A Puzzle by Jaffa
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid
Jaffa’s turn to provide our Saturday lunchtime entertainment
Across
1a European jet aces sit on complex US equipment for upward mobility (8,5)
EJECTION SEATS: An anagram (complex) of E (European) JET ACES SIT ON
10a Vicissitudes of "Those Magnificent Men" or Manuel in 8? (3,3,5)
UPS AND DOWNS: The lyrics of the song in Those Magnificent Men or what 8ds do
11a Pot boiler acquired by Greta Garbo (3)
AGA: Hidden in GretA GArbo
12a Aerobic rot could be source of industrial growth (10)
BIOREACTOR: An anagram (could be) of AEROBIC ROT
13a Resits always involve knocking back wine (4)
ASTI: Hidden in reverse (back) in resITS Always
15a I lied badly in church for Irish Party (7)
CEILIDH: An anagram (badly) of I LIED inserted into an abbreviated church
17a Grub up parsnip maybe for the French (6)
ROOTLE: A description of a parsnip and the French definite article
19a Acting commanding officer has Navy's source of mighty oaks (6)
ACORNS: The abbreviation for Acting, an abbreviated commanding office, the abbreviation for the Royal Navy and S (navy’s)
20a Particle taking circuitous route between two poles (7)
NEUTRON: An anagram (circuitous) of ROUTE between two lots of the abbreviation for North (poles)
23a Primarily too unruly and extremely nauseous from their contents? (4)
TUNS: Large casks for storing alcoholic refreshment – the primary letters of Too Unruly and the extreme letters of NauseouS
24a It is strange, my puppy is frisky (5-5)
RUMPY-PUMPY: Strange or odd and an anagram (frisky) of MY PUPPY
27a Reading Proust regularly is a daily grind (3)
RUT: The even (regular) letters of pRoUsT
28a Bowler delivers this summons to tail ender - is it War and Peace? (11)
OVERWRITTEN: Something a bowler delivers, a summons and the number of a tail ender in cricket
29a Jack Charlton's apt expression of satisfaction for son's work well done (4,4,5)
BOB'S YOUR UNCLE: How Jack Charlton might explain the relationship of his son to his brother
Down
2d Good individual officer takes time over an enticing barcarolle (4,3,8)
JUST ONE CORNETTO: A synonym for good, an individual, a cavalry officer, the abbreviation for Time and the cricket abbreviation for Over
3d Anne and Colin are confused carrying lire for Italian tube fare (10)
CANNELLONI: An anagram (confused) of ANNE and COLIN into which is inserted (carrying) the abbreviation for Lire
4d Actuated Labour Day? (7)
INDUCED: Speeded up the start of childbirth
5d Sinew toning can unleash force (6)
NEWTON: Hidden in the first two words of the clue
6d Regular return visits to the Teasmade provide comfort (4)
EASE: The even letters of tEaSmAdE reversed (return)
7d Palladium maybe has music passage transposed (10,5)
TRANSITION METAL: Transpose or put the type of music before a passage
8d &18. Like Manuel? Stewards well accustomed to changes in altitude (4)
DUMB WAITERS: Stewards who couldn’t speak, just like Manuel in Fawlty Towers
9d Ms. Eavis organised appearance of songbirds (7)
MAVISES: An anagram (organised) of MS EAVIS
14d 2B or not 2B? That is the easy choice (4,6)
SOFT OPTION: B is used to indicate the characteristic of pencil leads so the easy choice would be a ….
16d No uprising for the Chinese (3)
HAN: A reversal (uprising) of a dialect form of no
18d See 8
21d Space Command can delegate (7)
EMPOWER: A printer’s space and a synonym for command
22d American DJ upset due to X-ray (6)
TUXEDO: An anagram (upset) of DUE TO X
25d Jerk from New York? (4)
YANK: A verb meaning to jerk or pull or a citizen of the Northern States of America (from New York?)
26d Cycle shop for Fuggles and Goldings (4)
HOPS: Cycle the first letter of SHOP to the end of the word - they used to grow Fuggles just down the road from us
This was great fun. Just right for the NTSPP slot.
I was puzzled at first that 26d appeared to be unclued until I rechecked the PDF file and found it on page 2.
The amusing answer to 2d was obvious but I’ve never heard of the archaic officer which I needed to check in my BRB.
I was of course delighted to see the US indicator in 1a.
Although I am convinced that I have got the right answer for 23a from the wordplay and checking letters, I don’t understand the definition at all.
My podium selection was 24a, 29a and, my favourite, 14d.
Many thanks to Jaffa.
