Solving time: 25 minutes
There were some tricky bits and pieces here, including an answer I never heard of, but the cluing was fair and I found it quite easy especially in the light of rather too many recent struggles.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Angle this writer primarily adopted, lacking animal feed (8) |
| FISHMEAL | |
| FISH (angle), ME (this writer), A{dopted} + L{acking} [primarily] | |
| 6 | Composer briefly associated with a Hindu god (6) |
| BRAHMA | |
| BRAHM{s} (composer), [briefly], A | |
| 9 | Rascal nearly closed paper, swallowing hallucinatory drug (6) |
| TOERAG | |
| TO (nearly closed – door) + RAG (paper) containing [swallowing] E (hallucinatory drug) | |
| 10 | Exchanging small place in East London (8) |
| SWAPPING | |
| S (small), WAPPING (place in East London – E1). Fortress Wapping was the famous symbol of Rupert Murdoch’s battle with the print unions in the 1980s. | |
| 11 | Young hawk in European state making a comeback (4) |
| EYAS | |
| E (European), SAY (state) reversed [making a comeback]. NHO this and apart from a couple of Mephistos this is its first appearance in the TfTT era since 2006 and before I started contributing as a commenter. On that occasion it was defined as a nestling. SOED defines it as: A young hawk in the nest, or taken from it for training; a hawk whose training is incomplete. | |
| 12 | Lacking justification, as dispossessed cricket club may be? (10) |
| GROUNDLESS | |
| A straight definition with a cryptic in support | |
| 14 | Girl embracing soldier, perhaps, in Mediterranean port (8) |
| ALICANTE | |
| ALICE (girl) containing [embracing] ANT (soldier, perhaps). Spanish port. | |
| 16 | Opening of oyster bar in Scottish resort (4) |
| OBAN | |
| O{yster) [opening], BAN (bar) | |
| 18 | Hairstyle brought back in superior fashion (4) |
| AFRO | |
| Hidden and reversed [brought back in] {superi}OR FA{shion} | |
| 19 | Bully pinching hair confiner — hers, maybe? (8) |
| BRUNETTE | |
| BRUTE (bully) containing [pinching] NET (hair confiner). The definition refers back to the hairnet. | |
| 21 | Uncultivated grammarian, one pursuing game (10) |
| WILDFOWLER | |
| WILD (uncultivated), FOWLER (grammarian). Henry Watson Fowler (1858-1933). | |
| 22 | Change course, finding equestrian gear (4) |
| TACK | |
| Two meanings, neither of them cryptic | |
| 24 | Chap needing hot water in W African state (8) |
| BENJAMIN | |
| JAM (hot water – trouble or a tricky situation) contained by [in] BENIN (W African state) | |
| 26 | Riddle in French initially intriguing key family member (6) |
| ENIGMA | |
| EN (in, French), I{ntriguing} [initially], G (key), MA (family member) | |
| 27 | Female victim of murder on island (6) |
| ISABEL | |
| IS (island), ABEL (victim of murder by brother Cain) | |
| 28 | Cold wind enveloping plant in cathedral city (8) |
| EASTERLY | |
| ELY (cathedral city) containing [enveloping] ASTER (plant) | |
| Down |
|
| 2 | Mild sarcasm from fellow in City regularly (5) |
| IRONY | |
| RON (fellow) contained by [in] {c}I{t}Y [regularly] | |
| 3 | Instrument mixed choirs finally confused with another (11) |
| HARPSICHORD | |
| HARP (another instrument), anagram [mixed] of CHOIRS, then {confuse}D [finally]. I can see an alternative parsing that works just as well but this is the one I’ve gone with. | |
| 4 | Attractive, getting involved (8) |
| ENGAGING | |
| Two meanings, neither of them cryptic | |
| 5 | Suffer financial depletion, just before the fall? (4,4,7) |
| LOSE ONES BALANCE | |
| Two definitions of sorts | |
| 6 | Alcoholic drink, something the setter would appreciate, it’s said (6) |
| BEAUNE | |
| Sounds like [it’s said] “bone” (something the setter – dog – would appreciate). A red burgundy wine produced in the district around Beaune. | |
| 7 | Current measure a national leader set up (3) |
| AMP | |
| A, PM (national leader) reversed [set up] | |
