Excellent puzzle from Phi, solving time, 24 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 MA (GI) C AL(l)
5 SIDECAR (is)< (raced)<
9 DEAD TREE EDITION My penultimate answer – new phrase to me which means ‘hard copy’ ie using paper (made from trees) as distinct from in electronic form eg on the web. Also learned that Dendrology means study of trees so the other part of the clue is a mock headline from a special issue of a presumably imagined publication: Dendrology Today. All in all a very nice idea.
10 SA(H)EL (leas)< In Africa. Excellent surface.
11 S (PEAR HE) AD
12 EN (COMP) AS S sane< comp = composer s = soprano
14 PI(E)TY E = end (last letter) of humanE
17 (s)OFTEN hint of stress = first letter
16 D (EN MOTHE)R (The Omen)* New to me, pleased to work it out eventually from the wordplay. US usage, I think.
19 LIB (n)ATIONS
21 EP SOM(e)
22 QUESTION MASTERS (quite as monsters)* Amusing surface relating to the style of Jeremy Paxman and others, I guess, on UK TV.
23 Y (ASH M) AK
24 PARES I’S
DOWN
1 MO (D) ISTE(n) Fashion designer.
2 GRAPHICS TABLETS r in (the plastic bags)* Another new phrase to me that I worked out from the wordplay once I’d some crossing letters.
3 C (ATT) LEMEN(t)
4 (b)LEEDS liked ‘loses vital stuff’
5 Robert Louis ST (EVEN S) ON (tons)*
6 DRI(v)ER
7 CHINESE WHISPERS Good cryptic definition – a game where a phrase is passed from person to person.
8 RENT – Delayed A Y
13 AUDIOBOOK My favourite clue “Volume governed by volume control” Cryptic definition.
14 PR (OF)ESS OR
15 OB(E) LO QU angrY
17 RA (Egyptian sun-god) MESES (seems)* Definition: Pharaoh
19 TO T(h)EM
20 SUM (U) P
Excellent puzzle as usual from Phi. Unlike you I put in DEAD TREE EDITION and GRAPHICS TABLETS immediately. Maybe it’s my computing background but the first of these is a common enough phrase for me. I then got the other two 15 letter answers except I wrote in CHINESE CHEQUERS without thinking through the CD. I’m glad the Q was checked as it raised immediate alarms and EPSOM was easy enough to cause me to look again. From then it was just steady progress.
Excellent fun – thanks Phi and nmsindy.
I made a similar error in 7d but with the CK instead of QU spelling, which didn’t make the mistake quite so obvious, especially for someone who has trouble with horse-racing allusions.
A bit harder than usual for Phi, I thought. Perhaps just feebleness of mind.
It seemed to me that the Paxman reference in 22ac was to his University Challenge rather than his Newsnight activities.
Wasn’t sure about ‘comp’ for composer in 12ac — have never come across this abbreviation, but haven’t actually looked it up so it may be there.
comp = composer is in Chambers and was reasonably guessable (as I did). You’re right, I’m sure, about Paxman, not a programme I’ve watched too often, I’ll have to admit, but the anagram made it quite an easy clue that I solved on first run thro.