A typical Sunday morning stroll. Thanks, Everyman.
With a wink to scchua, I include a photo of the car I learnt to drive in – or one like it – I wrote ours off three days after passing my test 🙂
| Across | |||
| 1. | Headgear provided by former airline – article that’s defaced (6,4) | ||
| PANAMA HATS | PANAM, the former Pan American Airlines, + A +(t)HATS, “defaced” 🙂 | ||
| 6. | Long account given by ambassador (4) | ||
| ACHE | AC(count) + H(is) E(xcellency) | ||
| 9. | A warning for an amusing type (7) | ||
| CAUTION | I’m not sure here. If it’s a double definition, I don’t understand the second one. | ||
| 10. | One with Ms West drinking drop of Guinness in picture (7) | ||
| IMAGINE | I + GIN (“drop of Guinness”!?) in MAE
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| 12. | Artist and Mrs distributed useful book (8,6) | ||
| TRISTRAM SHANDY | *ARTIST+MRS + HANDY (=useful) | ||
| 14. | Henry and I send message from Canadian port (7) | ||
| HALIFAX | HAL + I + FAX | ||
| 15. | Very difficult hill she negotiated (7) | ||
| HELLISH | *HILL SHE | ||
| 16. | A symphony, perhaps, from Mozart for me (3,4) | ||
| ART FORM | Hidden in (Moz)ART FOR M(e) | ||
| 19. | Chief military commander gripping butt of ancient weapon (7) | ||
| SHOTGUN | SHOGUN around the end (“butt”) of (ancien)T | ||
| 21. | Make a great effort to remember snack bar senior used (4,4,6) | ||
| RACK ONE’S BRAINS | *SNACK BAR SENIOR, anagrind “used” | ||
| 23. | Lake trip abroad taken by copper and guilty party (7) | ||
| CULPRIT | L(ake) + *TRIP after CU,the chemical symbol for “copper” | ||
| 24. | I had contracted to enter competition – that’s clear (7) | ||
| EVIDENT | I’D in EVENT | ||
| 25. | Song about daughter becoming a woman (4) | ||
| LADY | LAY = song, around D(aughter) | ||
| 26. | Criminal in Merseyside port, German pocketing grand (10) | ||
| BOOTLEGGER | BOOTLE + G(rand) in GER
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| Down | |||
| 1. | Best option (4) | ||
| PICK | Double definition | ||
| 2. | Gear position Renault altered (7) | ||
| NEUTRAL | *RENAULT. I’m sure I’ve seen this before. | ||
| 3. | Something to eat for the bridesmaids (5,2,6) | ||
| MAIDS OF HONOUR | Double definition
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| 4. | Rock guitarist casting spell across two US states (7) | ||
| HENDRIX | HEX = “cast a spell”, round N(orth) D(akota) + R(hode) I(sland) | ||
| 5. | Great victory for former car manufacturer (7) | ||
| TRIUMPH | Double definition
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| 7. | Church, one against providing wine (7) | ||
| CHIANTI | CH(urch) + 1 + ANTI | ||
| 8. | All in Newgate, very thin guys (10) | ||
| EVERYTHING | Well hidden in (Newgat)E VERY THIN G(uys) | ||
| 11. | Immense enjoyment in heat of Malawi resort close to Blantyre (1,5,2,1,4) | ||
| A WHALE OF A TIME | *HEAT OF MALAWI, + the last letter (“close”) of Blantyr(E) | ||
| 13. | Showbiz chat I later reviewed (10) | ||
| THEATRICAL | *CHAT I LATER. I’m not quite happy with “showbiz” as the definition here. As I understand it, it’s a noun, and the answer is an adjective. | ||
| 17. | Took on equipment heading for Dubai (7) | ||
| TACKLED | TACKLE = “equipment”, + “heading for” (ie. ‘first letter of’) D(ubai) | ||
| 18. | Virtuoso from Rome sat awkwardly (7) | ||
| MAESTRO | *ROME SAT | ||
| 19. | National field (7) | ||
| SUBJECT | Double definition | ||
| 20. | Alcoholic drinks and English tonic (7) | ||
| GINSENG | GINS + ENG(lish) | ||
| 22. | Prison in northern part of Scottish city (4) | ||
| STIR | STIR(ling) – “northern part of”, in a down clue.
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Many thanks, Stella.
In 10ac ‘a drop of Guinness’ is just G, but because it is followed in the clue by IN, we’ll obtain: I (one) + {MAE (Ms West) around G (drop of Guinness) + IN}.
BTW, Everyman is not always a ‘typical morning stroll’, but this one was – and a nice one, as ever.
Thanks Stella.
This was indeed an enjoyable and straightforward Everyman. I liked HENDRIX in particular.
I think ‘showbiz’ works as an adjective: ‘The showbiz world is a fickle one.’
Funnily enough Hendrix cropped up in a Times crossword where the wordplay was HE (the man) + NIX (nothing) around DR (bones) which I reckon was really hard. The other part of the clue was “axeman” which apparently is another word for a guitarist.
Here I had a going day where the anagrams were solved just like that-why is that some days you can’t get them?
Thanks, Stella.
9a is indeed a double definition. A caution is – or was – a waggish fellow. In Mark Gatiss’s Doctor Who story The Idiot’s Lantern, set in the 1950s, a family is listening to a comedy programme on the wireless. Mum says: “He’s a caution, that one. He does make me laugh.”
Thanks Sil for clearing up 10ac, which I wasn’t at all happy with, and to Miche for 9ac – a little bell was ringing in the far distance, but I’m glad for the confirmation 🙂
Thanks to all who post these blogs. It’s rare that I get all of the answers to a crossword, but I managed to with this one.