Solving time : Not sure because I got my stopwatch wrong, but it was quite long before I understood everything and even now I’m not sure about one or two.
Cinephile’s crosswords tend to have a theme, but I can’t see one.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | DELIVER THE GOODS. 2 defs, one the literal meaning, one the metaphorical one. This seems to be a standard way of clueing these long expressions, because it is easy to do and usually leads to a nice clue. The Times often does it. |
| 9 | VI(C not R)TUAL. I found this difficult, but I think “generated by computer” is “virtual” and “with its first for its last” means that C (the first letter of computer) replaces R (the last …). To victual is to supply with food. |
| 11 | DEN CH. I’m used to doing The Times, which doesn’t refer to living people (except the Queen I think), so this was not immediately obvious, although the wordplay is simple enough. |
| 13 | NEW MARKET. A bit doubtful about “with horses?” for the racecourse, but perhaps there’s something &lit. going on here. |
| 15 | Hidden, very well. Excellent surface. |
| 16 | The Cheddar GORGE. |
| 18 | I think this is GO(NET)OSE A, but am less than comfortable with “A” for “first”, if that’s what it is. |
| 20 | L (SPIRIT)* CE. |
| 24 | (HAT)* WART. |
| 25 | The two writers are PEN and DANTE. |
| 26 | HIPPO C RAT I COAT H, def. “thing for medics to take”. |
| Down | |
| 1 | (LAD V GIANT DO I HAD)*. A nice &lit. except for the “I had”. |
| 2 | I hadn’t realised that LUCKNOW is an Indian capital, but it’s the capital of Uttar Pradesh. |
| 3 | VOUCH SAFE, def. “Deign”. “guarantee” (which is in the Chambers definition but obs.) is a red herring and part of the wordplay. |
| 5 | I’m not sure about this. It seems to be HO(T BUTT)ON, an expression I’d never heard which means “highly charged issue”, so that’s OK, but I can’t justify “hoon”, which doesn’t apparently mean “whip”. Was or is Geoffrey Hoon a government whip? |
| 6 | GEN(I)US. A genus is “a taxonomic group … consisting of closely related species…”. Good clue. |
| 7 | O PINION. |
| 8 | STRIKE A B(A DP)ATCH. |
| 14 | (GREEK)* round BIT T, def. drink. A nice clue. “Greek characters” immediately misled me into thinking of the Greek alphabet. |
| 15 | CAT A TONIC. I think “that cheers one up” is “tonic” and “from” means “leading on from”. |
| 19 | 2 defs. I suppose “princess” is just about OK, since one of the meanings of “sultana” is “a sultan’s daughter”. |
| 21 | (ALP)rev. TO, not helped by my misreading “after” as “alter”. |
| 22 | EXPAT(I ATE). |
I think you are right on all points. Geoff Hoon is indeed Chief Whip.
I enjoyed this. Probably because I surprised myself in being able to complete it and in a fairly quick time (for me).
Hardly any Araucarianisms to upset people too.