLLAHS : “Mayan” minus its 1st and last letters(peeled) + reversal of(… sent over) SHALLOT(a small onion-like bulb, used as an onion substitute).
Defn: … of Shiite Muslims.
21. Philosopher‘s son argues from time to time (4)
SAGE : S(abbrev. for “son”) + 1st, 3rd and 5th letters of(… from time to time) “argues“.
24. Part of Jamaica, principally a holiday resort (5)
CAPRI : Hidden in(Part of) “Jamaica, principally“.
25. Springing like cannibals with misplaced energy? (9)
EMANATING : “man-eating”(like human cannibals) with its “e”(abbrev. for “energy” in physics) moved(misplaced …).
26. Discuss inserting pinch of spice as sauce ingredient (7)
PARSLEY : PARLEY(to discuss/to have a conference of opposing sides) containing(inserting) 1st letter of(pinch of) “spice“.
27. Gloomy doctor relays conclusion to patients (7)
RAYLESS : Anagram of(doctor) RELAYS + last letter of(conclusion to) “patients“.
Defn: …/without any ray of light shining on.
Down
1. Bring about popular return of disbanded force (5)
INCUR : IN(popular/in fashion) + reversal of(return of) RUC(abbrev. for the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the disbanded police force in Norther Ireland).
Defn: … as a result of one’s own actions, as in “I could easily incur his wrath”.
2. Gift that is beneath host (7)
PRESSIE : IE(abbrev. for “id est”/that is) placed below(beneath, in a down clue) PRESS(a host/a closely packed crowd).
Answer: A “present” in slang.
3. Spell of maidens during match (4)
TIME : M(abbrev. for “maidens”, in cricket, overs in which no runs are scored) contained in(during) TIE(a competitive sports match).
Defn: …/a short period of time.
4. Starting to develop recipe in kitchen range (8,7)
SHOOTING GALLERY : SHOOTING(starting to develop/sprouting, as with plants or seeds) + [ R(abbrev. for “recipe”) contained in(in) GALLEY(the kitchen in a ship or aircraft).
Defn: …/an area used for firing at targets, in this instance, in a fairground.
5. A bogus RAF choir assembled, admitting right number (11,4)
SCARBOROUGH FAIR : Anagram of(… assembled) A BOGUS RAF CHOIR containing(admitting) R(abbrev. for “right”).
Defn: …, a song, that is,
6. Overseas post put strain on landlords (3,7)
AIR LETTERS : AIR(a short melody/strain) placed above(put … on, in a down clue) LETTERS(landlords/those who let out properties).
Defn: …/airborne snail mail to destinations abroad.
Remember these?:
7. Rhetoric about priest’s leaning (7)
RELIANT : RANT(rhetoric/speech that is loud and bombastic, sounding impressive but having little meaning) containing(about) ELI(the Biblical priest).
Defn: …/dependent on.
8. Potential source of explosion toppling bloody leader (7)
WARHEAD : Reversal of(toppling, in a down clue) RAW(bloody/blood-soaked) + HEAD(leader of a group).
13. Disruptive Latinos cunningly infiltrated by spies (10)
ANTISOCIAL : Anagram of(… cunningly) LATINOS containing(infiltrated by) CIA(abbrev. for the Central Intelligence Agency, the US federal organisation of spies – who have infiltrated South American governments before).
16. Where Spooner’s queen may go in casual headgear? (4,3)
FLAT CAP : Spoonerism of “CAT FLAP”(where a queen/a female cat will go to come in and go out of a house).
17. Person on outdoor holiday chasing small beetle (7)
SCAMPER : CAMPER(a person on outdoor holiday, specifically, sleeping in a tent in the open) placed below(chasing, in a down clue) S(abbrev. for “small”).
Defn: …/to move hurriedly.
19. What’s found on the coast, apart from Kent etc (7)
SEASIDE : SE(abbrev. for “South-East”, the area of England in which Kent, etc, are situated) ASIDE(apart from/except for …)
22. Avoids decision ruling out hard borders (5)
EDGES : “hedges”(avoids decisions/sits on the fence) minus(ruling out) “h”(abbrev. for “hard”).
23. Female sheep from the south with curly tail (4)
MARY : Reversal of(… from the south, in a down clue) RAM(a male sheep) plus(with) last letter of(… tail) “curly“.
After solving SAGE and PARSLEY, SCARBOROUGH FAIR came as no surprise, and I was on the lookout for ROSE, MARY and … er … TIME.
Off festival-ing today so up nice-and-early to do this and found this the quickest of the week so far!
Nice to see mention of our regular commentator at 16d!
