I did enjoy this one, but there was some stuff in it which was certainly tricky for an IoS puzzle. Which is blogger-speak for ‘I can’t parse one or two’.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
6 Animated film with endless dancing
WALL-E
It’s the Disney film and it’s W for ‘with’ plus ALLE, which is [B]ALLE[T] without its ends.
7 One Italian city’s a state capital
ANNAPOLIS
A charade of AN and NAPOLI’S for the state capital of Maryland.
9 Finally start work on book and two articles about star
TOP BANANA
T plus OP plus B plus AN and AN … but where the last A comes from, I know not. About?
10 Copper – old metal frames for windows
OCULI
An insertion of CU in O and LI for the chemical symbol for Lithium. A bit of an odd word, and there are lots of ‘metals’, so one where I needed the crossers.
11 Heinous criminal within a company
IN-HOUSE
(HEINOUS)* Good clue.
13 Feel fab, however rarely not beyond words
EFFABLE
(FEEL FAB)* with ‘however’ as the anagrind. The ‘rarely’ is there to show that dictionaries mark this usage as ‘rare’. Which it certainly is. You’re more likely to come across this word in INEFFABLE.
14 A queen is put back between ace of diamonds and another queen? I detect mistakes
PROOFREADER
Well, if you like intricate clues, this one’s for you. An insertion of A ER reversed (‘put back’) in PRO OF D ER for ‘ace’ ‘of’ ‘diamonds’ and ER for ‘another queen’.
18 Soprano about to appear in church choir with a shrill cry
SCREECH
I refer right honourable contributors to my comment on the previous clue. It’s S plus an insertion of RE for ‘about’ in CE and CH for ‘choir’. To be fair, both this and 14ac have excellent surface readings – well done, Commoner.
19 List the constituents composing plant
THISTLE
(LIST THE)*
21 Look, a picture featuring an animal
OKAPI
Anyone else trying to start this with LO! has my sympathy. It’s hidden, in loOK A PIcture. It looks like it was designed by committee and is most closely related to the giraffe.
22 Going out to relieve bearer of fruit
OLIVE TREE
(TO RELIEVE)*
24 She consumes French Malbec cold, doubly good with a snack
SCOTCH EGG
In Cahors, Malbec is called ‘Cot’. No, I didn’t either. So it’s COT plus C in SHE, followed by your horse. Oh, not on this occasion – just your double G.
25 “I will” spoken in part of church
AISLE
I’ll say nothing further, except to say that churchy architectural folk will tell you that in fact brides don’t go down the aisle, because it’s somewhere else; and they most often say ‘I do’ and not ‘I will’. Ultimately, AISLE is related to the French word ‘une aile’ for ‘a wing’, which strictly is where it is in a church. So brides don’t go down one, unless they are really having second thoughts.
Down
1 About to kiss and hug
CLIP
It’s a charade of C for circa or ‘about’ and LIP, but I can’t see CLIP for ‘hug’. Anyone?
2 Psychological phenomenon leads to delusively experiencing July again? Very unusual
DÉJÀ VU
The leading letters of the last six words of the clue. I’m sure I’ve seen this somewhere before.
3 English teacher wanting love wears attractive item of jewellery
ENGAGEMENT RING
Chuffing Nora. This is E MENT[O]R in ENGAGING
4 Spoilt new kid outside with little boy
SPOONFED
An insertion of N in SPOOF, followed by the setters’ favourite ‘little boy’, ED.
5 Could rub out good man in shower
CLOUDBURST
A charade of (COULD RUB)* and ST.
6 Comedian, a success, is trendy
WITH IT
A charade of WIT and HIT
7 Father and son off sharing wild bird, perhaps duck, in fantasy novel
A GAME OF THRONES
Well you can’t say you haven’t heard of it, since it’s been all over the telly recently and was originally a ‘fantasy novel’. It’s an insertion of GAME for ‘wild bird, perhaps’ and O for ‘duck’ in (FATHER SON)*
8 I have hidden in streets in Cornish town
ST IVES
An insertion of I’VE in STS. There’s also one in Cambridgeshire, if I remember well.
12 Bear-python hybrid, as an example: this I must see!
HYPERBATON
This just has to be a ‘Bollocks, I’ve painted myself into a corner here and this is all that fits’ clue. Fine, it’s an anagram, but what this word is doing in an IoS puzzle I don’t know. Definition: an inversion of the normal order of words, especially for the sake of emphasis, as in the sentence ‘this I must see’. And I got that straight from Mrs Google, first entry, which is no doubt where the setter got it from.
15 On vast unending beaches, regularly displaying a type of swimsuit
ONE-PIECE
A charade of ON, EPI[C] and the regular letters of bEaChEs.
16 Eastern spies going round bars
ESTOPS
Another word that should probably have found a home in a more difficult crossword. E followed by SPOTS reversed.
17 Turn around having lost son, Paul, perhaps
REVERE
Perfectly sound clue, but again there are a lot of options for ‘Paul’; and the three crossing letters all being E didn’t help me. REVER[S]E for the American Civil War person.
20 Top spy wearing diamonds, an assassin
ICE MAN
Can’t parse this, I’m afraid.
23 Wine increased in price
ROSE
A dd.
Many thanks to Commoner for this morning’s Sunday puzzle.
20d: M (top spy, think James Bond films) inside (‘wearing’) {ICE (diamonds) + AN}
Thanks, Sil.
Re 25 across, Pierre, I bow to your superior knowledge of things ecclesiastical, and will try to eradicate from my mind the old saying that brides processed towards the ceremony remembering the order of service as ‘aisle altar hymn’.
Perfect Sunday fare from Commoner.
I had trouble parsing several here, too, including 1dn and 20dn. Certainly did not know 12dn, but it was just about the only thing that the anagram could be.
I’m slightly annoyed how long it took me to get 7dn, especially as just last month I was at a science fiction convention that had George R R Martin as guest of honour. Anorak bit: The TV series is just Game of Thrones. A Game of Thrones is the first novel in a sequence of novels that has the overall title of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Thanks Commoner. I only had time to go through the parsing, well done Pierre.
CLIP comes from the Old English clyppan ’embrace’, from West Germanic, according to the OCED. v. tr. 2 grip tightly. 3 surround closely. I guess this covers ‘hug’.
I thought I was losing what little mental faculty I have, here. I found much of this rather hard. Fortunately, it’s raining, and gardening this Sunday isn’t practical, so I had plenty of time to stare at the crossword and sigh theatrically. I finished in the end, with some relief.
Another waste of ink, for specialists only.