This puzzle reminded me of a year or two back when I thought the Quixote Sunday puzzle was pitched at an easier level than the daily Indy one. Would have been even quicker if I did not have to check two words, new to me, at the end. But it was still my quickest Indy solve of 2007 so far.
Solving time: 13 mins
* = anagram
ACROSS
9 LARGESSE The capital S in Selfridge’s “Sounds like”
10 W EIGHT (crew – rowing)
14 SLEEPING BEAUTY “Off” or “Out” is crosswords often means asleep.
17 HYPOCHONDRIACS (CHIRPY DOC HAS DO)* The answer screamed at me from the definition.
20 I (one) in (A LONE SPY)* POLYNESIA
23 NE (folk in Gateshead, say) WISH. Gateshead being located in the North East of England.
25 L(YR)IST
26 EGG TIMER (GET GRIME) * “Cracking” refers to the eggs.
DOWN
1 PILATUS I in (LAST UP)* One of the two I had to look up. It is indeed a mountain in Switzerland, so called apparently because of a legend that Pontius Pilate was buried in one of its former lakes.
6 PTEROSAUR Amusing surface – anagram fairly obvious
7 mAG – GROss Hidden. Good surface. Very easy
8 NUT ATE
16 TRANSFORM The Remove is an intermediate class (suggested by trans- and the ? if I understand it right). Definition is “Completely change”.
18 Stephen SPENDER (1909-1995). A poet as defined, but not just a poet.
19 SPINE L The second one I had to look up.
21 LOWER Regular solvers will know that cows low (they also moo).
Many thanks to my one faithful solver – well I do know a couple of others who solve it, but not many
You are too modest and I don’t think they’re making up those 5 winners’ names every week. Pity it’s not online, though.