Nothing too challenging this week, but a pleasant solve nonetheless.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | REPUBLICAN | Palin, perhaps, is traveller in a club abroad REP = traveller; *(in a club). Don’tcha just love her? Er, no. Michael Palin’s nice, though. |
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| 6 | SWOP | Exchange in prisoners recalled POWs (prisoners or war) reversed |
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| 10 | AINTREE | Course popular when entering a service, say IN = popular; in A TREE. The service is a Eurasian tree (Sorbus domestica) similar to the rowan, with apple- or pear-shaped fruits used since Roman times to make an alcoholic drink (also called sorb); or a related European tree (wild service), Sorbus torminalis, somewhat like a maple, with clusters of round fruits. |
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| 11 | ARIZONA | Number touring limited region? Hot region ARIA = number (song); ZON[e] |
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| 12 | LEAN-TO | Six-footer staying in house and shed ANT = six-footer; LEO = one of the astrological houses, or signs of the Zodiac |
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| 13 | ESCAPEES | Witness step to restrict inmates lately being withdrawn — these might result? SEE PACE (witness step) reversed; S = last letter of ‘inmates’ |
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| 15 | MOTHER-OF-PEARL | Shell might include this sort of a home for petrol, nothing less *(a hme for petrol) — anagram without one of the Os |
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| 18 | SCANDALMONGER | Study look about male in peril — origin of hurtful gossip? SCAN = study; LO = look; around M = male; in DANGER |
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| 20 | COERCION | Top reptile imbued with energy coming back in force NO 1 CROC, reversed; with E = energy. Definition: force |
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| 21 | STREAM | Trail group of students Double definition |
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| 24 | EWE-NECK | Condition of horse in brass behind tree, we hear NECK = brass (cheek); EWE sounds like “yew”. A thin concave neck in horses. |
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| 25 | BALFOUR | Old PM, figure behind revolutionary scientific establishment FOUR; behind LAB, reversed |
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| 26 | DUSK | Daughter facing river in twilight D = daughter; facing USK = river |
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| 27 | ARCTIC TERN | Cretin with cart unsettled bird *(cretin cart) |
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| Down | |||
| 1 | REAR LAMP | Peer into part of castle lacking art or aid to vision? EARL = peer; in RAMP[art] |
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| 2 | PINTA | Drink held by chap in tavern Hidden in ‘chap in tavern’ |
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| 3 | BURY THE HATCHET | Northern town taken with old PM largely restraining ambassador and leader of town to make peace BURY = northern town; THATCHE[r] (boo! hiss!); HE = ambassador (His Excellency); T = leader of town |
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| 4 | IDEA | Assistant has first put down plan AIDE with the first letter moved down to the end |
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| 5 | ADAM’S APPLE | Mother introducing juice quietly amid beer — such is moved during drinking? DAM = mother; SAP = juice; PP = quietly; in ALE = beer. The projection of the thyroid cartilage in front of the throat, traditionally supposed to be part of the forbidden fruit stuck in Adam’s throat |
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| 7 | WOODEN LEG | Pin that’s not genuine? Double meaning of ‘pin’ |
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| 8 | PRAISE | Artist is engaged in exercise to get approval RA = artist; IS; in PE = exercise |
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| 9 | VICAR APOSTOLIC | Nominal minister improvised a solo civic part *(a solo civic part). Formerly, one to whom the Pope delegated some remote portion of his jurisdiction; now usually a titular bishop appointed to a country where there are no sees; a titular bishop exercising authority in a vacant see or during the bishop’s incapacity. |
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| 14 | GOOD-LOOKER | Dish in sound oven chef initially made to be large GOOD = sound; COOKER (oven) with C (chef initially) made to be L = large |
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| 16 | TASTELESS | Vulgar woman harbouring terrible tales TESS = woman; *(tales) |
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| 17 | TRIMARAN | Neat American managed boat TRIM = neat; A = American; RAN = managed |
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| 19 | SCREED | Singular set of beliefs found in long passage S = singular; CREED set of beliefs. A long passage of text |
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| 22 | EMOTE | Reveal excessive feeling in book on iPad that’s brought up? E TOME (electronic book) reversed |
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| 23 | ABUT | Touch instrument in turn TUBA reversed |
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I agree that this was a pleasant solve but unlike you I found it really quite challenging — certainly more so than we have become used to on a Sunday. Some of the clues (BURY THE HATCHET, SCANDALMONGER) had constructions which I found quite complicated, and I fell for plenty of misdirections. For example the use of traveller in the Palin clue made me think Michael, not Sarah; and the chef/oven references in the Dish clue had me looking for a culinary dish, rather than the one I eventually found. And one (to me) obscurity in EWE NECK which was nonetheless gettable from the clever wordplay.
Have others found that the IoS is switching to a policy of consistently tougher puzzles? If so I find it a very welcome development. This one hit the spot for me.
Many thanks jetdoc and Hypnos.
This seemed to me to be spot-on in terms of difficulty for an IoS — all wordplay perfectly sound, but with a few twists in the surface reading to deceive.
Thanks, jetdoc, for the blog and Hypnos for the puzzle which was very enjoyable. I found it a mixture of some quite easy clues and some extremely tricky ones. Among the latter for me were GOOD-LOOKER (my favourite clue), ESCAPEES and COERCION.