Excellent way to start the day
Across
1 IMPEACH disparage I’M PEACH
5 STOMATA tiny holes TOMAT[o] (fruit) in SA (it – sex appeal)
9 FIEND monster FRIEND (chum) minus R (right)
10 WORLD BANK large financial organisation (BLAND)* in WORK employment
11 CHAPERONE companion CHAPTER ONE minus T (2nd letter of story)
12 TAMED behaving AM (morning) in TED (old rocker)
13 15 STAR-SPANGLED US decorated
TAR (sailor) in SS (on board) PANG (pain) LED (was first)
18 19 BRIGHTON ROCK novel
B (short book) RIGHT ON (trendy) ROCK (music)
22 LISZT composer – sounds like LIST (catalogue)
24 COURTESAN loose woman (NO CURATES)*
26 FANNIE MAE Federal National Mortgage Association
ANNIE (showgirl) in (FAME)*
27 TAMIL language M (mobile) in TAIL (train)
28 SHINGLE pebbles [beac]H in SINGLE (one)
29 MARINER sailor (AIRMAN)* R[escue]
Down
1 IN FACT actually IN (home) F (female) ACT (something done)
2 POETASTER writer of contemptible verse POE (author) TASTER (sample)
3 ADDLE bad D (days) D (date) in ALE (beer)
4 HOW GOES IT question about another (EGOIST WHO)*
5 SERGE stuff SERGEANT (policeman) minus ANT (worker)
6 OLD STAGER whose been around awhile (GLAD O REST)*
8 AIKIDO martial art AI (excellent) KID (youngster) O (circle)
14 RIGHT-WING unlike Guardian
H (core of the) G (Guardian leader) in (WRITING)*
16 AD NAUSEAM to the point of being fed up (MAN USED AA)*
17 EXCISEMAN tax official EXCISE (cut out) Isle of MAN
20 BLUFFS dd
21 ANGLER proverbial exaggerator ANGLE (point of view) R (right)
23 SINAI mount IAN (Botham) IS<(climbing)
24 COMTE philosopher T[hinking] in COME (issue)
25 TATAR Asian TATA (final word before leaving) R (king)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit dd = double definition < = reverse
You are SOOO right Jed, a real;ly gteat way to start the day with very many tight clues. Very enjoyabele,
Thans
Rowly.
Very enjoyable. Nothing that made me go whaaat? But lots to like in the word play. Had never heard of poetaster before – what would be an example of a contemptible verse?
Thanks to Bradman and Jed for the write up.
Tonight my ex asked me to help her dropping her canoe into (and out of) the river Cam.
The time in between I spent in The Orchard in Grantchester, sitting in a deck chair. There was was no one else around – only squirrels and birds taking their pick of what was left by Friday’s visitors.
I took this puzzle with me and solved the top half (and some of the rest) very quickly.
The good thing about Bradman is that ‘words’ like POETASTER and FANNIE MAE were clued like there could be no other answer.
As always, a really excellent crossword.
I especially liked 12ac (fine surface), 3d (ditto) and 25d.