Definitely a puzzle at the ‘easy’ end of the FT spectrum with many obvious and simple anagrams, charades, reversals etc. However, I am not particularly happy with the clue for 14d. As worded the anagram should be inserted into I C rather than the other way around and the definition ‘learns a trade’ does not equate with ‘apprentice’ which would be ‘one who learns a trade’ or, in N. Am., ‘learn a trade’. Having said that, there were some clues that I quite enjoyed including 24a and 19d.
Across
1 SISKIN S (sun) IS (island) KIN (relationship)
4 EUPHORIC EU P (prince) *(CHOIR)
10 IRELAND *(LIED RAN)
11 TEATIME EMIT (issue) A ET (Spielberg film) reversed
12 GOLF FLOG (hit) reversed
13 TIDDLYWINK TIDDLY (little) WINK (facial gesture)
15 ENRAPT RAP (talk) in ENT (hospital department)
16 ATHEIST AT HEIST (armed hold-up)
20 STIRRUP R (radium) in STIR UP (excite)
21 MASALA hidden in ‘roMA SALAd’
24 GRANNY BOND d&cd
26 STOP POTS (saucepans) reversed
28 EGOTIST EG (for example) *(ITS TO)
29 MADEIRA MADE (forced) IRA (Irish revolutionaries)
30 DITHERED THERE (in that place) in DID (acted)
31 BEAGLE dd
Down
1 SHINGLES H (heroin) in SINGLES (individuals)
2 SMELL A RAT *(LET ALARMS)
3 IMAM IM (I am) A M[uslim] &lit
5 UP-TO-DATE dd
6 HEAVY METAL dd
7 REIKI hidden in ‘creatuRE I KIss’
8 CREAKY *(CAR KEY)
9 AD LIB *(DIAL) B[efore]
14 APPRENTICE I C (one chapter) in *(PETER PAN)
17 STARTLING [ra]T in STARLING (bird)
18 SUNBATHE *(HEAT BUNS)
19 WARPLANE WARP (buckle) LANE (road)
22 AGREED A GREED (a keen desire)
23 GNOME *(MEN GO)
25 ADOPT AD (advantage) OPT (make a choice)
27 IDLE homophone of ‘idol’ (god)
Typo at 16 down, Geoff? Still checking , you see!!
Sorry – 16 across. I’m not really awake it seems!
Thanks Octofem, now corrected.
Congrats on a very restrained diagnosis Gaufrid – you’re a better man than I am. Agree wholeheartedly with the brickbat for 14D and the bouquet for 19D. However, to bastardize Oscar Wilde:
“To use one of the most hackneyed clues in crossword history (6D) is unfortunate, to use two (3D) seems like carelessness”.
Hi Smiffy
‘Restrained’ only because if I had commented on every clue that that I wasn’t entirely happy with, or that I thought was far too easy, it would have taken me twice as long to write the blog and I didn’t think the puzzle justified the extra time that would have been spent.
I appreciate that there must be some easier puzzles to encourage newcomers but there should be a limit to the simplicity of clues and I think this one fell below it in many cases.
In 20A How is radium R? The chemical symbol is Ra.
Hi John
You are right. I overlooked this when completing the puzzle though in my defense it has been over 40 years since I studied chemistry at school.
I wonder if there is a misprint in the clue and ‘radium’ should have been ‘radius’ which would give R rather than Ra?