A theme to this – referred to after the clue explanations
Solving time 6+5 mins i.e. 11 mins
ACROSS
10 SCAN(t)
11 GENERATION (one creating)* less c = about “not about”
12 C (LOSE) T ct = court, worth remembering
14 P (ROT)RUDE
15 S (EAR) CH Ear = attention Sch = school Ear used twice in this puzzle
20 AM ENDERS AM ends at noon
22 PIER CE Church can be CE or CH (both used in this puzzle)
24 S (swilL)OW
26 ONE-PIECE A bikini has two. Queen = chesspiece
DOWN
1 HER (woman’s) CULES (clues)* I think Phi set Listener puzzles a while back with the labours of Hercules as theme
2 EAR N The second “ear”, this time clued as “musical ability”
5 EASTERTIDE (resite date)* movable as it changes date every year, unlike e.g. Christmas
6 NO (GOO) D Nod = agreement
8 C (AN) OPY Slightly surreal surface
13 SE (A AN) EMONE Appear entire = Seem one
16 CRESS ID(e)A
18 ENCROA CH (one car)* the other church
21 MAINL(and) penurY Unusual. More than half = 5/8.
22 PUTTER Contexts of golf and shot-put
24 SUIT “Diamonds, say, do very nicely!” Favourite clue. Double definition, cards, with “say” used as it’s just one example of a suit.
Theme: Look at the top row (6 letters) and the bottom row (last 5 letters). Chosen for the day, Good Friday, I guess.
w
I have to say that it wasn’t submitted for Good Friday – indeed, I wasn’t even thinking about Easter when I set it. Though I see EASTERTIDE was in it – I sometimes wonder what would happen if I actually thought while I did these things…
You may want to have another look at 21 down to get a deliberately (but necessarily) concealed element to the theme – I didn’t really want the first square on the bottom row to feel out of it.
If anyone has a pristine copy of the published version, I’d like to know, as my usual source had problems.
I did agonise for a while before posting as to whether the Y had a role – and very carefully analysed MAINLY which was the last clue I understood. I thought maybe HEAVEN and EARTH. I think y is Spanish for and but can think of nothing else. As always, elucidation wd be appreciated.
A thought that came later was maybe take the LY in mainly to get HEAVENLY and EARTH.