It was good to see Deri’s name as the setter for today’s puzzle. I reckon there were 15 clues out of 34 where I had to use three or more colours to indicate the detailed wordplay.
I really enjoyed this, as I am a fan of clues that lead to plenty of wordplay. There were many constituent parts intoday’s wordplay.
Regular Independent solvers will know that Tuesday is usually theme day. Today we have a celebration of the life of the entertainer Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson [1928 – 2017], better known simply as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, as referenced in the clue for SUPERB at 19 across. That clue also featured one of Forsyth’s catchphrases, ‘Give us a twirl’ which he regularly invited his co-host and, from 1973 – 79, his wife Anthea Redfern, to perform on the GENERATION GAME.
I found six references to Bruce Forsyth’s television career in the grid.
We had the GENERATION GAME, a television staple in the late 20th century at 1 across and 1 down. Forsyth hosted the programme twice, from 1971 – 77 and 1990 – 94;
PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT – a game show hosted by Bruce Forsyth three times from 1980 -87, 1994 – 909 and 2002 – 03;
Sunday Night at the London PALLADIUM, a variety performance show that changed its name a few times, at 10 across. Bruce hosted this program from 1958 – 60, 1961 – 64, 1998 and 2000;
a recurrent phrase Forsyth introduced late in his career – I am not DODDERY – DODDERY I am NOT;
SLINGERS DAY – a 1986 – 87 sitcom where Forsyth played a supermarket manager named Cecil SLINGER.
STRICTLY Come Dancing, co-hosted regularly by Bruce from 2004 – 13;
The clues seemed very fair to me. There was just one bit of wordplay that I don’t understand. I don’t see the link between ‘brothers’ and MY in the clue for GLOOMY. Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary lists MY as a synonym for ‘brothers’, but I don’t understand why. I wondered if MY was maybe an abbreviation for Monastery (home for monks or brothers), but I couldn’t find any supporting material online. I hope someone can tell me the relationship between ‘brothers’ and MY. I’m probably missing something very simple.
Thanks to Deri for a splendid puzzle.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Age of Information speech starting late, after English … (10)
GENERATION (age) GEN (informal term for information) + E (English) + oRATION (speech) excluding the first letter (starting late) O GEN E RATION |
| 6 | … act‘s song on piano (4)
PLAY (act) P (piano) + LAY (song or melody) P LAY |
| 9 | One of fifty children I amused somewhat when falling over (5)
MAINE (one of the fifty States of the United States of America) MAINE (reversed [falling over] hidden word in [somewhat] childrEN I AMused) MAINE< |
| 10 | Cloud facing union’s leader amid unruly element (9)
PALLADIUM (an element of the platinum metal group with atomic number 46) PALL (cloud) + an anagram of (unruly) (U [first letter of {leader} Union] and AMID) PALL ADIUM* |
| 12 | Easy listening music? Promote short piece (6)
MORSEL (small piece) MOR (middle-of-the-road [easy listening music]) + SELl (promote) excluding the final letter (short) L MOR SEL |
| 14 | Faltering comedian ending on unintelligible line (7)
DODDERY (faltering) DODD (reference Sir Kenneth [Ken] DODD [1927 – 2018], English comedian, actor and singer) + E (final letter of [ending on] unintelligiblE) + RY ([railway] line) DODD E RY |
| 15 | People who shy girls sent almost mad (8)
SLINGERS (people who throw [shy] things) Anagram of (mad) GIRLS and SENt excluding the final letter (almost) T SLINGERS* |
| 16 | Idle American bores classy new journalist (6)
UNUSED (not in use; idle) US (United States; American) contained in (bores) (U [upper-class; posh; classy] + N [new] + ED [editor; journalist]) U N (US) ED |
| 19 | “Give us a twirl!” Games with King Brucie at the front, terrific (6)
SUPERB (terrific) US reversed (give US a twirl) + PE (physical education; games) + R (Rex; King) + B (first letter of [at the front] Brucie) SU< PE R B |
| 21 | Case for Turandot lyrics being translated to the letter? (8)
STRICTLY (adhering closely to specified rules; to the letter) Anagram of (translated) TT (outer letters of [case for] TurandoT) and LYRICS STRICTLY* |
| 23 | Charm of hair swept back over curl in the centre (7)
ENAMOUR (charm) MANE (hair) reversed (swept back) + O (over) + UR (middle letters of [in the centre of] cURl) ENAM< O UR |
| 25 | German ladies say brother’s dim (6)
GLOOMY (dim) G (German) + LOO (Ladies is an example of a sign for a public LOO) + MY (Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary gives MY as a synonym for ‘brothers’) G LOO MY |
| 27 | Book records for auditor, average kind of chap (3,6)
JOE BLOGGS (British slang for an average or typical man; average kind of chap) JOB [Book of the Old Testament of the Bible, if pronounced JOEB) + LOGS (records) said together sounds like (for auditor) JOE BLOGGS JOE B LOGGS |
| 28 | Republican interrupting scoundrel’s brag? (5)
CARDS (brag is an old form of the card game poker) R (Republican) contained in (interrupting) CADS (scoundrels) CA (R) DS |
| 29 | Solver’s Yankee ball game in retirement (4)
YOUR (solver’s – indicating possession by you, the solver) Y (Yankee is the international radio communication code word for the letter Y) + O (a ball-shaped letter) + RU (Rugby Union; game) reversed (in retirement) Y O UR< |
| 30 | Maybe 9 soldiers tense before special bulletins (10)
