Gemelo gives us a puzzle where the theme is clearly expressed in the clues
There was a premble with this puzzle.
Gemelo told us that ever since buying their greatest hits as a teenager, I have been a huge fan of the Beatles. They broke up 15 years before I was born, but to my mind no one else comes close to rivalling their impact on popular music. Today, every clue contains the title of at least one Beatles song or album. Yeah yeah yeah!
Gemelo set himself an interesting task to get Beatles titles into every clue. Some of the titles were new to me. The majority are beatles orginals, but there a re a few cover versions included as well. I note that a few clues had more than one title in italics, so I think ‘something‘ in the clue for Jlia at 19 across could also have been italicised.
I was impressed that the clues didn’t become too clunky as a result of using the titles as part of the definitions or wordplay.
The only one I might query is ‘Roll Over Beethoven in the clue for SHOT at 2 down. I don’t see how ‘Roll Over’ contributes to the definition or wordplay as HO, the central part of beetHOven’s is not reversed or rolled over in the wordplay. I’m probably missing something.
I enjoyed this challenge, which I thought to be at the easier end of Gemelo’s spectrum of difficulty. There seemed to be fewer obscure words than normal in the grid, with only COSMOPLASTIC, HOLIBUT, NIHONGA and CABAS being totally new to me. The definition of SNACK as ‘share’ was also new to me.
There were a couple of subtractive anagrams – the clues for HOOT and NIHONGA. I like that type of clue, but perhaps a pity that the two clues were almost side by side, making the second one stand out clearly.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Creating Across the Universe and Because before second vinyl? (12)
COSMOPLASTIC (moulding or forming the universe; creating across the universe) ‘COS (informal word for because) + MO (moment; second) + PLASTIC (vinyl is a type of PLASTIC) COS MO PLASTIC |
| 10 | Detest A Taste of Honey when covered by neighbour in Suffolk (5)
ABHOR (detest) A + (H [first letter of {a taste of} Honey] contained in [when covered by] BOR (East Anglian [Suffolk] term for a neighbour) A B (H) OR |
| 12 | Vow to delay Love Me Do (6)
AT-HOME (a party; a do) OATH (vow) with O [character representing zero or love score in tennis] moved to the end [to delay] to form ATHO) + ME AT-HO ME |
| 13 | Perhaps Bad Boy, It’s All Too Much in concerning take (6)
ROTTER (a term for a thoroughly depraved or worthless person; bad boy) (OTT [over the top; it’s all too much] contained in (in) RE (with reference to [concerning]) + R (recipe, Latin for take) R (OTT) E R |
| 14 | Get Back lost by former convict (6)
ATTAIN (gain by effort; get) ATTAINt (obsolete [former] word for ‘to convict’) excluding the final letter (back lost) T ATTAIN |
| 16 | Ultimately, She Loves You came without note to follow (5)
ENSUE (follow) ESUE (last letters [ultimately] of each of shE, loveS, yoU and camE) containing (outside, without) N (note) E (N) S U E |
| 17 | Penny Lane is to upset cat (9)
SEALPOINT (a variety of Siamese cat, with a dark-brown face, paws and tail) Anagram of (upset) P (penny) and LANE IS TO SEALPOINT* |
| 19 | Julia stripped of intro and outro – both involved something fishy (7)
HOLIBUT (alternative spelling of HALIBUT [large flatfish]; something fishy) Anagram of (involved) ULI (jULIa excluding the first and last letters [stripped of intro and outro] J and A) and BOTH HOLIBUT* |
| 20 | Scream odd What Goes On bar we sang badly (4)
HOOT (hilarious performance; scream) Anagram of wHaT gOes On excluding (bar) the letters in an anagram of (badly) WE SANG HOOT* |
| 21 | Is Getting Better scrapping opening fragments? (4)
ENDS (fragments or odd pieces) mENDS (improves; is getting better) excluding the first letter (scrapping opening) M ENDS |
| 23 | Japanese art reworked Anna (Go to Him), ignoring split atom (7)
