Yahoo News Crossword roundup: Melba, Melbourne and mills
The news in clues
If you come to the puzzle page for a rest from the news, you won’t have had much luck with Orlando and his clue …
24d In Strasbourg I must accept one follower of May (4)
[ wordplay: both in French (“in Strasbourg”): word for “I” containing (“must accept”) word for “one”]
[JE containing UN]
[definition: follower of May]
… for JUNE, with the Telegraph setter who we presume is Jeremy Mutch and his clue …
11ac Bless the Tories and European Commission value (10)
[wordplay: informal word for “the Tories”’ + abbrev. for “European Commission” + synonym for “value”]
[CONS + EC + RATE]
[definition: bless]
…for CONSECRATE, or with the Telegraph Toughie setter who we know to be Firefly with this clue …
13ac They leave EU next, possibly (6)
[wordplay: anagram (“possibly”) of EUNEXT]
[definition: stage direction meaning “they go out”]
… for EXEUNT. Enjoy them while you can: this subject matter can only last until 29 March, or maybe 12 April, 22 May, or 2021, or …
Latter patter
The annotated solution is now available for Paul’s prize puzzle containing this charming clue …
3d Pole has introduced island to Aussie’s food (5,5)
[wordplay: synonym for “pole” containing name of an island & TO]
[MAST containing ELBA & TO]
[definition: Aussie’s food]
… for MELBA TOAST. As well as the toast and the peach dish, plenty of things are named after the soprano Dame Nellie Melba: a suburb of Canberra, a state park in Victoria, various institutions and, back with foodstuffs, an apple.
To be more precise, the pêche melba apple is named after the pudding, which is named after the soprano.
To be even more precise, the apple is named after the pudding (pêche melba), which was named to honour the soprano (Dame Nellie Melba), who took her stage name from her hometown (Melbourne), which was named to honour a prime minister (the 2nd Viscount Melbourne), who inherited the title from his father (the 1st Viscount Melbourne), who named his title after the family seat (Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire), which took its name from a nearby town (Melbourne), which was named after the mill it grew up around.
The word “mill” comes from Latin; as to why the Romans chose that word, that is where the trail ends. But it is the subject of our next challenge: reader, how would you clue MILL?
Cluing competition
Many thanks for your clues for DUMMKOPF. Well done those of you who spotted that it can be an adjective, opening up more possibilities on a frankly cruel selection of letters, like Catarella with “It’s stupid trying cut and paste with PDF, OK mum?”
PeterMooreFuller gets the audacity award for “German, initially underpaid by 1,000.00DM? Idiot!”
The runners-up are Sandwichfeet’s acrostic “Clueless leaders of democracy understand Mrs May’s keen on political farce” and Alberyalbery’s “Nutty hamburger” (or, if you prefer, Wellywearer2’s tweaked “Hamburger on the thick side”); the winner is TonyCollman’s elaborate “Dunderhead mischievously poked fun at mum rendering a tune badly”.
Kludos to Tony; please leave entries for this fortnight’s competition and your picks from the broadsheet cryptics below.
Clue of the Fortnight
We end as we began, with Orlando’s puzzle; reader Porcia nominates it first clue …
1ac Explore online and draw back from excess (7)
[wordplay: synonym for “explore online” + synonym for “draw”, reversed (“back”)]
[SURF + EIT reversed]
[definition: excess]
… which brings me just the right amount of joy (not a SURFEIT).
