A fun solve – my favourites were 10ac, 11ac, and 12ac. Many thanks to Brummie.
Edit: …and thanks to Davey and others in the comments for pointing out the theme around Mars (the RED PLANET, and many other associated solutions)
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | ORBIT |
Exorbitant housing revolution (5)
|
| definition: revolution as in to revolve around something
letters are found/housed inside: [Ex]-ORBIT-[ant] |
||
| 10 | CURIOSITY |
Our city is removing cat killer? (9)
|
| definition refers to the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’
anagram of (Our city is)*; with “removing” => ‘re-moving’ i.e. ‘moving again’ to indicate the anagram |
||
| 11 | ETERNALLY |
Always on the outside, having no vote (9)
|
| E-[x]-TERNALLY=”on the outside”, with no ‘x’ (symbol that can be used to mark a “vote”) | ||
| 12 | TRIAD |
Some notes one introduced in jazz revival (5)
|
| definition: a chord of three tones
I=”one” in TRAD (traditional jazz and its revivals) |
||
| 13 | DOVECOT |
A place for fliers to act almost timid when held in check (7)
|
| DO=”to act”; with CO-[y]=”almost timid” inside VET=”check” | ||
| 15 | DREDGER |
Working vessel’s doctor – creep, right? (7)
|
| definition: a marine vessel used for excavation
DR (doctor) + EDGE=”creep” (to edge/creep/move towards something) + R (right) |
||
| 17 | NUDGE |
Jog without clothes, without much money (5)
|
| definition as in e.g. to jog/nudge one’s memory or e.g. to give a jog/nudge with one’s elbow
NUDE=”without clothes”, outside of/”without” G (grand, a thousand pounds, “much money”) |
||
| 18 | RED |
Wine that’s often put in a pocket (3)
|
| double definition: red wine; or in snooker, a red ball to be potted into a pocket | ||
| 20 | GILET |
Maybe get laid after ace date’s removed top (5)
|
| anagram/”Maybe” of (get laid)*, with A (ace) and D (date) removed | ||
| 22 | SOFT TOP |
Frequently to be found in station vehicle (4,3)
|
| OFT=”Frequently”, inside STOP=”station” (e.g. on a railway line) | ||
| 25 | MARINER |
Prospector collecting top grade river tar (7)
|
| definition: “tar” as slang for ‘sailor’
MINER=”Prospector”, around A (top grade) + R (river) |
||
| 26 | PENCE |
Pressure, therefore, to dispose of hard cash (5)
|
| P (Pressure) + [h]-ENCE=”therefore” losing ‘h’ for “hard” | ||
| 27 | ALL THE WAY |
What alley twists to the very end? (3,3,3)
|
| anagram/”twists” of (What alley)* | ||
| 30 | THE CAVERN |
Legendary music venue later hosting explorer (3,6)
|
| definition: The Cavern Club in Liverpool [wiki]
THEN=”later” around CAVER=”explorer” |
||
| 31 | ROVER |
Collar at last on dog? (5)
|
| “last” letter of [Colla]-R; plus OVER=above=”on” | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HOPE |
Old comedian has pee in garden (4)
|
| definition: Bob Hope, the late comedian [wiki]
P (letter of alphabet, pronounced as ‘pee’), inside HOE=to “garden” |
||
| 2 | OBSERVED |
Bedsore very inflamed and spotted (8)
|
| anagram/”inflamed” of (Bedsore v)*, including v for “very” | ||
| 3 | STUN |
Tipped fanatic’s bowl over (4)
|
| NUT’S=”fanatic’s” (e.g. a football nut, a football fan), reversed/”Tipped” | ||
| 4 | SCULPTOR |
‘Curst LP’ smashed over Old Moore? (8)
|
| definition: Henry Moore the sculptor [wiki]
