A lovely sunny autumn morning here in Yorkshire and a trouble-free puzzle from Orense to accompany my coffee. Nothing to frighten the horses, but a salutary lesson at 24ac. in double-checking an anagram before inking the solution into the grid…
ACROSS
8. DURIAN Durban [African city] with B [bishop] replaced with I [one]
9. AIRSPEED Anagram of rep aside
10. NIPS Double definition (a few seems somewhat redundant)
11. KHRUSHCHEV K [King] + H [Henry] + rush [attack] + ch [church] + (l)ev(y)
12. ANTE Ant [social worker] + E [east, quarter]
13. EXACTITUDE Ex [old] + act [bill] + anagram of dutie(s)
17. LEGO E.g. [for example, say] within lo [look!]
18. ERROR E [English] + RR [Rolls Royce, car] + or [gold]
19. MEAN Mean(t) [intended]
21. REAL ESTATE Ale [beer] within rest [relax] + anagram of eat
23. LAST Least [minimum] minus e [energy]
24. EGOISTICAL Anagram of g(old) socialite
28. MENU Men [people] + (o)u(t)
29. DIRT-POOR Dirt [scandal] + poor [unfortunate]
30. NETHER Net [gain] + initial letters of Higher Expansion Rationale
DOWN
1. AUDIENCE Double definition (I think)
2. LINSEED OIL Anagram of old senile I
3. INNKEEPERS Keep [tower] within (w)inner
4. CARR Car + r(ust)
5. ERAS Hidden in delivER A Sermon
6. SPEC Double definition, playing on spec(tacles/ification)
7. AENEID A + (b)e)(t) + anagram of dine
14. ATRIA A + tria(l) [hearing]
15. TORTELLINI Reversal of rot [rubbish] + tellin(g) [relating] + I [one]
16. TIME LIMITS Cryptic definition
20. ABSENTEE S [southern] + ENT [Ear, Nose and Throat, hospital department] within A + bee [worker]
22. EDGE IN Anagram of (n)eeding
25. INTO ‘Regular’ letters of IgNiTiOn
26. TROW R [river] within tow [tug]
27. CORN Co [company, firm] + R(oysto)n – a corn grows on a digit…
Thanks Ringo. Small detail – this is puzzle 14,102 not 14,012.
Check the nina. Read the perimeter from to left. Chapeau! (Sorry Orense, don’t know the Portuguese.)
This delightful puzzle is the best I can remember from Orense.
sorry meant ‘top left’.
Ringo, and a beautiful sunny spring morning here in Sydney. I obviously made the same mistake re 24A – it’s funny how the mind perceives how a word is spelt
I confess myself amazed that no-one else has joined me on the accolades for this rather special puzzle.
The perimeter reads ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
Orense, I’ll buy you a drink at the next Sloggers and Betters.
Many thanks Ringo for the analysis and to Conrad Cork et al for comments. Regret can’t make S&B for Anax’s 50th tomorrow, so that drink another time…
Oh, goodness, how did I miss the perimetrical nina? That, of course, elevates this from pleasant to excellent. Chapeau, indeed, Orense – and well spotted, Conrad.