The standard excellent Quixote puzzle as it heads into the second thousand. Solving time, 25 mins. SW corner by far the hardest for me.
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 MI STRESS MI = 1001 in Roman numerals and the number of this puzzle “Number of Sunday crosswords done”
6 BAD LOT Lot, Old Testament character – my first thought was ‘bad Job’ but I think the other phrase fits the definition, esp with the reference to ‘wife’, with Lot’s wife turned to a pillar of salt for disobedience. Think that’s it, anyway.
9 SPUR Hidden
10 SUNG LASSES
11 I (NVETE) RATE (event)*
12 I VAN The Terrible, Tsar of Russia
13 HE LP MEET
15 Open SE(SAM)E
16 ST(R)ING This refers to a Hilaire Belloc poem for children re Henry King
18 ESCALAT thE (a castle)*
20 E (RI) C Ir<
21 COAT HANGER Cryptic definition Ulster is a type of coat
23 PARTICULAR Excellent double definition “Fussy point”
24 VAST cf vats Clue splits at Huge/vessels
25 FE(NN)EL
26 RANK LING
DOWN
2 I MP IN GE e.g.<
3 T (the minimal i.e. abbrev of the) ERSE &lit
4 EASTER EGG (Segregate)* puzzle appeared the week after Easter so “last week’s sweet item”
5 SINBAD THE SAILOR (Island’s boat hire)* This really helped me with this puzzle – I guessed it from the enumeration and definition first time thro the clues.
6 BIL(G)E
7 DIS (MISS)AL (lad is)*
8 OVER ‘ARM i.e. harm
14 PRINCETO(w)N
15 SACCHARIN (a can’s rich)*
17 T(h)E R RACE Tricky
19 T REASON
21 C ECIL (lice c)< c = beginning to crawl (first letter)
22 NAVE L
An initial glance at the clues before settling down to methodical solving gave ‘sesame’ straight away and then there was ‘Sinbad the sailor’ and I thought with being puzzle 1001 it was going to be themed around the 1001 nights. Mildly disappointed that it wasn’t, but a satisfying puzzle nevertheless.
There were indeed three little 1001 teases. I tend to hold back on maxi-theme puzzles in dailies. They tend to give three indicators per clue and make an easy puzzle even easier.
Thanks as ever for feedback.
Thanks for that – I missed the 1001 nights connection.