Thanks to Brummie for the challenge. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
There’s a ghost theme of terms associated with heraldry.
Across
7 Drive home with knickers virtually unrestrained (7)
RAMPANT : RAM(to drive home forcefully) plus(with) “pants”(knickers/underpants) minus its last letter(virtually /almost).
8 Rating indignation as a symbolic thing? (7)
SALTIRE : SALT(informal term for a sailor/a rating/a non-commissioned seaman in the navy) + IRE(indignation/displeasure).
9, 22 Element of organ infection and reduced energy associated with smoker (4,4)
FLUE PIPE : FLU(short for “influenza”/a highly contagious viral infection) plus(and) E(abbrev. for /reduced “energy” in physics) plus(associated with) PIPE(smoker/that which produces smoke/a device for smoking tobacco).
10 Author includes ‘Mountain King’ as a perfume ingredient (9)
AMBERGRIS : AMIS(Kingsley or his son, Martin, British authors) containing(includes) [ BERG(a mountain) + R(abbrev. for “Rex”/King)].
12 Mark ordered to secure grand opening (5)
BADGE : BADE(past tense of “bid”/to order/to command) containing(to secure) 1st letter of(… opening) “grand“.
13 Shady stationer nursing bad back (8)
SINISTER : SITER(a station-er/one who puts something or someone in a specified place/station/site, hence site-r) containing(nursing) reversal of(… back) SIN(an offence against/a bad thing, as in “do good, not bad” – last one to be parsed: not totally sure about using “bad” as a noun).
Defn: …/of doubtful legality/criminal.
15 Enemy broadcast ‘fake’! (4)
FAUX : Homophone of(… broadcast) “foe”(enemy).
16 Port Washington’s outskirts flooded by river (5)
TAWNY : 1st and last letters of(…’s outskirts) “Washington” contained in(flooded by) TAY(the river in Scotland).
17 Many lands (4)
BAGS : Double defn: 2nd: Obtains/gains something desirable.
18 Indications of office sin: gin-swilling one on one (8)
INSIGNIA : Anagram of(…-swilling) SIN: GIN + I(Roman numeral for “one”) plus(on) A(in grammar, the article for a single item/one).
20 Shows competence when dropping first black (5)
SABLE : A reverse clue. “SABLE” minus its 1st letter(when dropping first) = “able”(shows competence).
21 Cash substitute, if Kent got hit (4,5)
GIFT TOKEN : Anagram of(… hit) IF KENT GOT.
22 See 9
24 It’s fabulous producing old-hat student humour? (7)
UNICORN : [ UNI CORN](what one might call banal/old-hat humour originating from students in a university/uni).
25 Old Red Belly performing without bass (7)
ELDERLY : Anagram of(… performing) [ RED + “Belly” minus(without) “b”(abbrev. for “bass”/the lowest adult male singing voice) ].
Down
1 Mall forerunner’s become tiresome (4)
PALL : In “Pall Mall”(the well-known street/mall in London) the word before(… forerunner) “Mall”.
2 It follows it might have to be taken out (8)
APPENDIX : Double defn: 1st: A section of subsidiary text at the end of a book or document; and 2nd: A sac attached to the large intestine in humans and other mammals, which in humans might have to be surgically removed/taken out if one has appendicitis.
3 Dodgy sun-baked starter removed from eatery (6)
UNSAFE : Anagram of(…-baked) SUN + “café”(an eatery) minus its 1st letter(starter removed from …).
4 Bond‘s suspicious about Bellow (8)
WARRANTY : WARY(suspicious of) containing(about) RANT(to shout angrily at length/bellow).
Defn: …/a commitment.
5 States true version up front: ‘It was one’s first abode’ (6)
UTERUS : US(abbrev. for the United States) placed after(… up front, in a down clue) anagram of(… version) TRUE.
Defn: Whimsically, where one is first housed before coming out into the world.
6 Gets more friendly with expelled members (4)
ARMS : “warms”(… up to/gets more friendly) minus(… expelled) “w”(abbrev. for “with”).
Defn: …/upper limbs of a human.
