* precedes all nine themed answers
* Olympic host cities
Across
1 MADE TO MEASURE (suits someone)
MAD (daft) E TOME (English book) A (article) SURE (certain)
9 REBUKER (critic) RE B (about British) UK (nation) ER (ruler)
10 HABITUE (frequent visitor) A BIT (a little) in HUE (colour)
11 INTRO (jazz piece) hidden in [pa]IN TRO[uble]
12 DANCE HALL (where to meet girlfriend!)
EH (what?) in DAN (desperate dan) CALL (ring)
*13 MONTREAL NT (holy books) in OR (gold) all in MEAL (dinner)
15 FLACON (perfume bottle) CO (company) in FLAN (tart)
18 SPEECH (talk) E in PE (head of English in gym) all in SCH (school)
* 19 HELSINKI HE (man) L (left) SINKI[ng]
* 22 BARCELONA CRAB< (grumpy person rejected) (ALONE)*
* 24 PARIS PARIS[h]
25 TALONED (able to grasp firmly) ALONE (isolated) in TD Teachta Dala
* 26 ANTWERP ANT (worker) WE (you and I) RP (received pronunciation)
27 DISINTERESTED (impartial) (RESIDENT IS TED)*
Down
1 MARXISM (leftwing philosophy) XI (team) in MARS (planet) M[en]
2 DEBUTANTE (society girl) (BE TAUNTED)*
* 3 TOKYO (KYOTO)* (climate protocol city)
4 MERIDIAN (peak of success) ID (identity) in (AIRMEN)*
* 5 ATHENS at hen party?
6 UMRELLAS (covers) LA (Los Angeles) in (SLUMBER)*
7 EXTRA double definition
* 8 BERLIN RL (two sides) in BEIN[g] (essence endless)
14 RECREANTS (cowards) (ARENT)* in RECS (play areas)
16 CONGRUENT (corresponding) CON (trick) RU (sport) in GENT (man)
17 SEPARATE (become detached) PARA (soldier) T (time) all in SEE (observe)
18 SUBITO (suddenly – music) B (black) in SUIT (hearts perhaps) O (love)
20 INSIPID (without taste) IN (at home) SIP (little drink) in ID (I had)
* 21 LONDON LON[g] (be desperate almost) DON (Bradman = Don)
23 RILED (be angry) R[iot] I LED (one induced)
24 PATTE (narrow at inner and broad at other end of cross) PATTE[rn] (model)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse
Anyone tell em why ‘city’ was included in the clue for 3 down?
Sorry, dyslexic typing. Meant ‘me ‘ not ’em’.
Thanks Bradman and Jed – I enjoyed this. BTW, there’s a typo in the 6d answer.
Conrad Cork – because Kyoto is the city where the climate change protocol was adopted in 1997.
Thanks for the blog, Jed. Thanks for the fun, Bradman.
I read “cycled around” in 3dn as ‘moved in cycles’. The letters of TOKYO, when
placed in a circle would then have to be read from a different starting position.
On a straight line: TOKYO,TOKYO,TOKYO or TO,KYOTO,KYOTO,KYO
Thank you all. I thought for a while that there was an Olympic boycott!