| 8 | His fate disheartened men working in part of pit (9) |
| MINESHAFT | |
| Anagram [working] of HIS FATE M{e}N [disheartened] | |
| 13 | Flowering plant, most unconfined, widely encountered (11) |
| LOOSESTRIFE | |
| LOOSEST (most unconfined), RIFE (widely encountered) | |
| 15 | Sublimity of some poetry son’s absorbing frequently (9) |
| LOFTINESS | |
| LINES (some poetry) + S (son) containing absorbing OFT (frequently). SOED: sublimity – the state of being dignified or lofty in bearing. | |
| 17 | Accommodates at least four pints without hesitation (8) |
| QUARTERS | |
| QUARTS (at least four pints) containing [without] ER (hesitation). A quart is two pints, so ‘quarts’ must be at least four. To quarter somebody is to provide them with accommodation. | |
| 20 | Strait-laced class, at Lancing originally (6) |
| FORMAL | |
| FORM (class), A{t} + L{ancing} [originally]. Lancing College is a public school near Worthing. | |
| 23 | Eccentric English lord’s first form of desert transport? (5) |
| CAMEL | |
| CAM (eccentric), E (English), L{ord} [’s first]. Collins: cam – a moving piece of machinery, as a wheel or projection on a wheel, that gives an eccentric rotation or a reciprocating motion to another wheel, a roller, a shaft, etc., or that receives such motion from it | |
| 25 | Patient man’s line of business (3) |
| JOB | |
| Two meanings. The Biblical figure was renowned for his patience during periods of great suffering. | |
TOERAG took a while. Is a “rascal” really “a contemptible or despicable person”? That’s the only definition for TOERAG in Collins (echoed by Dictionary.com). Actually, I find that this sort of matches the first definition of “rascal” in both British and American dictionaries (“disreputable”), but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it as implying anything but mischievousness—usually referring to children.
I found this straightforward, held up a bit at the end with the BEAUNE/BRAHMA clues. I assumed I’d never heard of the Hindu god, which I haven’t, but I have heard of Brahmins and BRAHMs made it all work. I also wondered about TOERAG as a rascal (which seems playful rather than despicable). Also spent too long trying to think of an African state with a J in the middle, before realizing the clue doesn’t work like that.
13:02
I was worried about 11ac when I read the clue, but the checkers reminded me of the hawk, although why I knew EYAS I can’t say; probably Shakespeare. Biffed LOOSESTRIFE, on the grounds that it wasn’t SPEEDWELL; never did parse it. Biffed HARPSICHORD because it fit, never parsed it.
I got to eyas quite quickly but only because it came up in yesterday’s Polygon which is not a puzzle I do every day.
I had not heard of the wine so had to look that one up. Finally got to it after looking at a list of liquors, followed by cocktails, followed by wines!
it is just me or are there a lot of names in this crossword?
Not just you!
EYEBRIGHT is the other bi-syllabic crossword land ‘Flowering plant’ that came to mind for me.
That’s one I don’t recall.
Probably was from Shakespeare, Hamlet to be precise; that’s how I know it – it’s used pejoratively for the child actors who were then fashionable on the Elizabethan stage, referring both to their youth and their noisiness.
As for the crossword, I struggled to get on the wavelength and gave up a little early; had I persevered, I still would probably have DNF’ed, since I have never heard of “LOOSESTRIFE” and I don’t think it would have occurred to me even with the checkers and the wordplay; I’ll never know.
Loosestrife has shown up here a few times, which why I mentioned it with speedwell, which also has.
I would agree, pretty easy for experienced solvers. I can’t remember if I knew eyas from Mephisto or not, but it felt right. I was Beaune that was the toughest, even though I considered that a setter might be a dog. Alicante had to be constructed, but at least the cryptic was clear.
