A relaxing start to the FT week. Thanks to Armonie. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle. Please enclose any comments on them in double brackets. Thank you.]]
Across
1 Time filled in discretionary working (11)
OPERATIONAL : ERA(a long time period) contained in(filled in) OPTIONAL(discretionay;up to you to choose).
7 Scoundrel in pickle endlessly (3)
CUR : “cure”(to pickle;to preserve meat or vegetables with vinegar or brine) minus its last letter(endlessly).
9 Force politician to wear Hawaiian garland back to front (5)
IMPEL : MP(abbrev. for Member of Parliament) contained in(to wear) reversal of(back to front) LEI(a garland of flowers originally from Hawaii, worn round the neck).
10 Sailors spilled Angostura (9)
ARGONAUTS : Anagram of(spilled) ANGOSTURA.
Answer: In mythology, those who sailed with Jason on the ship Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.
11 Fabian puts party first (9)
SOCIALIST : SOCIAL(a party;a social gathering) + IST(characters that look like 1st).
Defn: A member of the Fabian Society, a British socialist organisation.
12 Bridge player left game (5)
SPORT : S(abbrev. for “south”, in the card game of bridge, denoting one of the four players) + PORT(nautical term for the left side facing a ship’s bow).
Answer: Any pastime indulged in for pleasure, often in the form of a competitive game. That would include bridge, I guess.
13 Working to keep proportion in speech (7)
ORATION : ON(working, eg. an appliance) containing(to keep) RATIO(the proportion of 2 like quantities relative to each other).
15 Late morning paper (4)
EXAM : EX-(prefix denoting former;once;late) + AM(abbrev. for “ante meridiem”;before noon;the morning).
Defn: A set of written examination questions.
18 River engulfs northern valley (4)
DENE : DEE(any of a number of rivers in the UK and Australia with the same name) containing(engulfs) N(abbrev. for “northern”).
Answer: A valley, especially one that’s narrow and wooded.
20 Go in front making president withdraw (7)
PRECEDE : P(abbrev. for “president”) + RECEDE(to withdraw;to go back from a point or limit, eg. the tide or your hairline).
23 Point to reference book, shortly to become law (5)
EDICT : E(abbrev. for “east”, the compass point) plus(to) DICT(abbrev. for “dictionary”, a reference book).
24 Show flashes of brilliance when resolving court case (9)
CORUSCATE : Anagram of(resolving) COURT CASE.
Answer: To sparkle, as in “diamonds coruscating in the candlelight”.
26 Superior found drunk with college girl (4-5)
HIGH-CLASS : HIGH(drunk;intoxicated on alcohol or drugs, say) plus(with) C(abbrev. for “college”) + LASS(a girl).
27 Change people in a commercial (5)
AMEND : MEN(people, or about half of them) contained in(in) AD(short for an advertisement;a commercial).
28 Set down a poem (3)
LAY : Double defn: 2nd: A narrative poem.
29 Predicament harboured by inadequate old council worker (11)
LAMPLIGHTER : PLIGHT(a predicament;a spot of trouble to be in) contained in(harboured by) LAMER(weaker;inadequate or more inadequate).
Answer: Formerly, one employed by a town council, to light and extinguish street lamps, especially those burning gas.
Down
1 Neglect old work (8)
OMISSION : O(abbrev. for “old”) + MISSION(work performed to achieve an objective;an important task or duty).
2 Notable cooked Alec’s pie (8)
ESPECIAL : Anagram of(cooked) ALEC’S PIE.
3 Endlessly sanction a place in Scotland (5)
ALLOA : “allow”(to sanction;to okay) minus its last letter(Endlessly) + A.
Answer: A town in Scotland.
4 Scotsman protects princess from the Middle East (7)
IRANIAN : IAN(the archetypal, in Crosswordland at least, Scottish male name) containing(protects) RANI(a princess in countries further east than the Middle East, specifically India).
