Guardian 24074 / Araucaria – Doubling Up

Solving time:  27 minutes

It is lovely to be able to blog the doyen of crossword setters, but we get off to the wrong start with the grid design.  I really dislike this grid which consists of only 6, 8 and 10 letter answers as you only have one way in to each corner.

I found it a fairly tough puzzle to get into at first with the two “big clues” not apparently obvious.  Eventually I cracked them both, after searching for non-existent anagrams.  In fact Araucaria infrequently uses large anagrams in his longer clues.

If there is a theme in the puzzle there are a couple of repetitive answers.  CAN CAN, CHA CHA 

Good fun, with some nice clues to make you smile, and to set you up for the weekend onslaught of puzzles.
ACROSS  ( * = ANAGRAM   R = REVERSAL  cd = cRYPTIC DEF)   

1   IGNITION   G NIT (Good fool) + IO (I love) all inside IN –  Is Araucaria using “home” as a container indication here?  Or is he saying IN = HOME and the clue is saying IN IN? Can’t tell which.
5   ESPIED  PIED (spotted) after E&S (quarters)
9   JACOBITE  JA (Consent of German) + CO (Company) + BITE (morsel)
10  CHA CHA  “Rosie Lee’s repetitive movement”  CD  Rosie Lee = Cockney Rhyming slang for tea.
11  ROSIE LEE  Very clever clue.  Cider with Rosie = book by Laurie (sic) Lee
12  AMORAL  Hidden answer
14  FALLING OFF  I suspect this is a CD clue relating to the old expression “Fell off the back of a lorry”
18,20,1  REPETITIVE  STRAIN INJURY    RE (concerning)  +  PETIT (small) + IVES (Saint) + TRAIN (Followers) + IN JURY (The Twelve -good men and true)
22  CAN CAN  Potential = CAN + 18 (Repetitive) = MOVEMENT (can can)
23  ASSISTER  One who helps =  def.  AS + SISTER\
24  LUANDA  LANDAU with the U moved to second place.
26, 25, 4 TO COME TO THE AID OF THE PARTY      Another charade clue  TO COME = Future +  TOT = infant + HEAD = leader  with I  inside head + OFT = frequently + HEP = trendy +  ARTY = aesthetic
27  RESPONSE  ESP in RONSE*

DOWN
2   NO CASE  CD  – expression “No case to answer”  Question mark to indicate clue is slightly “dodgy”.     One of the weaker clues in the puzzle, I’d say.
3   TABLET  Double def
6   SCHUMANN  HUM in SCAN + N
7   ISCARIOT  Another clever clue   BISCAY less BY + RIOT
8   DEAR LIFE  A clue I don’t understand –  can see the “cost of living” bit.
13  OLIVE STONE      OLIVE(R) STONE – Nice clue!
15  BRACELET  BRACE + LET
16  SPONDAIC  An early sighting for the I-Pod in a crossword   IPOD CAN*
17  AT RANDOM           RAND  in ATOM
19  HIP HOP  HIP (Fruit – Rose hip) + HOP (plant)
21  DREDGE  DR (Medicine Man)  +  EDGE (Side)

Thanks to Araucaria for a very enjoyable breakfast-time solve.