Solving time 20 minutes
An enjoyable puzzle of average level of difficulty. Some UK centric terms such as BEEB and DG but otherwise a good range of interesting words as answers. Some historical knowledge required from Balaclava to Dallas and a passing acquaintance with the BBC’s Terry Wogan is helpful.
Across | |
---|---|
1 | DOLOMITES – DO-LO-MITES; tourists “DO” Stratford say=visit (briefly); |
6 | BEBOP – BE(e)B-OP; BEEB=phonetic version of BBC; 1940s-1960s jazz of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie; |
9 | STERNAL – STE(RN)AL; RN=Royal Navy; the sternum is the breast bone; |
10 | MANTRAP – MANTRA-P; security device or Cleopatra perhaps; |
11 | SHAWL – SHAW-L; thicket or copse=SHAW; |
12 | TESTIMONY – TEST-I-MON(e)Y; |
13 | REVISION – RE-VISION; about=RE; |
14 | RENO – RENO(wned); The biggest little city in the world; |
17 | MAYA – two meanings 1=illusory world 2=ancient peoples of S America; |
18 | TARTUFFE – (ff+u+treat)*; Molière’s imposter; |
21 | UNSPOTTED – not made out=not seen=UN-SPOTTED; “spotted”=stained so un-spotted=pure; |
22 | RANCH – RAN-CH; |
24 | TRANNIE – TR(ANN)IE(s); slang for transistor radio on which to listen to Terry Wogan; |
25 | GUINEAN – (sanguine minus “s”)*; thought it was a “hidden word” when solving!; |
26 | DODGE – DO(DG)E; DG=Director General (of BBC) made famous by Terry Wogan; |
27 | SYNTHESIS – SYN (sounds like “sin”)-THESIS; synthesis resolves analysis resulting from argument or contra-diction; |
Down | |
1 | DISCS – DISC(u)S; |
2 | LEE,HARVEY,OSWALD – (who slayed reveal)*; official killer of President Kennedy who was himself shot by Jack Ruby; |
3 | MINDLESS – sounds like “mined less”; |
4 | TELETHON – TE(LET-HO)N; more Terry Wogan – a long winded fund raising broadcast; |
5 | SAMOSA – S(AMOS)A; Indian baked pastry with spicy filling; |
6 | BONNIE – BONN(I)E(t); pretty in Perth or Prince Charley; Tyler; and Clyde; take your pick; |
7 | BURN,ONES,FINGERS – weakest clue in the puzzle; |
8 | PUPPY,LOVE – horrid DBE using “young setter” to clue “puppy”; |
13 | REMOUNTED – (tremendously minus sly)*; |
15 | CARDIGAN – two meanings 1=reference James Brudenell, Earl of Cardigan, who either disobeyed or misunderstood Raglan’s orders and led a cavalry charge of the Light Brigade against the Russian guns at Balaclava in Crimean War 1811 (on edit should be 1854); 2=more BBC with Val Doonican’s trademark; |
16 | STARFISH – S(TAR-F-IS)H; F from F(lounder); |
19 | POUNCE – P(anic)-OUNCE; |
20 | ATHENS – AT-HENS; as there are more urban fox than rural, it’s at-dustbins these days; |
23 | HUNTS – two meanings 1=Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridge, where Cromwell came from) 2=illegal chase of rural fox; |
Edited at 2012-09-04 07:53 am (UTC)
Alas for poor 23dn, falling victim after 1,000 years to the unspeakable Grocer Heath
Didn’t know SHAW as ‘copse’ and lost time by putting the more familiar STERNUM at 9ac before 4dn forced a rethink.
No objection to the DBE at 8dn because it’s signalled by the question mark. I think ‘bit of food’ as the definition of SAMOSA is both feeble and desperate and 7dn is a gem by comparison! MAYA had to be a guess with two slightly obscure meanings neither of which I knew for certain.
Edited at 2012-09-04 08:01 am (UTC)
everal sticky points. MAYA, my last in, without knowing the illusory state (and I’ve “done” Philosophy!) was nearly MAYO in desperation, a county not necessarily known for its pensioners and disturbingly real.
MINDLESS – I got the sounslike and the mechanical definition but couldn’t see how the two parts of the clue connected coherently.
BONNIE didn’t succumb until I wrote it out horizontally – I’m finding vertical blindness an increasing affliction.
ATHENS because I failed to separate City and fox. By the by as I understand it, hunting foxes is only illegal if you catch them.
I’m getting used to TARTUFFE who turned up a couple of months ago as a rogue and (I think) recently in the TLS.
CoD to PUPPY LOVE – the ? absolves it from any responsibility, and alone among today’s offering, it made me smile.
I interpreted 7 while solving to refer to matrimony, and since, in that context, much suffering can indeed come through meddling, on balance I rather liked it. The ruse was good too. Compliments to setter and tranniephilic blogger.
Also had to guess the MAYA illusion.
TRANNIE will always be associated in my mind with Radio Luxembourg and later Radio Caroline. I see it has acquired a more modern meaning, of which I was only vaguely aware.
Pedants corner: do STARFISH actually swim? And isn’t it a bit harsh to describe the Charge of the Light Brigade as ridiculous?
Edited at 2012-09-04 01:11 pm (UTC)
Other than a few obscurities, rather straight sailing. I did the whole right half very quickly, but it took me a while to figure out who the murderer must be.
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I did nearly choke on my porridge though at 6’s “latest”. I thought that was only used in another place?
What’s this dead link glheard ? Have we been hijacked again? I shudder to think what Mitt Romney can do for America.
Edited at 2012-09-04 06:07 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2012-09-04 05:44 pm (UTC)