A slightly more difficult offering than usual this week from Everyman, at least in a couple of clues.
Even so, great fun, and the welcome chance to look up one of my favourite musical films.
Hold the mouse over the answers to 13ac and 8d for links to Wiki, and 20d links to You Tube
| Across | |||
| 1. | Firm order initially put in by one working with horses (9) | ||
| STABLEBOY | STABLE + O(rder) in BY | ||
| 6. | Chaplain may give tramp religious education (5) | ||
| PADRE | PAD = “tramp” (vb.)+ R.E. | ||
| 9. | Chooses not to be involved with new post abroad (4,3) | ||
| OPTS OUT | *POST + OUT = “abroad” | ||
| 10. | A series in dispute (2,5) | ||
| AT ISSUE | A + TISSUE, as in ‘a tissue of lies’ | ||
| 11. | Have no influence getting foreign noble free (5,3,7) | ||
| COUNT FOR NOTHING | Definition and cryptic definition | ||
| 12. | Grasslike plant in small border (5) | ||
| SEDGE | S(mall) + EDGE
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| 13. | US author may, reportedly (9) | ||
| HAWTHORNE | Homophone for another word for the may tree.
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| 15. | Athletic event last month, Irish town shortened (9) | ||
| DECATHLON | DEC(ember, last month of the year) + ATHLON(e)
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| 17. | After short time, warning device may become a source of irritation (5) | ||
| THORN | T + HORN, eg. ‘a thorn in one’s side’, a figurative source of irritation. | ||
| 19. | Never doing anything wrong, chess player threw in hat excitedly (6,4,5) | ||
| WHITER THAN WHITE | WHITE + *THREW IN HAT | ||
| 22. | Resign from bank at Oxford on Thursday? (5,2) | ||
| THROW UP | ROW (bank) + UP (at Oxford) after TH(ursday).
I found it hard to accept “resign” as the definition, but it does appear in Chambers, albeit as 3rd or 4th option. |
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| 23. | Making a mistake about a piece of jewellery (7) | ||
| EARRING | ERRING around A | ||
| 24. | Salesman’s extremely lengthy answer (5) | ||
| REPLY | REP + L(ength)Y | ||
| 25. | Messed about, ace landed upset (3,1,5) | ||
| LED A DANCE | *ACE LANDED | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Endless criticism involving old philosopher (5) | ||
| STOIC | O in STIC(k), for one following an ancient Greek philosophy of life | ||
| 2. | Surprise caused by a tanker originally entering channel (7) | ||
| ASTOUND | A + T(anker) in SOUND (= “channel”) | ||
| 3. | Deliberately ignore fashion article on alternative fashion (4,3,5,3) | ||
| LOOK THE OTHER WAY | Two alternative synonyms for “fashion” around THE + OTHER | ||
| 4. | Engagement later – both made up (9) | ||
| BETROTHAL | *LATER – BOTH | ||
| 5. | Long period of time before end of depression (5) | ||
| YEARN | YEAR + (depressio)N | ||
| 6. | Go on a pub crawl, to get rid of the blues? (5,3,4,3) | ||
| PAINT THE TOWN RED | Definition and cryptic definition | ||
| 7. | Tramp carrying one collection of papers (7) | ||
| DOSSIER | DOSSER, with 1 inside. This time, “tramp” is a noun. |
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| 8. | Film starring Jessie Matthews – about parting revenge, roughly (9) | ||
| EVERGREEN | RE in *REVENGE
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| 12. | Drink stewed tea in ward, so busy (4,5) | ||
| SODA WATER | *TEA in *WARD, SO | ||
| 14. | Started and took the lead (4,5) | ||
| WENT AHEAD | Double definition | ||
| 16. | Tweet from Greek character, leading bishop inside (7) | ||
| CHIRRUP | RR (= Right Reverend = “bishop”) between CHI = “Greek character” + UP = “leading” | ||
| 18. | Work in front of ironmonger’s, on view (7) | ||
| OPINION | OP + IN + I(ronmonger’s) + ON | ||
| 20. | Actor O’Toole, at heart, soft-hearted (5) | ||
| TOPOL | The middle letters of o’TOOLe around P = “soft”
The misdirection towards Peter completely threw me, and I had to seek assistance on-line for this, my last in. It’s a pity the actor is so much less familiar than the film.
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| 21. | Bird dog dropping first of birds (5) | ||
| EAGLE | (b)EAGLE. I believe I’ve seen this a couple of times recently.
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Many thanks, Stella.
More good stuff from Everyman. COUNT FOR NOTHING made me smile, and I also liked LOOK THE OTHER WAY. Like you, not so keen on THROW UP, but it’s perfectly fair; and I couldn’t see how TOPOL worked for a good while.