A tasty array of enigmas today. A few unusual words, some sneaky definitions and nimble feints to keep you on your toes.
The Punch and Judy puppet SHOW referenced in the pun will not be a mystery to many here (any DEVOTEES?), but I didn’t know, before looking into Wikipedia, that it first appeared in 1662 as adult entertainment and “changed into primarily a children’s entertainment in the late Victorian era.” Or that the phrase “pleased as Punch” refers to “Mr Punch’s characteristic sense of gleeful self-satisfaction.” “Despite Punch’s unapologetic murders throughout the performances, it is still considered a comedy.” Life goes on.
I indicate (Ars Magna)* like this, and words flagging such rearrangements are italicized in the clues.
| ACROSS | |
| 1 | Drink, long time in large cask (8) |
| PUNCHEON PUNCH, “Drink” + EON, “long time” …Think this may be the first time I’ve seen this one. |
|
| 5 | Tax record lost by lieutenant (4) |
| DUTY D |
|
| 10 | Symbolic post in temple, too contrived (5,4) |
| TOTEM POLE (temple too)* |
|
| 11 | Milli{onair}es’ houses being televised (2-3) |
| ON-AIR Hidden |
|
| 12 | Start off dirty, smeared with grease (5) |
| OILED |
|
| 14 | Being full, salesman admitted eating duck (9) |
| REPLETION REP, “salesman” + LET I(O)N |
|
| 15 | Retrograde sport’s turn to appear (7) |
| SURFACE RU’S<=“Retrograde” + FACE, “turn to” |
|
| 17 | Really tiny amounts charged for a lot (7) |
| PROTONS PRO, “for” + TONS, “a lot” The definition is somewhat cryptic. …and I find “amounts” a bit odd, at least, for this. A PROTON is a particle, and “particle” can be synonymous with “a small amount,” but “amount” is not listed in Merriam-Webster as a synonym for “particle” (on the same page that has that definition). At Thesaurus.com, neither word is listed as a synonym for the other. PROTONS are “amounts” of what? |
|
| 18 | Crosses next to outspoken parties (7) |
| BISECTS “By” + SECTS, “parties” |
|
| 19 | Driver’s foremost sun protection on a coach (7) |
| ADVISOR A + D |
|
| 21 | Girl is taken in by old city bully (9) |
| TYRANNISE TYR(ANN)(IS)E |
|
| 23 | Ties put around grass (5) |
| SWARD DRAWS<=“put around” |
|
| 25 | Pressure to leave hound in compound (5) |
| ESTER |
|
| 26 | Think of beer and react excitedly (9) |
| CEREBRATE (beer, react)* |
|
| 28 | Programme broadcast round hospital (4) |
| SHOW S(H)OW |
|
| 29 | Fans, mostly County supporters (8) |
| DEVOTEES DEVO |
|
| DOWN | |
| 1 | Moving stone tablet over from America (7) |
| PITEOUS PIT, “stone” + E, ecstasy, “tablet” + O(ver) + US, “from America” |
|
| 2 | Province formerly of one’s birth (5) |
| NATAL DD |
|
| 3 | Shell dropped by strike drone (3) |
| HUM |
|
| 4 | Old roses you texted about, short of a bouquet (9) |
| ODOURLESS (Old roses, U)* |
|
| 6 | Sum a union arranged with no opposition (9) |
| UNANIMOUS (Sum a union)* |
|
| 7 | What you and yours have as undies (1-6) |
| Y-FRONTS Since both “you” and “yours” start with Y |
|
| 8 | Leak slowly goes around (4) |
| SEEP PEES<=“around” |
|
| 9 | No team players left a single football club (4,6) |
| LONE WOLVES L(eft) + ONE, “a single” + WOLVES, “football club” Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., I presume |
|
| 13 | Fair about to host a Democrat right in the middle (4,6) |
| DEAD CENTRE DECENT, “fair” + RE, “about” with A + D(emocrat) inserted …In the words of Texas populist politician and author Jim Hightower, “There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.” |
|
| 16 | Swimmer and teacher welcoming time over coffee (9) |
| RISTRETTO OTTER, “Swimmer” + T(ime) + SIR, “teacher” <=“over” RISTRETTO is Italian for “restricted” or “shortened” and a caffè ristretto is a “short shot” of a highly concentrated espresso, with a fuller, sweeter taste. …NHO. Sounds delicious. Seriously wondering where I can get one. |
|
| 17 | World on course finally for growth, often flaky (5,4) |
| PLANE TREE PLANET, “World” + RE, “on” + |
|
| 18 | Old-fashioned ingredient of beers (7) |
| BITTERS DD …The old-fashioned recently became my new favorite cocktail. I love Angostura BITTERS! |
|
| 20 | Scornful comment retracted saving theologian’s blushes (7) |
| REDDENS SNE(DD)ER<=“retracted” DD = “Doctor of Divinity,” “theologian” |
|
| 22 | Sports field not opening for long (4) |
| ITCH |
|
| 24 | Come to where mourners gather (5) |
| AWAKE A WAKE |
|
| 27 | Reserve endlessly subject to verbal abuse (3) |
| BOO BOO |
|
Thank you for all this.
But for 17ac: pHoton is the particle of light. Here, pRoton, is the positively charged atomic particle.
Ha! Right. THANKS. What a weird crossing of wires. A photon actually has no charge.
I can’t remember anything about this one, but it took me ages. DNK the football club, RISTRETTO, wondered about ‘flaky’ until I looked up plane tree.