(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.) At first glance, this looked daunting, with its 15-letter answers round the perimeter. But it wasn’t that bad, in fact it was an enjoyable solve. Thanks to Gurney. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Dreadful boob amidst clues is confusing! (15)
DISCOMBOBULATES : Anagram of(Dreadful) BOOB AMIDST CLUES.
Answer: A word of American origin.
9 Original developer of waterside feature one secured (7)
PIONEER : PIER(a waterside feature) containing(… secured) ONE.
10 It’s unusual and courageous to change sides (7)
VARIANT : “valiant”(courageous) with “l”(abbrev. for the left side) changed to “r”(abbrev. for the right side) (to change sides).
11 Charge after second college fight (5)
SCRAP : RAP(a charge;an accusation or criticism) placed after(after) [ S(abbrev. for “second”, in time notation) + C(abbrev. for “college”) ].
12 Tree gets second prize, sixty per cent of first (6,3)
SILVER FIR : SILVER(second prize, between the gold and bronze medals) + the 1st 3 letters out of 5 of(sixty per cent of) “first “.
13 Conclude irate men ultimately must reform (9)
TERMINATE : Anagram of(reform) [IRATE MEN + last letter of(ultimately) “must “].
15 Drink, jar of choice, regularly brought over (5)
COCOA : The 2nd and every other letter of(regularly) reversal of(brought over) “jar of choice “.
16 Country kid changed in the end (5)
CHILE : “child”(a kid) with its last letter changed(changed in the end).
18 Sinatra broadcast associated with US nationals (9)
AUSTRIANS : Anagram of(broadcast) SINATRA containing(associated with) US.
20 Players upset her co-star (9)
ORCHESTRA : Anagram of(upset) HER CO-STAR.
23 Old, retired workers joining party – that’s better! (5)
OUTDO : O(abbrev. for “old”) + reversal of(retired) TU(abbrev. for “trade union”;workers collectively) plus(joining) DO(a party;a social function).
Defn: As a verb.
24 Candidate – minor figure: note indication of name change (7)
NOMINEE : NO.(a minor form;abbrev. for “number”;a figure) + MI(the 3rd tone in the diatonic musical scale) + NEE(an indication of a woman’s maiden name before her name change).
25 Investigate old American explosive device (7)
EXAMINE : EX-(the prefix indicating “former”;old) + A(abbrev. for “American”) + MINE(an explosive device).
26 Roué, lusty spirit, working with stealth (15)
SURREPTITIOUSLY : Anagram of(working) ROUÉ, LUSTY SPIRIT.
Down
1 Cop outdistances criminal finding sources of funds (7,8)
DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS : Anagram of(criminal) COP OUTDISTANCES.
2 More confident about company, one cleans up (7)
SCOURER : SURER(more confident) containing(about) CO.(abbrev. for a commercial company).
3 Charge too much for crop initially – I reprove angrily (9)
OVERPRICE : Anagram of(angrily) [1st letter of(initially) “crop” + I REPROVE].
4 Poet feels strong emotion (5)
BURNS : Double defn: 1st: Scottish poet, Robert.
5 Wood workers, ones celebrating wildly when rector becomes bishop (9)
BEVELLERS : “revellers”(ones celebrating wildly) with “r”(abbrev. for “rector”) replaced by “b”(abbrev. for “bishop”, say, in chess)( when … becomes …).
Answer: Machines, specifically to cut bevels in timber.
6 Generous contribution from popular German (5)
LARGE : Hidden in(contribution from) “popular German “.
7 Craft if moving? (7)
TRAFFIC : Anagram of(moving) CRAFT IF.
Answer: Collective noun for moving craft;vehicles. A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.
8 Value highly having firm, Harrods, say, alongside (3,5,5,2)
SET GREAT STORE BY : SET(firm;having decided, not about to be changed) + GREAT STORE(an example of which;say, is Harrods in London) + BY(alongside).
14 Excited parent at opening of modern place to live (9)
APARTMENT : Anagram of(Excited) [PARENT AT + 1st letter of(opening of) “modern“].
15 Fuss after removing covers, scary agent cut diamond (9)
CARBONADO : ADO(fuss;bother) placed below(after, in a down clue) [ “scary ” minus its 1st and last letters(removing covers) + “Bond”(James, fictional secret agent) minus its last letter(cut) ].
Answer: An inferior variety of diamond used for polishing and drilling, aka black diamond.
17 No native icon relaxing overlooking French waters (7)
INCOMER : Anagram of(relaxing) ICON placed above(overlooking, in a down clue) MER(French for the sea;waters).
Answer: A person who comes to live in a place he/she was not born in.
19 Gets to answer, that’s terrific, announces inexperienced novice solver just starting (7)
ATTAINS : 1st letters, respectively, of(just starting) “answer, that’s terrific, announces inexperienced novice solver “.
21 Guy from north in lake (5)
ERNIE : N(abbrev. for “north”) contained in(in) ERIE(one of the Great Lakes in North America).
22 Lively following drink? Right! (5)
ALERT : ALE(an alcoholic drink) + RT(abbrev. for “right”).
(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)
Thank you scchua for another comprehensive blog.
I thought this was a friendly Gurney crossword (with quite a lot anagram-based clues, 10 in total).
I entered NOMINEE at 24ac without knowing why (apart from the clear definition, of course). So thanks for explaining.
For a while I got stuck in the SE because I entered ASTIR at 22d (ASTI + R, identical construction) which comes quite close to ‘lively’.
I quite liked this crossword, mostly because I feel comfortable solving anagrams and they were so liberally sprinkled all over. Needed some help with Carbonado – was trying to figure out if there was a compound of carborundum to gun for before filling it in.
Thanks scchua for an excellent blog (which is normal fare for you) and Gurney for the grid.
Lovely stuff – who can resist a crossword that starts with the lovely word DISCOMBOBULATES. Thanks to Gurney and scchua.
My thoughts too CS. Thanks Gurney & SCC. 15d did take a few seconds to unravel.
Terrific puzzle, not discombobulating at all, although 15d did need a little assistance.8d is my favourite , though.
Thanks Gurney and scchua.
Agree that this was a very enjoyable solve – with the possible exception of 1A the sort of crossword that lends itself to a train journey. Has to be a good puzzle when I get a mention at 21D!
Thanks to scchua and Gurney
Many thanks, Scchua, for the excellent blog and to all for their comments. Re DISCOMBOBULATES, I was very much aware that some would not know this word which is, as you say, of US origin. So I gave it as straightforward an anagram clue as I could, hoping it would be deducible esp as the first letters of the intersecting words were, in all but one case, consonants. A very expressive word, I’ve always thought.
Excellent, Gurney, thanks. I’m not very keen on discombobulate — it sounds to me like the invention of an American with a tiny vocabulary who’s desperate to impress with a long word. Anyway, I shot through the solutions until you suddenly ambushed me with the SE corner. Thanks again.
Appreciate your dropping by, Gurney. The pleasure’s mine, similarly with your Raich puzzles that I’ve blogged.