[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
I had fun solving this grid from Orense – a couple of gems that I quite liked solving were 13ac and 2d. However, the parsing for a couple of clues still eludes me and I am sure that I am missing something that is obvious. Specifically, I look forward to some suggestions on improved parsing for 12ac, 28ac and 6d.
| Across | ||
| 9 | PROPAGATE | A wicket, coming after support spread (9) |
| A GATE (a wicket) coming after PROP (support) | ||
| 10 | HAUNT | Run down outside a place regularly visited (5) |
| HUNT (run down) outside A | ||
| 11 | NASCENT | Emerging nation’s final climb (7) |
| N (nation’s final) ASCENT (climb) | ||
| 12 | TANTRUM | Worker short on time has a fit (7) |
| ANT (worker) RUM (short – measure of alcohol) on T (time) | ||
| 13 | EGO | I say nothing (3) |
| EG (say, as in example) O (nothing) | ||
| 14 | CROWN PRINCE | Summit cost must incorporate new heir (5,6) |
| CROWN (summit) PRICE (cost) incorporating N (new) | ||
| 17 | SUSHI | Dish from South Anerica – hot one (5) |
| S (South) US (America) H (Hot) I (one) | ||
| 18 | SKI | Short fleece for a runner in winter (3) |
| SKIm (short fleece) | ||
| 19 | UNITE | Make one from backing asset in university (5) |
| Hidden in assET IN University (backed i.e. reversed) | ||
| 21 | CROSS LEGGED | Urged by angry student with a relaxed attitude (5-6) |
| EGGED (urged) after CROSS (angry) L (student) – indicating a pose of relaxation | ||
| 23 | SET | Collection box? (3) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | REGULAR | Send back something that might shoot a Republican soldier (7) |
| REGUL (Luger – brand of pistol, something that might shoot spelt backwards) A R (Republican) | ||
| 27 | ALBUMEN | White gold plating pound pieces (7) |
| AU around LB (gold plating pound) MEN (pieces, as in chess) – referring to egg white | ||
| 28 | CLEAR | Profit from area covered by docking office worker (5) |
| 29 | CONFUSION | Chaos caused by argument against merger (9) |
| CON (argument, as in pros and cons) FUSION (merger) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SPONGE | Heavy drinker from Madeira, say (6) |
| Double definition – reference to Madeira is the Madeira sponge cake | ||
| 2 | COUSCOUS | Dish produced by American company absorbed by another being switched (8) |
| US CO (American Company) in CO US (absorbed by another being switched) | ||
| 3 | PAPER CLIPS | Stationery articles found in tabloid magazines? (5,5) |
| PAPER (tabloid) CLIPS (magazines, as in ammunition) | ||
| 4 | FAST | Quick break before this (4) |
| cryptic definition – break alludes to breakfast | ||
| 5 | SENTENCING | Condemning two more names in experimental genetics (10) |
| Anagram of NN (two more names) in GENETICS | ||
| 6 | THIN | Unconvincing match needing hotel for women (4) |
| My parsing for this clue is just that – THIN (unconvincing)! |
||
| 7 | FUN RUN | Manage to support most of finance for such an event (3,3) |
| FUN (most of fund – finance) RUN (manage) | ||
| 8 | STAMPEDE | Put one’s foot down, before start of evening rush (8) |
| STAMPED (put one’s foot down) E (start of evening) | ||
| 15 | OBSTETRICS | Best actor is trained without a medical speciality (10) |
| Anagram of BEST aCTOR IS (without a) | ||
| 16 | ROUNDABOUT | More or less a session after golf (10) |
| ROUND (golf) A BOUT (a session) | ||
| 17 | SACK RACE | Competition that might see people under fire? (4,4) |
| RACE (people) under SACK (fire) – competition popular with young kids (I have done it once and remember spending more time on the ground than off it). | ||
| 20 | INSOMNIA | A minion’s disturbed by such a condition (8) |
| Anagram of A MINION’S | ||
| 22 | ORGIES | Wild parties that show there’s good in Conservatives sacking leader (6) |
| G (good) in tORIES ( Conservatives sacking leader) | ||
| 24 | TENANT | Number on a case of next occupier (6) |
| TEN (number) A NT (next) | ||
| 26 | LARD | Fat boy grabbing last of sugar (4) |
| LAD (boy) grabbing R (last of sugar) | ||
| 27 | ACNE | Condition regularly found in balconies (4) |
| even characters of bAlCoNiEs | ||
*anagram
Hi Turbolegs,
12ac: A short is a measure of alcoholic spirits.
28 ac Cler(k) around A
6dn T(w)IN with h instead of w.
COUSCOUS was my favourite too!
Thanks Orense.
Thanks for the help Muffyword. I will make the edits for 28ac and 6dn. I am of the opinion though, that “short” as a clue-in for RUM is tenuous. Otherwise, a very enjoyable puzzle to get my Friday started.
Many thanks Turbolegs & Orense.
Very enjoyable but …
Did I see ANERICA in the clue for 17a?
I had to treble check that this wasn’t a Grauniad puzzle.
An enjoyably straightforward cryptic – I too spotted ANERICA in 17a.
Thanks to Orense and Turbolegs.
Should 16D not have been enumerated as (5,5) rather than (10) given the definition?