Lorraine: Nice easy jog along this week, 20 across had me going for a while as I didn’t think of loaded as having lots of money, when I eventually twigged I did laugh to myself. Thanks once again Everyman.
Legend to solution comments:
* = anagram.
< = word reversed.
| Across | |||
| 1. | God of love after a ballot (6) | ||
| APOLLO | O after A POLL | ||
| 4. | Ethnic, first in box in court case (6) | ||
| TRIBAL | B in TRIAL | ||
| 8. | Some tinsel, at Christmas, in bar (5) | ||
| LATCH | hidden: tinseL AT CHristmas | ||
| 9. | Divert sports team approaching course (9) | ||
| SIDETRACK | SIDE+TRACK | ||
| 11. | Suitable, “Feelings”, a pop single (4,10) | ||
| GOOD VIBRATIONS | GOOD+VIBRATIONS ref: Beach Boys pop single | ||
| 13. | Intensely serious, boy describing adult (7) | ||
| EARNEST | ERNEST around A (adult); describing=surrounding | ||
| 15. | Fancy goods originally imported by one US state (7) | ||
| IMAGINE | G in I MAINE | ||
| 16. | Remarkably smooth northern newspaper proprietor (7) | ||
| THOMSON | (SMOOTH*) + N ref: D.C. Thomson | ||
| 18. | Understands article in rag’s racy (7) | ||
| GATHERS | THE in (RAGS*) | ||
| 20. | Both row rowboat unsuitably loaded (5,1,3,2,3) | ||
| WORTH A BOB OR TWO | (BOTH ROW ROWBOAT)* | ||
| 23. | Mater’s rewritten: Mother, with a capital (9) | ||
| AMSTERDAM | (MATERS*)+DAM=mother | ||
| 24. | Confine one male brought in drunk (5) | ||
| LIMIT | I M in LIT=drunk | ||
| 25. | Make a journey with French composer after end of concert (6) | ||
| TRAVEL | T in front of composer RAVEL | ||
| 26. | Here’s the spinner – there’ll be flipping ducks again! (6) | ||
| SPIDER | ducks again=RE-DIPS< | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Piece of music composed to greet all (10) | ||
| ALLEGRETTO | (TO GREET ALL)* | ||
| 2. | Defeat old-fashioned party (5) | ||
| OUTDO | OUT+DO | ||
| 3. | Composer shown round very European port (2,5) | ||
| LE HAVRE | V in composer LEHAR+E | ||
| 5. | Note girl drinking drop of sparkling wine (7) | ||
| RETSINA | RE+(S in TINA) | ||
| 6. | Beans are, I suspect, served up in a sauce (9) | ||
| BEARNAISE | (BEANS ARE I)* | ||
| 7. | Enjoy the same thing (4) | ||
| LIKE | dd | ||
| 9. | Second-rate vessel in need of flag (11) | ||
| SUBSTANDARD | SUB(marine)+STANDARD | ||
| 10. | Sketch popular stable lad in reception area (7,4) | ||
| DRAWING ROOM | DRAW+IN+GROOM | ||
| 12. | Nobleman holding a dart and a toy weapon (10) | ||
| PEASHOOTER | A SHOOT=dart in PEER | ||
| 14. | Ashore, son plays in a North Wales resort (4-2-3) | ||
| RHOS ON SEA | (ASHORE SON)* | ||
| 17. | Defiant remark made by chronic drunkard in this place (2,5) | ||
| SO THERE | SOT+HERE | ||
| 19. | Tart, upper part containing bread (7) | ||
| TROLLOP | ROLL in TOP | ||
| 21. | Faint-hearted gloomy Italian turned up (5) | ||
| TIMID | (DIM IT)< | ||
| 22. | Record throw (4) | ||
| CAST | dd | ||
Yes, 20a was a nice one.
Completed without aids 2 weeks in a row for me. ( there’s usually a plant or a city, or a fabric I have to look up).
Thanks Lorraine and thanks Everyman,
An enjoyable solve with my favourite being 15a (IMAGINE) which was very misleading with an excellent surface.
Lorraine,
I forgot to say but you never seem to comment on the clues. I wouldn’t expect a comment on every clue but there must be some that you consider very good or very bad even. Just a thought.
So Andrew K, that means you didn’t need to verify Rhos on Sea which I certainly had to. Is it Phuket of the North then?
I thought it was something on sea. Rhos was a welsh looking name. Put it Jin and verified it retrospectively!
I had to use Google maps to confirm ‘Rhos’, as with the anagram letters it could have been any combination of ‘ASHORE’ being a Welsh name!
I very rarely comment on the clues as mostly they are straight forward in their construction.
Lorraine.