You can find a link to the crossword
here
and the answers below. Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as
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TfTT. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here.
Some hints and tips:
Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.
Hints...
- The title is not a reference to the Vera Lynn song but the first line of a Shakespeare play.
- The 10 thematic answers are related to the characters and their lines in the play. See after the explanation of the answers for the sources.
- At 23A I could alternatively have located the relatives on the cliffs in East Sussex.
- Romeo is the NATO alphabet name for the letter R.
- You need to separate "place to go climbing" in 1D.
And click on this label to get the solution.
Solution and explanation of the answers...
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
Across
1
Wrongly wired? That's strange (5)
WEIRD – [Wrongly] (wired)*. An easy one to start.
4
Speak angrily about effect of lightning
(7)
THUNDER – Double definition.
8
Policeman's proposal to arrest leaders of immigrant
community (7)
OFFICER – OFFER (proposal) containing [to arrest] [leaders of] Immigrant Community.
9
Bouquets of new roses left by Romeo (5)
NOSES – N (new) {r}OSES without the R [left by Romeo; R in the NATO alphabet].
10
Heard actress Liz, being well-built, created pandemonium
(5-5)
HURLY-BURLY – HURLY, sounds like [heard] the actress Liz HURLEY, BURLY (well-built).
14
Party served up blue drink (6)
DOUBLE – DO (party) [served up] (blue)*.
15
Rapid rise and fall in price of gas container
(6)
BUBBLE – Double definition. Here’s to hoping the price of gas will fall again.
17
Anger badly handled on the whole (2,3,5)
BY AND LARGE – (anger badly)* [handled].
20
Free to fail, gaining nothing (5)
LOOSE – LOSE (fail) [gaining] O (0; nothing).
22
Problems for Russian currency after end of agreement (7)
TROUBLE – [end of] agreemenT, ROUBLE (Russian currency).
23
Family members, seven of them, found in North London
station (7)
SISTERS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint referring to Seven Sisters in North London.
24
End relationship and leave suddenly
(5)
SPLIT – Double definition.
Down
1 This is gathered while daydreaming about place to go climbing after onset of winter (4)
WOOL – LOO (place to go) [climbing] -> OOL, [after] first letter of, [onset of] , Winter. A reference to “wool-gathering”.
2
Knowledge held by mountain folk (4)
INFO – Hidden in, [held by], mountaIN FOlk.
3
Rising newspaper boss married then separated (9)
DECOUPLED – ED [newspaper boss] [rising] -> DE, COUPLED (married).
4
Department dealing with workers dipping into cash register for excitement
(6)
THRILL – HR (department dealing with workers) inside, [dipping into], TILL (cash register).
5
Large vessel needs time to begin to change direction (3)
URN – A sort of reverse cryptic. Add T (time) to the start [to begin] of the answer -> TURN (change direction).
6
Give detailed account in words of the French writer (8)
DESCRIBE – DES (of the, in French) SCRIBE (writer).
7
Improved appearance of untidy place left covered in grass
(8)
RESTYLED – STY (untidy place) L (left), [covered in] REED (grass).
11
Impulse to interrupt disapproving shout is typically middle-class
(9)
BOURGEOIS – URGE (impulse) inside, [to interrupt], BOO (disapproving shout) IS.
12
Eccentrics seen in only red, green, blue or black? (8)
ODDBALLS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint referring to the odd-numbered snooker balls.
13
Caretakers list former policemen sent round before start
of show (8)
CURATORS – ROTA (list) RUC (former policemen) [sent round] -> CUR ATOR, [start of] Show.
16
Succulent plant found around Connecticut (America) (6)
CACTUS – CA (about) CT (Connecticut) US (America).
18
Left off description "murder victim" (4)
ABEL – L (left) [off] {l}ABEL [description]. Brother and murder victim of Cain.
19
Went wrong identifying amphibian (4)
NEWT - (Went)* [wrong].
21
Look at your setter when speaking (3)
EYE – Sound like [when speaking] I (you setter).
WEIRD – [Wrongly] (wired)*. An easy one to start.
THUNDER – Double definition.
OFFICER – OFFER (proposal) containing [to arrest] [leaders of] Immigrant Community.
NOSES – N (new) {r}OSES without the R [left by Romeo; R in the NATO alphabet].
HURLY-BURLY – HURLY, sounds like [heard] the actress Liz HURLEY, BURLY (well-built).
DOUBLE – DO (party) [served up] (blue)*.
BUBBLE – Double definition. Here’s to hoping the price of gas will fall again.
BY AND LARGE – (anger badly)* [handled].
LOOSE – LOSE (fail) [gaining] O (0; nothing).
TROUBLE – [end of] agreemenT, ROUBLE (Russian currency).