6d gave me a moment of doubt – weren’t these known more as ‘Aerogram(mes)’ rather than ‘Air Letters?’ I certainly still have a few knocking around both received and unsent (and now, I suspect, useless other than as museum pieces).
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua!
Well done Gladys @1. Didn’t someone suggest a Paul Simon theme the other day?
There’s also ‘tracing of SPARROW on snow-crested brown’, SEASIDE (‘between the salt water and the sea strands’), WAR bellows blazing in scarlet battalions, Generals (bloody leaders?) order their soldiers to kill.
After yesterday’s surfeit of RAYs, it felt only right to be FASTING today and going RAYLESS.
And yes, congrats to Spooner’s catflap on his kind-of-namecheck!
Thanks to Nutmeg and scchua
Enjoyed this. Found the left side went in quite quickly then slowed right down and took ages to finish off the last two in the south east.
Often struggle with Nutmeg – but was more on her wavelength today.
Favourites included: CREAM SODA, ANTISOCIAL, FASTING, RAYLESS and I thought SPARROW was neat.
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua (needed help parsing a few)
Haha! I hadn’t seen the theme (thanks to Gladys@1). Had unparsed RASP (sound of file) instead of ROSE . Loved the puzzle, especially AYATOLLAHS, EMANATING and FLAT CAP (one for you, SC). Many thanks to Nutmeg and scchua.
Some nice clues – IMPETUS, AYATOLLAHS, EMANATING for example, but too many that I found a bit “eh? really? I suppose so” – SAGE, ROSE, MARY, TIME, KEEN ON, SEASIDE. Given Nutmeg’s reputation as an exact cluer, I found these too much “I guess it could work that way”. Sorry to be negative, Nutmeg, but that was my reaction. Thanks for the parsing confirmation and aid, scchua.
Succinct surfaces as ever from the spice lady, but nothing too Friday-taxing, in fact quite a few write-ins, like ruler, rotated and unrest. Under the hour, which will probly mean minutes for the adapts. And at 16d there’s a namecheck for one of our esteemed posters. And yes scchua, I’ve written more than a few of the blue air letters. Thanks both.
eb @3: I don’t know about kind-of-namecheck. Surely it’s the perfect (purrfect?) namecheck. Congratulations, indeed.
Well spotted Gladys @1: that’s two themes I’ve missed today 😀 .
Whilst I enjoyed both the long ones and FLAT CAP does deserve a doff in its own right, AYATOLLAHS was the stand out for me today. How delightfully spotted. I suspect it may have been used before – I don’t recall seeing it but now it leaps out at me so another cunning setter may well have noticed the possibility before.
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua
..for the adEpts..
Nutmeg is hard to beat. RAYLESS made me smirk after comments about too many RAYS yesterday. SAGE, PARSLEY, TIME and ROSE/MARY gave me SCARBOROUGH FAIR thankfully. Loved ANTISOCIAL. A midnight feast completed after a long working day.
Ta Nutmeg & scchua
Thank you, essexboy @3 and PostMark @ 8. Here was the Paul Simon themed puzzle (re. my comment yesterday @10), and I was personally name-checked at 16D. After yesterday’s Scotch Egg, this was all rather surreal – I think I may need a lie down.
I have the same experience as Tassie Tim. I can’t quite see what “here’s” is doing in FASTING or “from” in RULER. RANT for rhetoric feels a bit of a stretch, and RAYLESS one of those theoretically possible words that are rarely if ever used. (Maybe our name-checked friend will disabuse me of this with an example). On the other hand, as Fiona Anne says, it’s nice to complete a Nutmeg without (much) assistance.
Talk about over-thinking! With all the crossers I thought of sealine instead of SEASIDE. It sort of parsed… After a lift-and-separate A very small PART in a play might be just A LINE. Well and truly nutmegged myself.
Simon and Garf are two of my favourites, so am annoyed that my last ones in were rose, Mary and sage!
Slight quibble, shouldn’t 3D be maiden not maidens? Spent a lot of time trying to fit two ms in.
Always find the four letter words the trickiest.
Also I’ve always called them airmail letters.
And what sort of word is rayless? “Oh, the weather’s miserable today, it’s really rayless?” I don’t think so.
Otherwise a brilliant crossword.
PostMark@8 Everyman did the trick with AYATOLLAHS and SHALLOT the other way round, clueing SHALLOT hidden in a reversal of ayatollahs in June 2020 according to the search facility.
Petert @12 Even in my slightly dazed state, I could remember this one from Hardy’s The Return of the Native:
“The moon had now waxed bright and silvery, but the heath was proof against such illumination, and there was to be observed the striking scene of a dark, rayless tract of country under an atmosphere charged from its zenith to its extremities with whitest light.”