Very good fun. I did make a horlics of the SE by an unparsed answer to 7d, but once that was sorted the remainder fell into place. I have a mental block in spelling 15a correctly, so the checkers helped greatly. 2d and 24a were lol moments but from all the candidates for cotd I’m awarding it to the linked 8/18d. Thanks to Jaffa
Some good cranial exercise to start my Saturday. However, based on my many years serving HM, and seeing the applicable warning decal on the side of appropriate RAF aircraft very frequently, I must disagree with Jaffa and The Crimson Tome, 1a is a universal term and not confined to the US.
Smiles for 10a, 15a (spelt it correctly!), 24a, 2d, and 26d (even if it was an orphan clue!).
Thanks to Jaffa and in advance to CS.
Very enjoyable, thank you, Jaffa. Lots to like -10a, 24a, 29a, 2d, and 8/18 – hard to choose a favourite! We look forward to your next one and to tomorrow’s review.
An enjoyable puzzle with lots of wit – thanks to Jaffa.
I liked 2d and 8/18d with my favourite being the excellent 29a.
A little tougher than most NTSPP recently, I thought.
Never heard of the word in 15a either.
Smiles for 10a, 20a, 24a, 8d & 26d
Thanks to Jaffa & CS
Enjoyed this for the most part but were totally flummoxed by 2d. Later investigation revealed it was a UK thing from the 1980s that we had never heard of. Such is life on the other side of the world. The 8/18 combo gets our vote for top clue.
Thanks Jaffa.
Thank you for all of the positive feedback. It appears that today, our wedding anniversary, is the day for me to nurse the family cold. The comments lifted the gloom of the sneezing/nose blowing cycle. Tomorrow is another day…hopefully 🤧🤧🤧😂
Thanks Jaffa. Cracking puzzle. I thoroughly enjoyed Twym’s SPP but reckon I’d give this one the slight edge. Loved 8/18d & the 10a link but 29a & 14d the top two for me.
Hope the cold is better soon.
Thanks Jaffa. Cracking puzzle. I thoroughly enjoyed Twym’s SPP but reckon I’d give this one the slight edge. Loved 8/18d & the 10a link but 29a & 14d the top two for me.
Hope the cold is better soon.
Thank you for your review, CS.
However, I am still utterly mystified by 23a. I ruled out it being an all-in-one as the whole clue as a definition appears to me to make no sense.
This all went in fairly easily. I did wonder, from 1ac, 10ac and 8/18dn (plus possibly 26dn) if there was going to be a theme of vertical movement, but apparently not. And like Rabbit Dave I just don’t understand the answer to 23ac; it looks to me as if the definition is missing from the clue.
Thanks, though, to Jaffa and CS.
Thank you once again for the comments and good wishes. I do seem to be slowly rejoining the human race. To answer some queries.
For 1a, with the BRB’s American attribution and with RD, hovering figuratively speaking over my shoulder, I was never, despite the Magnificent Senf’s knowledge of Flying Machines, not going to give it the US label.
Coincidentally my No. 2 son who is visiting and is one of those RAF pilot chappies agrees with Senf!
I had hoped that 23a would be an all-in-one. This was based on the first two definitions of tun in the BRB
“ tun /tun/ – noun
1. A large cask
2. An obsolete liquid measure equivalent to 216 gallons of ale, or 252 of wine”
I guess however the wording could have been a little clearer. Mea culpa and all that……
As for the the 2Ks in the antipodes I’m sorry that the gondolier didn’t make it as far as you – it is a lot of paddling! I guess it’s one of those adverts that just sticks in the memory.
Thanks as always to Mr K and the Lady of Kent for all their help. I too remember the hop fields. At least the orchards seemed to be making a comeback last time I was there after their decimation by the EU and the French Golden Delicious – yuk!
Had to come back to say I’m still chuckling about ‘Italian tube fare’ Jaffa
Very good indeed
Thank you. I was rather proud of that when I thought of it 😂
Finally catching up on my to-do list (well, this bit of it) before the imminent weekend puzzles appear…
A very enjoyable head-scratcher from Jaffa, which entertained me for some time. Eventually all fell into place, but it was great fun while it lasted.
My podium places were awarded to 20, 24 & 29 in the Across clues and 2, 3 & 14 in the Down clues. The term for the 9d birds was buried deep, so it was nice to be reminded and have a remote brain cell woken up!
I also queried the need for ‘US’ in 1a, so the comments were illuminating.
Thanks, Jaffa, and my thanks also to CS for yet another beautifully illustrated review.
Thank you for the kind words. It’s only taken me 5 days to see your comments but they are still much appreciated.