Time: 13:30
Music: Keith Jarrett, Fort Yawul
I hope none of our usual solvers find any difficulty here; in fact, I would encourage those who usually stick to the Quickie to give this one a go. Even if you don’t finish, there are lots of easy clues to get started. Experienced solvers will be going for a personal best.
I did think that the quality of the puzzle was only moderate, with some looseness here and there. “This can only be a crossword clue” applies to some of the offerings, but the art of making a clue sound completely natural is not easily achieved. The vagrant with the case of dengue, and the idiot with the surprised expression, are a bit clunky. I did like the colonel on board and the cryptic setter turning in his grave.
And you?
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Makes new recording of Plant’s backing band from Georgia (9) |
| REMASTERS – R.E.M. +ASTER’S. The literal is inaccurate; you can make a new record by remastering the original tapes, but not a new recording. | |
| 6 | Domicile lacking contents and gracious furnishings? (5) |
| DECOR – D[omicil]E + COR. | |
| 9 | Briefly tense, faced with angry rhinos (2,5) |
| IN SHORT – Anagram of RHINOS + T. | |
| 10 | Herb found over in Parsonage Road (7) |
| OREGANO – Backwards hidden in [Pars]ONAGE RO[ad]. | |
| 11 | Daringly unconventional, treated a vagrant with case of dengue (5-5) |
| AVANT-GARDE – Anagram of A VAGRANT + D[engu]E. | |
| 12 | Filthy place ultimately became eyesore (4) |
| STYE – STY + [plac]E, a bit of a chestnut. | |
| 14 | European in exotic land is loaded (5) |
| LADEN – E in anagram of LAND. | |
| 15 | Whine of siren possibly detaining boat, short of time (9) |
| BELLYACHE – BELL(YACH[t])E. | |
| 16 | Tesla, perhaps last of many in stock (9) |
| INVENTORY – INVENTOR + [man]Y. | |
| 18 | Understood one is bound by discretion (5) |
| TACIT – TAC(I)T. Another chestnut. | |
| 20 | Animal sanctuary in County Tyrone evacuated (4) |
| COTE – CO + T[yron]E. | |
| 21 | Broadcaster and poet close to having romp (10) |
| SKYLARKING – SKY + LARKIN + [havin]G. | |
| 25 | Our kid intermittently absent following chill in nostril? (7) |
| ORIFICE – O[u]R [k]I[d] + F + ICE, where definition by example is indicated by the question mark. | |
| 26 | Mean rugby player with huge energy (7) |
| PROPOSE – PROP + O/S + E. | |
| 27 | Greeting great suffering with love (5) |
| HELLO – HELL + O. | |
| 28 | Fluff on clothing and carpet (5,4) |
| DRESS DOWN – DRESS for clothing + DOWN for fluff. | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hairdresser getting educated about American Indian food (5) |
| RAITA – R(A)ITA, from a movie that is not quite as popular as E.T. among setters. | |
| 2 | Verbally summoned colonel on board (7) |
| MUSTARD – Sounds like MUSTERED. The colonel is in Cluedo in the UK and Clue in the US. | |
| 3 | Baker’s fat and becoming less tall (10) |
| SHORTENING – Double definition, surprising not seen before. | |
| 4 | In Essex, trainer bit player (5) |
| EXTRA – Hidden in [Ess]EX TRA[in]. | |
| 5 | Rowdy pals destroyed fencing (9) |
| SWORDPLAY – Anagram of ROWDY PALS. | |
| 6 | Passes on every second letter from advisers (4) |
| DIES – [a]D[v]I[s]E[r]S. | |
| 7 | In turmoil, companion starts to avoid obnoxious jerk (7) |
| CHAOTIC – C.H. + A[void] O[bnoxious] + TIC. | |
| 8 | President massaged lover’s toe (9) |
| ROOSEVELT – Anagram of LOVER’S TOE. Probably more suitable for Harding. | |
| 13 | Cryptic setter’s beginning to turn in grave (10) |
| MYSTERIOUS – MY + S(T[urn])ERIOUS. | |
| 14 | Left at home with idiot wearing surprised expression and dhoti? (9) |
| LOINCLOTH – L + O(IN + CLOT)H. | |
| 15 | Dope and Scotch on top of beer (9) |
| BLOCKHEAD – BLOCK + HEAD. Scotch usually means kill, not just block. | |
| 17 | Invective from learner driver stuck behind six musicians (7) |
| VITRIOL – VI + TRIO + L, a more sophisticated construction. | |
| 19 | Who benefits from youngster pinching current Beatle’s wife? (3,4) |
| CUI BONO – CU(I)B + ONO. | |
| 22 | Gradual decline of northern nomads reported (5) |
| LAPSE – Sounds like LAPPS. Not necessarily gradual. | |
| 23 | Leaders refused to agree on common land (5) |
| GREEN – [a]GREE [o]N. | |
| 24 | Boozer and wife Nora both half-cut (4) |
| WINO – WI[fe] NO[ra]. | |
Yeah, I had the same thought about “Scotch.” I didn’t mind an easy one tonight
I always think of Macbeth’s “We have scotched the snake, not killed it”.
