Nothing exceptional, for me, in this puzzle, apart from what I think is a clueing error in 1d (see below). 20 minutes to do and parse, then look up 8a afterwards to see who he was, and reminisce about Peter Noone and his Hermits.EDIT it appears I was incorrect about 1d and had mis-worked the anagrist, so apologies to setter and editor for invoking a booboo.
EDIT I foolishly tried to edit a bit on my phone and now the HTML has gone haywire, introduced a big gap between Across and Down clues, but I can’t see why it has appeared or any errors; please bear with it, or let me know what needs changing to fix it.
Across |
1 |
Savoury jelly originally served in a popular film (5) |
|
ASPIC – A, PIC (popular film) insert S from served. |
4 |
Lie by river accommodating alien Yankee craft (8) |
|
BASKETRY – BASK (lie), ET (alien) by R(iver) Y(ankee). |
8 |
Old French monk? He’s involved with their tempter! (5,3,6) |
|
PETER THE HERMIT – (HE THEIR TEMPTER)*. I had to look up this chap after solving the anagram, Pierre l’Ermite was an eleventh century monk from Amiens who went on the First Crusade and came back. L’Ermite was most likely his surname, he wasn’t a troglodyte. |
10 |
Practised parking English undertaker’s vehicle in road (9) |
|
REHEARSED – E, HEARSE, inside RD. |
11 |
Retired teacher greeting Hindu sage (5) |
|
RISHI – SIR reversed, HI. Rishi is a Vedic term for “enlightened one”, good to know; Mr Sunak for one. |
12 |
Singer reversed test, having ultimately scant appeal (6) |
|
TOMTIT – MOT (annual car test) reversed, T (end of scant) IT (appeal). |
14 |
Split from company at first, taking holiday, pocketing a grand (8) |
|
CLEAVAGE – C(ompany), LEAVE, insert A G. |
17 |
Tirade in Irish islands ultimately scathing in tone (8) |
|
HARANGUE – HUE = tone, insert ARAN (Irish islands) and G from end of scathing. |
18 |
University originally paying part of castle’s running costs (6) |
|
UPKEEP – U, P(aying), KEEP (part of castle). |
20 |
Plankton: prey rorquals principally swallowed (5) |
|
KRILL – prey = KILL, insert R(orquals). |
22 |
Colleague’s wife teacher stumbled over first (9) |
|
BEDFELLOW – B.Ed (teacher) FELL (stumbled) O(ver) W(ife). |
24 |
Final, formal brushoff for Augustus or Gwen? (4,4,6) |
|
DEAR JOHN LETTER – Reference to Augustus and Gwen John, brother and sister artists. |
25 |
Learners of French involved in daring escapades (8) |
|
STUDENTS – DE (of in French) inside STUNTS. |
26 |
Astute waif initially avoided scrap (5) |
|
SHRED – SHREWD (astute) loses the W of waif. |
Down |
1 |
Communist administrators that endlessly pack Paris, oddly (12) |
|
APPARATCHIKS – anagram of THA PARIS PACK. Not THAT PARIS PAC as I initially proposed. |
2 |
Playing area perfect for some musicians (5) |
|
PITCH – double definition; play on a pitch, have perfect pitch meaning have the ability to recognise or create a note without a reference tone. |
3 |
Bloomer in motor race (9) |
|
CARNATION – CAR (motor) NATION (race). |
4 |
Most advisable to accept the governor’s command (6) |
|
BEHEST – Insert HE (His Excellency) into BEST (most advisable). |
5 |
Agenda revolutionary Law Lord set up in Home Counties (8) |
|
SCHEDULE – CHE (Guevara) and LUD reversed inside SE (South East of England). |
6 |
Wrongdoing of troublesome brat the head expelled (5) |
|
ERROR – TERROR loses his T. |
7 |
Bring back control say (9) |
|
REINSTATE – REIN (control) STATE (say). |
9 |
Deprived of authority, we’d some pride destroyed (12) |
|
DISEMPOWERED – (WE’D SOME PRIDE)*. |
13 |
Slip up in dumbshow, not ignoring Oscar’s mirth (9) |
|
MERRIMENT – ERR in MIME, followed by N(o)T = not ignoring Oscar. |
15 |
Sufficiency of drink surrounding politician on loch (9) |
|
AMPLENESS – ALE around MP then Loch NESS. |
16 |
Colour of barrel upset by British private (8) |
|
NUTBROWN – TUN reversed, BR(itish), OWN = private. |
19 |
Comely youth in farmstead on island (6)
|
|
ADONIS – hidden as above. |
21 |
Sensational start to lecture union leader delivered (5) |
|
LURID – L(ecture) U(nion) RID = delivered. |
23 |
Sell up, leaving island subsequently (5) |
|
LATER – RETAIL = sell, up = LIATER, remove I for island. |
Edited at 2021-02-17 07:25 am (UTC)
lud noun. E18.
[ORIGIN Repr. a pronunc.]
1 = lord noun 5. Chiefly as interjection. arch. E18.
2 m’lud, my lud = my lord (e) s.v. lord noun, used as a form of address to a judge in a court of law. M19.
Edited at 2021-02-17 07:33 am (UTC)
My FOI was DISEMPOWERED and then proceeded in a clockwise direction from SE round to NE.
I agree with Isla3 and Kevin’s interpretation of APPARATCHIKS. i seem to remember when I first came across the word in a cryptic I was convinced it ended …TCHNIKS.
Clever that we had two types of teacher: SIR and B.ED
COD to HARANGUE. I was originally looking for a word that meant ‘scathing in tone’.
He’s a real big spender.
20 mins with LOI Dear John. Mostly I liked Reinstate.
