Tuesday’s Independent puzzles tend to be more difficult than most other days. I felt that Scorpion’s puzzle today was a good Tuesday puzzle
Even though I realised fairly early on that the across entries were all related to TREE in some way, I still had to think laterally through the wordplay to come up with something that was another meaning of a type of TREE. Indeed not every TREE allusion related to the leafy objects. At 10 across we needed to think of Sir HERBERT Beerbohm TREE. At 17 across we had a FAMILY TREE. At 21 across we had the crossword setter’s favourite 3 letter golfer, [Ernie] ELS. The allusion here is to ELSTREE film studies. Hands up all those who saw golfer, three letters, and just wrote in ELS without thinking about the relationship to the theme? Just as an aside at 12 across we could also relate to PINEWOOD studios.
Every other across entry is a fully fledged physical TREE, although some are more substantial specimens than others.
Even although we had the theme to help in the across clues, I still found them more difficult to solve than many of the Downs.
My favourite clues today included those for HERBERT [10 across] with well disguised wordplay, ANARCHISTS [7 down] as I vaguely remember the Bow Street Runners did arrest some ANARCHISTS and LARKIN [25 down] which was simple but effective.
I got bogged down on the wordplay at 4 down for a while as I remember a Childrens’ Television presenter called Brian CANT, but I couldn’t get all the wordplay to work down that route. It took a while to make the jump to the CANTABRIAN mountains.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
8
|
Feel unwell playing sport briefly turning purplish (8)
|
(AIL [feel unwell] + ON [playing] + [GAME {sport} excluding the final letter {briefly} E]) all reversed (turning) (MAG NO LIA)< |
MAGNOLIA (a purplish-white colour)
|
|
9
|
A pound gains entry to slopes in ski resort (5)
|
(A + PEN [pound]) containing (gains) S (first letter of [entry to] SLOPES) A (S) PEN |
ASPEN (ski resort in Colorado, United States)
|
|
10
|
Tree camouflaged the masked thief, out of bounds unseen (7)
|
Anagram of (camouflaged) THE containing (masked) (ROBBER [thief] excluding [unseen] OB [out of bounds]) HE (RBER) T* |
HERBERT (reference Sir HERBERT Beerbohm TREE [1852 – 1917], English actor and theatre manager)
|
|
11
|
Cricket ball caught by slip-up in Headingley, just edging… (6)
|
C (caught) + (ERR [slip-up] contained in [in] HY [first and last letters of {just edging} HEADINGLEY]) C H (ERR) Y |
CHERRY (a new cricket ball is known as a CHERRY)
|
|
12
|
…long leg close to rope (4)
|
PIN (leg) + E (final letter of [close to] ROPE)
|
PINE (long)
|
|
14
|
Car collection that’s across the pond (5)
|
LOT (collection of things offered for sale) + US (United States; across the pond)
|
LOTUS (British brand of sports and racing cars)
|
|
16
|
Cockney’s hotpot remains (3)
|
‘ASH ( HASH [mixed dish of meat and vegetables] excluding the leading [as pronounced by a Cockney] H )
|
ASH (remains)
|
|
17
|
Household wing accommodates French friend (6)
|
FLY (wing) containing (accommodates) AMI (French for friend) F (AMI) LY |
FAMILY (household)
|
|
19
|
Mike has money saved to cover flash cocktail (6)
|
M (Mike is the International Radio Communication codeword for the letter M) + (ISA [Individual Savings Account; money saved] containing [to cover] MO [moment; flash]) M I (MO) SA |
MIMOSA (a cocktail made from one part champagne [or other sparkling win] and one part thoroughly chilled citrus fruit juice, usually orange)
|
|
21
|
Golfer periodically missing sulked going round (3)
|
ELS ([SULKED omitting {missing} letters 2, 4 and 6 {periodically}] reversed [going round]) ELS< |
ELS (reference Ernie ELS, South African golfer)
|
|
22
|
Female crew inspired by encouraging cry (5)
|
IV (Roman numerals for 4; four; the number of people in some rowing crews) contained in (inspired by) OLÉ (an exclamation of approval, support or encouragement, sometimes used in English as an expression of triumph) OL (IV) E |
OLIVE (girl’s name; female)
|
|
23
|
Hearts of heroic losers lifted (4)
|
RO (middle letters of [heart of] HEROIC) + SE (middle letters of [heart of] LOSERS)
|
ROSE (lifted)
|
|
24
|
Old comic accepted participating in draw at end of festival (6)
|
(A [accepted] contained in [participating in] LURE [draw]) + L (final letter of [end of] FESTIVAL) L (A) URE L |
LAUREL (reference the comedy duo Stan LAUREL and Oliver HARDY)
|
|
26
|
Tory MP reportedly studied material for cabinet (7)
|
RED (sounds like [reportedly] READ [studied]) + WOOD (material used in making a cabinet)
|
REDWOOD (reference John REDWOOD, Conservative MP for Wokingham and former Cabinet Minister)
|
|
29
|
Churchman always embraces Lord first and last (5)
|
E’ER (ever; always) contains (embraces) LD (first and last letters of LORD) E (LD) ER |
ELDER (one of a class of office-bearers in some Protestant churches)
|
|
30
|
Jumper perhaps that might cover such teachers (8)
|
CHEST (a jumper, in its sense of an item of clothing, will cover the chest) + NUT (National Union of Teachers)
|
CHESTNUT (description of a horse that may be a hurdler or steeplechaser [another meaning of jumper])
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Architect‘s the latest to design number 16 (4)
|
N (final letter of [latest to] DESIGN) + ASH (entry at 16 across) |
NASH (reference John NASH [1752 – 1835], English architect, responsible for much of the design of Regency London)