STATEMENTS (bulletins) STATE (MAINE [the entry at 9 across is a US STATE]) + MEN (soldiers) + T (tense) + S (special) STATE MEN T S |
| Down | |
| 1 | Heat possibly rising before Spain match (4)
GAME (match) MAG (MAGazine; Heat is an entertainment magazine) reversed (rising; down entry) + E (international vehicle registration for Spain [Espana]) GAM< E |
| 2 | Show outside broadcast in Northern Ireland’s capital (7)
NAIROBI (capital city of Kenya) (AIR [broadcast; show] + OB [outside broadcast]) contained in (in) NI (Northern Ireland) N (AIR OB) I |
| 3 | Argyle periodically showing spirit (3)
RYE (RYE whisky; spirit) RYE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [periodically showing] of aRgYlE) RYE |
| 4 | Dump student taken in by a society’s regular drinkers (8)
TIPPLERS (regular drinker) TIP (dump) + L [learner; student] contained in [taken in by] PER [a]) + S (society) TIP P (L) ER S |
| 5 | Stared at Adele, upset and exposed after pitch error (5)
OGLED (stared at) OG (own goal; an error on the football pitch) + aDELe (letters remaining in aDELe when the outer letters A and E are removed [exposed]) reversed [upset] OG LED< |
| 7 | Hangs around Liberal, going off Tories (7)
LOITERS (hangs around) L (Liberal) + an anagram of (going off) TORIES L OITERS* |
| 8 | Attractive model’s daughter becoming Yale’s principal (5)
YUMMY (attractive) DUMMY (mannequin; model) with D (daughter) replaced by (becoming) Y (first letter of [principal] Yale) to form YUMMY YUMMY |
| 11 | Instruction from Madonna, losing head badly when covering metal? (9)
ANDANTINO (a musical direction indicating the speed at which a piece of music should be played. Apparently it can mean, or has meant, both slightly slower and slightly faster than andante) Anagram of (badly) mADONNA excluding the first letter M (losing head) containing (when covering) TIN (metal) ANDAN (TIN) O* |
| 13 | Small uniform, clothing that hurts rear of admiral in vessel (5,4)
SUGAR BOWL (a dish or vessel for holding SUGAR) S (small) + U (uniform is the international radio communication code word for the letter U) + GARB (clothes; clothing) + OW (an expression of pain; that hurts) + L (final letter of [rear of] admiraL) S U GAR B OW L |
| 15 | Relative clears Chianti bottles last of all (3)
SIS (sister; relative) SIS (final letters of [last of] each of [all] cheerS, chiantI and bottleS) S I S |
| 17 | Robin perhaps lifted by hand now and then (3)
DAY (reference Sir Robin DAY [1923 – 200], English political journalist and broadcaster. There is also a celebrated English furniture designer Robin DAY [1925 – 2010]) YAD (letters 2, 4 and 6 [now and then]of bY hAnD) reversed (lifted; down entry) (D A Y)< |
| 18 | Move seats and get props and scenery (5,3)
STAGE SET (all of the scenery and props used on stage to create a particular scene) Anagram of (move) SEATS and GET STAGE SET* |
| 20 | Under pressure formerly, are United level? (7)
PLATEAU (level) P (pressure) + LATE (formerly) + A (are, a unit of area) + U (United) P LATE A U |
| 22 | Primate thanks sailor without hesitation (7)
TAMARIN (any small Central and S American monkey of the genera Saguinus and Leontopithecus, related to the marmosets.; a primate) TA (thanks) + MARINer (sailor) excluding (without) ER (an expression of hesitation) TA MARIN |
| 23 | Like judge probing opera company? Initially, yes (5)
ENJOY (like) (J [judge] contained in [probing] ENO [English National Opera]) + Y (first letter of [initially] Yes EN (J) O Y |
| 24 | Just female getting away from the creeps, … (5)
RIGHT (equitable; just) fRIGHT (terror; the creeps) excluding (getting away from) F (female) RIGHT |
| 26 | … vacuous admirers, posers and snakes (4)
ASPS (snakes) AS (letters remaining in AdmirerS when the central letters dmirer are removed [vacuous]) + PS (letters remaining in PoserS when the central letters oser are removed [vacuous]) AS PS |
| 28 | Being cut off from papa affected banker (3)
CAM (reference the English river [waterway that flows between banks; banker] CAM) CAMp (affected) excluding (cut off from) P (papa is the international radio communication code word for the letter P) CAM |
Oh brother! How could you miss that?
I think you might kick yourself. Thanks for the excellent detailed blog (as per usual) & I agree it was a very fair puzzle, especially with all the thematic material to be fitted in.
As Deri products go, this one was naughty but nice. ( For those of us oldies who fondly remember Pat Coombs, and therefore, I suspect, Ken Dodd, Robin Day, and Brucie ).
This is a truly tasty puzzle, lots of variety, a theme which isn’t a gatecrasher, it’s , to quote, SUPERB.
And so…us oldies…Derek Nimmo, “oh brother!”.
That’s ” oh my!”, for me.
In a perfect world, all cryptic crosswords would be this good.
My cap is totally doffed, Deri & Dunc
Nice to not only complete the puzzle but spot the theme for once. Bruce Forsyth was one of those celebrities I was aware of but couldn’t claim to follow. Strictly has never appealed so I have more recollection of him from The Generation Game in the 70’s. No recollection at all of the sitcom so did not spot SLINGER as a themer.
STAGE SET, GAME, SUPERB and DODDERY my faves today. Thanks both.
Completely missed the theme but rather awed to see it now. Needed help parsing MORSEL and CAM so tx to the very comprehensive blog for that. Agree the wordplay was detailed without being fiddly. Like small bits of lego that fit nicely together.
Absy zero idea of the theme, and dnp the mor- bit of morsel, but no matter, pottered thru happily unaware, thx D&D. Oh and my=brother no prob, old argot ..