Defn: A national from a Middle Eastern country.
5 Clothing is almost secure (7)
NIGHTIE : NIGH(nearly;almost, as in “a win is nigh impossible”) + TIE(to secure with a rope, string or the like).
6 Picture shows lights on the promontory (9)
LANDSCAPE : LANDS(lights;settles on after flight, especially birds) plus(on) CAPE(a promontory jutting into a body of water).
7 Officer knowledgeable about voucher (6)
COUPON : CO(abbrev. for a commanding officer) + [UP ON](being up to date in knowledge about a subject).
8 Sister unhappily takes 15 again (6)
RESITS : Anagram of(unhappily) SISTER.
Answer: Takes an exam (answer to 15 across) which you had failed in a previous attempt – not 14down questions of course.
14 In dialect translation is the same (9)
IDENTICAL : Anagram of(translation) IN DIALECT.
16 Some years with conservation group that’s corrupt (8)
DECADENT : DECADE(a period of 10 years) plus(with) NT(abbrev. for the National Trust, an organisation entrusted with conserving, amongst others houses, buildings, the countryside).
17 Advocate is to concede, having absorbed conclusion (8)
DEFENDER : DEFER(to concede;to yield to the wishes or judgements of another) containing(having absorbed) END(the conclusion).
19 Call late and make demands (7)
EXCLAIM : EX-(prefix, cf. 15across) plus(and) CLAIM(to make demands that something is due to one or is one’s property).
20 Careful examination of country’s element (7)
PERUSAL : PERU(the South American country) +‘S + AL(chemical symbol for the element, aluminium).
21 Deadly restriction placed on prince (6)
LETHAL : LET(a restriction;something that thwarts, as in the legal “without let nor hindrance”) placed above(placed on, in a down clue) HAL(short for Henry, the actual name for the prince known as Prince Harry).
22 Husband aboard grimy vessel (6)
DINGHY : H(abbrev. for “husband”) contained in(aboard) DINGY(grimy;shabby).
25 Spilt the beans about money in a manner of speaking (5)
SLANG : SANG(past tense of “sing”, slang for to betray;to inform on someone;to spill the beans) containing(about) L(or £, abbrev. for the pound unit of currency).
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Thanks for the blog scchua, and to Armonie for this enjoyable crossword. My favourites were LAMPLIGHTER, CORUSCATE and OPERATIONAL.
[[Pic 1 is a Landrover DEFENDER, Pic 2 is the LAMPLIGHTER from The Little Prince, Pics 3 and 8 are Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in LETHAL Weapon]]
Many thanks scchua & Armonie.
[[Pic 5 looks like Gary Linneker who used to be a footballer and, I guess, this makes him a SPORT.]]
[[You’re right Muffyword, about pics 1,3, 8 and 2, the latter illustrating The Little Prince himself, who on his journeys meets a lamplighter. Bryan, that is Linneker, but the link is to do with his activities post his footballing days.]]
Haha. Walker’s are called Lays on the continent, unless I’m mistaken.
Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley were both Decadents.
I’m sure I recognise the man with the glasses, but no idea about the guy with the furry hat!
[[Well done Wukka! I’ll add links for the remaining answers tomorrow morning (my.time zone).]]
Thanks!
And I knew I knew him – it’s John Le Carre, and that look like it could easily be a still from one of his films?
No idea what the connection is, though!
Why do so few people comment on the FT blog?
Good puzzle and a good blog so why not say ‘thanks to all’, which I do.
scchua – see ya on BD’s wotsit next Weds with a bit of luck. Never know at my age!!!!
[[I haven’t been able to edit the blog whole day today, so I’ll give the answers here.
LAMPLIGHTERS was the term in Carre’s Tinker,… and Smiley’s People, for those agents who provided surveillance, headed by Toby Esterhase. The latter was portrayed by Bernard Hepton, shown in that role in pic 9, together with Alec Guinness (Smiley).]]