A sound, workmanlike puzzle from eXternal. And I don’t mean to damn with faint praise when I say that. It was hard, though. The idea of the Monday Indy being the ‘easy’ one has started to disappear, I fancy. I seem to remember that crypticsue has a ‘three goes and you’re in the recycling bin’ principle, and if I hadn’t been blogging this one, I might well have taken her advice. It could, on the other hand, just be muppetry on my part.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Twig to smoulder fine
SEE THE LIGHT
A charade of SEETHE and LIGHT. LIGHT and ‘fine’ would be synonymous in the sense of a fabric, say.
9 Former lover solver had heard weep
EXUDE
A charade of EX and UDE, which is a homophone of YOU’D. And you’re the solver, aren’t you?
10 Solitary clue is very nearly tricky
RECLUSIVE
(CLUE IS VER[Y])*
11 In Britpop era, go erect stage fan
OPERAGOER
Hidden in BritpOP ERA GO ERect. I might have fancied this as two words, or hyphenated, but I’ve no doubt that the single word is acceptable too.
12 Joint article written about browser
ANKLE
A charade of AN and KLE, which is ELK reversed. To clue ‘browser’ as ELK is a bit random, I would suggest, although they certainly do browse or graze. But lots of other animals do as well.
13 Teaching the absolute truth
GOSPEL
A dd. ‘That is the gospel truth.’
15 Initially dismissed, attractive son makes impressions
ETCHINGS
[F]ETCHING plus S.
17 Left at home in the care of nurse
SINISTER
An insertion of IN in SISTER. As opposed to DEXTER.
19 Cheap drink vessel turned rubbish
GUTROT
A reversal of TUG followed by ROT.
22 About to go west, crashed short of outhouse somewhere in Africa
ACCRA
A rather long-winded way of telling us to reverse CA for circa or ‘about’ and follow it with CRA[SHED].
23 Wrong of rector to cross posh place in front of building
FORECOURT
An insertion of U for ‘posh’ in (OF RECTOR)*
25 Overly broad grips power tool used to get in gaps
TOOTHPICK
An insertion of P in TOO THICK.
26 Principled person‘s very mature backing knight
VEGAN
Another one I wasn’t mad keen on because of the definition. VEGANS are ‘principled persons’, but it’s pretty loose. Whatever, it’s a charade of V, AGE reversed and N for the chess ‘knight’
27 I’m certain brand’s full of goodness
MARK MY WORDS
An insertion of MY WORD! in MARKS.
Down
1 Cook needs carbon, no time for brass
SAUCE
The setter is asking us to substitute C for T in SAUTÉ. He’s got some brass asking us to do that.
2 Most of the team gathering at lift
ELEVATE
An insertion of AT in ELEVE[N].
3 Husband with pointer to use agricultural tool
HARROW
A charade of H and ARROW.
4 Running a race, let rip
LACERATE
(A RACE LET)* A full anagram at last.
5 Leave thin hair beneath centrepiece of grump’s meal
GOULASH
Only works because it’s a down clue. GO and LASH with U for the central letter of ‘grump’ inserted.
6 Unbalanced ingredients in kitchen overturned on starch, maybe
THICKENER
I am going to further enhance my reputation as the recipient of the meal in the previous clue by saying that I don’t really consider ‘starch’ to be a THICKENER, if indeed that was what eXternal was getting at. Cornflour is the option when I’m cooking, and as far as I know, you can’t thicken anything with pure starch. Anyway, it’s (KITCHEN)* followed by RE for ‘on’ reversed. The anagrind is ‘unbalanced’ and the reversal indicator is ‘overturned’.
7 Medications of French, say, served up in unvarying quantities
DECONGESTANTS
A charade of DE for ‘of’ in French and EG reversed in CONSTANTS.
8 Somehow eating insects could be demanding
NECESSITATING
(EATING INSECTS)*
14 Sizeable report brought up man’s large chest containing exotic coin
SONIC BOOM
An insertion of (COIN)* in MOOBS reversed. Don’t know what MOOBS are? You need to get out more, especially to the beaches of Ibiza. Short for man boobs, those unattractive breast-like features that are sported by men who are carrying a little too much weight.
16 Once more certify exotic bird company, when told
REAFFIRM
Well, an ‘exotic bird company’ would be a RHEA FIRM, wouldn’t it? Exotic coins, exotic birds … One escaped in Nottinghamshire recently, causing people to stay indoors. They’re more likely to run a mile than attack you (that’s rheas, rather than Nottinghamshire folk).
18 Head of set on two US TV shows is attractive person
SMASHER
A charade of S, M*A*S*H* and ER. If you’re not into American TV series you might have been a bit banjaxed here.
20 With neither top nor bottom bunch left remaining bare
UNCOVER
[B]UNC[H] plus OVER.
21 Pair of vessels from south reaches European city
KRAKOW
A reversal (‘from the south’) of WOK and ARK, which are indeed two ‘vessels’
24 Advocates toying with Bruges after leaving the capital
URGES
([B]RUGES)*
Many thanks to eXternal for this morning’s puzzle.
Ever alert to the decline of my own mental acuity, I am relieved to see that Pierre thought this tough, because I certainly had to work hard. However, on completion, I do think all the clues fair. I don’t share Pierre’s qualms about 6D Thickener or 26A Vegan. I like the clue for 12A Ankle. I know “elk” is just one of many possible browsers, but there are not many articles that can be used in joints, so that wasn’t too bad, and raised a smile for the misdirection. Where I must demur is at 13A Gospel, where my godlessness cavils at both definitions in the DD.
Very nice puzzle, thank you, eXternal, even if it was a bit harder than it looked. And very nice blog too, thank you, Pierre.
I don’t have a problem with starch for a thickener. A quick google confirms what I knew, that cornflour is the finely powdered white starch extracted from maize kernels. In fact the clue to 6dn does indicate, with the use of ‘maybe’ that it’s a definition by example, which is more than can be said for 26ac or the use of ‘elk’ in 12ac.
But that’s only a minor quibble. All in all a satisfying puzzle completed in about average time.
Thanks, eXternal and Pierre.
Just right in terms of challenge for a Monday I thought. An impressively varied set of clue types – always a sign that you are in the hands of a good compiler. Many thanks eXternal, it certainly took my mind off some none-too-pleasant dentistry which is imminent.
Thanks for the blog Pierre, although I miss your Monday grumps. 🙂
Bon soir Pierre. We had the same concerns over ELK and VEGAN but were (well, Joyce was after Bert guessed the answer) quite happy with STARCH as an example of a thickener.
Thanks to both Pierre and eXternal.