Time: 20 minutes
I made a bit of a meal of this, clocking in at 26:55
Held up by several minutes by my LOI BEAUNE, even with B-A-N- I struggled for ages. Not a wine connoisseur obvs!
Thanks Jack and setter
Steve
Note to self – must drink more red wine. I resorted to aids when unable to think of an alcoholic drink to fit B-A-N-, and google gave me the Irish distillery, so in went BOANN’S.
If it helps, I had also never heard of BEAUNE, so went for BRAINS, the South Wales ale
DNF. BEAUNE? Never ‘eard of it, and I wasn’t helped by swapping (swopping?) between Wapping and Wopping. Eventually decided it must be BEAUNS, but I’d thrown in the towel by then so looked it up to confirm and stumbled across the correct answer.
Before that I’d slowed things down with an ill-judged FETCHING instead of ENGAGING, but I was happy to get ALICANTE and LOOSESTRIFE via the cryptics.
No complaints. Well played setter, thanks Jack.
I got Beaune straight away, but I have holidayed there. It’s not a village, it’s a medium sized town, population about 20,000 and it is very much the capital of the Burgundy wine region, so it’s a bit surprising, to me anyway, that so many people commenting here have never heard of it: but then I hadn’t heard of “loosestrife”; different strokes for different folks…
I learned long ago not to be surprised at such things Adolpho. I’ve seen Tamil Nadu (population 72 million) described here as overly obscure.
Not being much of an oenophile my knowledge of European wine-growing regions is limited to what I’ve gleaned from these puzzles. I’ll add this one to the list.
DNF on the NHO BEAUNE, probably could have got it but still wouldn’t have liked it. Proper wordplay for less common answers, please!
Thanks setter & Jack.
Nah, DNF. The NHOs BEAUNE, WILDFOWLER and LOOSESTRIFE did it for me but well done to those who breezed through it. I thought it was tough today.
35 mins so average time . Two NHO’s, EYAS & LOOSESTRIFE, but both gettable from wp.
I am surprised how many solvers have not heard of BEAUNE, being the home of some of France’s greatest reds including the Grand Cru vineyards, le Corton and Corton-Charlemage, and any number of Premier Crus as well. It’s one of my favourite towns in France.
I liked LOSE ONES BALANCE too.
Thanks Jack and setter.
In keeping with the habit of Burgundian villages to name themselves after their most famous Grand Cru vineyard, Corton (including the Charlemagne bits) is in Aloxe-Corton, although there is a little bit of Charlemagne in Pernand-Vergelesses. Beaune has no Grand Cru vineyards. The wine can also be white. 🤓
I agree, Beaune has no Grands Crus. However what I was referring to was the Côte de Beaune and I should have made this clearer. My apologies. And, yes, that would then include Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet etc.
Fair enough. As you know Le Montrachet is so good that two villages (Puligny and Chassagne) include it in their names! Otherwise the Côte de Beaune is generally rather lacking in Grand Crus, with none in Meursault, Volnay or Pommard as well as Beaune.
41m 34s
For 19ac, ‘hair confiner’ led me towards ‘barrette’ initially.
25 minutes with LOI BEAUNE a nice PDM. That and WILDFOWLER are my joint CODs.I constructed EYAS, as no doubt I will have to if it ever comes up again. Enjoyable. Thank you Jack and setter.
16′, but with a very careless ‘Isobel’.
Knew EYAS from Polygon, LOOSESTRIFE from back of memory, and BEAUNE only from crosswords.
Thanks jack and setter.
It’s a regular in the Polygon. I thought they were specifically young kestrels, which are falcons not hawks. Obviously not.
Quick today, but enjoyable. LOI was Beaune, just a tricky word to find and not my first alcoholic drink thought, even though I’ve actually been there. One of those wine towns, like St Emilion, that oozes wealth from every pore.
I put PRIMAL at first for 20dn, a word that very nearly fits the clue, needed the duckshooter to put me right
Yep, there’s money in them there hills!
I don’t like red Burgundy (gasp!) because I don’t like pinot noir. When I want to smell a farmyard, I will visit one.
But white Burgundy is to die for..
