Neo is this morning’s setter.
I started slowly, but got into a rhythm eventually and the last few answers fell into place thanks to the crossers. The Big Bang Theory and Fingal’s Cave in particular opened up the grid. My LOI was ESSEX MAN, which I was unsure was actually a thing (I’d heard of Essex Girls from a series of sexist jokes). There was a fair bit of general knowledge, but nothing terribly obscure. Most people will have heard of The Big Bang Theory, A Few Good Men and Benedict Cumberbatch, I imagine.
Thanks Neo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CUMBERBATCH |
Fruit consignment one copper leaves for actor (11)
|
| Cu (chemical symbol for “copper”) leaves (cu)CUMBER (“fruit”) + BATCH (“consignment”)
Refers to English actor Benedict Cumberbatch. |
||
| 7 | SOT |
Glaswegian perhaps lacking Charlie in boozer (3)
|
| S(c)OT (“Glaswegian perhaps”) lacking C (Charlie, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) | ||
| 9 | ECLAT |
Chapter in story reversed brilliant success (5)
|
| C (chapter) in <=TALE (“story”, reversed) | ||
| 10 | TIMESCALE |
Intoxicant consumed in restraint for duration (9)
|
| MESCAL (“intoxicant”) consumed in TIE (“constraint”) | ||
| 11 | RETENTIVE |
Such memories good about wine Neo has (9)
|
| RE (“about”) + TENT (“wine”) + I’VE (“Neo has”) | ||
| 12 | OFFER |
Tender assassin? (5)
|
| One who kills people (an “assassin”) would off people, so would be an OFFER | ||
| 13/18 | FINGALS CAVE |
Student into saving face mismanaged overture (7,4)
|
| L (learner, so “student”) into *(saving face) [anag:mismanaged]
Fingal’s Cave is an overture by Felix Mendelssohn inspired by a trip to the Hebrides. |
||
| 15 | AVID |
Greedy old king sacrificing first daughter (4)
|
| (d)AVID (“old king”) sacrificing first D (daughter) | ||
| 20 | BANKERS |
Certain things from Thames & Hudson perhaps (7)
|
| Thames and Hudson are rivers, which in Crosswordland are also tenuously known as BANKERS in that they have banks | ||
| 23 | ACT UP |
Behave badly in a court before a judge (3,2)
|
| A + Ct. (court) + UP (“before the.judge”) | ||
| 24 | RIGMAROLE |
Palaver bringing motorway through capital part (9)
|
| M (motorway) through RIGA (“capital” of Latvia) + ROLE (“part”) | ||
| 26 | SIMULACRA |
Images from eccentric musical artist (9)
|
| *(musical) [anag:eccentric] + RA (Member of the Royal Academy, so “artist”) | ||
| 27 | AXIOM |
Saw US chopper land in Irish Sea (5)
|
| AX (American version of “axe”, so “US chopper”) + IOM (Isle of Man, so “land in Irish Sea”) | ||
| 28/20 Down/8 | THE BIG BANG THEORY |
Critical report in articles appearing with Circle Line series (3,3,4,6)
|
| BIG BANG (“critical report”) in THE + THE (“articles”) with O (circle) + Ry. (railway “line”)
The Big Bang Theory was an American sitcom that ran from 2005 to 2017. |
||
| 29 | A FEW GOOD MEN |
Some spirit — grotesque demon in film (1,3,4,3)
|
| A FEW (“some”) + GO (“spirit”) + *(demon) [anag:grotesque] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CLEAR OFF |
Leave fair with Dicky (5,3)
|
| CLEAR (“fair”, as in weather) + OFF (“dicky”) | ||
| 2 | MILITANT |
Activist set on fire by American in plant (8)
|
| LIT (“set on fire”) by A (American) in MINT (“plant”) | ||
| 3 | EATEN |
Mentioned college as courses enjoyed? (5)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [mentioned] of ETON (College) | ||
| 4 | BUTTIES |
Suet bit suspect in sandwiches (7)
|
| *(suet bit) [anag:suspect] | ||
| 5 | TEMPERA |
Paddy ace in painting technique (7)
|
| TEMPER (“paddy”, as in fit of temper) + A (ace) | ||
| 6 | HISTORIAN |
Past master broadcast this on air (9)
|
| *(this on air) [anag:broadcast] | ||
| 7 | STAFFA |
Man on a 13 18 location (6)
|
| STAFF (“man”) on A
Staffa is an uninhabited Hebridean island, the location of Fingal’s Cave (solution to 13/18) |
||
| 14 | A CAPPELLA |
A better jazz singer without piano, unaccompanied (1,8)
|
| A + CAP (“better”) + ELLA (Fitzgerald) (“jazz singer”) without (i.e. outside of) P (piano, in music notation) | ||
| 16 | NEPOTISM |
What might get me in post corruptly? (8)
|
| *(me in post) [anag:corruptly] and &lit. | ||
| 17 | ESSEX MAN |
Lowbrow loony means to pen classical number (5,3)
|
| *(means) [anag:loony] to pen SEX (Latin for six, so “classical number”)
Essex Man is a term for a working class male who lacks culture, but has plenty of disposable income. |
||
| 19 | EARACHE |
Discomfort each Biblical wife reduced (7)
|
| ea. (each) + RACHE(l) (“Biblical wife”, reduced) | ||
| 21 | BASSET |
Fish tails in sausage meat for hound (6)
|
| BASS (“fish”) + [tails in] (sausag)E (mea)T | ||
| 22 | STYMIE |
Pen one used during this writer’s block (6)
|
| STY (“pen”) + I (one) used during ME (“this writer”) | ||
| 25 | ALAMO |
Medical Officer succeeding after mission (5)
|
| MO (Medical Officer) succeeding A LA (“after”, as in “in the style of”) |
Thanks for the blog , good set of interesting clues . CUMBERBATCH very precise with one copper leaving , similar for AVID with first daughter , NEPOTISM very neat .
Very minor point for RETENTIVE , good is part of the definition . Your last explanation seems to have been cut off .
I always thought of saw as more folk wisdom-ish, while an axiom is a self-evident fundamental truth. Not a great worry though …
Thanks Roz – will edit when I get a chance.