Loroso was in a mean mood when he wrote this one. All the way through there are misdirections and devious constructions, there are some I still can’t fully explain. Apologies for the late start today and thank you to Loroso for the mental workout.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SECOND | Flash back (6) |
| double definition | ||
| 4 | EN GARCON | Nobody carries scar around like a bachelor (2,6) |
| CRAG (scar) in NONE (nobody) all reversed (around) | ||
| 9 | HABIT | Clothing’s slightly hot at first (5) |
| A BIT (slightly) with H (hot) at first | ||
| 10 | REHOUSING | Moving? What, moving walls? (9) |
| EH (what?) inside (walled by) ROUSING (moving) – definition is ‘moving’ (first of the two) | ||
| 11 | LUCKNOW | The stars associated with “trendy” Indian city (7) |
| LUCK (the stars) NOW (trendy) – city in northern India. | ||
| 12 | LORENZO | Actress from Australia rejected lover of Jessica (7) |
| Sophia LOREN (actress) OZ (from Australia) reversed (rejected) – lover of Jessica in The Merchant of Venice | ||
| 13, 14 | MEND ONES WAYS | Crew executed – induces change (4,4,4) |
| MEN (crew) DONE (executed) SWAYS (induces) | ||
| 17 | HOWS THAT | Wicket taken by present bowler? Well? (4,4) |
| W (wicket) in HOST (present, as a verb) HAT (bowler) – definition is ‘well’, vaguely &lit too | ||
| 19 | EXPO | On end of the platform, old fair (4) |
| 22 | TERMINI | The royal baby’s extremities (7) |
| T’ (the) ER (The Queen, a royal) MINI (baby) | ||
| 24 | RAINBOW | I note circular shape in cold weather feature (7) |
| I NB (note) O (circular shape) in RAW (cold) | ||
| 25 | POLARISED | Separate line to appear in school (9) |
| L (line) ARISE (to appear) in POD (school) | ||
| 26 | THEIR | Ultimately, what’s next in line of them (5) |
| T (last letter of what) HEIR (next in line) – definition is ‘of them’ | ||
| 27 | DECADENT | Plug ftted in upright base? (8) |
| AD (advert, plug) inside (fitted into) DECENT (upright) – base=debauched, wanton | ||
| 28 | GRATIS | Free shop welcomed by US soldiers (6) |
| RAT (shop, confess) in (welcomed by) GIS (US soldiers) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SO HELP ME | Entering temple, hostage turns as I swear (2,4,2) |
| part of (entering) tEMPLE HOStage reversed (turns) | ||
| 2 | CUBIC INCH | Not a huge amount in this starter – one piece of cake (5,4) |
| CUB (starter) I (one) CINCH (piece of cake) | ||
| 3 | NATANT | What bather wants again revolves around swimming (6) |
| TAN (what sun-bather wants) inside (around) TAN (again) reversed (revolves) – definition is ‘swimming’ | ||
| 5 | NO HOLDS BARRED | Fully open as any lock can be picked? (2-5-6) |
| definition is ‘fully open’, I am not sure about the rest, something cryptic to do with a lock being a type of wrestling hold? I have just seen the light on this one – any lock (wrestling hold) can be picked (selected) – very nice! | ||
| 6 | AQUARIA | Air’s kept in mostly square tanks (7) |
| 7 | CAIRN | Pile of stones one loaded into vehicle heading north (5) |
| I (one) in (loaded into) CAR (vehicle) N (heading for north) | ||
| 8 | NO GOOD | Agree to keep stickiness in pants (2,4) |
| NOD (agree) to keep GOO (stickiness) – definition is ‘pants’, useless | ||
| 10 | ROWN ATKINSON | Actor’s arguments about swimming in a tank televised (5,8) |
| ROWS (arguments) containing (IN A TANK)* swimming=anagram ON (televised) – British actor | ||
| 15 | SEX OBJECT | Perhaps stripper, fighting back, has to get rid of going topless (3,6) |
| BOXES (is fighting) reversed has eJECT (get rid of) topless | ||
| 16 | FORWARDS | In honour of fighting, games console is on (8) |
| FOR (in honour of) WAR (fighting) DS (Nintendo games console) – definition is ‘on’ | ||
| 18 | WHIRRED | One might say the conversation was humming (7) |
| sounds like (one might say) ‘word’ (the conversation) – definition is ‘was humming’ | ||
| 20 | STUPID | Apparently raises kid to not use first potty (6) |
| Definition is ‘potty’ – |
||
| 21 | VICTOR | Almost failing to take (per doctor’s orders) whisky after this (6) |
| VICe (failing, almost) TO R (recipe, take in a prescription) – precedes ‘whisky’ in phonetic alphabet | ||
| 23 | RELIC | On left I start to count what’s left (5) |
| RE (regarding, on) L (left) I C (first letter of count) | ||
Thanks PeeDee
I parsed 19ac as [th]E XP (platform {Windows version}) O (old)
6dn is QUA[d] (mostly square) in ARIA (air)
20dn ‘raises’ = ‘puts up’ which gives STUP then [k]ID
I parsed 5dn in a similar manner to yourself.
A beast – I used to think of Loroso as the easier end of the Anax spectrum but this one, especially the SE corner took a lot of work.
Not sure about EXPO – I originally thought the EX was the old bit but then where do we get the O from?
5d I agree with your wrestling theory
6d I parsed the same as you with the definition being ‘tanks’.
20d PUTS (Up) would be raises and then the [k]ID has his first letter removed. You also have a typo in your explanation – I think you are nOt rather than a nIt 🙂
Thanks to you and Loroso. Off to find a darkened room for what remains of my lunch hour.
Thank you to crypticsue and Gaufrid.
I got a late start and when I saw Loroso’s name on the top I was relieved thinking this will be easy – oh no! I do feel a bit of a nit sometimes when I see the explanations afterwards, but today I will forgive myself.
The ‘moving’ one, REHOUSING is an attemnpt at the ‘extebded defintiiomn’ clue.
You have lost me there Rowland.
Many thanks for the blog PeeDee, and my commiserations for drawing one that’s tougher than I remember it.
As a setter you expect to spend at least one full day with a puzzle and in that time you develop such a familiarity with the clues that they begin to feel… well, not ‘simple’, but by no means hard. And at the time this felt like a midweek candidate to me. Then I called it up from the site this morning and had quite a few “Oh blimey” moments as I read through the clues.
Congratulations on completing it. I struggled!
Thanks for the blog, PeeDee, and Anax / Loroso, for the reassurance.
It was indeed tough going but that makes the finishing all the more satisfying. I really enjoyed the struggle – many thanks.
Well just when you think you can do DM this was a real struggle. CS’s description as Anax’s easier brother ran round my head and when the setter can’t solve it… Thanks PD and setter big gaps gave up.
Thanks PeeDee and Anax for a wonderful blog and crossword.
I found this very testing. The pangram helped me towards the end with SEX OBJECT and last-in VICTOR.
Thank you for dropping in Anax (Loroso), please keep on having more “oh blimey” moments if they result in puzzles like this one.
I didn’t notice the pangram, would have been a useful aid in solving.
17A how’s that is a cricketing term where the bowling side appeals to the umpire to give the batsman out (particularly in leg before wicket situations)