Well, it has been a bit of a struggle this morning. Not the crossword itself, which was easy enough, but accessing it. My iPad app refused to download a new edition of the newspaper despite several reboots and other attempts to persuade it to do so, so I had to look for an alternative source for the grid and clues. I eventually accessed them using the on-line copy of the paper through a browser, and was half way through writing the blog when the iPad eventually capitulated and recognised that the clock had moved on, and yesterday’s news was no longer current.
Despite these trials and tribulations, the QC today was an enjoyable 12 minutes with nothing particularly difficult or obscure. Thanks to Flamande.
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}
Across
1 Curtsey before dance with English actor (3,4)
BOB HOPE – Curtsey equals BOB, dance equals HOP and E{nglish}
5 Responsibility of old student group (4)
ONUS– O{ld} and NUS, being the National Union of Students
8 Stuck advertisement in this place, close to road (7)
ADHERED– AD is the advertisement, HERE is in this place, with {roa}D indicated by close to
9 Homeless dog revealed by street light (5)
STRAY– ST{reet} and RAY (light)
11 All round store, people grabbing green jumpers (12)
GRASSHOPPERS– People grabbing are GRASPERS which surrounds SHOP (store). I can’t see this word without remembering David Carradine in King Fu
12 Maybe native of Ljubljana, mostly a scruffy type (6)
SLOVEN – A Slovene is a citizen of Slovenia, capital Ljubljiana. Drop the e (mostly) and you have SLOVEN, a person who is habitually carelessly or dirtily dressed
14 Unfashionable lot had reformed (3,3)
OLD HAT – anagram (reformed) of [LOT HAD]
15 Tory vote caves in unexpectedly: Labour at last gets in (12)
CONSERVATIVE– Anagram (unexpectedly) of [VOTE CAVES IN] with {Labou}R (at last) thrown in to the mix
17 Young Tom’sfund of money?5)
KITTY– Double definition, where Tom is a cat, not a person
18 The Spanish car reversing on motorway? Something unexpected probably (7)
MIRACLE– EL (the in Spanish) with CAR all reversed after our first motorway (the M1)
20 Female into equal rights during revolution (4)
GIRL– reverse hidden (into and revolution) in {equa}L RIG{hts}
21 After leader is eliminated, surrender town in Hampshire (7)
ANDOVER– {h}ANDOVER (surrender) after its leading letter has been eliminated
Down
2 Overdose on drink, principally rum (3)
ODD– O{ver}D{ose} on D{rink} (principally, i.e. first letter). When I was growing up in Leicester in the late fifties there was a rum / odd old character that one would see often in the marketplace who went around saying “rum weather” repeatedly, and acquired that name as a result. I wonder what happened to him?
3 Husband with urge to acquire a wild animal (5)
HYENA– H{usband} with YEN (urge) and acquiring A as instructed.
4 Storing various ales in larder is some kind of joke (10)
PLEASANTRY– Anagram (various) of [ALES] inside (storing) PANTRY. A PLEASANTRY can be a facetious utterance or trick or a jocularity
6 Doctor adept on small computer (7)
NOTEPAD – Anagram (doctor) of [ADEPT ON]
7 Famous performer carrying one item of luggage for flight (9)
STAIRCASE– The famous performer is a STAR, carrying 1 or I, with a single case. A flight is often a STAIRCASE in crosswordland
10 Choirboy oddly selected to lead country for royal event (10)
CORONATION– C{h}O{i}R{b}O{y} (odd letters of choirboy) leading NATION (country). Younger readers may not remember what a coronation is, as we haven’t seen one for some considerable time - thankfully
11 Go send electronic message about everyone making fast progress (9)
GALLOPING – GO and PING (send an electronic message) around ALL. Ping could be the test of that name used by techies to test the accessibility of network nodes on the interweb thingy, or the more general use as in pinging an e-mail to someone.