11 Turn on US president (wife getting chop) (9)
BUSHWHACK : BUSH(George H.W. or his son, George W., US presidents) + W(abbrev. for “wife”) plus(getting) HACK(to chop/to cut with heavy blows).
Defn: In the US, to launch a surprise attack on someone.
12 Health food to eat with bulk (5)
BRAWN : BRAN(a health food made of grain husks) containing(to eat) “w”(abbrev. for “with”).
Defn: A large mass, of well-developed muscles, say.
14 Bird book released by bailiff (5)
EAGLE : “b”(abbrev. for “book”) deleted from(released by) “beagle”(a bailiff/a constable).
16 Metal cruet cast a slight shade (8)
TINCTURE : TIN(a metallic chemical element) + anagram of(… cast) CRUET.
17 Live! Hit performer’s jazz instrumentalist (8)
BEBOPPER : BE(to live/to exist) + BOP(to hit/to punch quickly) + PER(abbrev. for “performer” ? or “personnel”/one who performs activities).
Defn: Instrumentalist playing bebop, a type of jazz characterised by complex harmony and rhythms.
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19 Corrupt data etc repaired (6)
INFECT : INF(abbrev. for “information”, as in “.inf”, an electronic file extension for a certain type of data file) + anagram of(… repaired) ETC.
Defn: …, say, a computer or computer data.
20 Record run (6)
SINGLE : Double defn: 1st: An audio recording of a single song on each side of a disc/record; and 2nd: A run in cricket with a score of 1.
21 Working to get rid of one part of the percussion section? (4)
GONG : “going”(working/functioning) minus(to get rid of) “I”(Roman numeral for “one”).
23 A lot of money that’s forced into the ground (4)
PILE : Double defn: 2nd: A heavy stake or post driven/forced vertically into the ground to support a structure built over it.
Never so much as noticed the heraldry theme!
Got the theme eventually, which helped with ARMS and SALTIRE my LOsI. As well as heraldry there are a few associated words such as GONG (nickname for the medal of the Order of the British Empire), INSIGNIA and BADGE. More strictly I also counted RAMPANT, SINISTER, SABLE, UNICORN, TINCTURE, EAGLE and PILE.
My first impression was that there was a degree of looseness to the cluing but looking back with a complete grid I see it more as excellent wordplay and misdirection. “record run” had me spinning every which way there was with so many possible synonyms. Excellent stuff Brummie, and thank you scchua.
Thanks for the blog. Made heavy weather of this, took an age. I parsed SABLE as (I)S ABLE.
Better than par for Brummie I thought.
I’ve been frustrated by and critical of Brummie in the past but this was a cracker (as have many of his of late), only quibble was 16 as ‘flooded by’ for me indicates a containment rather than a wrapper.
Beagle for bailiff was new to me.
Thanks to Brummie and scchua.
andysmith @3-aagree with parsing of SABLE and above par Brummie.he’s returned to form recentlyNice to know I wasnt the only one to take a while.
Would have made a good Proize. Thanks all.
Mostly good, but I’m afraid 13a is very tortured. I can’t find a definition of SITER in Chambers, nor in Google (at least not with that meaning), and SIN=BAD doesn’t work either.
RAMPANT and SALTIRE were among my last entries, and it was only then that I saw the heraldic theme. I enjoyed this anyway and appreciated the variety of twists and tricks of Brummie’s wordplay. FAUX was one of my first in, surprisingly, because I don’t say that word like ‘foe’, but it was close enough, and ‘foe’ was an easy match for ‘enemy’.
The clues I liked best were UNSAFE, UTERUS, BUSHWHACK and TINCTURE.
Thanks to Brummie, and to Scchua for the blog and illustrations.
Sort of noticed rampant, saltire, sinister as heraldry-speak but took little notice. Vitually meaning almost is a bit hmmm but ok. Before unsafe emerged, had verdi in mind rather than amber before gris–rather different! Faux was first, but then looked in vain for two ‘its’ for 2d, so went on to tawny, foi. Is there a unicorn hat, cf tricorn? Probly not. And wonderd if ‘might have to be’ related to ‘appen’, again probly not…overthinking. The beagle-constable-bailiff connection took a bit of SOED research, but ok. And per/former, and inf as file suffix .inf (biff, dnk) were left-field and Brummie-ish. Chewy but not too, thanks B and Scchua, great pics as ever.