There should be a name for words like RAYLESS: technically correct and undoubtedly In Chambers, but so rarely seen in real life that it comes as a slight surprise that they exist – not because the thing they describe is rare, but because there are already plenty of other words that can do the job, and usually do.
SC @16: delightful
Petert @15: it’s all about “the other way round”. I eventually did the same search as you – but the other way round – after I’d posted so, yes, well-spotted Everyman too.
Shamefully, failed to see the theme, but enjoyed the puzzle, as always when Nutmeg provides the challenge.
SC@16 You’re a star!
5d was an excellent anagram and a good way in to the puzzle and the theme. The other day I heard an interview with Eliza Carthy, who was saying that her father Martin Carthy’s arrangement of SCARBOROUGH FAIR was basically used without acknowledgement by Paul Simon. The Simon and Garfunkel version then of course became a massive hit, including being on the soundtrack of The Graduate. Martin Carthy was understandably a bit upset.
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua.
> After yesterday’s surfeit of RAYs, it felt only right to be FASTING today and going RAYLESS
Great point! I didn’t see the theme but thanks, Nutmeg, for a satisfying one-sitting solve.
Nutmeg’s puzzles are usually characterised by highly polished surfaces. There were a lot of rather rough ones here and I began to doubt the attribution.
Failed to see the theme, as per; I focus intently on each tree one by one and therefore usually don’t manage to see the wood. I was puzzled by PARSLEY being rather vaguely defined as ‘sauce ingredient’, but reference to herbs would obviously have given the game away.
I enjoyed the exercise nevertheless – thanks to S&B
Very enjoyable puzzle. I solved the NE corner last.
My favourites: EMANATING, SCAMPER, FLAT CAP, AYATOLLAHS, SCARBOROUGH FAIR, WARHEAD, SPARROW, AIR LETTERS (loi).
Thanks, both – and also Gladys@1 – I had not thought about the parsley, sage, rose-mary and time!
1 Across The RUC was renamed (PSNI) and reformed but not disbanded.
@17 I’ve always known the common UK wildflower Matricaria discoidea as “RAYLESS mayweed”, though others may know it better as “pineapple weed”.
This Friday Nutmeg was a much easier solve than the usual Paul. I share TassieTim@6 and Petert@12 ‘s feelings about the degree of laxity in the clueing. And I also thought some of the surfaces were a bit clunky: e.g. 14a, 20a, 26a. And I missed the theme, as usual. But I always enjoy a good Spoonerism!
Lovely puzzle as far as i am concerned. No aids/references needed to solve. Thanks a million to Nutmeg. I think some people are a bit picky with their criticisms but then I am only able to do intermittent crosswords these days, so I really enjoy sitting down to a Nutmeg at just the right level of difficulty for my liking, and then being able to solve it without looking anything up. Thanks to scchua for the blog.
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua. A couple of clunkers here, as mentioned by others, but also some gems – I love the elegant simplicity of 5ac, for example. Kicking myself for not spotting the theme though – so thanks also to gladys!
Re 6d – some years ago, I had a job that entailed receiving many letters from servicemen stationed overseas, who called them “blueys” – bet you’ll never guess why!
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua
Chardonneret @ 14: on a cricket scorecard summary, the bowlers’ analysis has 4 columns headed O, M, R, W – overs, maidens, runs & wickets.
Thanks scchua, I agree with you re KEEN ON (and why not just stop at “side”?) and thought it a little feeble as a match for “Devoted To” – I mean, I’m keen on biscuits but I don’t go round in a McVities T-shirt or anything. I didn’t understand the parsing of SEASIDE (got lucky not guessing SEALINE), nor SAGE (got from theme, as with ROSE to replace RASP), and couldn’t see ADOS as stirs so thanks for those.
I am aligned with murmurs of slight discontent today but I think this is because Nutmeg usually sets the bar so high, and of course there was plenty to enjoy as already mentioned, thanks Nutmeg.
Thanks for the blog, well done Gladys, I missed it as usual and you beat AlanC
Who had the crystal ball for Paul Simon this week ?
Glad to see a mention for Spooner’s Catflap , even got a picture.
Possibly not one of Nutmeg’s very best, as others have noted above, but as always with her crosswords, super enjoyable. I didn’t spot the theme.
[ Talking of the theme, I can’t hear ‘Scarborough Fair’ without thinking of this (20 second) gem, from Futurama: Cylon and Garfunkle ]
I totally agree with Gazzh’s last sentence. I’d rather have Nutmeg at slightly below par than some others on top form.
