*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Automatic: Double definition (refers to an automatic car). |
| 6 | Ambit: [G]ambit. |
| 9 | Crawl: [S]crawl |
| 10 | Trattoria: (Air OTT art)<. |
| 11 | Trafalgar Square: Trafalgar + square, def = “column overlooks it”. |
| 13 | Precept: hom of “pre Sept”. |
| 15 | Ominous: [D]omino + US. |
| 16 | Live out: I’ve in lout. |
| 18 | Abysmal: hidden in suburbia by smalholding. |
| 20 | Confidentiality: (in noted facility)*. |
| 23 | Delineate: E line in date. |
| 25 | Earth: Earth[y] – I think the def refers to the earth in electric wiring. |
| 26 | Gnarl: (l[oads] + rang)<. |
| 27 | Llandudno: (n dud) in Llano – I think the plain is llano. |
| Down | |
| 1 | Ascot: [M]ascot. |
| 2 | Tea cake: AC in teak + [caf]e. |
| 3 | Malta: Hidden in formal takeover. |
| 4 | Tut: Odd characters of trust. |
| 5 | Clairvoyant: (Only vicar at)*. |
| 6 | Antiquity: A NT I quit y. |
| 7 | Bergamo[t] |
| 8 | Traversal: Travers + a l. Bill Travers was the founder of the Born Free foundation. |
| 12 | Go to the wall: w in (g hotel a lot)*. |
| 13 | Police dog: Rather easy CD. |
| 14 | Emotional: E + Motion + a + l. The poet is Andrew Motion. |
| 17 | Vanilla: Villa around a n[eighbourhood]. |
| 19 | Maitre-D: MD around [w]aiter*. |
| 21 | Amend: AM end. |
| 22 | Yahoo: Hidden in penitentiary a hoodlum. |
| 24 | Ena: Clue was “Woman a tablet upset”. The letters meant it had to be either Ena or Eva and the online version gives Ena as the answer. I assume it’s (a NE)< but don’t know in what context NE is a tablet. Should be An E< |
24 down ‘a tablet’ is ‘an e’
Maybe it it had said “a tab” I’d have got it more easily. Tablet sounds a bit too above-board for something like an illegal drug.
Pleasing puzzle, and, as you say, fairly straightforward esp the down clues, and I was helped by getting 11 across straightaway.
Nice puzzle. The only clue I didn’t understand was the one to OMINOUS (which I did, nevertheless, get right…)
Easy but nice puzzle. The only thing that bothered me was 5ac, where we have to accept that a gambit is an opening comment. OK the dictionaries say it’s an opening (as in chess) and it’s a comment, but do they say that it’s a mixture of the two?