I enjoyed this pleasant little puzzle from our old pal Orense.
Perhaps not perfect – I didn’t like the re-use of “case”, 13ac. dates from the early Bronze Age, and the whole thing was a pretty straightforward solve – but it was good fun for a Thursday morning. Thank-you, Orense.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MOROSE | Moody elk squashes rear of car (6) |
| (Ca)r within moose [elk] | ||
| 4 | APOSTATE | A mail delivery with a note for a religious turncoat (8) |
| A post [mail delivery] a te [musical note] | ||
| 10 | SLAUGHTER | Evidence of humour by Spain’s first butcher (9) |
| S(pain) laughter [evidence of humour] | ||
| 11 | LARVA | Bug contained by regular vaccination (5) |
| Hidden in reguLAR VAccination | ||
| 12 | RITE | Ceremony regularly involving fruit tree (4) |
| Regular letters from fRuItTrEe | ||
| 13 | BRIDESMAID | Girl holding up train? (10) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 15 | SKEWERS | Stuck outside with pots, they fix food (7) |
| S(tuc)k ewers [pots] | ||
| 16 | THIEVE | Lift article covering one case of vice (6) |
| I [one] v(ic)e within the [definite article] | ||
| 19 | AFFRAY | Fracas of two females caught in a beam (6) |
| FF [two females] within a ray [beam] | ||
| 21 | SECURED | Managed to get fixed after emptying space (7) |
| S(pac)e cured [fixed] | ||
| 23 | SHRINKWRAP | Packaging head doctor stole (10) |
| Shrink [head doctor] wrap [stole] | ||
| 25 | MAXI | Team attached to mother’s skirt (4) |
| Ma [mother] XI [eleven, team] | ||
| 27 | EARTH | World shortage discounting source (5) |
| (D)earth [shortage] | ||
| 28 | INCOGNITO | Nameless doctor noticing ring (9) |
| Anagram of noticing o [ring] | ||
| 29 | PARADIGM | Model male after marching with no end of gumption (8) |
| Parading [marching] minus (gumptio)n m [male] | ||
| 30 | MERELY | Bank on the compiler – just! (6) |
| Me [the compiler] rely [bank] | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MISTRUST | Suspicion of second financial arrangement underpinning motorway (8) |
| MI [M1, motoway] s [second] trust [financial arrangement] | ||
| 2 | ROAST BEEF | Oven-cooked grouse dish (5,4) |
| Roast [oven-cooked] beef [grouse, moan] | ||
| 3 | SAGO | Food giving son a turn? (4) |
| S [son] a go [turn] | ||
| 5 | PERIDOT | One point given to each stone (7) |
| Per [each] I [one] dot [point] | ||
| 6 | SALESPITCH | An effort to sell places this in trouble (5,5) |
| Anagram of places this | ||
| 7 | AORTA | The way to a person’s heart? Quite the reverse! (5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 8 | ELANDS | Animals from European estates (6) |
| E [European] lands [estates] | ||
| 9 | STORES | Accounts discounting independent outlets (6) |
| Stories [accounts] minus i [independent] | ||
| 14 | RETRENCHED | Grass around ditch is cut back (10) |
| Trench [ditch] within reed [grass] | ||
| 17 | VERSATILE | Flexible, but horrible having to accept variable rates (9) |
| Anagram of rates within vile [horrible] | ||
| 18 | ADVISORY | Protection for viewer during stormy day is recommended (8) |
| Visor [protection for viewer] within anagram of day | ||
| 20 | YAWNING | The top of your canopy is wide open (7) |
| Y(our) awning [canopy] | ||
| 21 | STANCE | Posture for example, dropping in (6) |
| Instance [example] minus in | ||
| 22 | ASLEEP | Numb, rings up on air to support head of academy (6) |
| A(cademy) reversal of peels [sounds like peals, rings] | ||
| 24 | RARER | A case of rescue in Roller is less common (5) |
| A r(escu)e within RR [Rolls-Royce, roller] | ||
| 26 | OGRE | Monster source of gold in mineral (4) |
| G(old) within ore [mineral] | ||
A few doh, moments in this one, especially 12ac and 23ac. FOI 1ac for a change, LOI 5d.
Thanks both!
Ringo’s right. A good, fun crossword, but several longueurs (e.g. 6dn ‘sell’ in definition and ‘sales’ in solution). But keep them coming, Orense, we enjoy them a lot.
23 caused me the most problems but otherwise a gentle easy solve. Think really I got stuck looking for a word meaning head, rather than head doctor so nice misdirection. Thanks S&B.
Thanks Orense and Ringo
Found this at the bottom of a pile and it made for a gentle, but enjoyable solve on the train home tonight.
Last couple in were the well-disguised SHRINKWRAP and ASLEEP.
Didn’t parse SKEWERS … for no good reason.