Typical Tuesday fare here…
…with most clues yielding answers in the first or second reading. Quite liked the clues for USAGE, SYNDICATE and SHORTAGE. On the flip side, can’t see how ON works as a link between wordplay and answer in 1,5a. In 4d, I thought the word ’embrace’ had to be in the plural to indicate hiding. 5d I’m not sure if there is more going on than I cottoned on to.
Nevertheless, thank you SAYANG for the workout.
Definitions in clues marked like this.
* anagram, + charade, – deletion, H hidden, DD double definition
ACROSS
1, 5 Customer’s smile breaking out on the longest day (6,8) SUMMER SOLSTICE [CUSTOMERS SMILE]*
9 Bones from birthplace of Paul (6) TARSUS [DD]
10 Did he take charge of the Light Brigade in Wales? (8) CARDIGAN [CD]
11 Scrubbing allowed in Dione’s composition (8) DELETION [allowed=LET inside DIONE*]
12 Brave to involve Chinese nursery (6) CRÈCHE [brave=CREE outside CHinese]
13 Man, perhaps, removed passage from article – to the contrary (4) ISLE [passage=AISLE – article=A]
15 Example of a popular position (8) INSTANCE [popular=IN + position=STANCE]
18 Disorganised chair can collapse (8) ANARCHIC [CHAIR CAN]*
19 Shot // steer (4) LEAD [DD]
21 Freezing // drink (6) BITTER [DD]
23 Report after such a Spielberg film – not half (8) MINORITY [Spielberg film=MINORITY REPORT]
25 BBC programme offering perspective (8) PANORAMA [DD]
26 Malathion, not hot treatment for beast (6) ANIMAL [MALATHION – HOT]*
27 Literate issue to study (4-4) WELL-READ [issue=WELL + to study=READ]
28 “Songbird” was first termed (6) TITLED [songbird=TIT + was first=LED]
DOWN
2 Anyone can watch the learned practice (5) USAGE [anyone can watch=U + the learned=SAGE]
3 Aramis, perhaps, with perfume ingredient by Bertie Kerr oddly removed (9) MUSKETEER [perfume ingredient=MUSK + bErTiE kErR]
4 Simple trust I couldn’t embrace (6) RUSTIC [H]
5 O! Damn! Nice condoms damaged by deputy (6-2-7) SECOND-IN-COMMAND [O=second letter of COMMAND + O DAMN NICE CONDOMS]* There seems to be an additional O in the anagram fodder?
6 Perhaps Hammerstein, historically without halo circling (8) LYRICIST [HISTORICALLY – HALO]*
7 Rag in the empty house (5) TRIBE [rag=RIB inside ThE]
8 Tea dance? (3-3-3) CHA-CHA-CHA [tea=CHA]
14 Group from Seychelles at topless show (9) SYNDICATE [Seychelles=SY + show=iNDICATE]
16 Legislators so detached and confused about medical specialist (9) ALLERGIST [LEGISLATORS – SO]*
17 Need name to be inserted in shingle (8) SHORTAGE [name=TAG inside shingle=SHORE]
20 Spanish princess missing a baby (6) INFANT [Spanish princess=INFANTa]
22 Mythical dwarf, // a stirrer online (5) TROLL [DD]
24 Rank taken by Macbeth, an egomaniac (5) THANE [H]
O is the second letter in “command”…
Muffyword @ 1, I’m not sure I follow.
DAMN NICE CONDOMS anagrams to SECOND-IN-COMMAND, so I’m not sure what is the role of the first O!
cryptic indication (O) + wordplay + definition
Muffyword @ 3, I get it finally. Wasn’t expecting two wordplays + definition. Thanks
An undemanding but pleasurable crossword by Sayang (for which thanks).
I agree with bhavan about “on” (in 1,5) and even more “embrace” (in 6d, should really be ’embraces’ which doesn’t fit the surface).
I needed the blog for MINORITY (23ac) as I had never heard of that film.
My main point today is about “subtraction anagrams”.
There were three of them here (26ac, 6d, 16d).
Now, I know we had this discussion here before but I am, once more, questioning whether the order of things is right in those clues. In all three of them one first has to remove letters (but, and that’s the point, not in the order given) and then take the anagram.
To make clear what I mean, let’s take 26ac:
“Malathion, not hot treatment for beast”
Sayang wants us to remove H,O,T (and not T,H,O – one might argue about that) from MALATHION, followed by an anagram of the remaining letters.
Some people, me included, are not very keen on this.
Moreover, the clue can easily be interpreted as: MALATHION minus (HOT)*.
The same applies to the clue for 6d: HISTORICALLY minus (HALO)*.
In 16d it is slightly different as, unlike in the other clues, the fodder (here: SO) is not in between the deletion and the anagram fodder. At least, this clue tells me explicitely first to delete SO and then to anagrammise.
As I said, we had this before and I do not want to make a fuss about it, but as it was something that really struck me today I did want to mention it.
Sil @ 5: Agree. It’s rare to find this clue type in a daily puzzle, but for the clue to be sound there needs to be an indication that it’s the separate letters that are to be removed before anagramming, not the word itself (unless the word is to be removed entire first).
Thanks Sayang and Bhavan
Enjoyed this … mostly ! I had no problems with the construction of the compound anagram clues … they were telegraphed fairly well (becomes personal taste about whether the subtraction letters are mixed or not – I don’t mind, I just understand that these letters need to come out). I think that this type of clue is a good ‘pinch hitter’ type of clue – that is easily not spotted – by the time I got to16d, I thought “Oh, another one of them!”
There were also letter subtractions from 12a, 7d, 14d and 20d … it just became a bit of a trend.
Nevertheless, as I said, I enjoyed the solve as I do with all of this setter’s puzzles.