Apologies for a delayed and slightly rushed blog. An interesting mix of clues today, and my favourites were 22ac, 23ac, 28ac, and 8dn. Thanks to Yank for the puzzle
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BETA MALES |
Sheep exist on Mexican food (4,5)
|
| definition: “Sheep” suggesting followers rather than leaders
BE=”exist” + TAMALES=”Mexican food” |
||
| 6 | GROOM |
Cake figurine, stable character (5)
|
| definition refers to figurines of the groom and bride on a wedding cake
wordplay/second definition: a groom is also someone who can be found in a stable for horses i.e. a “stable character” |
||
| 9 | CANOE |
Rickety ocean craft (5)
|
| anagram/”Rickety” of (ocean)* | ||
| 10 | GAME POINT |
Willing to end court situation (4,5)
|
| definition refers to a GAME POINT situation on a tennis court
GAME=”Willing” (e.g. ‘are you game for trying X?’) + POINT=purpose=”end” |
||
| 11 | LOO |
Where peers congregate for game of cards (3)
|
| for first definition/wordplay: “peers” as in pee-ers, those who pee
second definition: LOO is the name of a card game |
||
| 12 | PERESTROIKA |
Reform three-person group fronted by former Israeli PM (11)
|
| TROIKA=a set of three=”three-person group”; with Shimon PERES (former Israeli PM) going in front | ||
| 14 | CARRY-ON |
Dead animals reported in small bag? (5-2)
|
| definition refers to ‘carry-on’ luggage e.g. smaller bags to take onto a plane cabin
sounds like (reported) ‘carrion’=”Dead animals” |
||
| 15 | NOT ONCE |
For the moment, embracing holy book? Never! (3,4)
|
| NONCE=”moment”, around OT (Old Testament, “holy book”) | ||
| 16 | CLAMOUR |
Cry out quiet sort’s pronoun (7)
|
| definition: CLAMOUR as a verb
CLAM=slang for a shy person=”quiet sort” + OUR=”pronoun” |
||
| 19 | BRISKET |
Procedure for trimming most of keto meat (7)
|
| BRIS=a circumcision ceremony=”Procedure for trimming” + most of KET-[o] | ||
| 22 | SPOILED BRAT |
Spooner’s seafood dish for demanding type (7,4)
|
| Spoonerism of ‘boiled sprat’ = “seafood dish”, as ‘sprat’ is a type of fish | ||
| 23 | TUG |
Big jerk in western corporation (3)
|
| reversal (going west, “western”) of GUT=”corporation” in the sense of belly fat | ||
| 24 | LAMEBRAIN |
Flimsy undergarment stylish for dummy (9)
|
| LAME=”Flimsy” (e.g. a lame/flimsy excuse) + BRA=”undergarment” + IN=popular=”stylish” | ||
| 26 | ADDLE |
Befuddle some characters in retro field day (5)
|
| hidden (“some characters”) in: [fi]-ELD DA-[y] reversed/”retro” | ||
| 27 | DECOY |
Undercover cop, perhaps with retro-style ponytail (5)
|
| DECO (Art Deco, “retro-style”); plus the last letter/”tail” of [pon]-Y | ||
| 28 | ROTTERDAM |
Bastard! Butler’s expletive overheard in European city (9)
|
| ROTTER=”Bastard” + DAM which sounds like (overheard) ‘damn’
‘damn’ is Rhett Butler’s expletive in Gone with the Wind – he famously says ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn’ |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BUCOLIC |
Rustic’s neverending malady: acute pain (7)
|
| no ending letter (neverending) in BU-[g]=illness=”malady”; plus COLIC=”acute pain” | ||
| 2 | TANDOOR |
Brown entrée in oven (7)
|
| TAN=”Brown” + DOOR=entrée in the sense of ‘entrance’ | ||
| 3 | MEET PAYROLL |
Employ alert screwball to cover expenses (4,7)
|
| anagram/”screwball” of (Employ alert)* | ||
| 4 | LEG IRON |
One girl crazy for heavy metal band? (3,4)
|
| definition: a band/ring made of metal that is heavy (rather than a music band that plays heavy metal)
anagram/”crazy” of (One girl)* |
||
| 5 | SIMPSON |
Royal’s lover’s idiot offspring (7)
|
| definition: “Royal’s lover” referring to Edward VIII and Wallis SIMPSON