If you think pinot smells like a farmyard, you have been drinking the wrong pinot.
Maybe .. but I am far from alone, as you will see if you google it. Here is the London Wine Academy: scroll down to “farmyard:”
https://londonwineacademy.com/wine-tasting-terms/
The London Wine Academy also needs to drink better Burgundy! The smell of farmyard is a fault.
I think keriothe is referring to the wild yeast Brettanomyses, a wild yeast often found in wineries and sometimes in wine barrels. Particularly prevalent in Burgundy and some parts of the Rhône valley. In the New World, it’s definitely considered a wine fault. In Burgundy it’s part of the « terroir » and adds to the complexity of the wine. The debate has been running on for ages and will no doubt continue to do so!
Indeed. Brett is – thankfully – much less prevalent and tolerated in Burgundy than it used to be. Personally I particularly hate it in Pinot Noir and am generally on the side of the new world on this question!
One of the nicest wines to cross my palate of late was a Pinot Noir from Oregon which Mrs. C brought home from a tasting event. Unfortunately it’s £29 a bottle (and that’s at wholesale prices) so won’t be added to the everyday cellar any time soon.
I bet it didn’t smell of farmyard!
I thought I might add this helpful summary:
https://www.decanter.com/features/wine-flaws-characterful-to-a-fault-245568/4/
Personally, I quite like a little bit of farmyard/forest floor/mushroom in a Pinot Noir (or Nebbiolo, for that matter), as I think it adds to the complexity, but it can certainly be overdone!
It was intended as something of a throwaway remark .. actually there are several additional reasons why I don’t like Burgundian pinot noir, including value for money and lack of body .. please don’t anyone reply telling me I’m wrong. I just am not keen on it, and that’s that.
With such a vast array of wines to choose from, one has to narrow the field somehow…
Forest floor yes, mushroom sometimes, farmyard no!
In response to Jerry’s point below, there’s of course no such thing as wrong, and pinot is undoubtedly neither full-bodied nor (especially, and increasingly, Burgundy) reasonably priced, alas.
And there are ample opportunities to find wine that smells like a farmyard all over the world 😉
Me too, said the dog
Sorry Jerry – I really didn’t mean to sound like I was having a go! (If that’s what you thought.)
I just thought that the description of Brett as a wine fault and the flavour compounds it creates was quite helpful. I’d definitely agree that a lot of red Burgundy doesn’t represent good value for money – you have to be a squillionaire to afford it. I’m also with you drinking white Burgundy, but that’s becoming prohibitively expensive, too.
Anyway, glass in hand, to your very good health!
Mark
12:16. Held up at the end by BEAUNE where I resorted to an alphabet trawl before thinking of it. I wondered if there was any significance to the pairing of Benjamin and Isabel. Thanks Jackkt and setter.
About 20 mins
Trickier than yesterday with a couple of unknowns where I had to rely on the wordplay.
Thanks, jack.
33:54 but with yet another typo.
Fat fingers/lack of proof reading is my Achilles heel/s. Otherwise I made rather a meal of this, not helped by a number of unknowns, but the cluing was generally generous so no complaints.
Thanks to both.
About 20 minutes.
Didn’t know BEAUNE but thought it sounded like a kind of wine; spent ages on FISHMEAL, as when I see ‘angle’ in a clue I’m always slow to think of the fishing meaning; never heard of EYAS so had to trust the wordplay; not really familiar with WILDFOWLER either, though I did know the grammarian; LOOSESTRIFE likewise went in on trust.
Thanks setter and blogger.
FOI Irony
LOI Wildfowler
COD Mineshaft
9:49. No problems today. EYAS seemed vaguely familiar – probably from Mephisto – and the wordplay was clear.
I’ve been to Beaune a few times. Bit of a one os town.
Very good.
Ha ha
Careless ‘Brahms’, so DNF.
35′ but a DNF. A few NHOs that I was able to get through wordplay, LOOSESTRIFE and WILDFOWLER (we were given a copy of Fowler when I joined the civil service for a short time). But BEAUNE was beyond me (and I also had a peek to see if EYAS was correct). “To” in TOERAG went unparsed until I got here. Thanks Jackkt and setter.
