Eccles again – we are more than pleased!
As we always say, a fun Wednesday solve – just the job for the middle of yet another lockdown week
T (tenor) RAVEL (composer)
MAN (chap) inside GOURD (squash) – ‘drinking’ is the inclusion indicator, hence the need for ‘on the contrary’
An anagram of WET E (first letter or ‘piece’ of earthenware) and A LOT – anagrind is ‘off’
A reversal or ‘rejection’ of SANE (sensible) around or ‘restraining’ CT (court)
WELL (fit) HEELED – a homophone (‘say’) of HEALED (recovered from injury)
SURgE (rush) without or ‘expelling’ G (German)
An anagram of THIS – anagrind is ‘strangely’ – around or ‘describing’ MOO (low) and E (energy)
NOMAD (wanderer) reversed or ‘returning’ around or ‘tackling’ E (first letter or ‘source’ of evil)
Hidden (‘drinking’) and reversed (‘revolutionary’) in pASSED Out
An anagram of STUPID, E (English) and E (earl) – anagrind is ‘upset’
hARMS (hurts) missing first letter or with ‘head cut off’
An anagram of I SHOP – anagrind is ‘around’ – and TABLE (piece of furniture)
A TRIUMph (huge success) without PH (public house – pub)
R (Republican) inside or ‘plugging’ A BE (live) RANT (diatribe)
A homophone (‘on the phone’) of TRINI (Susannah’s partner) DAD (father). We solved this when we had some crossing letters. If like us, you didn’t know who Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine are – google tells us they are two fashion advisors, presenters and authors.
Nothing to do with money – it’s Johnny Cash. If you are not a proficient arsonist you may just end up singeing things rather than setting them alight – hence you would be a SINGER
Hidden or ‘detained’ in secuRE EVErything
VIAL (container) around T (tritium)
LECH (to lust) about OWT (Yorkshire dialect form of ‘anything’)
ALI (Muslim fighter as in Mohammed Muhammad Ali – Cassius Clay) inside or ‘overwhelmed by’ GLEE (happiness). Thanks Jerry for pointing out the correct spelling. Joyce should have checked as neither she Bert have any interest in boxing.
Joyce queried the parsing of this during the solve and had to ask Bert again when she came to write up the blog – short term memory problems or ‘Lockdown brain’? Bert thinks it is PEND (await) inside or ‘charging’ an anagram of DUE – anagrind is ‘possibly’. It’s still not Joyce’s favourite clue, although the parsing does work.
An anagram of STATESMEN – anagrind is ‘revamped’
NOT US (collective denial) around or ‘enthralling’ ORIOn (hunter) missing last letter or ‘endlessly’
An anagram of RATED ROOM – anagrind is ‘terrible’
A play on the fact that a school reunion may have a lot of OB (old boys) attending so it could be an OB SESSION
A (American) SHED (got rid of) around or ‘bottling’ AM (morning)
DID (carried out) around or ‘concealing’ SCAR (damage)
RIM (flange) inside PER (a) and S (first letter of ‘sprocket’)
Regularly hidden in tAmPeR gOwN
LUNG (air bag) and E (first letter or ‘beginning’ to explode)
As we have come to expect from Eccles, this was a lot of fun. I couldn’t parse 9a so thanks to B&J for the enlightenment.
15d was my favourite of a very good selection.
Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J.
Great fun indeed. Favourites include: SMOOTHIE, SINGER and the semi &lit TEA TOWEL.
Had no idea about the parsing for TRINIDAD but at least the answer was clear. Thanks for the clarification. I didn’t have any issues with UPENDED which I thought was a nicely constructed clue.
Thanks to Eccles and Bertandjoyce.
Another lovely puzzle by Eccles, which I found to be a bit more chewy than many others I’ve done by this setter. I particularly enjoyed the penny-drop-moment with TRINIDAD
Thanks to Eccles, B&J
Indeed, a fun puzzle which was a pleasure to solve. Definitely in the ‘no stand out clues, they were all good’ category.
What is it with you people who’ve never heard of Trinny and Susannah? You’ll be telling me next that you don’t know who Rawicz and Landauer were. Once we have finally ground this annoying little scrap of viral RNA into the dirt, you need to get out more.
Thanks to Jennifer and to that other famous duo.
Basically what Kathryn’s Dad said. [I watched Trinny on a repeat of ‘Would I lie to you?’ the other day.]
Many thanks to setter and bloggers – and K’s D for the earworm. 😉
Tougher than the usual Eccles, I thought, especially in the top half. I assumed 10A was Enacts, though I have difficulty equating it with Orders. Smoothie and Singer were excellent. I struggled with Primers but it had to be that. Indeed I have heard of Rawicz & Landauer, and draw your attention to those other great duos Flotsam & Jetsam, Gert & Daisy, Hinge & Bracket, Bert & Joyce… Thanks Eccles and B&J.
Well, we found this easier than some Eccles puzzles, solving it quickly in two passes, SURE being our LOI. And we too parsed 6dn as ‘pend’ inside an anagram of ‘due’. Didn’t know Susannah’s partner but TRINIDAD was obvious and on reading the blog we realise we have heard of T&S. But talking of duos don’t forget Flanders & Swann!
So many good clues we can’t nominate a CoD.
Thanks, Eccles and B&J.
TRINIDAD was sort of first in but I didnt enter it as I hadnt checked what relation TRINI had with Susannah
Last in and favourite was SINGER. Great stuff as usual from Eccles. This with puck and Julius mad a great trio. Wheen’s the album coming out?
thanks all.
It’s Muhammad Ali, not Mohammed.
Most enjoyable although I got myself in a bit of a muddle with 28a & 20d and it took a while to register THAT sort of singer!
Tops for me were SMOOTHIE & OBSESSION.
Thanks to Eccles and to B&J.
My first thought of Susannah’s partner was Figaro, but I see it’s not spelt that way. I had heard of Trinny and Susannah.
Got stuck on the right-hand side and had to cheat a bit at the end.
Thanks to Bertandjoyce and Eccles
Great puzzle as always.
We’ll overlook the excessive drinking.
I can’t recall “regularly” fodder being separated by a “with” before, but it may have passed me by.
Thanks to B&J, and all who commented. Dansar, thank you. These things just creep up, and I hadn’t noticed.
Only just finished this. Very nice work. Particularly liked OBSESSION and SINGER (LOI)
Thanks Eccles and B&J