Deri is another compiler whose work I have had little opportunity to solve and/or blog.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle on the Indy spectrum through which I nonetheless made steady progress. I think that I have managed to solve all the clues correctly, but I am not sure that I have parsed them all to my satisfaction. This is particularly true of 30, where I might well be barking up the wrong (gum!) tree. I will come back later to see if any fellow solvers have had any brighter ideas.
Today is Tuesday, so theme day, but I haven’t spotted any clearly identifiable theme here, apart from a sprinkling of sporting references and the mention of various bands. Again, I must surely be missing something here.
My favourite clues here today are 10, 13 and 28, all for smoothness of surface; and 12, for incorporating references to as many as three bands. Incidentally, 23 was a new word on me today.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are underlined; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | JIMINY CRICKET |
Jumpy character from Disney (New York) about to pull film on Hendrix? (6,7)
|
| JIMI (=Hendrix, i.e. US musician) + NY (=New York) + C (=about, i.e. circa) + RICK (=to pull, strain, e.g. neck) + E.T. (=film, from 1982); as a cricket, Jiminy Cricket, is a “jumpy” character! | ||
| 8 | RIPON |
Flat racing here, short guy and small horse failing to finish (5)
|
| RI<b> (=(to) guy, tease; “short” means last letter is dropped) + PON<y> (=horse; “failing to finish” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 9 | ORC |
Imagined monster lurking inside covered entrance (3)
|
| Hidden in “pORCh (=covered entrance)” | ||
| 10 | FUDGE |
Loudly unwrapped cheap sweet (5)
|
| F (=loudly, i.e. fortè, in music) + <b>UDGE<t> (=cheap, bargain; “unwrapped” means first and last letters are dropped) | ||
| 12 | MUDDY |
Obscure 1970s glam rock band with Wizzard and Roxy, both at the end (5)
|
| MUD (=1970s glam rock band, in UK) + <wizzar>D (“at the end” means last letter only is used) + <rox>Y (“at the end” means last letter only is used) | ||
| 13 | DASH |
Unhappy about hotel’s Scotch (4)
|
| DAS (SAD=unhappy; “about” indicates reversal) + H (=hotel); to scotch is to dash, to scupper, e.g. plans | ||
| 14 | NORA |
Batty individual in sitcom that’s British and not American (4)
|
| NOR (=and not) + A (=American); the reference is to the feisty Nora Batty, played by Kathy Staff in the UK sitcom Last of the Summer Wine | ||
| 15 | FUNSTER |
Ref nuts to wave card? (7)
|
| *(REF NUTS); “to wave” is anagram indicator; a card is a comical or eccentric person, hence “funster” | ||
| 17 | RECASTS |
Changes player on pitch to face Sweden (7)
|
| RE- (=on, regarding) + CAST (=pitch, fling) + S (=Sweden); the “player” of the definition is an actor, cast in a particular role | ||
| 19 | ATTEMPT |
Have a go at tango, mostly unoccupied (7)
|
| AT + T (=tango, in NATO alphabet) + EMPT<y> (=unoccupied; “mostly” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 21 | PAPAYAS |
Dad possibly sent back lots of fruit? (7)
|
| PAPA (=dad) + YAS (SAY=perhaps, for example; “sent back” indicates reversal) | ||
| 22 | IRIS |
Flag Iraqis ignoring a question (4)
|
| IR<aq>IS; “ignoring a question (=Q)” means the letters “aq” are dropped; in the world of plants, the flag is an iris | ||
| 23 | CUSS |
Copper, extremely suspicious and stubborn sort (4)
|
| CU (=copper, i.e. chemical symbol) + S<uspiciou>S (“extremely” means first and last letters only); a cuss is a stubborn person or animal | ||
| 24 | DOSED |
Given drugs, idiot sped regularly by day (5)
|
| <i>D<i>O<t> S<p>E<d> (“regularly” means alternate letters are used) + D (=day) | ||
| 28 | GRIPE |
Lead in Evita backing stagehand’s complaint (5)
|
| GRIP (=stagehand, who moves scenery) + E<vita> (“lead in” means first letter only) | ||
| 29 | AID |
Help professional to cover piano (3)
|
| <p>AID (=professional, of e.g. army, work); “to cover piano (=P, i.e. soft, in music)” means letter “p” is dropped | ||