13 One calls round after six to relax, right? (7)
VISITOR – Six is VI (Roman numerals) followed by (after) SIT (relax) O (round) and R{ight}
16 Part of Florida, homely US state (5)
IDAHO– hidden in {flor}IDA HO{mely}
19 Shelter for Gypsy Rose? (3)
LEE– Double definition, one of them referring to the famous (or infamous) burlesque entertainer.
Despite these trials and tribulations, the QC today was an enjoyable 12 minutes with nothing particularly difficult or obscure. Thanks to Flamande.
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}
Across
1 Curtsey before dance with English actor (3,4)
BOB HOPE – Curtsey equals BOB, dance equals HOP and E{nglish}
5 Responsibility of old student group (4)
ONUS– O{ld} and NUS, being the National Union of Students
8 Stuck advertisement in this place, close to road (7)
ADHERED– AD is the advertisement, HERE is in this place, with {roa}D indicated by close to
9 Homeless dog revealed by street light (5)
STRAY– ST{reet} and RAY (light)
11 All round store, people grabbing green jumpers (12)
GRASSHOPPERS– People grabbing are GRASPERS which surrounds SHOP (store). I can’t see this word without remembering David Carradine in King Fu
12 Maybe native of Ljubljana, mostly a scruffy type (6)
SLOVEN – A Slovene is a citizen of Slovenia, capital Ljubljiana. Drop the e (mostly) and you have SLOVEN, a person who is habitually carelessly or dirtily dressed
14 Unfashionable lot had reformed (3,3)
OLD HAT – anagram (reformed) of [LOT HAD]
15 Tory vote caves in unexpectedly: Labour at last gets in (12)
CONSERVATIVE– Anagram (unexpectedly) of [VOTE CAVES IN] with {Labou}R (at last) thrown in to the mix
17 Young Tom’sfund of money?5)
KITTY– Double definition, where Tom is a cat, not a person
18 The Spanish car reversing on motorway? Something unexpected probably (7)
MIRACLE– EL (the in Spanish) with CAR all reversed after our first motorway (the M1)
20 Female into equal rights during revolution (4)
GIRL– reverse hidden (into and revolution) in {equa}L RIG{hts}
21 After leader is eliminated, surrender town in Hampshire (7)
ANDOVER– {h}ANDOVER (surrender) after its leading letter has been eliminated
Down
2 Overdose on drink, principally rum (3)
ODD– O{ver}D{ose} on D{rink} (principally, i.e. first letter). When I was growing up in Leicester in the late fifties there was a rum / odd old character that one would see often in the marketplace who went around saying “rum weather” repeatedly, and acquired that name as a result. I wonder what happened to him?
3 Husband with urge to acquire a wild animal (5)
HYENA– H{usband} with YEN (urge) and acquiring A as instructed.
4 Storing various ales in larder is some kind of joke (10)
PLEASANTRY– Anagram (various) of [ALES] inside (storing) PANTRY. A PLEASANTRY can be a facetious utterance or trick or a jocularity
6 Doctor adept on small computer (7)
NOTEPAD – Anagram (doctor) of [ADEPT ON]
7 Famous performer carrying one item of luggage for flight (9)
STAIRCASE– The famous performer is a STAR, carrying 1 or I, with a single case. A flight is often a STAIRCASE in crosswordland
10 Choirboy oddly selected to lead country for royal event (10)
CORONATION– C{h}O{i}R{b}O{y} (odd letters of choirboy) leading NATION (country). Younger readers may not remember what a coronation is, as we haven’t seen one for some considerable time - thankfully
11 Go send electronic message about everyone making fast progress (9)
GALLOPING – GO and PING (send an electronic message) around ALL. Ping could be the test of that name used by techies to test the accessibility of network nodes on the interweb thingy, or the more general use as in pinging an e-mail to someone.
13 One calls round after six to relax, right? (7)
VISITOR – Six is VI (Roman numerals) followed by (after) SIT (relax) O (round) and R{ight}
16 Part of Florida, homely US state (5)
IDAHO– hidden in {flor}IDA HO{mely}
19 Shelter for Gypsy Rose? (3)
LEE– Double definition, one of them referring to the famous (or infamous) burlesque entertainer.