I found this quite hard, probably because I was thinking this is hard all the way through, and consequently didn’t try enough alternatives. For example, I missed RAMPANT, as I tried to fit PANT in the first part, but didn’t think to try it in the later part; and similar for SALTIRE, I tried SALT early in solvingon but didn’t think to try it again in the closing stages of the crossword, once I had the theme.
Thanks, scchua and Brummie
ditto andysmith and copmus re i/sable
I too agreed with andysmith @3 and copmus @5 re the parsing of SABLE.
I also had 24 1c as a triple definition: the fabulous beast, an old hat (like a tricorn but presumably with fewer corners) and humour from a university student.
Enjoyable solve in spite of missing the theme. Thanks to Brummie and scchua.
That should obviously have been 24 ac rather than 24 1c……
A tough challenge which helped pass the time on this rainy day. I was held up by having put LOTS incorrectly for 17A, thinking of parcels of land. I only spotted the theme after the event so it did not help me solve any clues. In addition to the list provided by thezed @2 above, FAUX is another heraldic term. Thanks Brummie and Scchua. [p.s. in 10A you have written ‘Amis’ instead of Martin for the son].
Thanks Larry@13. Yes, that’s who I meant. Blog corrected.
Thanks Brummie and scchua
Another with (I)S ABLE for 20, with first = I coming from a regnal number.
Larry @13
I too fell into the LOTS trap at first, but the L was so at odds with any possible jazz musician at 17d that I was forced into a quick rethink.
That’s the trouble with ‘double definition’ clues from time to time – plausible alternatives present themselves.
Many thanks to Brummie and scchua! LOI was SALTIRE – a theme was whispering to me almost from the outset, but didn’t help with solving. I’d say more than a ghost theme, though – further heraldic terms include PALL, and the emblematic EAGLE and UNICORN.
I’ve checked the dictionaries for BUSHWHACK and can’t see it as “Turn on” – it’s an ambush from a hidden place. Nevertheless, thanks to Brummie for an enjoyable challenge and to Scchwa for clear explanations.
Thanks to Brummie and scchua. I am another who found this tough going, but all very getable in the end. I spotted the theme quite early, but it was the non-themed clues that slowed me down. Last ones were bebopper, which ultimately led to bags (LOI). Favourite clue was without doubt bushwhack and thanks again to Brummie and scchua.
14D had me foxed: “beagle” for “bailiff” is one I’ve never come across and only just now dug out from Chambers. I wonder if the usage was born from a beagle/beadle confusion at some stage?
Many thanks for the parsing, scchua.
Thank you Brummie for the themed puzzle and Scchua the illustrated blog.
“Weed out the sin …” or “Weed out the bad …” is sometimes used, e.g. with “in your life” or “in our lives”.
Thanks both,
I’m another who is not really convinced by ‘beagle’ = ‘bailiff’. None of Collins, Chambers, or OED online have it. The nearest is a reference to ‘spy’ in one of them and my cantankerous old SOED has a mention of ‘constable’ as a figurative usage. I don’t know what is in the paper versions of Chambers or Collins.
A challenge indeed!
Never heard of BADGE as mark or TAWNY as wine and couldn’t see why ARMS.
Thanks as always scchua for the visuals.
Beagle = Bailiff: def no 3 in Chambers online, not that I knew it before looking.
I was annoyed to miss the theme (especially as we’ve had the same theme somewhere before in ? the last 1-2 years) but otherwise very satisfying to complete what I found to be a challenging puzzle.
I enjoyed the UNI CORN and the clever APPENDIX.
Thanks to Brummie and scchua
In 17D BEBOPPER, I agree that PER for ‘performer’ is (highly) questionable (and personnel is plural), but there is the alternative: BOPPER (one who bops, ‘hit performer’). Uncomfortably close to the answer, perhaps, but as I do not see it mentioned yet in the comments, maybe the cryptic indication ‘hit performer’ is sufficient justification.
