*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
Perhaps a slight sense of bitterness that this one was not finishable for those of us with no interest in Tolkien, but apart from that a pleasing Friday solve, as we've come to expect.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SCREAM – dd, a reference to a film of that name, I believe. |
| 5 | SOCIAL – SO + CIA + L. |
| 8/9 | GREGORIAN CHANT – (GRACING ANOTHER)*. |
| 11 | RAIN – [ref]RAIN. |
| 12 | OLEAGINOUS – (NO OIL USAGE)*. |
| 13 | ELEPHANT – PELE< + H + ANT. |
| 15 | ENNUI – [g]ENUIN[e]*. |
| 17 | STRAW – WARTS<. |
| 19 | STILLETTO – SET-TO “about” TIL[e]. |
| 22 | ANTITHESIS – (AN + IS) “about” TITHES. |
| 23 | KIWI – KI[t] + WI[n]. |
| 25 | EFFIE – E + FF + IE. |
| 26 | TRIENNIAL – ENN[u]I (15ac) “during” TRIAL. |
| 27 | PARSON – (NO SAP “hiding” R)<. |
| 28 | GHYLLS – G + H + Y[e]LLS. |
| Down | |
| 2 | CHEMISE – (HEM IS) in CE. |
| 3 | EROS – ‘ERS “seizing” 0. |
| 4 | MAINLAND – (1 “enthralled by” MAN) + (LAD “around” N). |
| 5 | SYNTAX – hom. of “sin” + TAX. |
| 6 | COCHINEAL – CO + (E “investing in” CHINA) + L[earn]. I think this is the stuff that’s made from ground-up beetle shells. |
| 7 | ARAGORN – (A RAG ON) “involving” R. |
| 8 | GARTER SNAKE – GARTERS + NAKE[d]. |
| 10 | TESTIMONIAL – TEST + I’M + ON + 1 + AL[l]. |
| 14 | HOWITZERS – H[oodlums] + (ZERO WITS)*. |
| 16 | STRIKING – dd. |
| 18 | RATAFIA – (AT A FAIR)*. |
| 20 | TRIVIAL – T + (RIVAL “grabbing” 1). |
| 21 | KEATON – KEAN “gripping” TO. Buster, and Charles or Edmund respectively. |
| 24 | ONLY – ON + L[az]Y. |
Simon,
I’m with you on Tolkien…
I think 1ac. could (also) be alluding to this picture.
Can’t see any Ninas, but there’s certainly an Irina. Perhaps Mike Laws can tell us more?
The picture in 1 across refers to “The Scream” by Edvard Munch
I’m a Tolkien fan, so no problem with Aragorn (it was practically the first one I got). I was a bit uncertain about garter snakes because they don’t seem to be venomous, although apparently it has been discovered recently that they do possess a mild venom. For straw, I found it very hard to get the idea out of my head that there might be some sort of obscure dessert called smrow (worms backwards). Perhaps I’m becoming too much of a computer geek.
Bravo, Paul B. I thought that hiding the surname of the only person called Nina I’ve ever worked with would escape your attention. Whether she’s a relation of the (checks Google) Russian contortionist, I couldn’t say
I’m not into Tolkien, but deduced Aragorn as the only sensible answer and it sounded sufficiently Tolkienish.
… and Garter Snake. Whether it’s venomous or not depends on where you are. In S Africa it’s the name for a venomous snake, but the name is used in USA for non-venomous species.
what is an “irina” and could someone tell me exactly what is a nina?
thankyou