A cracking puzzle. Thanks Alberich!
| Across | ||
| 1 | INTRANSITIVE | Not having object in van gets one very embarrassed at first (12) |
| IN TRANSIT (van) gets I (one) V (very) Embarrassed (first letter of) – definition is ‘not having object’ | ||
| 8 | ANORAKS | Article’s a classic, capturing ultimate character of computer geeks (7) |
| AN (indefinite article) than OAKS (classic, horse race) containing computeR (last letter of) – definition is ‘geeks’ | ||
| 9 | LET SLIP | Making good time, fielder didn’t get to catch (3,4) |
| 11 | IN-DEPTH | Vaguely hint about leader in private education turning comprehensive (2-5) |
| Private (first letter) in ED (education) all reversed (turning) in HINT* | ||
| 12 | SHITTIM | Dash it, timber is partly made of wood! (7) |
| found in (partly made of) daSH IT TIMber – Hebrew word for the acacia tree | ||
| 13 | FURZE | Reportedly hides in shrub (5) |
| sounds like (reportedly) furs (hides) | ||
| 14 | LANDGRAVE | No burial at sea for German nobleman? (9) |
| doouble/cryptic definition – landgrave is a title for a nobleman, equivalent of the German landgraf | ||
| 16 | RAT POISON | Displaced Rentokil, oddly, as top eliminator of pests (3-6) |
| anagram of ReNtOkIl (odd letters) with AS TOP | ||
| 19 | MESON | One’s incredibly minute, for a start (5) |
| ONE’S* anagram=incredibly with M (minute) in front (for a start) – definition is &lit. | ||
| 21 | IMPRESS | Strike force to join navy? (7) |
| double definition – ‘strike’ and ‘force to join the navy?’ | ||
| 23 | MASONIC | Person in charge conceals note relating to secret order (7) |
| MAN (person) IC (in charge) contains (conceals) SO (note, musical) | ||
| 24 | GATEAUX | Goodies originally fed to the French? (7) |
| Goodies (first letter of) ATE (fed) AUX (to the, French) – definition is &lit. Chapeau! | ||
| 25 | KARAOKE | Kelvin, a debauched fellow, harbours love for pub entertainment (7) |
| K (Kelvin) A RAKE (debauched fellow) contains (harbours) O (love) | ||
| 26 | PRETTY-PRETTY | Extremely cute but heartless little child hides in quarry repeatedly (6-6) |
| ToT (little child, heartless) in PREY (quarry) all repeated | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | IN ORDER | Brother may be so suitable (2,5) |
| double definition – of a monk | ||
| 2 | TRAIPSE | Dodgy arrest right away starts to implicate PC Plod (7) |
| anagram (dodgy) of ARrEST with R=right missing (away) and IP (starting letters of implicate and PC) – definition is ‘plod’ | ||
| 3 | AESCHYLUS | Classical writer’s character that’s old, extremely hearty and mostly drunk (9) |
| AESC (a runic, old, character) with HeartY (extremes of) and LUSh – ancient Greek writer | ||
| 4 | SELES | This tennis player’s form can be up and down (5) |
| Monica SELES, a palindrome (can be up and down) | ||
| 5 | TUTTING | Showing disapproval, for the whole band’s no good (7) |
| TUTTI (all together, for a band, musicians) with N (no) G (good) | ||
| 6 | VALETTA | To clean motor, sailor docked in island capital (7) |
| VALET (to clean motor) TAr (sailor) shortened (docked last letter) – capital of Malta | ||
| 7 | HABIT-FORMING | Couturier’s job is hard to quit (5-7) |
| double/cryptic definition | ||
| 10 | PUMPERNICKEL | Fireman perhaps needs a little money for something to eat (12) |
| PUMPER (fireman perhaps) with (needs) NICKEL (a little money) – rye bread | ||
| 15 | NON-SMOKER | One has no need to pick up the tab (3-6) |
| cryptic definition | ||
| 17 | TIPSTER | Row about parking on street? He’ll give better advice (7) |
| TIER (row) contains (about) P (parking) on ST (street) | ||
| 18 | OVERACT | Ham and eggs to absorb half of beer before court (7) |
| OVA (eggs) contains (to absorb) beER (half of) then CT (court) | ||
| 19 | MUSKRAT | Rodent problem arising before otter briefly turned up (7) |
| SUM (problem) reveresed (arising) before TARKa (otter, briefly) reversed (turned up) | ||
| 20 | SENSORY | Senior Tory finally admits one’s out of touch, perhaps (7) |
| SR (senior) torY (final letter of) contains (admits) ONE’S* anagram=out – definition is ‘of touch, perhaps’. An anagram of ONE’S is also used at 19 across (I’m not complaining here, just mentioning it out of interest). | ||
| 22 | SIXTY | Team’s backed to get boundaries in Twenty Twenty and double score (5) |
| XI’S (team’s, eleven’s) reversed (backed) with TwentY (boundaries of) – definition is ‘twenty and double score) 20 + (20 + 20) = 60 | ||
*anagram
Thanks PeeDee
9ac is LEg SLIP (fielder) with the g changed to T (making good time)
This was a cracker of a puzzle from Alberich. Thanks Peedee for an excellent blog. There were too many clues that caught my fancy for me to pick a clear favorite.
One minor typo – 25ac, you have it right in the parsing but not in the solution (KARAOKE).
Cheers
Turbolegs
Thanks PeeDee and Alberich,
With all the crossers, I at first entertained another possibility at 3dn. I am sure all our souls were heard to rejoice that a more erudite word was chosen by Alberich.
Muffyword, I must lead a sheltered life as Aeschylus was the only possibility that occurred to me. Now, had this been a John Halpern puzzle then things would have certainly been different…
A great puzzle , but Alberich got me on 22d. I was convinced it was forty.As to muffy word above , I definitely didn’t think of it until you spelled it out , so to speak.LOL.
I often think my “own ” solutions are better than the setters.
20d senior should be SR to get SENSORY with ONES, Y