Stamp challenges us today.
Tuesday is usually theme day in the Independent. Today is no exception. There are so many thematic words in the grid, both as entries and as parts of entries, that the completed puzzle would be difficult to read if I highlighted them all in colour in the grid.
Instead, I’ll list the ones I have spotted. I think there are three or four groups of thematic words, all based around the word BEER
Types of BEER:
ARTISAN [small batch, independent craft beer), DRAUGHT, MILD, MALT, BITTER, STOUT, rePORTER , CASKet, sCREAMer [CREAM ale is a type of American beer, also available from some British breweries], DARK, LIGHT, take ROOT, GINGER and RYEs
Words associated with BEER in some way:
beerPOT (in crackPOT), beer GARDENs, beer PONG (a drinking game involving the throwing of table-tennis balls into glasses of beer, which must then be drunk by their opponents), beer MUG, beer GUT, beer GLASS, and beer PUMP
Brands of BEER:
KAISER [a top-selling Greek pilsner], GOTHAMite [several breweries market a beer named GOTHAM] and ANEMONE [some American breweries produce a beer with the name ANEMONE]
Phrases:
SMALL beer (something insignificant)
There were some drinks mentioned in the clues as well, but they tended to be spirits or a soft drink, rather than beers.
Thanks to Stamp for getting plenty of thematic material into the grid, especially as we didn’t need any special knowledge of beers to solve the puzzle. Indeed, it wasn’t until late in my solving that I noticed the theme at all. Then it seemed to mushroom as I studied all the entries.
For me, the fun clue of the day was the one for SCREAMER. For a while I wondered where the definition was, and then I looked up the dictionary definitions of SCREAMER.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Foolish joke, better on reflection (8)
CRACKPOT (crazy; foolish) CRACK (a joke) + TOP (outdo; better) reversed (on reflection) CRACK POT |
| 6 | Modest shaded avenue heading South? Quite the reverse (5)
SMALL (modest) S (first letter of [heading] South) + MALL (a shaded walk or avenue) – S followed by MALL is the opposite (quite the reverse) of the layout suggested by the clue MALL S S MALL |
| 10 | Sinatra when performing, a master of his craft (7)
ARTISAN (a craftsman who is a master of his craft) Anagram of (when performing) SINATRA ARTISAN* |
| 11 | European artist backing commercial noise-reduction system? (7)
EARPLUG (a noise reduction system) E (European) + RA (Royal Academician; artist) reversed (backing) + PLUG (a piece of favourable publicity; an advert or commercial) E AR< PLUG |
| 12 | Imperial title periodically at issue between two kings (6)
KAISER (emperor; an imperial title) AISE (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [periodically] of At IsSuE) contained in (between) (K [king] + R [Rex; king] giving two kings) K (A I S E) R |
| 13 | During dry spell, love going for a drink (7)
DRAUGHT (DRAUGHT beer; a drink) DROUGHT (dry spell) with O [character representing zero or love score at tennis) replaced by (going for) A to form DRAUGHT DRAUGHT |
| 15 | Central Line stops bland (4)
MILD (bland) L (line) contained in (stops) MID (central) MI (L) D |
| 16 | Stirring tonic essentially into a weak gin cocktail (9)
AWAKENING (rousing from sleep; stirring) N (middle letter of [essentially] toNic) contained in (into) an anagram of (cocktail) A WEAK GIN AWAKENI (N) G* -either N could be the one contained |
| 19 | New Yorker bought cured meat item when reduced (9)
GOTHAMITE (a New Yorker) GOT (bought) + HAM (example of a cured meat) + ITEm excluding the final letter M (when reduced) GOT HAM ITE |
| 21 | Whisky makers: Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Talisker for starters (4)
MALT (reference MALT whisky) MALT (first letters of [for starters] each of Makers, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Talisker) – the capitalised names are all brands of whisky) M A L T |
| 24 | Sierra Grande, ground which could produce vegetables? (7)
GARDENS (market GARDENS produce vegetables) Anagram of (ground) S (Sierra is the international radio communication codeword for the letter S) and GRANDE GARDENS* |
| 25 | Resentful canine perhaps time will break (6)
BITTER (resentful) T (time is one example [perhaps] of a word that can be abbreviated to the letter T) contained in (will break) BITER (a canine tooth is used to BITE food) BIT (T) ER – either T could be the one contained |
| 28 | Plant notice: “No men allowed around stores” (7)
ANEMONE a plant) ANEMONE (reversed [around] hidden word in [stores] noticE NO MEN Allowed) ANEMONE< |
