Solving time: 25 minutes.
Quite devious from young Nimrod today with a couple of ambiguous solutions until you get the intersecting answers. Very enjoyable with a couple of forehead slapping moments.
ACROSS (*) = Anagram (CD) = Cryptic def (R) = Reversal
8 MIGNONNE MIG (Russian Fighter Plane) + NONE (love, as in tennis) around N (new).
9 OPEN UP O U P (Oxford Uni Press) with PEN inside
10 JEJUNE (CD) How a stammerer might pronounce the seasonal time!
11 THE STARS Double def.
12 WENT OVER THE EDGE I had GONE instead of WENT at first. THE EDGE is bassist with U2.
13 PERSONA NON GRATA PER = A (as in miles per hour) ANON in SONG + RAT + A.
16 TURNED A BLIND EYE EYED NIL BAD E.N. RUT (All reversed) & lit. Very clever.
19 CELLARET EL + EARL* inside CT
20 HEARTS A in HERTS
21 MIMOSA MO inside AIMS*
22 EINSTEIN (CD) Nice clue.
DOWN
1 RIB-EYE I BE in RYE
2 IN QUOTES Anag of QUESTION – nice deceptive clue!
3 UNLEAVENED BREAD BANDLEADER VENUE*
4 BETTER AND BETTER (CD)
5 SOMETHING IN HAND (cd) ref Bridge and other card games.
6 SEETHE SEE (Date) on THE
7 OUTRIGHT OUT + RIGHT
14 EAU DE VIE ODOUR (Homophone) + VIE (Contend)
15 REDRAFTS RED + RAFTS
17 NELSON As in wrestling hold and history
18 YTTRIC TT + I CRY*
I thought this was great. Lots of clues ot admire. Very impressed with 16: Saw nothing “untoward” – nurse’s “routine” rounds? But wasn’t sure why all the quotation marks were there.
The “pecking order” bit for Nelson seemed very familiar, has something similar been used before to clue “Kiss me Hardy”?
I also initially had GONE for 12A andI found it quite difficult due to the 6 long interesecting clues (all with <50% checking) which prevented me from getting into the corners.
I thought this was one of the best Nimrod puzzles I’ve solved. As you say 16a was very cleverly done as was the cheeky 2d. One query though: where does the A in 20a come from?
I think it’s “one near midfield” i.e. “A” near the middle of HERTS.
Yes, very tricky, but very good. Liked 18d. The Edge is lead guitarist with U2, BTW…
I didn’t really get the stuff about “pecking order” for Nelson. I could only think it was something to do with Nelson’s column and pigeons.
When Nelson was dying, one of the last things he said was “Kiss me Hardy!” to Thomas Hardy, the captain of the HMS Victory. Hence he was the originator of the famous pecking (=kissing) order.
Good stuff, though I really struggled to get started. My better half’s better knowledge of U2 made quite a difference.
Nice puzzle, but not ashamed to admit I finished 5 clues short on this one as it was pretty tough. Would never have got yttric.
Ali