21:06
DNK Rita was a hairdresser. I biffed REMASTERS, not being able to parse the clue. The setter likes gutting words to leave the initial and final letters: 6ac, 11ac, 20ac. ‘Case of …’ is getting a bit chestnutty.
You have to think of the 80s film ‘Educating Rita’, with Julie Walters (a hairdresser) and Michael Caine.
I assumed (from ‘educated’) that it was that film, which I’ve never seen; as I said, I didn’t know she was a hairdresser.
29 minutes. No problems with ‘scotch’ as in ‘scotch a rumour’ – put a stop to / block it. I knew ‘dove cote’ as a place where the birds roost but hadn’t thought of it as a sanctuary until today. CUI BONO from wordplay on trust.
I see that now… “to block with a chock”… what’s a chock? Ha
Chocks away!
21.50, I’m guessing Rita was from Alfie and assuming R.E.M. is from Georgia. As GK goes I think that is kinda niche and hope, given the number of US bands and the number of US states, it doesn’t catch on. But mostly fairly straightforward, thank you V.
From One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below):
Your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
MYSTERIOUS and dark
Easy Monday, which suited me as I had lots to do. Didn’t know CUI BONO. Nearly everything else was a write-in from the literal. 3d reminded me of the song ‘Short’nin’ Bread’. I wonder if this standard will continue for the rest of the week.
Thanks V and setter.
28 mins and pretty straightforward. Last three all went in together, BLOCKHEAD, BELLYACHE & MYSTERIOUS. Agree re the comments on BLOCK.
I liked SKYLARKING.
Thanks V and setter.
9.30
A gentle Bank Holiday offering, with plenty of amusing clues.
“Susan’s just my real name, but I’m not a Susan anymore. I changed my name to Rita, you know, after Rita Mae Brown.”
LOI GREEN
COD RAITA
20 minutes but felt it should have been quicker. Led astray in search of various forms of fencing by a glimpse of pal in the anagram fodder, don’t think I’ve seen SWORDPLAY previously but it seems so obvious now I can’t believe no setter has been down that route before. Another who has not previously thought of COTE in that sense.
Thanks to vinyl1 and a kindly setter.
About 20 minutes.
– Liked the misdirection of 1a, which had me trying to fit some combination of Led Zep into the answer (though it’d be wrong to describe them as Robert Plant’s backing band!) before I separated the clue differently, remembered that R.E.M. are from Athens, Georgia and got REMASTERS
– Didn’t know SHORTENING as baker’s fat
– Nearly invented LINOCLOTH, but luckily though of LOINCLOTH before entering it
Thanks vinyl and setter.
FOI Stye
LOI Shortening
COD Swordplay
Liked this, a gentle romp for a Monday. I took it on trust that REM were from Georgia – who knew Tbilisi was such a happening place? – and that Rita was a hairdresser, though I have seen the film.
If you remaster the original recording, don’t you end up with a new recording?