| 29 | Character completing apprenticeship argued about raise (7)
UPGRADE (raise) Anagram of (about) P (last letter of [character completing] apprenticeshiP) and ARGUED UPGRADE* |
| 30 | Resolute hawk going after seconds (5)
STOUT (resolute) S (seconds) + TOUT (peddle; hawk) S TOUT |
| 31 | Hack about, left and right, winning hole at last (8)
REPORTER (journalist; hack) RE (with reference to; about) + ([PORT {left side of a ship} + R {right}] containing (winning) E [final letter of {at last} holE]) RE PORT (E) R |
| Down | |
| 2 | Hearing, once again, trailer being broadcast (7)
RETRIAL (try again; have a second hearing of the case; hearing, once again) Anagram of (broadcast) TRAILER RETRIAL* |
| 3 | Chest cold carrier passing on bug originally (6)
CASKET (chest) C (cold) + bASKET (a carrier) excluding (passing on) B (first letter of [originally] Bug) C ASKET |
| 4 | Pooh’s half-forgotten no good Hum (4)
PONG (smell bad; hum) POoh excluding (forgotten) the second 2 of 4 [half] letters OH + NG (no good) PO NG |
| 5 | We trade art abroad to stay afloat (5,5)
TREAD WATER (float upright; stay afloat) Anagram of (abroad) WE TRADE ART TREAD WATER* |
| 6 | Progress at last, a substitute for milk! (8)
SCREAMER (an exclamation mark; !) S (final letter of [at last] progresS) + CREAMER (a substitute for milk, in powder form, for use in coffee) S CREAMER |
| 7 | Italian football manager during final leg, riled (7)
ALLEGRI (reference Massimiliano ALLEGRI [born 1967], football coach/manager, currently at Italian Serie A club Napoli) ALLEGRI (hidden word in [during] finAL LEG RIled) ALLEGRI |
| 8 | Fine volley following shot (5)
LIGHT (delicate; fine) fLIGHT [volley of missiles) excluding (shot) F (following) LIGHT |
| 9 | Grim day to be on lifeboat? (4)
DARK (grim) D (day) + ARK (Noah’s ARK served as a lifeboat for Noah’s family and pairs of animals) D ARK |
| 14 | In which salaried English women might be dressed? (10)
LADIESWEAR (clothing in which any women, including English salaried women, might be dressed) Anagram of (might be dressed) SALARIED and E (English) and W (women) – &Lit clue LADIESWEAR* |
| 15 | Mush something to chew over (3)
MUG (informal word for the face) MUG (MUSH is a slang word for a person’s face) double definition MUG |
| 17 | Taking regular breaks, group stop to plunder (3)
GUT (ransack; plunder) GUT (GroUp sTop excluding letters 2-3, 5-6 and 8-9 [taking regular breaks]) GUT |
| 18 | Lead batsman to become established (4,4)
TAKE ROOT (become established) TAKE (escort, lead) + ROOT (reference Joe ROOT [born 1990], England’s cricket captain and leading run scorer; batsman, although the term today is batter) TAKE ROOT |
| 20 | Scotch barely open, flipping rubbish party folds (7)
TORPEDO (wreck a plan; scotch [quash]) (ROT [rubbish] reversed [flipping] + DO [party]) containing (folds) PE (letters remaining in oPEn when the outer letters O and N are removed [made bare; barely]) TOR< PE DO |
| 22 | Switch on airconditioning, worried about temperature you said? (7)
ACTUATE (put into action; switch on) (AC [air conditioning] + ATE [worried]) containing (about) (T [temperature] + U [sounds like [said] YOU) AC (T U) ATE |
| 23 | Red spirit, say, turning up rarely at first (6)
GINGER (reddish-brown colour; red[head]) GIN (a spirit) + E.G. (for example; say) reversed (turning up) + R (initial letter of [at first] Rarely) GIN GE< R |
| 24 | Under gravity, form striking carbon crystal (5)
GLASS (crystal [cut GLASS]) G (gravity) + cLASS (a from in school) excluding (striking) C (chemical symbol for carbon) G LASS – as this is a down entry, the letters in LASS are placed in the grid under the letter G |
| 26 | Some grasses become hostile if caught (4)
RYES (some grasses) RYES (sounds like [if caught) RISE [become hostile]) RYES |
| 27 | Question dancer’s choice of footwear (4)
PUMP (to obtain information from a person by persistent questioning; question) PUMP (a low-cut, low-heeled shoe without fastening worn especially for dancing) double definition PUMP |
A veritable tour de force for a themed puzzle with a theme that even I could spot. Very well done and thank you to Duncan for identifying and cataloging so many items.
I don’t much care for “abroad” in 5d as an anagram indicator but I’m sure it appears in one of the many seemingly endless anagrind lists somewhere. I also wondered if “folds” was a misprint for “holds”; the latter seems to me to be better for the wordplay but the former is much better for the surface.
My page is filled with ticks and SCREAMER was my favourite.
Many thanks to Stamp, and very well done.