SIMP=foolish person=”idiot” + SON=”offspring” |
||
| 6 | GAP |
Something to mind in central Singapore (3)
|
| definition refers to the phrase ‘mind the gap’
central letters from [Sin]-GAP-[ore] |
||
| 7 | OPINION |
No limit? That’s what you think! (7)
|
| O=zero=”No” + PINION=to confine=to “limit” | ||
| 8 | METHANE |
Rancid hen meat gives you gas (7)
|
| anagram/”Rancid” of (hen meat)* | ||
| 13 | RETAIL TRADE |
Sale of merchandise I alter? (6,5)
|
| in a crossword clue, RETAIL TRADE might indicate an anagram of RETAIL, giving “I alter” | ||
| 16 | CASTLED |
Players took the van, protected in a way (7)
|
| definition may refer to fortification in a castle, or castling in chess to protect the king
CAST of actors=”Players” + LED=”took the van” as in vanguard |
||
| 17 | ANOSMIC |
Foul comedians (but not Gamble) not smelling so good? (7)
|
| definition: loss of smell as a sense, not being able to smell well
anagram/”Foul” of (com ians)*, taking the letters of [com]-ED-[ians] minus ED for Ed Gamble the comedian |
||
| 18 | RED HAIR |
Disturbed, harried Harry has this (3,4)
|
| definition refers to Prince Harry’s red hair
anagram/”Disturbed” of (harried)* |
||
| 19 | BARONET |
Titleholder held up sailor in vocal quartet? (7)
|
| upward reversal (help up) of TENOR AB=able seaman who is a tenor=”sailor in vocal quartet” | ||
| 20 | KATYDID |
Perry, accomplished in form of cricket? (7)
|
| definition: the name of a type of cricket (the insects)
reference to KATY Perry the singer, plus DID=”accomplished” |
||
| 21 | TAG TEAM |
Pair of wrestlers spray graffiti on several mules (3,4)
|
| definition: in wrestling, a pair of wrestlers who may ‘tag in’ or ‘tag out’ to take turns in the ring
TAG=mark with a graffiti tag=”spray graffiti” + TEAM=set of animals harnessed together e.g. “several mules” |
||
| 25 | BAY |
What wolf might do, seeing horse (3)
|
| double definition: to bay like a wolf, or a bay horse that is reddish brown in colour |
The setter’s sense of humour was immediately evident with the first two clues, BETA MALES and GROOM and continued throughout. Lots of ticks but my favourites were GAME POINT, PERESTROIKA, SPOILED BRAT, TUG, LAMEBRAIN, ROTTERDAM for GWTW, TANDOOR, SIMPSON, RETAIL TRADE and the amusing RED HAIR. Very ‘stylish’ indeed.
Ta Yank & manehi, hope everything is OK.
I hope all is okay manehi! I missed the pee-ers subtext and got delayed by putting in anosmia instead of anosmic. Otherwise a gentle puzzle. Thanks to Yank and manehi.
Took me a while to get 20 down then remembered the cover for Steely Dan’s 1975 album.
Generally, a nice, middle-of-the-road puzzle.
For the clue to LOO, I would have thought “go” would be a better choice than “congregate”. It doesn’t hurt the surface and makes the cryptic definition less potentially icky.
In CLAMOUR, the OUR is not, as far as I know/can tell, a pronoun (it doesn’t stand for a noun like “he” and “we” do). Chambers calls it an adjective, others say possessive determiner. (Though we should probably give Yank(s) a pass for not knowing English grammar too well!)
Thanks Yank and manehi (I hope your emergency wasn’t serious)
Several usages I wasn’t familiar with – BRIS, SIMP, PINION for limit, TAG for graffiti.
Not sure RETAIL TRADE works – “trade” is a pretty weak anagram indicator.
I liked the “pee-ers”, but shouldn’t there be an indication that they are contracted to “peers”?
Favourite KATYDID, though that usage is just American, I think.
Finished but without parsing at least a dozen, so well done and thank you! Not surprised it was late …
Entertaining, good variety of clues. Favourite LEG IRON, for the “heavy metal band” — very good.