NIHONGA (Japanese style of painting, using bright colours and traditional images; Japanese art) Anagram of (reworked) ANNa GO to HIm excluding the letters of ATOM split in the right order throughout the phrase NIHONGA* |
| 25 | From this place in East London, around flashy department, prepared to release Rain? (9)
ENCLOUDED (covered with clouds, possibly prepared to release rain) (‘ENCE [the pronunciation of hence {from this place} by a resident of East London who would drop the H] containing [around] LOUD [flashy]) + D (department) ENC (LOUD) E D |
| 27 | Help!, Not a Second Time for Native American (5)
OSAGE (a native American of a tribe living in Oklahoma, etc) sOS (appeal for help) excluding an S (not a Second) + AGE (time) OS AGE |
| 28 | Organic, essential For You Blue regularly containing unknown error (6)
LYSINE (an essential amino acid, a product of protein hydrolysis; an organic chemical compound) LE (letters 2 and 4 [regularly] of bLuE) containing (containing) (Y [a letter frequently used to denote an unknown value in equations] + SIN [an error]) L (Y SIN) E |
| 30 | Let It Be turned into acceptable single (6)
ONE-MAN (done by a single person; single) AMEN (so let it be) reversed (turned) and contained in (into) ON (informal term for ‘acceptable’) O (NEMA<) N |
| 32 | Chapters about earlier Taxman by extremely loose band (6)
CIRCLE (a band) (CC [chapters] containing (about) IR (Inland Revenue, the former name of HMRC, the current tax authority in the United Kingdom) + LE (outer letters of [extremely] LoosE) C (IR) C LE |
| 33 | Share record in advance, recalled in wake of Sun King (5)
SNACK (a share) (CAN [record music in advance] reversed [recalled] and placed after [in wake of] S [sun]) + K (king) S NAC< K |
| 34 | Is Revolver fee securing cook for groups of unmarried women? (12)
SPINSTERDOMS (groups of unmarried women) SPINS (revolves; is revolver) + (TERMS [charges or fees] containing [securing] DO [con; do; fiddle]) SPINS TER (DO) MS |
| Down | |
| 1 | Lash fibre, not having Any Time At All in workbasket (5)
CABAS (a woman’s workbasket, shopping bag or handbag) CAT (to whip; to lash) excluding the T (time) + BASt (a fibre) excluding the T (time) leaving no T (time) at all in the constituent parts) CA BAS |
| 2 | Attempt Roll Over Beethoven‘s central part in street (4)
SHOT (attempt) HO (middle two letters of [central part] of beetHOven’s) contained in (in) ST (street) S (HO) T I’m not sure what part ‘Roll Over’ plays in the word play. I know the song’s full title is ‘Roll Over Beethoven‘ but HO is not reversed (roll over) in the wordplay. |
| 3 | Preach I’m a Loser after Revolution (8)
MORALISE (preach) Anagram of (after revolution) I’M A LOSER MORALISE* |
| 4 | Articulate For No One to local church (9)
PRONOUNCE (articulate) PRO (in favour of; for) + NO + UN (dialect [local] word for one] + CE (Church [of England]) PRO NO UN CE |
| 5 | Can Thank You Girl finally soar? (3)
LAT (LATrine; toilet; can [slang word for lavatory or toilet]) (TA [thank you] + L [last letter of {finally} girL]) all reversed (soar; down entry) (L AT)< |
| 6 | Wait on climax of record, under two hours before midnight? (6)
ATTEND (wait on) AT TEN (two hours before midnight) + D (final letter of [climax of] recorD) AT TEN D – as this is a down entry, the letter D is placed in the grid under the letters AT TEN |
| 7 | Wreath reflecting final couplet of Piggies? Nonsense! (5)
TORSE (a heraldic wreath) (ES [last two letters of {final couplet of} piggiES] + ROT [rubbish; nonsense]) all reversed (TOR SE)< |
| 8 | Gun co. agitated with I Me Mine, shortly able to produce defensive response (11)
IMMUNOGENIC (able to produce an Immune or defensive response) Anagram of (agitated) GUN CO and [with] I ME MINe excluding the final letter (shortly) E IMMUNOGENIC* |
| 9 | Something strikingly played in common time confused Beatles after start (7)
CELESTA (a keyboard instrument in which bell-like sounds are produced by hammers striking steel plates suspended over wooden resonators; something strikingly played) C (common time) + an anagram of (confused) bEATLES excluding the first letter (after start) B C ELESTA* |