Despite a slow start I was down to one clue after 6 minutes….
FOI EYAS
LOI BEAUNE *
COD WILDFOWLER
TIME 10:22
* Possibly the longest successful alpha trawl I’ve ever undergone. I was very close to a DNF.
20:29
I enjoyed this. NHO LOOSESTRIFE or EYAS. TOERAG and rascal seem quite a long way apart to me.
LOI was BEAUNE -a toss-up between that and WILFOWLER for COD.
Thanks to Jack and teh setter.
11:41
My only real hold-up was with FISHMEAL where I really couldn’t see what was going on, and didn’t know the word.
I was also too slow to get ALICANTE seeing as we’re off for a weekend break there in a couple of weeks.
BEAUNE familiar enough.
I remember, from countless decades ago, Mad magazine’s parody of Moby-Dick, which began, “Call me Fishmeal”. The only time I’ve ever seen the word.
Fond memories from childhood. Amazingly, Mad magazine is still going …
That pun also occurred to me (it’s pretty obvious; don’t think I’ve ever seen that issue of Mad), but I didn’t think of any way to use it in a comment.
I think we had a similar reaction when INCHMEAL was clued many years ago.
Pun times for everyone.
I essayed PRIMAL at 20d – straightlaced (class) PRIM A(t) L(ancing) with originally as the definition doing double duty. Fowler put me straight. As Glen says, a lot of proper nouns in this one: just as well we don’t have to worry about capital letters. 17.04, no meaunes.
😊
51 minutes, eventually using aids for BEAUNE, where all I could think of for setter was me or something that sets a gel, never even understood it at the end. Which makes me think I’m losing it a bit, because it’s the sort of thing I’d have seen easily once. Rather agree with Guy about TOERAG.
This will not add to the sum of knowledge but the first time I came across the Beaune/Bone joke was courtesy of Michael Flanders.
Borrowing the format of the children’s counting song:
‘This old man, he played one,
He played knick-knack on my thumb (or drum).
With a knick-knack paddywhack,
Give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home’,
Flanders then destroyed De Gaulle in his song All Gall:
(the last verse)
This old man NINE AND TEN,
He’ll play Nick till God knows when;
Cognac, Armagnac, Burgundy and Beaune,
This old man thinks he’s Saint Joan!
Great stuff! I should have thought of that and referenced it in the blog. Perhaps I can make up for it now by posting this link All Gall where you can listen to the whole song.
After the Lord Mayor’s show…those delusions of adequacy were mercilessly exposed today, though I did persevere.
Very stuck in the top left, where nothing required would come to mind. LOI was TOERAG. Must remember partially closed = to.
Partially mollified by BEAUNE being a write in once I had the B.
29:10
DNF
Too many NHOs to be enjoyable. Gave up with three to go at 40 mins. EYAS, WILDFOWLER (not heard of the word or the grammarian) and LOOSESTRIFE did for me.
32 minutes. Harder than yesterday but not too bad. I was stuck on BEAUNE at the end but saw it when the correct sense of ‘setter’ came to mind.
Is OBAN a ‘resort’? Er…, maybe, maybe not.
I resort to it when Laphroaig isn’t available.
Certainly not the last resort! I prefer Jura 10 yo but Oban is pretty nice.
Well, the Wikipedia entry starts, “Oban is a resort town…”
30 mins. Put in BRAHMS for a while not understanding why till the eureka moment. That left BEAUNE to get. I asked my dog what she’d like. Clever crossworder, my dog.
I found this fairly easy but could not finish. I did not know the grammarian or the hunter and without either GK I’m not sure how I could have got there? When the word play reveals unknown GK it’s a welcome opportunity to learn a new word. When the answer is familiar, but the word play complex, it’s fun to unravel the setter’s intent. Unfortunately combining the two created a dead end for me. Grumble.
Found this an easy one, more Monday than Tuesday, all done in 15 minutes, with BEAUNE last in once I saw it wasn’t BRANDY which didn’t fit. I think I’ve seen EYAS before, anyway it rang a bell.
