I struggled somewhat with today’s offering from Loroso, though in retrospect I’m not entirely sure why. A testing puzzle, for sure, with plenty of ingenious mechanisms and subtle misdirections, but nothing to grumble about, even though I’m rather in the mood for grumbling. So thank-you, Loroso.
ACROSS
1. AT BOTTOM Double definition; the allusion is to the bottom-most solutions in the grid
5. JACKET (S)ack [fire] within jet [fighter plane]; Murphy here is a spud or potato
10. CASTE Hidden in ameriCAS TEmpted
11. APERITIFS If [provided] within anagram of parties
12. PAINTWORK In two [split] within park [stadium]
13. AZTEC AZ [letters on an A-Z, or (road) atlas] + anagram of etc
14. BARFLY Barf [vomit] + l(ikel)y
15. EPHESUS E [English] + PH [Public House, pub] + anagram of uses
18. OROTUND O [zero, nothing] + tun [barrel] within rod [staff]
20. TOSS UP To + reversal of puss(y) [cat]
22. LOTUS Lot [good deal, large amount] + US [American]
24. CHINA CLAY Initial letters of Can Harden It + NaCl [chemical formula of sodium chloride, salt] + ay [always]
25. GROOVIEST G [good] + vie [fight] within roost [place to sit]; beat in the clue refers to a musical beat
26. DRIFT D [Director] + rift [opening]
27. SPHINX Phi [Greek letter] within Sn [chemical symbol of tin] + x [(multiplied) by]
28. ABEYANCE Abe [(Abraham) Lincoln] + reversal of EC [City (of London)] + nay [certainly not]
DOWN
1. ACCEPT Cep [mushroom] within act [turn]
2. BASTINADO I [yours truly] within anagram of not bad as
3. TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN T [time] + went [passed] + f [fellow] within yours [for you] + even [flat]
4. ORATORY O [zero, love] + Ra [(Egyptian) god] + Tory [right-wing]
6. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY Anagram of in marshland buy a
7. KLIMT Reversal of TM [trademark] + ilk [style]
8. TEST CASE Reversal of set + anagram of caste [see 10ac.]
9. HECKLE Heck [crumbs!] + l(in)e
16. SQUILLION S [small] + quill [pen] + I [one] + applied [on]
17. NOBLE GAS Nob [VIP] + leg [stage] + as [like]; in the definition, He is the chemical symbol for Helium
19. DUCKED Sounds like duct [pipe]
20. TWIN TUB Win [success] within reversal of butt [object]
21. MYRTLE Reversal of try [crack, attempt] within elm [tree]
23. TROTH Reversal of H [husband] + tort [wrong]
Absolutely stunnung cluing. I was awestruck by some of the devices. Salutations Loroso.
I totally endorse Conrad’s comment – I couldn’t possbly pick out any clues for special mention. [I’m afraid I was totally defeated by 14ac, as I didn’t know ‘barf’ or ‘barfly’.]
Many thanks, Loroso, and thanks for the blog, Ringo [how could you possibly be grumpy? ;-)]
Thanks Loroso for an enjoyable crossword and Ringo for the blog. I will name a favourite clue – 17dn, for the definition. I completed the pangram with the only G in the grid at 25ac with six clues still to solve.
20ac: It is perhaps unfortunate that “Manx” is not really needed here, as “cat” could give PUSS rather than PUSS(y).
Unless anax meant something else don’t get the manx bit and he’s normally so tight. Great stuff thanks to blogger and dm
Evening all. Just a shortie as I’m about to go out.
Manx cat was only used because I just liked the tone of the story more than plain old ‘cat’.
Thanks for your comments, and to Ringo for the excellent bloggery.