| 11 | Maybe one long period before drug lapse to make No Reply? (11, 3 words)
BITE ONE’S LIP (restrain one’s anger or mirth; make no reply) BIT (a little piece, maybe one) + EON (a long period of time) + E (ecstasy tablet; drug) + SLIP (error; lapse) BIT E ON E’ S LIP |
| 15 | Dig It parts had to arouse (9)
TITILLATE (to stimulate sexually; to arouse) (IT contained in [parts] TILL [to work the land; to dig the soil]) + ATE (consumed; had) T (IT) ILL ATE |
| 18 | Twist and Shout number (8)
THOUSAND (a number) Anagram of (twist) AND SHOUT THOUSAND* |
| 19 | Heir briefly coming up to support e.g. Michelle’s extravagant phrases (7)
HEROICS (extravagant phrases) HER (descriptive of a lady, Michelle for example) + SCIOn (child; heir) excluding the final letter N (short) reversed (coming up; down entry) HER OICS< – as this is a down entry, the letters IOCS ‘support’ the letters HER in the grid |
| 22 | To listeners, Boys is based on joints? (6)
KNEELS (assumes a position based on the KNEE joints) KNEELS (sounds like [to listeners] NEILS [boys named Neil]) KNEELS |
| 24 | Language accepted in Doctor Robert ignored at first (5)
MAORI (language of the indigenous people of New Zealand) (A [accepted] contained in [in] MO [Medical Officer; doctor]) + RI (initial letters [at first] of each of Robert and Ignored) M (A) O R I |
| 26 | Records are played on these screens, leaving Little Child for dead (5)
DECKS (reference record DECKS, which are used to play vinyl records) chECKS (tess; screens) with D (dead) replacing (for) CH (abbreviation for [little] child) to form DECKS DECKS |
| 29 | Some harmonica offends group involved with Flying (4)
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation; group involved with flying) ICAO (hidden abbreviation in [some] harmonICA Offends) ICAO |
| 31 | Police did Come Together (3)
MET (reference the METropolitan Police, responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention within Greater London) MET (came together) double definition MET |
2D: {O (over) + middle letter of (central part [of]) [BEET]H[OVEN]} inverted (roll) inside (in) ST (street)
I have written a Python routine to download the Gemelo (and Everyman) puzzle directly from The Observer website without the need to log in. If anyone is interested, please send an email to admin and I can give you “foolproof” instructions on how to use it.
Good blog, as usual. I was expecting this puzzle to be difficult and contrived, but the wordplay and surfaces were surprisingly smooth overall, I thought.
I thought it was funny when I first saw this puzzle soon after reading last week’s blog in which every instance of misdirection by capitals or italics is mentioned. I think the clues are supposed to have surfaces which are about the italcised songs and albums, so I don’t think it would work if the ‘something’ in 19a were ‘Something‘.
I was glad to find I have finally learned that ‘East London’ in a Gemelo puzzle means aitch-dropping and not South Africa, but I worry that he’s just setting me up to be fooled the other way in the future. Being from New Zealand, I was embarrassed I took so long to get MAORI, but at least there wasn’t a New Zealand indication in the clue. I also flirted with the idea that ‘Beethoven‘s central part’ could be HO, but eventually understood the clue as Cineraria@1.
Thanks, duncanshiell and Gemelo.
Thanks for the blog , I am not keen on themes in the clues but others may like it and we are getting plenty of Plain puzzles . THOUSAND was very neat and concise .
For BITE ONE’S LIP , I took – Maybe one – as a binary bit .
I wasn’t sure about “Roll Over” in 2dn to start with, but then came up with the explanation Cineraria@1 gives. I’d also agree with Matthew@4 about “Something” in 19ac – plus it’s the title in 9dn, so it would have been repetitive to have it elsewhere. Like Cineraria@3, I thought the puzzle might be hard, but found it very straightforward – definitely a contrast with Gemelo’s early offerings.