I cannot say this puzzle was difficult but, somehow, I had a very difficult time with it. I messed myself up to start with by entering two wrong answers.
My clue of the week is 5,21 (GALILEO GALILEI) even though one might nitpick it because, if my information is correct, the airport in question (Pisa’s) is no longer strictly called that. I also like 4,20 (THE FOUR HUNDRED).
ACROSS
1 Proportion of carpet with green swirls? That’s not right (10)
PERCENTAGE – anagram of CARPET G[r]EEN
6 Somewhat strange choice for radio’s second piece of news (4)
ECHO – hidden word. I wondered if I was missing something in the second part of this clue and, as pointed out by Sil in a comment (see below), I am now clear that I was. It makes so much sense that the second part clues E in the radio alphabet that I am satisfied that this must be Wanderer’s intention although it means that the clue is composed of two sets of wordplay and no true definition.
10 Region that’s the leader in citrus fruit (5)
CLIME – C[itrus] LIME (fruit)
11 Figure idol is afflicted with piles (9)
ELLIPSOID – anagram of IDOL PILES
12 Something done by acting head that makes changes for just one party (4,4)
DEED POLL – DEED (something done by acting) + POLL (head)
13 Having become unable to work due to bad cold, said setter has a drink (3,2)
ICE UP – I (said setter) + CEUP (homophone “sup”). Surely the clue leads more to ICED UP, no?
15, 17 Short fat stripper also dances as part of cast (7,2,5)
PLASTER OF PARIS – anagram of FA[t] STRIPPER ALSO
19, 21 An anthem Handel initially composed with Greek writer (7,7)
KENNETH GRAHAME – anagram of AN ANTHEM H[andel] GREEK
22 Small alcohol drink? That’s about right (5)
SHORT – R (right) in SHOT (that)
24 Left leg twisted, right gone wonky? Not any more (2,6)
NO LONGER – L (left) + ON (leg, as in cricket) together reversed + anagram of R GONE
27 Obsessive about changing crest that’s inherited (9)
ANCESTRAL – anagram of CREST in ANAL (obsessive)
28 Brain drain getting to lowest point (5)
NADIR – anagram of DRAIN
29 Still happening, briefly (4)
EVEN – EVEN[t]
30 Allowed entry to vacant lavatory, it must be said (10)
ADMITTEDLY – ADMITTED (allowed entry) + L[avator]Y
DOWN
1 Spellbound actor’s kiss (4)
PECK – double definition with the first referring to Gregory Peck in the Hitchcock movie “Spellbound”
2 Create trouble, as some maniacal characters do? (5,4)
RAISE CAIN – reverse clue: [ma]NIAC[al]
3 Journalist without pieces to edit (5)
EMEND – MEN (pieces) in ED (journalist)
4, 20 Top group in US after they cut CD (3,4,7)
THE FOUR HUNDRED – THE[y] + FOUR HUNDRED (CD). I believe this refers to the social elite of New York City in the late 19th century.
5, 21 Airport in area east of Haifa with two new terminals? (7,7)
GALILEO GALILEI – GALILEE GALILEE with the last letter of each occurrence changed. “Galileo Galilei” is the former name of Pisa’s airport.
7 Ugly old woman, a third cranky individual (5)
CRONE – CR[anky] + ONE (individual)
8 Our XI’s peed off by Greek play in Rome (7,3)
OEDIPUS REX – anagram of OUR XIS PEED
9 Doctor palpates one losing a pulse (5,3)
SPLIT PEA – anagram of PALP[a]TES I
14 Facebook option on board own small plane (10)
SPOKESHAVE – POKE (Facebook option) in SS (on board) + HAVE (own)
16 Written work giving final twist to formal agreements (8)
TREATISE – TREATIES (formal agreements) with last two letters switched
18 Hit on the backside, gets embarrassed about slightly red butt in A&E (4-5)
REAR-ENDED – R[ed] END (butt) in AE together in RED (embarrassed)
20 See 4
21 See 5
23 University’s entered a single time, just at the right moment (2,3)
ON CUE – U (university) in ONCE (a single time)
25 Composition nobody has time for (5)
NONET – NONE (nobody) + T (time)
26 Tree outside front of retired vicar’s place (4)
BRAY – R[etired] in BAY (tree). The place refers to a song, The Vicar of Bray.
Wanderer is, in my opinion, one of the better FT setters and I think (but I may be wrong) this is his first prize puzzle.
So, high expectations.
However, this crossword felt a bit different from others that he wrote.
Perhaps, it was because of an overdose of single letter devices.
For example, and surprisingly so, we had R for ‘right’ more than once (1ac, 22ac, 24ac).
Having the four long ones symmetrically placed in the grid was very neat.
It’s a thing that Wanderer often does.
There was a lot to like but I had to put some question marks too.
A pity that in 18d ’embarrassed’ leads to ‘red’ while ‘red’ is already in the clue.
And 13ac? Well, ICE UP is a homophone of ‘I sup’, true, but what about the definition?
6ac is as such a nice clue but, in my perception, it has no definition but instead two wordplays.
I think ‘radio’s second piece of news’ should be seen as: E being ‘the second piece of news’, which is represented by ECHO in radio communication.
Anyway.
Many thanks again Pete.
And to Wanderer for a more testing Saturday puzzle than usual.
I agree about 13: “Having become” should give “iced up”, and for “ice up” the word “having” should have been dropped I think.
First time I think I ‘ve ever tried a Wanderer and it was not very successful.
For 4,20 I got “The four” but was trying to find a pop group like “The Four Tops”. I wonder how many have heard of the answer?
I just couldn’t see the anagram at 19,20.
Re 14d, I’ve used Facebook or have any interest in so doing so “poke” was unknown. Why anyone might be interested in what I had for my tea is beyond me as it why I would want to tell the world.
I would never have got 26d
Sil, Thank you for helping me understand the ECHO clue.
I’m with Bamberger would never have got 26d and no idea re 4 20. Got ice up but only by luck as didn’t make sense to me. Spokeshave didn’t get. Still it was a challenge and I’m sure those who are good at these crosswords will have enjoyed the challenge
Thanks Wanderer and Pete
Was able to finish this on the train ride into work on Friday morning, but as it turns out not all ended well. My unsatisfactorily parsed SNORT at 22a wasn’t good. Had RENDERED right, but the parsing of it was off – had opted to put a mixed up RED N in between A&E!
With 6a, my take was that it had a definition (as you hear the piece of news again – the news was echoed). Now seeing the clever radio code for E – does it still stand up as a semi &lit ?
Along the lines of Bamberger, I had originally entered THE FOUR SEASONS at 4,20 with no idea how CD came into it cryptically. Really nice clue when eventually found out about the elite NY group.
Had PUCK at first in at 1d (with him sprinkling the love spell juice into the eyes of various lovers) and although ‘pucker’ could be in the realms of kissing possibilities, puck wasn’t ! Ended up googling spellbound PECK to find the Hitchcock movie.
Karen, Thanks for commenting. I expect few people knew of The Four Hundred and I only got it with some on-line searching.
Brucew, You raise a good question about 6a — does it stand as a semi-&lit? I do not feel competent to give a judgment on that except to say that I think it is worth considering.