For BARONET I had half an idea that the held up sailor was a RONET (a male Ronette?). Your explanation is much better! (And I see that The Ronettes were actually a trio.)
I hadn’t come across SIMP — Chambers says it is “esp N American” — it sounds rather offensive to me.
Thanks Yank and manehi.
muffin @5: I thought trade was fine, as in to exchange the letters as you would exchange goods for money.
AlanC @8
Have you ever seen trade used as an anagrind in a crossword? I haven’t.
Lord Jim @7: I agree with you on SIMP, I think it’s short for simpleton and we used it as horrible kids in NI.
Muffin @8: i don’t think I have but we get new ones all the time and far more stretched than TRADE.
I found this quite difficult, but the solutions kept coming, and with a very high parse rate, I have no complaints. I thought I’d parsed it all, but I now see I hadn’t resolved the urinators in the LOO or taken the time to fully understand the Rhett Butler reference in ROTTERDAM.
I’ll run with AlanC’s extensive list of good clues @1.
I note with disappointment that I have failed to learn the genital mutilation term BRIS despite having commented on it when Yank last used it in June. I guess I’ll remember it this time.
Thanks Yank and manehi.
I liked this. Many were encouragingly easy and helped attack the harder ones. I loved the misdirect in “heavy metal band“. Admired the backward clue in RETAIL TRADE. Also liked the gentle smile throughout.
Thanks Yank and manehi for a pleasant evening.
Found this tough, particularly in the SW corner. LAME-BRA-IN did feel rather like fitting together three Lego bricks and then wondering what I had there. Have never come across ANOSMIC before, either. GROOM didn’t have me thinking about the top of wedding cakes, I’m afraid, though the stable reference was a clear pointer with crossers in place.
However, as ever, enjoyed the challenge…
muffin @9. You’ve obviously got a bad memory 🙂 Qaos used it 3 days ago in 11a.
muffin@9: Believe it or not, ‘trade’ was used as an anagrind on Tuesday by Qaos!
It’s also appeared in a DT: Flooded coastal area halts arms trade (4,5) = SALT MARSH and a Julius FT: Be employed in sex trade at the lowest price? (2-5) = EX-WORKS.
Not my favourite anagrind but, as AlanC notes, we encounter new ones all the time.
I see Hovis has faster fingers – but then I *was* typing a few more words.
Hovis @14
Quite right! I hadn’t parsed that one, but see it now 🙂
And PostMark
Pleasant solve with one or two things I found difficult – BRIS, Butler’s expletive, PE-ERS. I liked the SPOILED BRAT’S seafood dish according to Spooner and the heavy metal band LEG IRON.
Thanks Yank and manehi.
Tougher end of the spectrum but filled with humour
PERESTROIKA strikes again – at least I knew it this time, implying I’m actually learning something from doing these.
BOILED SPRAT sounds utterly horrible, but then again so do spoiled brats…
All filled in but several unparsed and needed Googling.
Pick of the bunch goes to the excellent CARRY-ON.
Top job unravelling these, manehi, many thanks.
Thanks Yank for a most entertaining crossword that I found mostly straightforward. I didn’t see the clever ‘pee-ers’ in LOO and I didn’t understand ANOSMIC but all else made sense to me. Favourites included BETA MALES, CARRY-ON, SPOILED BRAT, TUG, LEG IRON, SIMPSON, and RED HAIR. Thanks manehi for the blog.
Showing my age that I was looking for FRED with the Perry reference!
A slow start but got there in the end, minus the parsing of 27a and the Rhett Butler reference in 28a.
One thing still befuddles me, though: why is a TENOR in a vocal quartet in particular? Perhaps a more musically-minded poster can enlighten me.
Tough puzzle.
Thanks for explaining the Rhett Butler connection in 28ac.
I couldn’t parse 27ac.
New for me: SIMP = fool; MEET PAYROLL; ANOSMIC; BRIS = circumcision; TAG TEAM = pair of wrestlers.
Favourite: SPOILED BRAT.
Jacob @22
A typical vocal quartet (others are available) would be soprano, alto, tenor, bass.
grrrjames @21
Fred my first thought too. When I used to play tennis, all my shirts were Fred Perry Brand.