Guardian Genius 119 / Picaroon

Annoyingly, I forgot that we were meant to be blogging this crossword until a reminder from Gaufrid today, so we were too late to actually enter the solution. However, it was fun to rush through for the sake of the post! It’s a very cleverly constructed puzzle from Picaroon, with high quality clues throughout.

The rubric indicates that the across solutions must “undergo 4 down” or “undergo [CYCLING]” – this means that the letters are rotated before entering into the grid. There are 4 which are ambiguous, even when you have the crossing letters from down clues – these are indicated with a * in the explanations below. However the rubric says that these can be resolved “so that a thematic name appears downwards and symmetrically in the final grid”. This turns out to be BRADLEY WIGGINS, as highlighted in the image below:

Across

8. Lad to please captivating date in clingy garment (8)
BODYSUIT
BOY = “Lad” + SUIT = “please” around D = “date”
Definition: “clingy garment”

9. Something a gentleman may wear left in lady’s boudoir (6)
BOWLER
L = “left” in BOWER = “lady’s boudoir”
Definition: “Something a gentleman may wear”

10. Opening of sonata, Debussy’s second, Frenchman composed (6)
SERENE*
S[onata] = “Opening of sonata” + [d]E[bussy] = “Debussy’s second” + RENÉ = “Frenchman”
Definition: “composed”

11. Toiling miserably, one’s entrapped – there’s no relief here! (8)
INTAGLIO
(TOILING)* around A = “one”
Definition: “there’s no relief!”; as the Wikipedia page for Intaglio says, it is the opposite of relief print

12. Film about Hollywood area not flipping ideal (8)
PLATONIC
PIC = “Film” around LA = “Hollywood area” + TON = “not” reversed
Definition:

13. Welsh earl interrupts service, say, before English (6)
RENEGE*
RN (Royal Navy) = “service” around E = “earl” + EG = “say” before E = “English”
Definition: “Welsh” (in the verb sense, as in “to welsh on a deal”

15. More than one priest breaks down imbibing foreign booze (7)
DIVINES
DIES = “breaks down” around VIN = “foreign booze”
Definition: “More than one priest”

17. German enters ball with cool mixed drink (4,3)
PINK GIN
G = “German” in PINK = “ball” (a ball in snooker) + IN = “cool” – we made a mistake here initially, thinking the “ball” was JACK and discovering that there is a cocktail known as “Jack Gin”
Definition: “mixed drink”

20. Barcelona’s the well-balanced team (6)
ELEVEN*
EL = “Barcelona’s the” + EVEN = “well-balanced”
Definition: “team”

22. Monstrous, like what rock stars get up to on tour? Not quite (8)
GIGANTIC
“what rock stars get up to on tour” might be GIG ANTICS, with “Not quite” removing the final letter
Definition: “Monstrous”

24. Ugly so-and-so in wild [ORGY] with good alcohol circulating (8)
GARGOYLE
(ORGY)* in G = “good” + ALE = “alcohol” around
Definition: “Ugly so-and-so”

26. Roughly forbid a beach hut (6)
CABANA*
CA = “Roughly” + BAN = “forbid” + A
Definition: “beach hut”

27. Try to board irritable merchant’s ship (6)
ARGOSY
GO = “try” in ARSY = “irritable”
Definition: “merchant’s ship”

28. Pupils losing head in agony, getting serious flogging (4,4)
HARD SELL
[w]ARDS = “pupils” in HELL = “agony”
Definition: “serious flogging”

Down

1. Belly and heart said to be in enlarged state (10)
TUMESCENCE
TUM = “Belly” followed by ESCENCE (sounds like “essence”) = “heart”
Definition: “enlarged state”

2. Former Spectator editor’s holding power in towering edifices (8)
STEEPLES
STEELE’S = “Former spectator editor’s” around P = “power”
Definition: “towering edifices”

3. 10 cutting grass capable of [TUMESCENCE]? (6)
POTENT
TEN = 10 in POT = “grass”
Definition: “capable of [TUMESCENCE]” (as opposed to “impotent”)

4. After a century, perhaps, adhere to exercise (7)
CYCLING
CY = “a century, perhaps” (presumably “perhaps” because it’s a less usual abbreviation than C?) + CLING = “adhere” Update: Gaufrid suggests a better reading for the CY – that it would be “a century, perhaps?” = “100 years” = C + Y
Definition: “exercise”

5. Top mark only must get entered (4,4)
POLO NECK
POCK = “mark” around LONE = “only”
Definition: “Top”

6. Alliance, Liberal admitted, ending in disgrace? That’s fair (6)
BLONDE
BOND = “Alliance” around L = “Liberal” + [disgrac]E = “ending in disgrace?”
Definition: “fair”

7. Something penned by Lehar, I assume? (4)
ARIA
Hidden in “lehAR I Assume”
Definition: “Something penned” Thanks to Picaroon for pointing out that the whole clue is the definition: Franz Lehár was a composer, best known for his operetta, “The Merry Widow”.

14. Unimportant old writer to tinker half-heartedly (10)
EXPENDABLE
EX = “old” + PEN = “writer” + DA[b]BLE = “tinker half-heartedly”
Definition: “Unimportant”

16. Character in The Analects, eastern, eaten by first one then two animals (8)
IDEOGRAM
I = “one” + DOG + RAM = “two animals” around E = “eastern”
Definition: “Character in The Analects“

18. Regan and Goneril’s usual prices? Go away! (8)
INGRATES
[go]ING RATES = “usual prices?” without GO (“Go away!”)
Definition: “Regan and Goneril” (presumably the question mark indicates the definition-by-example?)

19. Ring put round vessel while it’s light (7)
DIURNAL
DIAL = “Ring” around URN = “vessel”
Definition: “while it’s light”

21. Recruit’s to concentrate after 4 (6)
ENLIST
LISTEN “after cycling” (i.e. rotated 2 places)
Definition: “Recruit”

23. Regiments from US experimenting with drag (6)
GUARDS
(US DRAG)*
Definition: “Regiments”

25. Sinking government in bloody bacchanalia! (4)
ORGY
GORY with G = “goverment” dropped two places
Definition: “bacchanalia!”