Solving time: 16’
Mixture of clichéd crossword idioms and some clever wordplay. As usual, not a shaky surface in sight.
Apologies for not posting this yesterday – there’s a complicated story involving Geneva, stolen passport, Berne and lots of driving. Couldn’t find The Guardian at the Zurich airport so I tried The Independent. Oh and never park your car right next to a sign saying: “Beware of thieves operating in this area!” It doesn’t protect you.
Across
| 9 | NIGHTGOWN – cryptic definition of “late shift” – I initially thought “graveyard” (which is where you end up if you’re late). |
| 10 | DIS+CO –two clichés in a single clue: DI is either a girl or a princess. And CO for company. I wonder how cryptically common Di was before she married Charles. Anyone remember? |
| 12 | UNA+WARE – Another cryptically common girl. Only Una I know is the actress Thurman. [Correction: it’s Uma Thurman and Una Stubbs — thanks Michael] |
| 16 | HARVEST FESTIVAL – I liked this: he’s right, it’s the opposite: literally a celebration of the gathering. |
| 21 | SEC+CO – CO is short for “firm” this time. |
Down
| 3 | ST+RIFE – Can’t have a puzzle without ST for “street”. |
| 4 | GONG –British slang for medal. |
| 6 | A+DJ+A+CENT – Nice surface and meaning for “putting on airs” which is what DJs do at parties or raves or whatever they are now. |
| 8 | BORE – Double meaning: last one I filled in. Was hard for me to parse the surface as: “one who always talks” and “well”. |
| 17 | ENDYMION – anag(“done in my”). I remembered the poem but not that it was by Keats. |
| 18 | VA+CA+TION – Two clichés again in a single clue: Virginia is a popular cryptic state and the English have Chartered Accountants. “Into” is the anagram fodder rather than indicating containment/insertion. |
| 22 | SI+RE – For our final cliché: RE for Royal Engineers. “is mounted” is SI. I’ve always wanted to use “is is” a la our ex-President — this is the closest. |
It’s actually Uma Thurman – which I’ve yet to see in a crossword (satsuma, anyone?) There’s Una Stubbs, of course but it’s true that Una probably appears more on the inside back page than anywhere else in the paper!
There was that strange bloke Una Bomber as well.
At least with ‘Stubbs’, one can suggest the painter.