Still not back to normal for Quixote, but a rare Indy weekday appearance from Commoner.
An enjoyable romp today, but not overly hard, seems to be a bit of a marital theme in places.
Rather more wordplay to tease out than in the other place today. Definitions underlined where appropriate.
Thanks Commoner.
| Across | ||
| 1 | AESOP | Old puzzle by a retiring storyteller (5) |
| Is POSE=PUZZLE archaic? anyway it’s POSE & A all reversed | ||
| 4 | INTRUDER | I’d return in disguise as a burglar, perhaps (8) |
| Somewhat sneaky, makes you look for ID backwards in a word for disguise but it’s [I’D RETURN]* | ||
| 8 | REPAIRED | Went and got married again (8) |
| RE again & PAIRED married | ||
| 9 | BRIDAL | Braindead oddly screened in British Library – this relates to 6 (6) |
| Alternate letters of bRaInDeAd in B(ritish) L(ibrary). 6D is UNION | ||
| 10 | MODUS OPERANDI | Way to do things as Superman did, flying with two ducks (5,8) |
| 2 x 0 (duck) in [SUPERMAN DID 0 0 ]* | ||
| 11 | BROOKLYN | Bishop and other man left New York, over part of the city (8) |
| B(ishop) & ROOK (other chess piece) & Left & NY reversed | ||
| 13 | TIMBAL | Short ball boy appearing first with drum (6) |
| TIM boy & short BAL(l) | ||
| 15 | SCONES | Namely, my cakes (6) |
| SC (sicilet, namely) & ONE’S my | ||
| 17 | EXPECTED | Former lover audibly kissed boy, as anticipated (8) |
| EX & hom of PECKED & ED | ||
| 19 | GOOD LUCK CHARM | Horseshoe perhaps found in cargo hold 14 (4,4,5) |
| 14 is MUCK ABOUT so it’s [CARGO HOLD MUCK]* all about. | ||
| 22 | MINION | Short skirt worn by underling? (6) |
| MINI & ON (wearing) | ||
| 23 | DAFFODIL | Bloom to remove hat when returning, entering house in Dublin (8) |
| DOFF (remove hat) reversed in DAIL (Irish house). Anyone else reminded of the Two Ronnies sketch with So doff your hat I pray. So d off, so d off, so d off…. No? just me then. | ||
| 24 | CEMETERY | Greek goddess not originally seen in Cyprus graveyard (8) |
| (d)EMETER in CY(prus) | ||
| 25 | CUTIE | Copper to restrain an attractive person (5) |
| CU & TIE | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | A-TEAM | Elite group leaves in a minute (1-4) |
| TEA leaves in A M(inute) | ||
| 2 | STAND DOWN | Withdraw from bear with fluffy hair (5,4) |
| STAND bear & DOWN fluff | ||
| 3 | PARASOL | Father runs with a very large umbrella (7) |
| PA father & R(uns) & SO very & L(arge ) | ||
| 4 | INDEPENDENCE DAY | Deny panic needed to be represented in alien invasion movie (12,3) |
| [DENY PANIC NEEDED]* It’s this week I guess. | ||
| 5 | TABARET | Time to replace Charlie as lead in musical – this is strong material (7) |
| T(ime) not C(harlie) in CABARET, simple enough wordplay for a cloth I didn’t know, | ||
| 6 | UNION | Institution for learning about marriage (5) |
| UNI(versity) & ON about | ||
| 7 | ERADICATE | Destroy AI created by mistake (9) |
| [AI CREATED]* | ||
| 12 | RECOGNISE | Identify upcoming English singer, touring county (9) |
| E(nglish) SINGER reversed over CO(unty) | ||
| 14 | MUCK ABOUT | Have fun and dish the dirt? (4,5) |
| Cryptic second def | ||
| 16 | SILENCE | Quiet from around the end of April/4th of June (7) |
| SINCE (from) around {(apri)L & (jun)E} | ||
| 18 | PACIFIC | Panic if I capsize, not entirely flipped over in ocean (7) |
| Hidden reversed in paniC IF I CAPsize | ||
| 20 | OPINE | Work in eastern state (5) |
| OP work & IN & E(astern) | ||
| 21 | MAINE | Soldier runs away in a state (5) |
| R(uns) removed from MA(r)INE A completely different STATE this time | ||
*anagram
Not done a Commoner before, rather good. Minor point flashling, 1a is POSE+A all reversed.
@Sidey thanks fixed.
An enjoyable solve. TIMBAL was my LOI with fingers crossed because I wasn’t 100% sure of it and the wordplay could also have led to “tombal” or “tambal”. I plumped for the correct one on the basis that it had the first three letters of “timpani” and the last three letters of “cymbal”.
A gentle Monday stroll, though I didn’t know TABARET either. The film title at 4dn was well enough known even for a non-film buff. My CoD was STAND DOWN for the surface’s delightful misdirection.
Thanks, Commoner and flashling.
I had entered ‘de-parted’ for 8a (until the umbrella).
Nice and enjoyable for a Monday puzzle for me. Don’t quite get the old puzzle=pose in 1ac, but It was my FOI. Timbal and tabaret were new to me, but fell out from the crossing letters. My favourite clue was 4 ac for its neat misdirection.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Got so many at my first attempt this morning, I thought I was going to rush through this one. Even 5dn, I’d never heard off but I guessed it and then checked it. There were a few that held me up towards the end, but not for long.
23ac – didn’t know the Two Ronnies sketch, but as a James Joyce fan I liked the surface. (Was this puzzle held over from two weeks ago?)
I think Commoner usually does the Sindy, doesn’t he?
Enjoyed this one, a welcome gentle start to the Indy week. Some nice surfaces, but overall a pleasing puzzle. Bravo, Commoner and thank you flashling for blogging. Busy boy today.
Thanks flashling – you’ve had a busy day today!
Bert also suggested DEPARTED but Joyce was not impressed! LOI was also TIMBAL.
An enjoyable Monday solve – thanks to Commoner!
Forgot to mention that Bert remembered the Two Ronnies Sketch – thanks flashling for the reminder.