|
|
2
|
Various such types here joined in French course (6)
|
EN (‘in’ in French) + TREE (there are various kinds of TREEs in all the Across entries)
|
ENTRÉE (a course in a meal, often refers to different courses in different parts of the world))
|
|
3
|
Bondgirl’s outside occasionally nude (4)
|
GL (first and last letters of [outside] GIRL) + UE (letters 2 and 4 of [occasionally] NUDE)
|
GLUE (bond)
|
|
4
|
Brian, coming from Spanish mountains, volunteers a song (7)
|
CANTABRIAN (the CANTABRIAN mountains are located in the north west of Spain) excluding (coming from) BRIAN) + TA (Territorial Army; volunteers)
|
CANTATA (a short oratorio or opera intended for concert performance only; song)
|
|
5
|
Chap with origins in Crumpsall or Chorlton? (4)
|
MAN (chap) + C (first letter of [origins in] either of CRUMPSALL or CHORLTON)
|
MANC (inhabitant of the City of Manchester; both CRUMPSALL and CHORLTON [-CUM-HARDY] are suburbs or electoral districts of Manchester)
|
|
6
|
Son and husband respectively leave meal hurt, seeing human body part (5,3)
|
SUPPER (meal) excluding (leave) S (son) + HARM (hurt) excluding (leave) H (husband)
|
UPPER ARM (part of the human body)
|
|
7
|
A Bow Street resident inside is planning to catch these? (10) |
AN (a) + ARCH (bow) + (ST [street] contained in [resident inside] IS) AN ARCH I (ST) S |
ANARCHISTS (people whose ideal of society is one without government of any kind; people who seek to bring about such a condition by terrorism; people who causes disorder and upheaval. The Bow Street Runners were a prototype police force for London. No doubt they were interested in catching ANARCHISTS along with robers, thieves, arsonists etc)
|
|
13
|
PR person, self-proclaimed treasure and playboy, top to bottom? (5-5)
|
I’M A GEM (someone describing him/herself as a treasure) + (RAKE [debauched or dissolute person; playboy] with the first letter [top] R moved to the end [bottom; down clue]) IM A GE M AKER |
IMAGE-MAKER (Public Relations [PR] person)
|
|
14
|
Officer circling agreed with second-in-command to bring ship to rest (3,2)
|
(LT [lieutenant; officer] containing [circling] AY [agreed]) + O (second letter of [second-in] COMMAND) L (AY) T O |
LAY TO (bring ship to rest)
|
|
15
|
Battle to get criminal out of the soup? (5)
|
CONSOMMÉ (a clear soup made from meat by slow boiling) excluding (to get … out) CON (criminal)
|
SOMME (reference First World War Battle of the SOMME)
|
|
18
|
After shin injured, Manchester United player’s ruined (2,6)
|
Anagram of (injured) SHIN + REDS (a term used to describe Manchester United football club) IN SH* REDS |
IN SHREDS (ruined)
|
|
20
|
Chess writer, master peripherally in charge during match (3,4)
|
(MR [first and last letters of {peripherally} MASTER + IC [in charge]) contained in (during) TIE (match) TI (M R IC) E |
TIM RICE (lyricist [writer] of the Musical Chess)
|
|
23
|
Son probing ancestry finds where people settled? (6)
|
S (son) contained in (probing) ROOTS (expressing or concerned with one’s ethnic or cultural identity;an cestry) ROO (S) TS |
ROOSTS (beds; where people settled)
|
|
25
|
Play about English poet, not popular (4)
|
LARKIN (reference Philip LARKIN [1922 – 1985], English poet) excluding (not) IN (popular)
|
LARK (play about)
|
|
27
|
Contest scheduled on third of July (4)
|
DUE (scheduled) + L (third letter of [third of] JULY)
|
DUEL (contest)
|
|
28
|
Perhaps grass centre in Bridgend hosts popular local sport (4)
|
DG (central letters of [centre in] BRIDGEND) containing (hosts) RU (Rugby Union, a popular sport in Bridgend) D (RU) G |
DRUG (cannabis [grass] is a DRUG)
|
Goodness, Duncan, well done for parsing all these and for spotting the trees. I was relieved just to finish it, and even though we often get a themed puzzle on a Tuesday, as usual it passed me by.
It’s very well put together by Scorpion though. A broad sweep of knowledge required this morning.
I liked MANC – is it not &lit though? The whole clue leads to the answer, no?
Also, many thanks for the parsing. 8 escaped me today and 2 wrong, alas! However, many were findable – but without understanding all the parsing.
I think it is, but it should be ‘origin ‘ not origins.
Not my best ever solve. I needed aids to get the ASPEN/ANARCHISTS crossers, still managed to get MANC wrong (with an unparsed Marc), and failed completely on HERBERT. For the latter I couldn’t see the definition even though I knew the actor in question, and I couldn’t make sense of the wordplay at all. Well done to Duncan for sorting it out, although it really does seem on the tortuous side.
Thanks Duncan after today’s Guardian, there were a few I couldn’t be bothered to fully check, quite an impressive puzzle though.
Not as difficult as last Tuesday in that I nearly finished this. Only 10ac and 2dn eluded me. Although I’d heard of 10ac, the word play was too convoluted for me to get this. And, not noticing the theme at all, I couldn’t get what 2dn was about.
Quite a tough day with Guardian & Ind being both quite obscure. Got there in the end, but the ‘Check’ button had the odd press today!
Thanks Duncan for explaining the one or two which went in but refused to be understood.
Just one tiny correction – in 11 Across you have listed the clue as “…caught by slip-up in Headingly..” rather than “…caught by slip up in Headingly…”, i.e. you’ve dragged your parsing back into the clue!
Thanks again.