It is a lovely sunny morning here, I sat outside for the first time this year and this crossword was a perfect accompaniment to my cup of tea and a pancake. Smooth surfaces and interesting clues. I suspect this might disappoint anyone looking for a real challenge, but this morning it fit the bill for me perfectly. Thank you Dogberry.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SPLOTCH | Mark’s scheme to infltrate school (7) |
| PLOT (scheme) in SCH (school) | ||
| 5 | CADDISH | Ungentlemanly prayer for the dead recited (7) |
| sounds like (recited) “kaddish”, Jewish prayers for the dead | ||
| 9 | SATAN | Fiend producing half of weekend article (5) |
| SAT (Saturday, half the weekend) AN (indefinite article) | ||
| 10 | DOUBTLESS | Gemini (perhaps) carrying Taurus’s head to Scorpio’s (for sure) (9) |
| DOUBLES (twins, Gemini perhaps) carrying T (head of Taurus) then S (head of Scorpio) – definition is ‘for sure’ | ||
| 11 | EXUBERANT | Joyous beaux rent asunder (9) |
| (BEAUX RENT)* asunder=anagram | ||
| 12 | RISHI | Guru adopted by Paris Hilton? (5) |
| part of (adopted by) paRIS HIlton – Indian mystic | ||
| 13 | TONGS | Gripping device for getting Newton clothed? (5) |
| N (newton) in TOGS (clothes) | ||
| 15 | GIBBERISH | Over-large herb is malformed? Nonsense! (9) |
| BIG (large) reversed (over) and (HERB IS)* malformed=anagram | ||
| 18 | GRAVEYARD | Sauce packed with energy fnding a way to fnal destination (9) |
| GRAVY (sauce) packed with E (enrgy) the A RD (road, a way) – the final resting place. A very nice clue! | ||
| 19 | TOPIC | Subject to supreme one hundred (5) |
| TOP (supreme) I (one) C (hundred) Roman numerals | ||
| 21 | RENAL | Kidney’s true name concealed? (5) |
| N (name) concealed in REAL (true) – definition is kidney’s, of the kidney | ||
| 23 | ALABASTER | A place for experimenting with plant and mineral (9) |
| A LAB (place for experimenting) with ASTER (plant) | ||
| 25 | EUCALYPTI | Play with cutie cultivating trees (9) |
| (PLAY CUTIE)* anagram=cultivating | ||
| 26 | LOOSE | Promiscuous Pole in Cornish resort (5) |
| S (south, pole) in LOOE (Cornish resort) | ||
| 27 | TREADLE | Pedal let out outside study (7) |
| LET* (anagram=out) outside READ (study) | ||
| 28 | EMBASSY | Oriental setter’s catching fsh in diplomatic premises (7) |
| BASS (fish) caught by E (eastern, oriental) MY (setter’s) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SUSPECT | Dubious cult holding distinctive appeal (7) |
| SECT (cult) holding USP (unique selling point, distinctive appeal) | ||
| 2 | LITHUANIA | Land to which Nahuatl 11 moved (9) |
| anagram (moved) of NAHUATL and I I (1, Roman numeral, twice) | ||
| 3 | TENSE | Maybe past being uptight (5) |
| double definition | ||
| 4 | HYDRANGEA | Flower found in garden, haymaking? (9) |
| (GARDEN HAY)* anagram=making | ||
| 5 | COUNT | Tell Dracula, say (5) |
| double definition | ||
| 6 | DETERRENT | Nuclear weapons allegedly go astray during curtailed cessation of hostilities (9) |
| ERR (go astray) during DETENT (cessation of hostilities) | ||
| 7 | ILEUS | Bowel problem that’s keeping trainee in America (5) |
| IE (that is) keeping L (learner, trainee) then US (in America) – blockage of the bowel | ||
| 8 | HASHISH | Man’s in mess with drug (7) |
| HIS (man’s) in HASH (mess) | ||
| 14 | STEEL CLAD | Armoured horse receiving garbled call (5-4) |
| CALL* (garbled=anagram) in STEED (horse) | ||
| 16 | BEDLAMITE | Old lunatic’s snack involves cheese getting left inside (9) |
| BITE (snack) contains (involves, gets mixed up with) EDAM (cheese) with L (left) inside | ||
| 17 | IMPETUOUS | Headstrong compiler’s sweethearts cradling heads of ugly old uncles (9) |
| I’M (compiler’s = the compiler is) and PETS (sweethearts) containing heads of Ugly Old Uncles | ||
| 18 | GARMENT | Decent sort of chap holding member’s coat, for instance (7) |
| GENT (decent chap) holding ARM (member) | ||
| 20 | CARVERY | Type of light vehicle on top of food outlet (7) |
| VERY (type of light) with CAR (vehicle) on the top | ||
| 22 | NICHE | Hospital in pleasant, suitable location (5) |
| H (hospital) in NICE (pleasant) | ||
| 23 | AMPLE | Topless taster is quite enough (5) |
| sAMPLE (taster) topless | ||
| 24 | AD LIB | Improvise a German tabloid’s come-uppance? (2,3) |
| A BILD (German tabloid) reversed (come-uppance) | ||
*anagram
Very neat and good! I like 26ac best.
Rowly.
I thought this was great. Loved 18ac. I don’t come to the FT looking for a “real challenge”, I’m happy with an entertaining diversion. Thanks Dogberry and PeeDee.
Many thanks PeeDee for blogging this fine Shed Lite crossword.
I like the appearance of your blog, but IMO you could improve on it by underlining the definitions (as a few others do, including me 🙂 ).
[ps, it’s just a friendly request, not criticism]
I liked 10ac (DOUBTLESS) best.
Hi Sil, I have thought about underlining the definitions in the past but decided not to.
I leave it to the reader to look at the clue and see which words are not used in the commentary, those being left over are the definition. Where it is not obvious or I think there is a particular reading neccessary to make sense of the definition then I hightlight this in the commentary.
I am not keen on the idea of standardising posts on fifteensquared. I like the diverstiy of the styles on fifteen squared and standardisation would suppress creativity and future development. If all posts looked the same it would make the site a bit dull.
That’s fair enough, PeeDee.
“I am not keen on the idea of standardising posts on fifteensquared etc etc”.
I wholeheartedly agree.