A doddle, this, from Falcon.
Nothing to complain about, nothing to cheer wildly about – just a sound, solid, entry-level puzzle. Thank-you, Falcon.
| Across | ||
| 9 | PIECEMEAL | Gradually, story spread (9) |
| Piece [story] meal [spread] | ||
| 10 | MOUTH | Speaker’s boastful talk (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | CLEAR UP | Poor Clare, raised and put in order (5,2) |
| Anagram of Clare up [raised] | ||
| 12 | TRADE ON | Exploit what dealers do, working (5,2) |
| Trade [what dealers do] on [working] | ||
| 13 | EGO | For example, Oscar’s self-esteem (3) |
| E.g. [for example] O [Oscar] | ||
| 14 | PORTERHOUSE | Steak and ale inn (11) |
| Porter [ale] house [inn] | ||
| 17 | MODEL | Fashion line for example (5) |
| Mode [fashion] l [line] | ||
| 18 | USE | Employ trick, in leader’s absence (3) |
| (R)use [trick] | ||
| 19 | LOFTY | Eminent US actress, Myrna, seen carrying this newspaper (5) |
| FT [Financial Times, this newspaper] within Loy [US actress Myrna] | ||
| 21 | ANAESTHETIC | I can see that could be something that’ll put you out (11) |
| Anagram of i can see that | ||
| 23 | ASS | Long-eared animal when small (3) |
| As [when] s [small] | ||
| 25 | LESOTHO | Country hotels, new and old (7) |
| Anagram of hotels o [old] | ||
| 27 | CAPITAL | Excellent Havana, say (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | AGNES | Baden-Powell, perhaps, part of champagne set (5) |
| Hidden in champAGNE Set | ||
| 29 | SNARE DRUM | Caught with strange instrument (5,4) |
| Snared [caught] rum [strange] | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | APACHE | Native American husband interrupting swiftly (6) |
| H [husband] within apace [swiftly] | ||
| 2 | HEREFORD | In this place belonging to daughter in cathedral city (8) |
| Here [in this place] for [belonging to] d [daughter] | ||
| 3 | METROPOLIS | Chief city in Middle East? Large container port set up (10) |
| ME [Middle East] reversal of silo [large container] port | ||
| 4 | HEAP | Pile inexpensive? Not initially (4) |
| (C)heap [inexpensive] | ||
| 5 | ALL THE BEST | A goodwill message that bells broadcast around start of Easter (3,3,4) |
| E(aster) within anagram of that bells | ||
| 6 | EMMA | Girl from Salem, Massachusetts (4) |
| Hidden in salEM MAssachussetts | ||
| 7 | BUREAU | Writing desk in office (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | CHANCERY | Court uncertain about King Edward (8) |
| ER [Edward Rex, King Edward] within chancy [uncertain] | ||
| 15 | ROUGH-HOUSE | Noisy behaviour in choppy river round entrance to harbour (5-5) |
| H(arbour) within rough [choppy] Ouse [river] | ||
| 16 | HELICOPTER | Nervously cheer pilot in flying machine (10) |
| Anagram of cheer pilot | ||
| 17 | MEAT LOAF | US singer encountered crossing area by lounge (4,4) |
| A [area] within met [encountered] loaf [lounge] | ||
| 20 | FLATTERY | Insincere praise from young children drinking coffee (8) |
| Latte [coffee] within fry [young children] | ||
| 22 | ASSENT | Seeing that posted gets approval (6) |
| As [seeing that] sent [posted] | ||
| 24 | SALAMI | Greek island’s short type of sausage (6) |
| Salami(s) [Greek island] | ||
| 26 | TEST | International trial (4) |
| Double definition, just about | ||
| 27 | CHAP | Fellow in hospital feeding better (4) |
| H [hospital] within cap [better] | ||
Thanks Ringo and Falcon. I agree – this wasnt very “cryptic”.
I originally had 17ac as a triple def – fashion as the verb, line as in a specific version of the product, model as an example. Perhaps the def for line is not a very strong one.
Lesotho seems to be popular with the FT setters.
8ac has a nice touch in the sense that the Chancery court system was set up in King Edward I’s time. Wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_Chancery
Cheers
Easy puzzle (even on the scale of Falcon, IMO) but I am fine with it. Well-written and perfect for less experienced solvers who want to improve.
Even if the level’s perhaps not high enough for me, I always enjoy solving a Falcon and this one was no exception.
Thanks for your blog, Ringo.
Reading it made me smile at 21ac.
I took it as a cryptic definition and didn’t think about it any further. However, it turned out to be an anagram, and a very nice one too. A highlight in the puzzle.
BTW, when I read the surface of 27d (CHAP) I thought “Isn’t that a typo? Shouldn’t it be ‘Fellow in hospital feeling better’?”. But, no, it was right.
I agree with both Ringo and Sil: on the one hand it was great for beginners, with some nicely nifty clues (I thought 3dn and 29ac were pretty neat); on the other hand some were humdrum (e.g. 4dn). But we all completed it and enjoyed it, so well done and thanks, Falcon. Good blog, Ringo.
Nice quickie after a tough work day, just what the doctor ordered. I wonder if a sub editor queried 27d nah of course not this ain’t the Grauniad. 🙂
Thanks Falcon and Ringo
Agree that this was a pleasant but very straightforward offering from Falcon. He is an excellent setter for somebody to build their cryptic crossword solving skills. Clues are interesting, always unambiguous and very gettable.
Nice to see a cathedral city that wasn’t Ely in this. Little known LESOTHO is a country that has featured quite regularly here and in Guardian over the past few weeks.
The last time I saw MEATLOAF was in my lounge – he provided the half time entertainment in AFL Grand Final a couple of years ago … and unfortunately missed more notes and timing than he hit. :((