Is this the phantom start/end indicator setter? Originally, ultimately, at first, ultimately (again), originally (again), principally, initially, endlessly, the head, leader, start to.
Too many IMHO.
Thanks setter and Pip.
Edited at 2021-02-17 07:50 am (UTC)
Didn’t know Gwen; don’t remember any sight of her in the Rodin museum where she lived with the sculptor.
Andyf
Edited at 2021-02-17 08:27 pm (UTC)
Are all those birds an ERROR or fiddle?
But my HARANGUE is paused
With the MERRIMENT caused
By TIT CLEAVAGE, right in the middle!
Edited at 2021-02-17 10:32 am (UTC)
Straightforward. Thanks pip.
I had no idea about Augustus and Gwen while solving. I’ve heard of Augustus John but for some reason the presence of Gwen put me off the scent. Unconscious sexism no doubt: I will submit myself for training. It seems I jumped the gun with my farmer-who-got-a-John-Deere-letter gag the other day.
Edited at 2021-02-17 10:20 am (UTC)
Today very nearly wasn’t, as my post solve check revealed a typo, and then took time and the careful study of anagrist to get my (fourth) spelling of APPARATCHIKS right. Works if THAT is endless. Total elapsed time 13.26.
My last in was DEAR JOHN, because I could not see what was passing between Augustus and Gwen. Research has persuaded me that Gwen was the better artist: take a look at the assembled works of Augustus, and there’s something decidedly wonky about them.
And the more I think about it, neither of them would get a Dear John letter (though goodness knows there were plenty of possible occasions). Dear Ms/Mr John?
I obviously don’t “remember” such a time, as I’ve always accepted as “proper” that it was either “dear John” or “dear Mr Johnson”, and “dear Johnson” both looks and sounds peremptory. However clearly fashions change, and in my experience most communications now just start “hi”.
In addition, Dear John letters are written by women to men, so why Gwen John would be a recipient of such is baffling.
It’s a terrible clue as it stands, albeit bifable. But leaving Gwen out of the equation would have at least rendered it merely banal. (Mr Grumpy)
There used to be two pubs at Ludgate Circus, bottom of Fleet St, called the Old King Lud and the New King Lud.
A fun m’lud quotation for you:
Judge: I have listened to all you have to say Mr Smith, and frankly I am none the wiser
FE Smith, QC: No M’lud; but you are much better informed..
No marks for either the history or the etymology but an enduring myth.
Cedric
I tell mine to print in draft, greyscale. Ink, who needs it ..
Edited at 2021-02-17 04:01 pm (UTC)
Thanks to our setter and blogger.
FOI aspic, LOI bedfellow. COD dear john letter. Seemed like there was something for everyone today so more of the same please tomorrow.
Got my first jab on Monday with few if any side effects so a good week in the offing. Oh to able to do a little exploring of pastures new. Can’t be too long away can it?
Edited at 2021-02-18 03:58 am (UTC)
between the Acrosses and the Downs. Shows up on developer mode (CTRL – SHIFT – I) but doesn’t show up on source moide (CTRL -U). Which seems to indicate there’s a problem in Live Journal – inconsistent.
NHO AUGUSTUS and GWEN, not surprising for this LUDdite.
Liked 24ac. There are some beautiful works by both siblings in my local gallery ….( The National Museum of Wales ) . They both had ‘interesting ‘ personal lives. Worth a look on wiki. One day the stasi wil let us back into places where social distancing has always been the norm. ( county cricket too..).
LOI Harangue, a bit of a biff.
Thank you setter and blogger.
Little bits I didn’t parse included B.ed and BROWN — assumed there must be a British private called a brown.
Vaguely heard of Augustus John — no idea about Gwen.
HARANGUE took a while to come, as I was trying to fit ‘rant’ inside another word. And ‘BEd’ isn’t something that occurs as quickly to me as the other options for teacher. Hopefully it will in future.
FOI Reinstate
LOI Dear John letter
COD Rehearsed
Thanks pip and setter.
A second session with coffee after lunch did the trick. DISEMPOWERED was the breakthrough. LOI was PETER THE HERMIT; I had that pencilled in and only saw the anagram late to confirm this entirely unknown person. My other last few were Behest, Schedule and Basketry. COD to CARNATION, but lots of other good ones.
David
An ampleness of merriment is long overdue.
THank you setter and blogger
FOI ASPIC.
Enjoyable, but it has taken most of the afternoon so I don’t think I shall be here very often. Thanks setter and blogger.
Edited at 2021-02-17 04:16 pm (UTC)
FOI ASPIC
LOI BASKETRY
COD DEAR JOHN LETTER
TIME 5:56
LOI 24A: DEAR JOHN LETTER
Accomplished in two sessions of 10 minutes either side of work today. I was surprised to be halfway through when I paused the clock, and was surprised that the other half went in as quickly.
I’ve never heard of Gwen and possibly have a vague recollection of having come across Augustus, but I’d heard of (although not received) a Dear John Letter.
Thanks to pipkirby and the setter
Having only met the QC about 18 months ago, I am now also tackling the 15×15 on a more regular basis, mainly to keep Mrs S company, as the person she always used to “compare notes” with is no longer really doing the puzzle. So I am trying to step up …
And I now think I have formally reached the point where I have lost track of the number of completed solves! One remembers the first time, and the second, and perhaps the next few, but today’s, while not quite the umpteenth yet, was certainly beyond enumeration. Hurrah.
All green (though in a not-very-fast time) but not all parsed — that is a status I have yet to attain. One lives in hope, but meanwhile the blogs are invaluable. Many thanks Pip for today’s!
Cedric
FOI 1ac ASPIC
LOI 24ac DEAR JOHN LETTER
COD 13dn MERRIMENT
WOD 12ac TOMTIT