DNF here
Should have got LOSE ONES BALANCE really, so that’s on me.
NHO BEAUNE – if you didn’t know it, the wordplay was ho help whatsoever so I think I kind of gave up on cracking the others earlier than I would have. EASTERLY now looks obvious, of course.
22:15 – All slotted in easily enough, including BEAUNE, which seems to have caused more trouble than I would have expected. Beaune is a beautiful town and the glazed-tile roof of the Hospices building is spectacular.
Hi galspray and Mark Calverley. Thank you for your responses to my comment about the golf card game yesterday. Your interest prompted me to look for it online and I found it here:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/26673/kargo#buyacopy
As you will see there is one of those ‘branding misspellings’ in the name such that it is KARGO not CARGO. I must say I did believe that I remembered the odd spelling from all those years ago (I guess that’s branding for you!) but I couldn’t be sure and I didn’t have time to look it up so I spelt it ‘naturally’.
Although it is listed here as a board game it is not – it is a pure card game. Unfortunately I couldn’t find one for sale on the web and I am now kicking myself for not going through my parents’ possessions more carefully after their passing because that game does bring back happy memories for me.
As to today’s crossword, not too difficult although it took me a while to see BEAUNE (LOI). Many thanks to setter (hope you enjoy your BEAUNE as you tell us you would appreciate it!) and to Jack for the blog.
Interesting – thank you. (My real name slipped the net yesterday)
Ah, that did have me wondering!
Thanks Astarte. I can see a couple of options for buying it online.
Hoyles Oxford have a 1936 version in “fair condition” at 12 pounds (only one in stock) and there’s at least one vintage version on ebay.
Feel free to grab the Hoyles one, I’m probably better off with ebay.
Thanks very much!
10:35, no great hold-ups with a brief pause while I discovered that, like others, my definitions of TOERAG and “rascal” are sufficiently different to make that one a little tricky. Previous travels in crosswordland have prepared me for the likes of EYAS, even though I have no reason to disbelieve our blogger’s claim that it hasn’t appeared for the best part of two decades.
Having NHO BEAUNE, I tried to construct something that could sound like bone and ended up with the unlikely boanne.
Definitely more challenging that yesterday, but an enjoyable exercise nonetheless, all done in 30 minutes. I was held up for a while in the SE corner, but then I found the BRUNETTE and the rest fell into place. Good to see a setter referring to man’s best friend for a change. MER at TOERAG, as others have said.
FOI – OBAN (Yes, it is a resort. One of my nephews lives there and always complains about the traffic and parking during the season)
LOI – BEAUNE
COD – BENJAMIN, for the clever misdirection
Thanks to jackkt and other contributors.
33’10”
Going very well until until squeezed for room final furlong.
Baulked by the Beaune; shouldn’t have been as it was a favourite in my extravagant youth. I stick to cheaper sunny wines from further south these days.
Still, under par with only the mineshaft tidied up in retrospect.
A tricky Tuesday; thank you setter and Jack.
No time for this one as I did it sitting in a hospital waiting area before a required procedure. I found it relatively straightforward, the crossword I mean, apart from 6dn which had me scratching my head. This was not a good idea as I was visiting hospital to have something removed from the top of my head!
I even thought of an alternative answer to the one required with BRAINS. Brains brewery is pretty well known in South Wales, and virtually any drinker in this neck of the woods will have downed a pint of Brains bitter. As the clue suggested, any of the setters would appreciate having the grey matter!
It’s what your Brains are for! (advert from the 70s)
One of my top 5 pints in the country, along with Ringwood, and of course the peerless Bathams. Perm any other two from about ten others depending on my mood.
Unfortunately I don’t think Brains travels very well, and Bathams can only be found in their twelve pubs around Stourbridge, Kidderminster and the Black Country. The resulting trek is however worth every penny.
It’s a regular in the Polygon. I thought they were specifically young kestrels, which are falcons not hawks. Obviously not.
27.06
Interestingly slower than some folks I’m normally quicker than and faster than a couple I’m not.
