The usual well-constructed puzzle, although one or two of the definitions such as those in 9 and 21 required a bit of checking.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Worthy firm not beyond repair, needing millions invested (11) | ||
| Commendable | Co + mendable around m. | ||
| 7. | US city’s generous donor attending first half of gala (5,2) | ||
| Santa Fe | Santa (Claus=generous donor) + fe[te]. | ||
| 8. | A set of old books with smart binding badly arranged (7) | ||
| Chaotic | Chic(=smart) binding (i.e. around) a + OT (Old Testament). | ||
| 10. | Article protected by nothing secure (4) | ||
| Nail | Nil around a. | ||
| 11. | Take hours wandering around old country (5,5) | ||
| South Korea | (Take hours)* around o. | ||
| 13. | Time to get each person to join social event (3,5) | ||
| Tea party | T + ea + party(=person). | ||
| 14. | Female vocalist leading group not 40, an innocent young thing (6) | ||
| Cherub | Cher + UB[40]. Thanks to Gaufrid for helping me with this one since I initially got sidetracked into thinking it was [CL]ub, even though that makes no sense since CL is 150. | ||
| 17. | Beast by river is a baddie (6) | ||
| Rotter | R + otter. | ||
| 18. | Line written by one official examiner who grants permission? (8) | ||
| Licensor | L + i + censor. | ||
| 20. | Some deaths may be accidental in e.g. farming communities (10) | ||
| Homesteads | (Some deaths)*. | ||
| 22. | Zone fare always covers (4) | ||
| Area | Hidden in “fARE Always”. | ||
| 24. | Writing implements I have in a brown study? (7) | ||
| Pensive | Pens + I’ve. | ||
| 25. | One desperate fellow outside house, a man in a state?(7) | ||
| Idahoan | I + Dan (Desperate Dan) around Ho + a. | ||
| 26. | Matron grins doing the rounds — one up bright and early (7,4) | ||
| Morning star | (Matron grins)*. | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Study poem that’s turned up — poet almost intimate (9) | ||
| Confidant | Con + If< (Kipling poem) + Dant[e]. | ||
| 2. | Keen fellow harbouring love (4) | ||
| Moan | Man around O. | ||
| 3. | What enthrals you, short sharp noise from canine (3,5) | ||
| Eye tooth | Eh around ye + toot. | ||
| 4. | Old coins showing queen maybe, covered in grime mostly (6) | ||
| Ducats | Cat (Queen is a term for an adult female cat) in dus[t]. | ||
| 5. | Bishop wants someone obsequious, the sort that family might shun (5,5) | ||
| Black Sheep | B + lacks + Heep. | ||
| 6. | Chemical dissolving in the steriliser (5) | ||
| Ester | Hidden in thE STERilister. | ||
| 7. | This person unfit to hold a political office (11) | ||
| Senatorship | (This person)* around a. | ||
| 9. | Weak PM in the House assumed supine position maybe (11) | ||
| Chamberlain | Chamber(=House) + lain. I wasn’t sure about Chamber for House, but it can mean any house in a legislature, so could refer to the House of Commons, say. | ||
| 12. | Sporty type wears kit specially designed with top person’s label (5-5) | ||
| Water Skier | (Wears kit)* + ER. Not sure if I’d call Liz Windsor the top person any more than I’d call the ceremonial Lord Mayor the top person in my city. | ||
| 15. | River rose disastrously — water over a wide area? (9) | ||
| Reservoir | (River rose)*. | ||
| 16. | Office work in which theologian’s kept wasting time? (8) | ||
| Fiddling | Filing around DD. | ||
| 19. | Arab island on which the old fellows may sit(6) | ||
| Yemeni | Ye (=old version of the) + men + i(sland). | ||
| 21. | Note car coming from Oxford going on to motorway (5) | ||
| Minim | Mini + M(otorway). Minis are still built at Cowley, which is part of Greater Oxford. | ||
| 23. | Society that’s outwardly flabby and debauched (4) | ||
| Fast | S(ociety) in fat. Fast here used in the sense of “fast women”. | ||
A straightforward solve, but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
My only slight holdup near the end was at 18ac where I was trying to remember if CENSOR could also be spelled CENSER, I decided it couldn’t, so entered the correct LICENSOR. My LOI was CHAOTIC after I got the final checker from CHAMBERLAIN.
Nothing too difficult here, although some entries, e.g. DUCATS and CHERUB were write-ins from crossing letters (and followed by “of course” moments when I saw the parsing). And how may times does “the old” in a clue signify “ye” and still one doesn’t spot it for ages, as with YEMENI today.
Thanks, Quixote and Neal
Quiet in here today. Rather easy but that’s don’s job as quixote. Must say the definition for pensive was a new one for me. Thanks Neal a grand blog too.
First crossword I’ve attempted for nearly a week. I’m on holiday and you can’t get the Independent in European newsagents any more, it would seem, and I haven’t had the energy most evenings to do the online edition until tonight.
Not too bad a re-introduction. Couldn’t see 9dn without a word search, but that gave me enough to finish it. Several I couldn’t parse, though, including 7ac and 3dn so thanks for those.
We know it is late but could someone explain why PENSIVE is “brown study” please?
Apart from that a good puzzle to start the week so thanks to Quixote
Thanks to Neal for the blog.
Brown study is just an expression meaning a state of being deep in thought. I’d certainly come across it before – I’m sure it was used in puns a few times while Gordon Brown was in office.
Many thanks Neal – as we’ve said before, you learn something everyday doing crosswords!
Today’s Quixote is the first I have finished for months, thoroughly enjoyed it, I will be on the lookout for Quixote again.It gives an old compaigner like me that’s been trying to do crosswords for years [Telegraph] and now the I , some encouragement to keep trying. More of the same please. C