| 30 | BY GUM |
Expression of surprise and cheers heard when introducing Seal (2,3)
|
| Homophone (“cheers heard when introducing (on market)”) of “Buy gum (=seal, sealant)!” | ||
| 31 | NOT MINCE WORDS |
Get to the point: new town’s crime down after outlaw finally leaves (3,5,5)
|
| *(TOWN’S CRIME DO<w>N); after outlaw finally (=last letter) leaves” means letter “w” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “new” | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | JORUM |
Large bowl and jug once repaired using mucilage first of all (5)
|
| J<ug> O<nce> R<epaired> U<sing> M<ucilage>; “at first” means first letter only of each word is used | ||
| 2 | MOPED |
Old rocker’s rival holding drill for bike (5)
|
| PE (=drill, i.e. physical education) in MOD (=old rocker’s rival, i.e. British teenage faction in 1960s) | ||
| 3 | NONSYSTEM |
Set-up that’s not working on Souness? Yes, it seems, periodically (9)
|
| <o>N <s>O<u>N<e>S<s> Y<e>S <i>T <s>E<e>M<s>; “periodically” means alternate letters only are used | ||
| 4 | CHOWDER |
Soup, something to eat with wine coming up (7)
|
| CHOW (=something to eat, food) + DER (RED=(a) wine; “coming up” indicates vertical reversal) | ||
| 5 | INCISOR |
Elected Conservative is capping yellow tooth (7)
|
| IN (=elected, voted in) + C (=Conservative) + IS + OR (=yellow, in heraldry) | ||
| 6 | KOFF |
Dutch boat‘s paperwork officer grabs (4)
|
| Hidden (“grabs”) in “paperworK OFFicer”; according to Chambers, a koff is a small Dutch sailing vessel | ||
| 7 | TEDIOUSLY |
Fancy solitude, beginning to yawn as if boring (9)
|
| *(SOLITUDE + Y<awn>); “beginning to” means first letter only is needed in anagram, indicated by “fancy”, elaborate | ||
| 11 | ELAPSES |
Earl left church recess with special passes (7)
|
| E (=earl) + L (=left) + APSE (=church recess) + S (=special) | ||
| 15 | FLAMING |
Mad and brilliant (7)
|
| Double definition: “flaming” is mad, angry, as in a flaming row AND of colour, brilliant, intense, as in a flaming red | ||
| 16 | NUTRITION |
Sustenance provided by fresh trout in inn, tail removed (9)
|
| *(TROUT IN IN<n>); “tail removed” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “fresh” | ||
| 18 | CUPID’S BOW |
One shooting curvaceous feature on a model perhaps (6,3)
|
| “Cupid’s bow” in mythology could be described as “one shooting” arrows at people’s hearts; in anatomy, Cupid’s bow is the distinct double curved upper lip cultivated by e.g. glamour models | ||
| 20 | TSUNAMI |
Large wave ruined suit upset man’s wearing (7)
|
| NAM (MAN; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) in *(SUIT); “ruined” is anagram indicator | ||
| 21 | POSTDOC |
Academic researcher‘s job, as before, essentially sucks (7)
|
| POST (=job, position) + DO (=as before, ditto) + <su>C<ks> (“essentially” means middle letter only) | ||
| 25 | SUGAR |
Make fun of our company overturning honey (5)
|
| RAG (=make fun of, rib) + US (=our company); “overturning” is anagram indicator | ||
| 26 | DAMNS |
Condemns Wall’s on the radio (5)
|
| Homophone (“on the radio”) of “damn’s (=wall’s, barrier’s)” | ||
| 27 | SEAT |
Withdrawing part of uptight aesthete in Bottom (4)
|
| Reversed (“withdrawn”) and hidden (“part of”) in “uptighT AESthete”; the seat is that part of the body on which one sits, hence “bottom”, behind |
In 30, I parsed BY as a homophone of “bye!” which like “cheers!” can be a valediction. Still looking for a theme…
Very jolly. The theme is a ghostly one of minced oaths, no? Sugar, etc. Koff’s pretty subtle, mind! Ta lots both.
A tasty Deri product, very enjoyable.
Some arch setting, and nicely misleading surfaces.
ALP@2…it was ” ‘K off” that revealed the theme to me, then I saw more and more. No spoilers, they’re fun to root out.
NONSYSTEM was my only dislike, it’s a god-orful word, and the wordplay is not as strong as the rest.
That’s a minor misdemeanour, thumbs up, Deri & RR
Flaming Nora! I missed the theme.