I did like IMPETUS, AYATOLLAHS, SCARBOROUGH FAIR – but how on earth did I miss the theme? – FLAT CAP and BEETLE.
Thanks to Nutmeg and scchua.
[Me to the life, Roz @33! I have only rarely worn the ‘casual headgear’ in question, but many years ago we took in a rescue cat. I cannot now recall what his cat shelter name was, but we intended to rename him anyway. When he came home, he had a habit, when faced with a bowl of milk or even of more solid food, of dipping his paw into it and then licking his paw clean, so we called him Spooner. And Spooner indeed had a catflap which he shared with our other cat, Quackers (don’t ask). The potential Spoonerism only dawned on me when I returned last year to solving crosswords after an absence of more than 20 years, but my user name commemorates a wonderful and much-loved feline.]
Quite a lot of looseness in the definitions (‘discuss’=PARLEY? ‘rhetoric’=RANT?) and clunkiness in the surfaces (‘side on field’ to clue ON?), some of it possibly because of the theme. (There was a theme? 🙂 ) I did like ‘Here’s fine wine — no good abstaining!’ which has attracted a criticism or two. The opening word is unnecessary, but makes for a brilliant surface.
Like a couple of others I had an unparsed RASP where the first part of ROSEMARY should have been; I couldn’t think of a synonym for ‘was revolting’, which felt like a pretty misleading definition using past continuous, though I’m not saying it isn’t accurate. (Homophone corner: I think I make a different shape with my mouth for ROWS, but I suppose the sound is pretty close.)
The very clever reversed onion in AYATOLLAHS was my last, and fell into place with a clang from the tea tray that I keep to hand for such moments. Thanks to Nutmeg, and to scchua for the parsing of SODA which I forgot to do.
What drofle@5 said (including the
unparsed Rasp for 11ac).
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua for a pleasant hour or so.
Like red, asti is an all-purpose word signalling wine in crosswords. But the fizzy stuff is asti spumante. Much nicer are the still reds, notably the barbera. Just saying.
How did I miss that theme! Just pleased that I was not alone in trying to force Rasp into 11ac. Thanks Nutmeg and scchua.
When the penny dropped for 5d Scarborough Fair I recognised the theme. Which helped for 23d Mary, which should have sent me looking for Rose. But kept my bunged in Rasp at 11a, so a dnf…..Doh
Thanks to Nutmeg and scchua
Last two in FASTING and Cat Flap, sorry, FLAT CAP, which reminds me, I’m rather late today feeding our holidaying neighbours’ feline. Enjoyed it all, especially EMANATING, based on another kind of carnivorous activity…
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua
No theme for me, of course – I think it’s because once I’ve written and answer in, I forget it. I would always say (and spell) “prezzie”, but I have seen the other.
I loved EMANATING!
[Spooner’s catflap @36: thank you so much for sharing the etymology of your moniker. I would never have come up with that explanation! It’s very enjoyable gradually learning the derivation of some of the names I regularly see here. Now I’ve just got to work out how on earth Roz and Julie in Australia came up with theirs… 😀 ]
Paul Simon had a nerve for claiming copyright on a 300 year old song
But thats not to distract from Nutmeg’s impeccable cluing
And I am often running out of time
copmus @45
Martin Carthy, who taught him the song, still bears a grudge that he wasn’t at least acknowledged! (Though adding the canticle bit was Simon’s idea)
bts my handle remembers a cat I used to have.
Thanks, Nutmeg, scchua & Spooner’s catflap (for the inspiration!) – a gentle Friday solve.
I too loved EMANATING and at first saw ‘man’ as being consumed by ‘eating’ (which would not have worked!)
The clue for SCARBOROUGH FAIR put me in mind of Clement Danes. I only saw the theme on completion, but now look forward to feelin’ groovy next week.
Haven’t seen Eli for a while, nice to know he’s still around.
wynsum@37 Me too for E(MAN)ATING.
How is a tie a match? It’s a score.
Thanks for parsing SEASIDE, scchua, it baffled ,me even after I gave up on “sealine.”
Thanks, Nutmeg, for a fine session, and scchua for the help and the pictures.
Valentine @48
A “cup tie” is a football match, for example. (Don’t ask me why!)
Valentine @48 & muffin: Chambers has (among others) ‘an obligation; an equality of score, votes etc; a match, esp one at any stage of a tournament in which the losers are eliminated.’ I wonder if the meaning developed from the sense of the two sides being ‘obliged’ to play each other?
muffin@46 – it’s my understanding that Martin Carthy and Paul Simon have long been reconciled over this, in fact they performed it together in London in 1998.