anagram/”smashed” of (Curst LP)* around O (Old) |
||
| 5 | FRAYED |
After battle, English duke’s worn out (6)
|
| FRAY=”battle” + E (English) + D (duke) | ||
| 6 | BOOTLEGGER |
Sack Latin person encouraging a criminal (10)
|
| BOOT=get rid of=”Sack” + L (Latin) + EGGER (someone egging on i.e. “encouraging” others) | ||
| 7 | VIKING |
Raider: short woman married to ruler (6)
|
| VI (short for Violet, a woman’s name) + KING=”ruler” | ||
| 8 | BYRD |
English composer’s ‘Lark’ broadcast (4)
|
| definition: William Byrd the composer [wiki]
sounds like (when “broadcast”): ‘bird’ e.g. a “Lark” |
||
| 13 | DUNES |
Deserts surrounding northern hills (5)
|
| DUES=what is deserved=”Deserts”, around N (northern) | ||
| 14 | CHEW THE FAT |
Gas: large escapes from hatch we left undone (4,3,3)
|
| definition: to chat, to gossip
anagram/”undone” of (hatch we left)*, with ‘L’ for “large” removed/escaping |
||
| 16 | ROTOR |
Run after Troy punches Joey Turner (5)
|
| R (run, cricket abbreviation); after T (for Troy, as in troy weights) punching into ROO=”Joey” (a young kangaroo) | ||
| 19 | DUMPLING |
Throw away fish pudding (8)
|
| DUMP=”Throw away” + LING=”fish” | ||
| 21 | LONG WAVE |
Extended gesture used by some broadcasters? (4,4)
|
| definition refers to long wave radio broadcasts
LONG=”Extended” + WAVE=”gesture” |
||
| 23 | FINDER |
Small telescope of superior quality includes detachable cap (6)
|
| definition: a small telescope, attached to a larger one
FINER=”of superior quality”, around the first letter/”cap” of D-[etachable] |
||
| 24 | PLANET |
Mercury makes tree gain temperature? (6)
|
| PLANE=a type of tree species + T (temperature) | ||
| 26 | PATH |
Way to get bed less cold (4)
|
| PAT-[c]-H=”bed” in a garden; minus ‘c’ for “cold” | ||
| 28 | HERA |
One pursuing female character in mythology (4)
|
| definition: a goddess in Greek mythology
A=”One” after HER=”female” |
||
| 29 | YARN |
Drug-free period, end of addiction – do not swallow one! (4)
|
| definition: a yarn is a made-up story, not to be believed/’swallowed’
Y-[e]-AR=”period” minus ‘e’ for ecstasy=”Drug”; plus end of [addictio]-N |
Fun. A space theme, I think.
I liked CURIOSITY and LONG WAVE. I could see the PATH but not the PATCH which is the opposite of my overgrown allotment.
Liked ETERNALLY, DOVECOT, NUDGE, MARINER, OBSERVED,
BOOTLEGGER, LONG WAVE and PATH.
Thanks Brummie and manehi.
Davey@1: A Mars theme in fact – “red planet” along with “Curiosity Rover”,”Path finder”, “Viking” all being landers there.
thanks Manehi and Brummie
Quite an extensive theme by my count. I can see at least thirteen references to Mars explorations.
Can someone help me understand DUNES, please? If it’s DUES as what is deserved, wouldn’t that be desserts with double S?
Many thanks to Brummie and manehi!
FINDER was the only one I hadn’t come across before, and therefore last one in. The cat killer was great fun – top notch puzzle from Brummie today, I thought…
‘Trad’ jazz only exists as a revival I think, unless the original musicians called themselves ‘trad’ (which seems unlikely). Lots to like here, especially SOFT TOP, DUNES and FINDER.
Good challenge.
New for me: spelling of DOVECOT; FINDER = small telescope.
Favourite: DUNES.