I go with the general consensus that this is an above-average puzzle from Brummie. Thanks to him and scchua.
Larry @13, Alan B@16 I had LOTS too last night, but in light ink because I wasn’t very sure about it. At some point this morning I recalled the old “BE=live” trick, got BEBOPPER and then BAGS.
pedro@23 — TAWNY is one kind of port, which is one kind of wine.
I missed some of the heraldry items. I’ve looked most of them up, but can someone tell me what heraldry has to do with FAUX?
Valentine @27 there are two uses of “faux” in heraldry – one is the usual meaning, of “false” as in arms that are not properly earned, designed etc. The other is as a replacement for “voided” where a shape is hollowed out, or drawn as an outline.
judygs @17 I overlooked pall, thinking it was not quite pile or pale, both of which were familiar! Thanks for adding it to the list.
And another who parsed “bopper” as “one who bops” ie a performer of hits.
A dnf today as I fell into the LOTS trap and checked it before getting 17d. (Note to self: practice patience!) Overall tough but fair. Thanks to Brummie and Scchua.
Thanks Brummie and scchua
I had different parsings for a couple. I agree with PeterO @26 about “bopper” – either in general, or specifically as the Big Bopper, who died in the same plane crash as Buddy Holly. The other was 9,22. I took the definition as “smoker”, with the “pipe” as the “element of organ”. The word order does seem odd, though. Why did he feel it necessary to have “reduced energy” for E? – E for energy is quite standard.
I missed the theme of course, but I have a partial excuse that I did it in two well-separated sittings.
This one gave rise to LOTS of head scratching. Got APPENDIX early and suspected a pangram, but failed to spot the theme completely.
poc@6 – American slang word creeping in? My Bad seems to mean It’s my fault, I think.
Nicely clued puzzle, took me a long time to get started with FAUX.
Thanks to setter and bloggers.
LOL nice theme – who knew – not me 🙂
Anyway kind of irrelevant – I thought it was an enjoyable crossword – things kept falling into place at regular intervals which is always good – didn’t have to use Chambers – everything parsed – FOI 21A LOI 7A – thanks…
Agree with muffin @30 regarding the flue pipe. Not part of any organ that I know but certainly part of a “smoker”
Atlanta Dave look at this flue pipe and hundreds of others on t’internet. Not many “real” organs without these.
Sorry previous anchor obviously had a typo. It’s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flue_pipe
Alex @34
Sorry, your link doesn’t work.
Surely you must admit that it works the other way round?
OK, second effort does link – however I still think the other way round is just as valid.
Thanks scchua and Brummie. I did struggle with the use of ‘flooded by’ in 16ac – a house flooded by water has the water *inside* most importantly after all. Agree on BOPPER as one who bops. In the figurative sense ‘bushwhack’ involves lulling into a false sense of security, so ‘turn on’ seems fine.
Sorry Muffin. I’d looked at other way for FLUE PIPE and you’re grasping at straws. What does infection do in your parsinng? Plus there needs to be double duty on a weird scale to make it work.
Hi Alex
FLU – infection
E – (reduced – unnecessary) energy
PIPE – element of organ
definition – smoker
[Alex – our dear muffin likes to grasp his straws as a drunkard grasps lampposts; for leaning on rather than illumination!]
Hi William F P
What’s wrong with my parsing @40? It works for me
Alan B at 7, how do you pronounce faux ?
Neil @43
More like the way French people do, with a shorter and more rounded vowel sound than in ‘foe’, which I pronounce to rhyme with ‘oh’ and ‘go’ as in the speech of SE England or RP (Received Pronunciation). But as I said in my earlier comment, it is close enough. For comparison, foe and faux are as similar (or dissimilar, if you like) as fought and foot – again, close enough, but still easy for me to miss in a clue based on a homophone.
So Alan, what does faux rhyme with when you say it ?
Neil @45
Eau, as in eau naturel. (Is this getting anywhere?) There aren’t any English words that I would pronounce with that vowel sound.
No Alan, I am none the wiser so let’s leave it at that