A fun puzzle, nothing too taxing, and a great theme!
Enjoyed the misdirection at 16ac. Pace pnin@39, ‘fine wine’ does not usually make me think of Asti.
Sheffield hatter @50 I have just looked that up, it ties in with muffin’s cup tie. ( sorry )
Tie is another of those words with so many meanings.
Valentine I have just learnt that in the USA it also means what we call a railway sleeper.
Valentine @48, muffin @49 & SH @50: also, the verb ‘to match’ is to correspond, tally, co-ordinate (with a tie perhaps)
[Roz @53 Hence the song by Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cross-Tie Walker, though we’re getting a long way from the clue. 🙂 ]
tandemist @51
Glad to hear that!
Roz@53 It’s news to me that “tie” doesn’t have its railroad meaning outside the US.. “The long steel rail and the short cross tie,” a line from many a song.
Thanks Nutmeg for another fine crossword. I agree with Eileen @35 that a “slightly below par” Nutmeg still tops most other setters’ best efforts. Favourites included SPARROW (beautiful succinctness), UNREST, AYATOLLAHS, EMANATING, PARSLEY, and EDGES. I got the S&G song early but never connected the herbs to its lyrics. It didn’t help that I missed ROSE but I still should have seen it. Thanks scchua for another nice blog.
Thank you Sheffield Hatter and Valentine, yes of course the songs , you have jogged my memory.
Valentine it is always sleepers in this country. I wonder about Australia and New Zealand ??
A pleasant puzzle, but I agree with the minor quibbles esp in 14a (perhaps a mid-print?)
Otherwise good fun, favourite was ATATOLLAHS
Thanks to Nutmeg and scchua
Ha ha that was my own mis-print
Very enjoyable and a great blog! Like wynsum @47 and valentine @48 I initially parsed EMANATING as MAN in EATING which was amusingly incorrect.
I feel like there was a recent Magpie/Listener with an S&G theme so I was already herbally triggered.
This was the only daily puzzle I had time for this week, and I’m more than happy that this is what came up. Enjoyable from beginning (AYATOLLAHS) to end (ROSE). Good clues throughout. Homophones and spoonerisms are often a weakness, but I got FLATCAP more or less straight away and loved it!
Many thanks to Nutmeg and scchua.
Great theme (that of course, I missed as usual 🙁 ) and some great clues too.
Just a minor quibble about the “Here’s” in 16 ac. – seems a tad unnecessary/misleading? And of course my eternal objection to a generic term for a proper noun (yes, I know this is quite kosher but it’s just something I personally dislike – something more clever than “female” to describe Mary would have been nicer…).
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua!
Didn’t seem to difficult in retrospect, but took two sessions all the same. I resisted KEEN ON for the longest time because of ON in the clue.
Did nobody else (even temporarily) think of STIFF for RULER? One, maybe archaic, meaning of a tiff is a dram, hence a measure, plus head-of-state=S.
Dr. WhatsOn
STIFF was my first thought too, but I didn’t get as far as justifying the TIFF as you have!
I wasn’t overjoyed to see Nutmeg today, as I was disappointed with her last outing. So just for a change I started with the down clues today and FOI was Scarborough Fair, hadn’t heard it for years so popped it on in the background. I can’t say I solved the herbs just as they were being sung but it did feel like cheating somehow.
Anyway I have changed my opinion on Nutmeg, despite a few niggles well aired above, it was an extremely satisfying solve.
Lastly congrats to SC on the name check.
Thanks Nutmeg and scchua.
Muffin@66 Good to hear I wasn’t alone. I think the alternative parsing works just as well as the official one, frankly (crossers be damned!).
[Dr. WhatsOn @68. I think the alternative parsing works just as well as the official one, frankly (crossers be damned!). I always try to comply with crossing letters, but I must admit to the occasional anarchist thought when nothing seems to fit. So I’m with you (from time to time): “Crossers be damned!” – let’s nail our colours to the mast (or, to the barricades – whatever). 🙂 ]
Great stuff and a pleasing name-check to boot.
As the person who earlier this week suggested a Paul Simon themed crossword, I now have an ominous sense of psychic powers.
loved this. Is a shooting gallery something you might find at scarborough fair? Unfortunately, i had entered rasp instead of rose, hence missing the rosemary.
Nutmeg at her best. Sheer delight. Intuitive yet challenging. Everything rewarding a little reflection. No need for obscure look ups. Got the cat flap but hadn’t come across queen for cat before.
Definitely an enjoyable start to the next day. Although another RASP as I very rarely see a theme.