Anyways, omitting to think of the necessary type of angle delayed the first part of 1ac which also delayed a few that quickly followed when I did finally get it.
Haven’t been doing Polygon recently but did so yesterday so kicking myself for not checking the meaning of EYAS
BEAUNE was a toughie but did know the wine. Also liked the NHO flower clue
Thanks Jackkt and setter
Also beaten by BEAUNE, which is perhaps at the lesser known end of French plonk. NHO EYAS, either, but clue was generous. Otherwise enjoyed this one, particularly WILDFOWLER.
Here in Wales, Brains beer is very popular. I prefer my answer to the NHO “Beaune” 🙂
A fabulous pint!
DNF, used cheating machine.
6d BEAUNE. I BIFD BRANDY for a while which slowed me. I thought the setter was a person setting bones, but the dog works better.
Was in Beaune once and asked for a bottle of vin du pays and was SHOCKED by the price, which I declined to pay OBV. So I bought some plonk at a different establishment.
Cheated for 9a TOERAG.
NHO (more likely have forgot) 11a EYAS. I disbelieved in it and looked it up, 3d HARPSICHORD looking difficult and I guessed (wrongly) letter 5 would not be S.
I am another who knew of Fowler from the Civil Service where I spent 13 years. Didn’t rate his book tho’; too slow.
Both FISHMEAL(s) and FISH MEAL (uncountable) were absent from my cheating machine.
Enjoyed this, didn’t know loosestrife or eyas, but they were generously clued.
No problems with Beaune, it is 2022 burgundy time from The Wine Society at present, and I have just invested in a few. As has been mentioned earlier, some of the prices for burgundy wines are eye watering. £1500 for a bottle of white anyone?
Struggled today and eventually DNF. Defeated by Beaune which I was surprised at as a dedicated alky – I have heard of it but it just did not come to mind. Also wildfowler which I have never heard of and I did not know the grammarian so filling in the blanks was not possible.
Anyone else with a mer at loftiness for sublimity? Held me up for ages as I needed all the checkers and had been thinking more loveliness or similar. Biffing updo for the hairdo made it even more elusive of course.
Excellent puzzle thanks J and setter
I had Up do as well – it parses, too, as a retro hair style (brought back) superior (up) fashion (do in the ‘make’ sense), and the tricky O crosses properly. Held me up for a long time on Loftiness.
That’s nothing!
https://hedonism.co.uk/product/corton-charlemagne-coche-dury-2010
I, for one, especially appreciate the “you might also like” alternatives.
Why does it have to be an alternative? Just get a bottle of each!
Excellent idea. Changing my order with Hedonism forthwith.
After 30 minutes I was left with B-A-N-. After numerous alphabet trawls, I failed to come up with the answer despite considering gels, dogs and the cruciverbal variety of setters. I resorted to Google and kicked myself. It’s a wine I have drunk, but not for many years, so it eluded me. I submitted off leaderboard at 37:30 and the rest was correct, even the unknown EYAS. I evaded the BRAHMS trap too. Thanks setter and Jack.
Some fairly easy clueing with a few barely knowns or NHOs holding me up at the end. BEAUNE came as soon as I thought of ‘bone’ for the setter. The right hand side was fully complete before I really got into the left and I struggled quite a bit with most of those. Eventually left with 1a, 3d, 21a, 15d and 14a. LOFTINESS (hardly sublime!) gave me ALICANTE, which in turn opened up HARPSICHORD. The barely known WILDFOWLER came with those crossers, having already assumed Fowler. LOI was the obscure FISHMEAL, where again, I assumed meal, but was still looking for a geometric angle.
Beaten by BEAUNE, it’s unfortunate when it’s a homophone clue for a word you have never heard.
Shame because I’d enjoyed the rest but even after several alphabet trawls nothing came to mind. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Thanks to the blogger.
DNF on BEAUNE (didn’t think of that sort of setter, durr) and TOERAG (“rascal”?). 25 mins for the rest. I’m slowly improving, I think, but I can only dream of having delusions of adequacy!
Many thanks, Jack.