A crossword that’s only slightly more difficult than usual for this setter, and which is also a pangram. Thanks to Phssthpok. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle. Please enclose any comments on them in double brackets. Thank you.]]
Across
1 Strings attached to standards (14)
QUALIFICATIONS : Double defn: 1st: Conditions limiting, say, a proposal, often in fine print; and 2nd: Standards ensuring fitness or competence.
10 Winning a tennis match? Shock result! (5)
UPSET : UP(winning;in the lead, during a game, say) SET(a group of games constituting a tennis match).
11 Put the screws on jet and ship (9)
BLACKMAIL : BLACK(from jet, a hard variety of black coal) + MAIL(to send out;to ship, which was what surface mail actually went on, if you recall).
12 After start of battle, we leave Zimbabwean anarchy for another part of Africa (7)
ZAMBIAN : Anagram of(… anarchy) “Zimbabwean ” minus(After … leave) [ 1st letter of(start of) “battle ” + “we ” ].
Answer: Adjective for Zambia, another African country.
13 Lead to inclusion of alternative vegetable (7)
POTHERB : PB(chemical symbol for the element, lead) containing(inclusion of) OTHER(an alternative).
14 Covering for greeting on box (5)
HIJAB : HI!(a greeting) + JAB(to box using quick short blow or blows).
Answer: The head and face covering worn by some Muslim women.
16 In this place, infiltrated swindle by church union (9)
COHERENCE : HERE(in this place) contained in(infiltrated) [ CON(a swindle;a confidence trick) + CE(abbrev. for the Church of England) ]
19 So iron core nearly suffers from rust (9)
CORROSION : Anagram of(suffers) [SO IRON + “core ” minus its last letter(nearly) ].
20 A wise man skirts around wide drain (5)
SEWER : SEER(a wise man claiming the ability to foresee, in olden times – nowadays he would be called something else) containing(skirts around) W(abbrev. for “wide “).
22 State Edward avoided (7)
AVERTED : AVER(to state positively) + TED(a shorter form of the name Edward).
25 New ones found in big city balls (7)
YORKERS : Cryptic defn: Combined with “New”, the answer would be the ones found in the big city of New York.
Answer: In cricket, balls bowled to pitch just under or beyond the bat. Here’s something to expand your knowledge of cricket (too presumptious on my part?).
27 Policeman and woman love person who catches lots of baddies (9)
SUPERHERO : SUPER(short for a superintendent of police) plus(and) HER(pronoun for a woman) + O(the letter representing zero;love in a tennis score).
28 Grates garlic dish at regular intervals (5)
GRIDS : The 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th letters of(at regular intervals) “garlic dish “.
29 Pour damp water over hotshot up on bike performing with one wheel removed (3,3,6,2)
PUT THE KIBOSH ON : Anagram of(performing) “hotshot up on bike ” minus(with … removed) one “o”(the letter that looks like a wheel).
Answer: To put a stop to;to halt. Surely that should be “cold water”, and not the tautological “damp water” in the defn.
Down
2 Group of stars nobbles a juror with manuscript article (4,5)
URSA MAJOR : Anagram of(nobbles) [A JUROR plus(with) MS(abbrev. for a manuscript) + A(the article in English grammar) ].
3 Stick insect first hid under wooden strip (5)
LATHI : The 1st letter of(first) “insect ” placed below(hid under, in a down clue) LATH(one of narrow wooden strips used to make frameworks, say).
Answer: A long wooden stick used as a weapon in India.
4 Lie about a small volume by current mathematician (9)
FIBONACCI : FIB(a lie;an untruth) ON(about;referring to) + [ A CC ](abbrev. for a cubic centimetre;a small volume) + I(the symbol for an electric current in physics).
Answer: Leonardo, the Italian mathematician in the Middle Ages.
5 Give top of cheek a light squeeze (5)
CLAMP : The 1st letter of(top of, in a down clue) “cheek ” placed above(Give …) LAMP(a light for illumination).
6 Alternate gate fits (4,5)
TAKE TURNS : TAKE(the gate;the total money received from the people attending a sporting or entertainment event) + TURNS(momentary attacks;fits).
7 Lecture at zero expense (5)
ORATE : O(representing “nothing”;zero) + RATE(the cost of;an expense paid for, say, a service, usually, per unit).
8 This puzzle should be outrageously libellous (despite censoring first two characters) (7)
SOLUBLE : Anagram of(outrageously) “libellous ” minus its first 2 letters(despite censoring first two characters).
9 Exclamation, interjection, snores are leading interruptions (6)
HUZZAH : HUH(an interjection expressing derision, bewilderment, inquiry, etc) containing(… interruptions) [ ZZ(representing snores, used in cartoons and comic books) + the 1st letter of(leading) “are ” ].
Answer: An exclamation of joy, applause, appreciation, etc.
15 Detonate church on hill with this tool? (9)
BLOWTORCH : BLOW(to detonate;to explode) + [ CH(abbrev. for “church”) placed below(on?, I don’t think this indicator works in a down clue) TOR(a bare rocky hill) ].
17 Look everywhere for first lover in labyrinth (9)
HONEYCOMB : COMB(to look everywhere for, as in “to comb the countryside”) placed below(first …, in a down clue) HONEY(a pet name for one’s lover).
18 State income we transferred to win vote (3,6)
NEW MEXICO : Anagram of(transferred) INCOME WE containing(to win) X(symbol representing a vote for).
Answer: One of the United States.
19 Flirts with hot ketchup coating (5,2)
CHATS UP : H(abbrev. for “hot”) contained in(… coating) CATSUP(a variant of “ketchup”, especially in America).
Answer: Flirts with one of the opposite sex, mostly by, well, chatting.
21 Bar is in surplus (6)
RESIST : IS contained in(in) REST(the surplus;what is left over).
23 Emigré was formerly a postman (5)
EXPAT : EX-(the prefix signifying what was formerly;once) + PAT(name of the postman in the British animated children’s television series).
24 Refuse to let queen wear outfit (5)
DRECK : R(abbrev. for “Regina”, Latin for “queen”) contained in(wear) DECK(to outfit;to dress up in).
Answer: US slang for “rubbish”.
26 Loses one’s rag? Not on! (5)
RAGES : Anagram of(Loses) “one’s rag ” minus(Not) “on “.
Defn: An idiom for “to lose one’s temper”. And of course such behaviour is unacceptable;not on. A nice WIWD(wordplay intertwined with defn.) clue.
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Thanks, sschua. I had wondered why PAT was “a postman” (never heard of the show). Not really sure about the definition in 12a; it makes more sense to me if “for” was changed to “from”. And keep the cricket lessons coming! Oh, and thanks, PHSSTHPOK.
[[1: honeyguide, a bird that eats HONEYCOMB (Click here for a classic video featuring another honey-eating animal [contains strong language]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg)
2: Tupolev Tu-95 Bear –> URSA (Major)
3: starting GRID from a MotoGP race
4: Brannigan and Valerie from the 2007 Doctor Who episode, “GRIDlock” (Smashing 50th anniversary special, don’t you think? John Hurt was fantastic.)
5: Canada’s Great Bear Lake –> URSA MAJOR
6: GRID Compass, one of the first laptop computers]]
[[Well done, Keeper.]]
Thanks Phssthpok for the puzzle and scchua for the blog. I did not comment yesterday because on reading the blog I had forgotten that I had something to say.
6dn: Here we have an example of a two word answer clued by defining the answer as a whole and then each word separately. My test for a good clue of this type is that both words should be defined by substantially different meanings from the ones they have when put together. In my view, this clue passes that test with flying colours.