Lorraine This week I had trouble with the north east corner, possibly due to over indulgence at Christmas and New Year, got there in the end though. Favourite clues 11ac, 16ac, 20ac, 3dn, 4dn and 12dn.
Thanks to Everyman for a well composed puzzle.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Fancy cigars, ale and port (9) | ||
| ALGECIRAS | (CIGARS ALE*) This port in Spain |
||
| 6. | Tighten one’s belt in spring, saving bit of money (5) | ||
| SKIMP | M(oney) in SKIP | ||
| 9. | Evergreen delivered by singer, half cut, during a party (7) | ||
| AVOCADO | VOCA(list) in ADO | ||
| 10. | Constant source of exasperation, rental arrangement (7) | ||
| ETERNAL | E+(RENTAL*) | ||
| 11. | What’s surprisingly great as a lachrymator? (4,3) | ||
| TEAR GAS | (GREAT AS*) &lit; | ||
| 12. | Dreadful emails about son at a loose end (7) | ||
| AIMLESS | S(on) in (EMAILS*) | ||
| 13. | Wrote, as agreed (12) | ||
| CORRESPONDED | dd | ||
| 16. | Sending coaches, all but one, on expedition (12) | ||
| TRANSMISSION | TRA(i)NS+MISSION | ||
| 19. | A grant secured by the Olympian (7) | ||
| ATHLETE | A+(LET in THE) | ||
| 20. | Pick out one very much behindhand (7) | ||
| ISOLATE | I+SO+LATE | ||
| 21. | Everyone taking part in trial? Most unlikely (7) | ||
| TALLEST | ALL in TEST | ||
| 23. | A series under discussion (2,5) | ||
| AT ISSUE | dd | ||
| 24. | Remain right inside, or wander off (5) | ||
| STRAY | R in STAY | ||
| 25. | Sample tea, perhaps, a little at a time (9) | ||
| PIECEMEAL | PIECE(sample)+MEAL(tea, perhaps) | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Film vehicle entering at one (6) | ||
| AVANTI | VAN in AT I The film Avanti! |
||
| 2. | Girl must catch high ball in international (6) | ||
| GLOBAL | LOB IN GAL | ||
| 3. | What there’s likely to be in a theatre in new surroundings? (6,2,7) | ||
| CHANGE OF SCENERY | sort of cdd | ||
| 4. | Hotel facility may give one opportunity to go over (4,7) | ||
| ROOM SERVICE | ROOM(opportunity)+SERVICE(to go over, as in a car service) | ||
| 5. | Novel, second by ambassador (3) | ||
| SHE | S+HE A novel by Henry Rider Haggard |
||
| 6. | Railway engine crew’s crazy thinking following onset of storm (5,10) | ||
| STEAM LOCOMOTIVE | TEAM+LOCO+MOTIVE(thinking) all after S(torm) | ||
| 7. | Insinuation made by union worried about closure (8) | ||
| INNUENDO | (UNION*) around END | ||
| 8. | China developed ideas for a means of defence (8) | ||
| PALISADE | PAL+(IDEAS*) China Plate=Mate=PAL – cockney ryhming slang |
||
| 12. | Two fools in centre of Ostend committing a murder (11) | ||
| ASSASSINATE | ASS+ASS+IN+(os)TE(nd) around A ‘committing a’ means ‘having a’, i.e. inside |
||
| 14. | Salt ain’t mistaken, it’s that lost island (8) | ||
| ATLANTIS | (SALT AIN’T*) | ||
| 15. | Single man, composer, put up part (8) | ||
| BACHELOR | BACH+(ROLE<) | ||
| 17. | Film dog finding dope in railway siding (6) | ||
| LASSIE | ASS in LIE In Chambers, lie2; “a railway siding” |
||
| 18. | Uncover most of red meat (6) | ||
| REVEAL | RE(d)+VEAL | ||
| 22. | Spinner’s cap and sweater (3) | ||
| TOP | cdd | ||
Thanks Everyman and Lorraine.
Didn’t get the Cockney rhyming slang in 8 and wasn’t familiar with lie for railway siding, otherwise reasonably straightforward.
Quite liked 9 as well as your favourites.
Thanks Lorraine. Curiously, I had more difficulty in the NW than the NE, despite the fact the port is the main one between Spain and Morocco – I was looking for an English port, and had never thought of an avocado as an evergreen, or even as a plant, just the fruit.
At 25ac, I’d expected an anagram, but crossing letters precluded this, and then I saw the wordplay – nice.
Thanks, Lorraine.
Very clear clueing from Everyman as always. I got LASSIE, but needed your reference to the railway siding bit. I’m convinced I’ve seen this clued in a different way recently.
It’s sometimes difficult to say that x or y was your favourite clue with Everyman, because everything’s put together so well; so I’ll just comment on the overall enjoyableness of the crossword.
Thanks to blogger and setter.
I hardly comment to Everyman’s puzzles.
As Kathryn’s Dad more or less says, they are so evenly clued.
This week my favourite Sunday pastime was almost spoilt by 1ac, the only one I could not find without looking elsewhere.
And when ALGECIRAS popped up, I thought: that would have been qualified as ‘obcsure’ in some crosswords.
Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t – but dear me, what a fantastic clue!!
Thanks Lorraine,
No problems with any particular corner. AVOCADO was last in for much the same reason as Stella. Sil, ALGECIRAS would be straightforward for students who had studied the build-up to the First World War, due to the 1906 Conference held there. But quite possibly obscure for others.