A fairly standard Quixote puzzle with lots of well-written clues, generally on the easier end of the spectrum. There were only one use of an archaic word (although this was signposted in the clue) and one where I had some doubts about the way a name was used.
| Across | |||
| 1. | The keenly intelligent guy? Not he! (4) | ||
| Twit | T[he] wit | ||
| 3. | A point to be made in fast trading opportunity (4,6) | ||
| Flea Market | A mark in fleet | ||
| 9. | Kept getting right stuck in to be made fit for new role (9) | ||
| Retrained | R in retained | ||
| 11. | Monument we found to be hidden by hill (5) | ||
| Tower | We in tor. | ||
| 12. | For embrace, I shop around — a danger when lover gets overcommitted? (6,2,7) | ||
| Breach of promise | (For embrace I shop)* | ||
| 13. | Foreign chum, outwardly skinny — vitamin required (7) | ||
| Thiamin | Ami in thin | ||
| 14. | Sore? Initially buy lubricant (4) | ||
| Boil | B[uy] + oil | ||
| 17. | Atmosphere by lake, a secluded spot? (4) | ||
| Lair | L(ake) + air | ||
| 18. | Lunatic can die when swallowing unknown poison (7) | ||
| Cyanide | (Can die)* around y | ||
| 21. | In aggressive group of men, big hitter had leg mangled (3,5,7) | ||
| The Light Brigade | (Big hitter had leg)* | ||
| 23. | Very brief fever, not specifically defined (5) | ||
| Vague | V + ague | ||
| 24. | Sets off from school with girlfriends all around? (9) | ||
| Detonates | Dates around Eton | ||
| 25. | The sweater specially knitted for boyfriend? (10) | ||
| Sweetheart | (The sweater)* | ||
| 26. | A hero may be scathing (4) | ||
| Acid | A Cid – I assume this is a reference to El Cid, the Spanish military leader, although I can’t find any evidence he was ever known just as Cid. | ||
| … Down |
|||
| 1. | New battery gets energy put in IT unit (8) | ||
| Terabyte | Battery* around E. | ||
| 2. | Fearless international agent given identity (8) | ||
| Intrepid | Int(ernational) + rep + ID. | ||
| 4. | One may have lots of grass left — along with a new drug (9) | ||
| Landowner | L + a n(ew) downer. | ||
| 5. | Make sense of Democrat being embraced by a Northern Ireland party (3,2) | ||
| Add up | D(emocrat) in a DUP. | ||
| 6. | Writer, I repeatedly rant, a terrible despot (13) | ||
| Authoritarian | Author + (I I rant a)* | ||
| 7. | One country or another being held up? Be patient (6) | ||
| Kuwait | Def is “one country”. UK< (another country) + wait. | ||
| 8. | Terrible suffering that troubles others (6) | ||
| Throes | Others* | ||
| 10. | Backing concept, I am man being flexible (13) | ||
| Accompaniment | (Concept I am man)* | ||
| 14. | Supporter concealing something small is a bitchy type (9) | ||
| Backbiter | Backer around bit | ||
| 15. | Great live performance — grotesque, old-fashioned (8) | ||
| Gigantic | Gig(=live performance) + antic. Antic is an archaic word for an actor in a grotesque costume. | ||
| 16. | About to get let free after imprisonment? (8) | ||
| Released. | Re(=about) + leased(=let). | ||
| 19. | Four groups being put up around that town (2,4) | ||
| St Ives | IV in sets< | ||
| 20. | This person concealing terrible rage is miserable (6) | ||
| Meagre | Me + rage* | ||
| 22. | Hospital to move cautiously and appear non-committal in statement (5) | ||
| Hedge | H + edge | ||
|
|
… |
|
|
Thanks Neal
Regarding 26ac, under ‘cid’ Chambers has “a chief, captain or hero” (no, I didn’t know that either until parsing the clue!).
I agree that this was towards the easier end of Pasquale’s spectrum, but enjoyable all the same. I had the same concern about “cid” so thanks to Gaufrid@1 for the elucidation.
LoevlY! I liked 10 down best, a great surface.
I’m sure I’ve seen just Cid before in crosswords. Presumably El Cid just means The Cid in Spanish, so it wasn’t a great leap, I thought.
Thanks, Neal.
Good all round accessible puzzle from Quixote – as always. I didn’t even bother checking CID: if Quixote’s clued it, it’ll be there somewhere.
Liked FLEA MARKET today.
Greetings from sunny Plymouth. Was more troubled by antic rather than cid. Maybe just trying to do this in a car but I found this tricky. Thanks Neal and Q.
We’ve been off the radar for a while. We took Joyce’s parents up to the Lakes for their 90th birthday present from all the family and had no internet access at night when completing the daily puzzle.
Thankfully this didn’t take too long as we’ve been out watching the meteor shower!
Thanks Quixote, an enjoyable start to the week. Thanks Neal!
I particularly liked 19d, 21a, 10d, 13a, 14d, 15d and my favourites were 1a TWIT & 3a FLEA MARKET.
I couldn’t parse 4d.
Thanks Quixote and NealH.