The common cold has clogged my neurons this morning, so what a relief it was to see the blessed name of Orense pop up on screen.
For me, this was just what the doctor ordered: a clean, straightforward, snappy puzzle with nothing to grumble about and very little to make me think twice. On another day I would have found it a bit too easy, but today I was grateful for it. Thank-you, Orense.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SCOUSE |
Soak, eating cold northern dish (6)
C [cold] within souse [soak]
|
| 4 | CHARTRES |
Plan to relax mostly in historic French city (8)
Chart [plan] res(t) [relax]
|
| 10 | FAT CHANCE |
Possibility of getting drunk – fetch a can! (3,6)
Anagram of fetch a can
|
| 11 | PAGER |
Empty gesture welcomed by standard caller (5)
G(estur)e within par [standard]
|
| 12 | BEEF |
Complaint from busy worker (female) (4)
Bee [busy worker] f [female]
|
| 13 | FOOTBRIDGE |
Crossing to pay for game of cards (10)
Foot [pay for] bridge [game of cards]
|
| 15 | CLEANER |
List in church ending prayer daily (7)
Lean [list] within CE [Church (of England)] (praye)r
|
| 16 | PROZAC |
The last letter in copra possibly gives you an anti-depressant (6)
Z [the last letter] within anaram of copra
|
| 19 | ADJUST |
A day merely to adapt (6)
A d [day] just [merely]
|
| 21 | CARIOCA |
Brazilian accountants taking in their city? (7)
Rio [Brazilian city] within repetition of CA [Chartered Accountant]
|
| 23 | ASPHYXIATE |
Choke, seeing criminal pay his tax due at last (10)
Anagram of pay his tax (du)e
|
| 25 | FELT |
Experienced in soft fabric (4)
Double definition
|
| 27 | MASAI |
Language mostly principal across South America (5)
SA [South America] within mai(n) [principal]
|
| 28 | EQUIPMENT |
Rig pressure absorbed by strangely quiet men (9)
P [pressure] within anagram of quiet men
|
| 29 | PREVENTS |
Puts a block on public relations occasions (8)
PR [Public Relations] events [occasions]
|
| 30 | PRO TEM |
For the time being metro is out of order after onset of problems (3,3)
P(problems) anagram of metro
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | SOFTBACK |
Book weak defender (8)
Soft [weak] back [defender]
|
| 2 | ON THE MEND |
Getting better, working with those people on objective (2,3,4)
On [working] them [those people] end [objective]
|
| 3 | SOHO |
Area of London covered by Waterloo hospital from the east (4)
Hidden in reversal of waterloO HOSpital
|
| 5 | HEELTAP |
Tilt and extract what’s left of drink (7)
Heel [tilt] tap [extract]
|
| 6 | REPERTOIRE |
Range of new report covering energy quashes anger (10)
E [energy] within anagram of report ire [anger]
|
| 7 | RIGID |
Firm’s truck in the US needing identification (5)
Rig [truck in the US] ID [identification]
|
| 8 | SHRIEK |
Scream from one being eaten by green ogre? (6)
I [one] within Shrek [green ogre]
|
| 9 | INDOOR |
Popular party with men over the threshold (6)
In [popular] do [party] OR [Other Ranks]
|
| 14 | INJURY TIME |
Early enough to welcome panel with extra minutes to play (6,4)
Jury [panel] within in time [early enough]
|
| 17 | ATONEMENT |
Compensation for wrong agreed and intended to be broadcast (9)
At one [agreed] ment [sounds like ‘meant’, intended]
|
| 18 | FACTOTUM |
Love comes between truth and the belly for such a dogsbody (8)
Fact [truth] O [zero, love] tum [belly]
|
| 20 | TRIDENT |
Weapon made of explosive containing free energy (7)
Rid [free] e [energy] within TNT [explosive]
|
| 21 | CUT OUT |
Copper salesman’s strike (3,3)
Cu [copper] tout [salesman]
|
| 22 | WARM-UP |
Women supply weapons and regularly dump exercises (4-2)
W [women] arm [supply weapons] regular letters from dUmP
|
| 24 | POSSE |
People chasing son trapped by model (5)
S [son] within pose [model]
|
| 26 | SPUR |
Almost reject incentive (4)
Spur(n) [reject]
|
Yes very easy but no complaints, suspected early on this was going to be a pangram.
Thanks Ringo and Orense
Got all except “heeltap” – I’ve never actually seen one.
Thanks Orense and Ringo
Completed this only last week and checked it today … I also found it quite straightforward.
Missed the pangram altogether … and didn’t parse AT ONE MENT completely – not seeing the ‘at one’ bit.
Did notice a lot of adding / deleting single letters throughout – but like Ringo, was grateful for a bit of a breather with it.