SISTERS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint referring to Seven Sisters in North London.
SPLIT – Double definition.
1 This is gathered while daydreaming about place to go climbing after onset of winter (4)
WOOL – LOO (place to go) [climbing] -> OOL, [after] first letter of, [onset of] , Winter. A reference to “wool-gathering”.
INFO – Hidden in, [held by], mountaIN FOlk.
DECOUPLED – ED [newspaper boss] [rising] -> DE, COUPLED (married).
THRILL – HR (department dealing with workers) inside, [dipping into], TILL (cash register).
URN – A sort of reverse cryptic. Add T (time) to the start [to begin] of the answer -> TURN (change direction).
DESCRIBE – DES (of the, in French) SCRIBE (writer).
RESTYLED – STY (untidy place) L (left), [covered in] REED (grass).
BOURGEOIS – URGE (impulse) inside, [to interrupt], BOO (disapproving shout) IS.
ODDBALLS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint referring to the odd-numbered snooker balls.
CURATORS – ROTA (list) RUC (former policemen) [sent round] -> CUR ATOR, [start of] Show.
CACTUS – CA (about) CT (Connecticut) US (America).
ABEL – L (left) [off] {l}ABEL [description]. Brother and murder victim of Cain.
NEWT - (Went)* [wrong].
EYE – Sound like [when speaking] I (you setter).
As for the theme... the title relates to the first line of Macbeth
"When shall we three meet again?", the characters being the three witches. The next line is
"In THUNDER, lightning, or in rain?" (with LIGHTNING in the clue for THUNDER). And then "When the HURLY-BURLY’s done".
They are named in Scene Three as...
"The WEIRD SISTERS, hand in hand"...
The remaining references are from their chant in Scene One of Act IV when they circle the cauldron...
"DOUBLE, double toil and TROUBLE;"
"Fire burn, and cauldron BUBBLE"
...
"EYE of NEWT and toe of frog,"
"WOOL of bat and tongue of dog"
Did you find them all?
Very interesting Macbeth theme- don't know how I totally missed it- guess I was too preoccupied just solving clues! Enjoyed DECOUPLED, RESTYLED,and DOUBLE most. Also WOOL though I missed the loo backwards till I read the solutions here. Didn't know RUC.Don't follow explanation for IN THE MAIN. Thanks for entertaining puzzle and theme!
ReplyDeleteOh, I see, I checked back and it should have been for BY AND LARGE.
ReplyDeleteOh. Bad luck. Glad you enjoyed it though.
DeleteWell, I think I must be the only one seeing this? In the solution post I open up on my phone the answer to 17 ac is IN THE MAIN instead of BY AND LARGE.
DeleteOh dear. I see what you mean. I must have been half asleep when writing the blog. Thanks for pointing it out. Now fixed.
DeleteGreat-all's well that ends well. I was beginning to wonder if I was seeing things the rest of the world wasn't!
DeleteLovely puzzle and a little more challenging than usual I thought. Enjoyed 15ac “Bubble”, 12dn “Oddballs” and 10ac “Hurly Burly” (although whether Liz Hurley can seriously be classed as an actress/actor is debatable).
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I had “Wood” for 1dn for quite a while, but I couldn’t parse it so knew it wasn’t right. The other main hold up was 13dn “Curators”.
Thanks as usual!
JamesEd46
Thanks. Yes it is a little more tricky than usual, but glad you got there in the end. 1D was my favourite clue.
DeleteSorry, DNF. Found it harder than most regular QCs. Failed on THUNDER, URN, RESTYLED, LOOSE, BUBBLE (shd have got that one or checked yr hints) But thanks for interesting theme. I think I must need new glasses as I read lightning as lighting! Had to biff ODDBALLS,
ReplyDeleteCountrywoman
Sorry if you found it too hard. I'll try and make it easier next time.
DeleteReally enjoyed this - slightly harder than usual, but that’s all well and good, as we need a bridge to the 15x15. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAgree this was a chewy Saturday Special - it took me just under 20 minutes, about 50% longer than usual. Not immediately clear why when I reviewed it as all parsed, and no real queries (though I have not see "handled" used to indicate an anagram before). LOI Decoupled - I got the De- at the start very early on but thereafter struggled as almost any word meaning married will mean separated if you put De- in front of it, so not so much to go on!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks John for the workout. But I'd be concerned if the Saturday Specials got much tougher than this, as I was only 2 seconds away from the SCC, and I'm not sure it is open to members at the weekend ...
Cedric
Only just got round to this and, like others, found it very hard. We missed the Macbeth reference which would have helped. Would be pleased if the other weekend cryptics reverted to easier! ElizMaryH
ReplyDeleteSorry you found it too tricky. Phil's this week will be easier, and I'll try to make my next one easier too.
Delete