An excellent puzzle, really good fun to solve. I found this a good level of difficulty too, it was a satisfying solve without becoming a “struggle to the death” like the Wednesday slot can sometimes be. Thanks Chalmie!
Many very good clues but 2dn PARAPETS has got to be my favourite. I also single out 6 dn IN THE CLEAR for a special mention – easy to solve but an excellent clue regardless.
| Across | ||
| 1 | REPEAT |
Theatre company dine and do it all over again (6)
REP (theatre company) EAT (dine)
|
| 4 | CHRISTIE |
Jeez! That’s that writer! (8)
CHRIST (Jeez!) IE (that is)
|
| 9 | VERVET |
Luxurious fabric changes hands for a monkey (6)
VElVET (luxurious fabric) with L replaced by R (changes hands)
|
| 10 | TROTTING |
Herts town hosting excessive form of horse-racing (8)
TRING (Hertfordshire town) containing (hosting) OTT (excessive)
|
| 12 | NAPS |
Spick’s returning partner snoozes (4)
SPAN (Spick’s partner) reversed (returning)
|
| 13 | MARYLEBONE |
Return English prize, possibly with unknown stuff, to the London area (10)
E (Elglish) NOBEL (prize perhaps) with Y (unknown) RAM (stuff) all reversed (return)
|
| 15 | UNTHINKINGLY |
Carelessly obese royal (12)
UN-THIN (obese) KINGLY (royal)
|
| 18 | SCANDINAVIAN |
Northern European reportedly inspected home of birds (12)
SCAND sounds like (reportedly) “scanned” (inspected) IN (home) AVIAN (of birds)
|
| 21 | WOOKEY HOLE |
Old round locker found in intact caves (6,4)
O (old) O (something round) KEY (locker, something that locks) in WHOLE (intact) – a cave system in Somerset
|
| 22 | MAGE |
Key issue before sorcerer (4)
E (key, music) then (with … before) MAG (magazine, issue of)
|
| 24 | OCARINAS |
Surprises an IRA commander returning some instruments (8)
some of surpriseS AN IRA Commander reversed (returning)
|
| 25 | BILLET |
Invoice alien for accommodation (6)
BILL (invoice) ET (alien)
|
| 26 | SORENESS |
In due course, appearance of embarrassment drops down to irritation (8)
SO (
|
| 27 | AGADIR |
Moroccan resort oddly grand in song (6)
GrAnD (odd letters) in AIR (song)
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | RAVENOUS |
Starving bird needing nothing from America (8)
RAVEN (bird) with O (nothing) US (from America)
|
| 2 | PARAPETS |
The sort of cats and dogs that rain down on fortifications? (8)
PARA PETS (parachuting pets) – this one made me laugh out loud. A vision of dogs and cats of the Special Pet Services in a heroic attack on the enemy fortress. Excellent!
|
| 3, 23 | AVERTING |
Warding off voting system can get between monarch and government (8)
AV (Alternative Vote, voting system) then TIN (can) getting between ER (monarch) and G (government)
|
| 5 | HARRY ENFIELD |
Comedian finds lines in French on troubled life difficult to grasp (5,7)
RY (railway, line) EN (in, French) on LIFE* anagram=troubled all inside (grasped by) HARD (difficult)
|
| 6 | IN THE CLEAR |
Not guilty, hence trial collapses (2,3,5)
(HENCE TRIAL)* anagram=collapses. An excellent clue.
|
| 7 | TRIPOD |
Iggy Pop initially put his foot down about photographer’s equipment (6)
Iggy Pop (initiall letters of) in (with…about) TROD (put his foot down)
|
| 8 | EAGLET |
Little bird begins eating the end of a shoelace (6)
Eating (begins, first letter of) AGLET (ornamental end for a shoelace)
|
| 11 | TALKING HEADS |
Uncontrollable delight sank a TV panel discussion (7,5)
(DELIGHT SANK A)* anagram=uncontollable. I think the definition refers to the broadcasting term for a style of presentation showing head and shoulder shots of people talking without additional imagery. Might have been the Alan Bennett TV series of the same name, but I don’t think so.
|
| 14 | DISCRETION |
Tact shown by princess’s making no announcement at first (10)
DI’S (belonging to Princess Dianna) CREaTION (making) missing (no) A (first letter of announcement)
|
| 16 | RIVALLED |
Competed with duke after John rose in anger (8)
D (duke) following LAV (lavatory, the John) reversed (rose) in
|
| 17 | INVESTOR |
Financial backer apparently lost his shirt on gold (8)
IN VEST (without a shirt on, apparently) on OR (gold)
|
| 19 | SWOONS |
TV doctor, losing his first children outside, faints (6)
Doctor WhO missing H (first letter of his) inside SONS (children)
|
| 20 | HOT AIR |
In shock, books a sort of balloon (3,3)
OT (Old Testamant, books) in HAIR (shock of)
|
| 23 |
See 3
|
|
*anagram
definitions are underlined
definitions are underlined
Rivalled: mightn’t that be D after LAV reversed in RILE (anger)?
Aslak – it certainly is RILE, fixed now.
As well as the two that you mention, Peedee, I also liked 15A (obese royal) and the change in 9a (velvet to vervet).
With regard to the SO at the start of 26a – I thought that this came from ‘so’ as an adverb meaning ‘in due course’ rather than SO as an abbreviation for South.
Thanks to PeeDee and Chalmie
Thanks for the rave review, PeeDee. I agree with ernie about 26a.
thanks Alchemi & PD been away blowing things up for a week so brain wasn’t quite into gear for this so this time it must have been the third rate solver 🙂
oh well 3 weeks holiday in Oz should cure that.
Thanks ernie and chalmie, fixed now. Ironically I did originally have “in due course” for SO but decided to check it in the dictionary before posting to the blog as I wasn’t sure. The first entry I saw was SO=south and didn’t get any further.
Thanks Chalmie and PeeDee
Did this one a couple of days ago, but only now checked it. I also found it very entertaining and at a good level of difficulty.
My favourites were the same as those discussed … and got a smile from 4a as well.
Last in was 26a, where I had interpreted SO as ernie did.
New learnings were TALKING HEADS (that weren’t the band), WOOKEY HOLE and HARRY ENFIELD.