A second consecutive duel with Klingsor. And fun as always.
Another selection of varied-construct clues this week.
1ac and 10ac from the highly original set.
22ac – most likely has been done before but so neat as was 20ac (certainly for cricket fans of my generation)
5ac combined a lovely surface and a complex anagram construction whilst 2dn has a lovely surface and a neat construction.
All in all a pleasant Saturday puzzle. Thanks Klingsor.
Key
* Anagram
DD Double definition
Rev. reverse
Underline – definition
ACROSS
1 Flute part? The one here is solecistically rendered (6)
This be = THISBE
5 In which pullover and gown may be found? (8)
Rev(draw i.e. pullover) + robe (gown) = WARDROBE
9 Law enforcers concerned with petrol bombing (8)
in (concerned with) + (petrol)* = INTERPOL
10 Handle the most common irregular verbs (6)
be and have (the most common irregular verbs) = BEHAVE
11 Amateur takes part in endless squash matches (8)
Compress (squash) -s (endless) around a (amateur) = COMPARES
12 Label a bourgeouis house unnecessarily elaborate (6)
Hidden (labeL A BOURgeouis) + LABOUR
13 Old lady needs money to provide food (3, 5)
Nan (old lady) + bread (money) = NAN BREAD
15 Drink that turns the stomach mostly (4)
Rev (gorge (stomach) -e ) = GROG
17 Shop doesn’t have time to make very much (4)
Store (shop) – t (time) = SORE
19 After party yours truly gets to stay on, the last to go home (8)
do (party) + me (yours truly) + stick (stay on) – k = DOMESTIC
20 Former cricketer’s name for daughter: Grace (6)
Edrich (former cricketer as in John) – d + n = ENRICH
21 Multi-part drama on the radio about British intellectual (8)
Cereal (homonym of serial) around br(British) = CEREBRAL
22 Representation of Isis or her husband (6)
(isisor)* = OSIRIS
23 Anecdotes the starting point for Xenophon’s work
Ana (anecdotes) + basis (starting point) = ANABASIS
24 Still engaged in drug bust the police finally used choppers (3,5)
yet(still) in e (drug) + (the + e(police finally))* = EYE TEETH
25 Trying to avoid punishment? (6)
DD HIDING
DOWN
2 Dynasty’s rule cut short as result of over-indulgence? (8)
Han (dynasty) + govern (rule) – n (cut short) = HANGOVER
3 Comprehensive school’s head’s evidently very unhappy (8)
s (school’s head) + weeping (evidently very unhappy) = SWEEPING
4 Abandoned plan to erase foul language (9)
(pn + to erase)* = ESPERANTO
5 Collapse of shares etc. wrecking Roaring Twenties for starters, squeezing everyone? (4,6,5)
(shares etc + wrt (start of wrecking Roaring Twenties)) around all (everyone) = WALL STREET CRASH
6 Labour leader swaps sides with Democrat to become Conservative (7)
Hardie (as in Keir Hardie) becomes Diehar(swaps sides) + d (democrat) = DIEHARD
7 Maybe Elijah Wood’s heart will be broken by one deserting city (8)
oo (wood’s heart) around rat (one deserting) + rio (city) = ORATORIO
8 Inveigh against how much the top brass get paid? (8)
Exec (Top brass) + rate (get paid?) = EXECRATE
14 A Royal subject in Hollywood acquires newspaper? Repercussions will result (9)
a + er (royal) + math (American word for mathematics subject) around FT = AFTERMATH
15 In conversation raised problem that’s ghastly (8)
Grue (sounds like grew) + some (sounds like sum) = GRUESOME
17 Crust on bread mouldy, after removing top of enveloping foil container? (8)
scab (crust) + (bread)* – e (top of enveloping) = SCABBARD
18 European country one governed externally (8)
oman (country) + I (one) in ran (governed) = ROMANIAN
19 Refuse will be rank after a month (7)
Dec (December) + line rank = DECLINE
Just discovered this site, thank you for explaining 14ac – which I did conclude must be correct and submitted – but could swear ‘Repercussions will result’ was missing from my paper version. Was it just me?
I needed to use the check button and other aids quite a lot to solve this puzzle. Even so, I failed to solve 12a and I could not fully parse 23a (ANA), 18d, 6d (never could have parsed this!), 11a (nor this).
However, I’m certainly not complaining. There was plenty to enjoy here. I liked 7d, 2d, 14d, 25a, 17d, 1a (although it took me too long to solve it!) and my favourites were 4d ESPERANTO, 8d EXECRATE, 10a BEHAVE, 16d OVERTIRE 24a EYE TEETH, 15d GRUESOME, 3d SWEEPING.
Thanks for the blog, twencelas. I parsed 8d as RATE = “get paid how much”.
“Repercussions will result” was in my paper version Alan #1 (14d not 14ac), but I can see how you could have missed it as it was on a separate line beneath the rest of the clue.
I found this a really enjoyable crossword to complete with my favourite clue being 1ac
I saw what it had to be but only realised why when I said it out loud. I’m clearly not such a Shakespearean scholar as twencelas and, I suspect, most other followers of this site.
Thanks Klingsor for such an enjoyable puzzle and to twencelas.
12A I think the definition is “unnecessarily elaborate (as a verb)” eg “he really laboured the point”.
24A There’s a small typo, it is yet (not ye) meaning still.
8D Not sure why the question mark is there; top brass (say executives in business) get paid the exec(utive) rate.
14D “er” is Royal, not royal subject, “math” is the subject.
A great workout with fascinating clues and construction. Particularly liked 2D Hangover, had to check 1A Thisbe.
Presume Klingsor and twenceslas had John Edrich MBE (England 1963-76) in mind and not his cousin WJ (“Bill”) Edrich (England 1938 – 54/5); certainly not Bill’s brothers Brian, Eric and Geoff who all played county cricket.
Thanks to Klingsor and twenceslas.
Who is ‘Kingsor’?
Ty Howard
Finding today’s very tricky!
Thanks Paul – an unintended economy of letters
So he’s a pound short. I don’t ever remember his buying a drink, either.
GWEP
Thanks for your comments – have updated the relevant bits
As to the cricketing Edrich clan – John was the one I remembered from the 70’s – I was aware of Bill, but a little before my time.
What is the answer to 16 down? Overtire? No answer above. Clue is: Public indignation as tax too much (8)