Calabar Bean@6 re deserts/desserts, I found this in my online dictionary (which is not Chambers so maybe others can clarify better than me):
If a person gets their just deserts they get what they deserve. Deserts here is related to deserve, and is spelled with one -s- in the middle; a dessert is a sweet course eaten at the end of a meal. The -ss- spelling in the sense ‘what a person deserves’ is regarded as an error, although in the Oxford English Corpus it is as common as the correct spelling.
Specifically Martian theme, i think. RED PLANET was explored on ground or in ORBIT by VIKING, MARINER, ROVER and CURIOSITY. Slow typing!
Thanks both.
Michelle @9 – My Chambers says the same thing, i.e. just deserts
The surface of 8dn is of course meant to evoke Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘The Lark Ascending’, even if he hailed from a rather different period than William Byrd (both English though). Also, despite being a bit of a space nerd, the RED PLANET theme completely passed me by. Thanks both.
Ever reliable Brummie with another good crossword. However, I totally missed the space theme.
Couldn’t parse NUDGE. In my defence though I think a grand gets you Freddo and loaf of bread in this day and age.
Liked CURIOSITY, LONG WAVE, FINDER and DUNES.
Thanks Brummie and Manehi
Great fun with CURIOSITY, EXTERNALLY and CHEW THE FAT favourites although I totally missed the theme. If you get the chance, it is worth visiting Kew Gardens to see Henry Moore’s monumental sculptures on display throughout.
Ta Brummie & manehi.
michelle@19
Many thanks for the clarification on deserts/desserts. I read that merely seconds after we’d had exactly the same discussion.
michelle@19, Crispy@11 That’s fascinating! I don’t recall ever encountering the (correct) “just deserts” in the wild. That’s one more thing I can now be insufferable about 🙂
Thank you so much for taking the time to help!
I’ve always found Brummie a bit middle of the road, but this was right up my street. Brilliant fun from start to finish.
Cheers B&M
Entertaining. BOOTLEGGER was clever with “person encouraging” = EGGER. Other favourites were DUMPLING (very neat) and CHEW THE FAT (for the misleading surface and definition).
Just a minor quibble. In the clue for PLANET, the question mark is presumably supposed to indicate the definition by example, but it’s at the opposite end of the clue to the relevant word. Spelling it out, “Mercury makes tree gain temperature for example” seems to me to suggest “temperature for example” (or “gain temperature for example”) rather than “Mercury for example”. But maybe that’s just me.
Thanks to Brummie and manehi.
Thanks both. Re 17a, I wonder whether the average Guardian reader regards a grand as that much money, I thought they were all champagne socialists. (Sorry, could not resist.)
As I’m on self-imposed lockdown in the heatwave, I had more time to spend wrestling with a cryptic crossword. I didn’t know BYRD the composer or FINDER as a small telescope but figured it all out in the end. I liked CURIOSITY and BOOTLEGGER. The theme passed me by – it usually does.
Good fun. Thanks to Brummie and Manehi.
My only disappointment is that the composer wasn’t (couldn’t be) Holst, who would have fitted very nicely with the Mars theme!
Also worth noting that Mars has plenty of DUNES and that the Perseverance rover carried the Ingenuity helicopter (drone?) which operated with a ROTOR.
Mostly straightforward with a few chewy ones, I thought. I liked removing a GILET to get laid, the SOFT TOP at the station, and the good anagram for CHEW THE FAT with a nicely misleading surface.
Thanks Brummie and manehi.
This went in straightforwardly and I parsed everything. Smooth and enjoyable. I’ve always spelled It dovecote but the answer was obvious. As always I missed the theme. Nothing otherwise to add to previous comments.
Thanks Brummie and manehi.
HERA space mission flew by Mars and Deimos last year and took some nice pictures. Lovely composition, more than just a great set of clues, thank you Brummie and manehi!
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues . Well done Davey@1 , JackOFT and others . Alas no room for Rosalind Franklin in the theme . SCULPTOR a minor constellation and spectacular starburst galaxy discovered by Caroline Herschel , I see no link to Mars except for the confectionary .