Very nice – a challenge rather than a struggle if you know what I mean. Thanks Redshank.
I like the way Redshank provides either a strightforward definition or strightforward construction. One way or another there is always a path to the solution, if you can find it!
| Across | ||
| 1 | FAIR PLAY |
Quiet song follows loud one, going by the rules (4,4)
P (piano, quiet) LAY (song) following F (forte, loud) AIR (one, another song) |
| 5 | SIMMER |
Cook gently – less fat left to emerge (6)
SLIMMER (less fat) missing (with…to emerge) L (left) |
| 10 | BELARUS |
Spend rubles importing article here (7)
RUBLES* anagram=spend containing (importing) A (the indefinite article) |
| 11 | BUCKRAM |
Spot apprentice running round binding stuff (7)
MARK (spot) CUB (apprentice) all reversed (going round) – fabric used in bookbinding |
| 12 | AGNES |
She’s a champagne socialist to some extent (5)
found inside (to some extent) champAGNE Socialist – a woman’s name |
| 13 | FIGURINES |
Fruits cover wee statuettes (9)
FIGS (fruit) contain (cover) URINE (wee) |
| 14 | POTATO BEETLE |
To a poet, betel nuts constitute a calamity for some farmers (6,6)
(TO A POET BETEL)* anagram=nuts |
| 18 | RAISE THE ROOF |
How to install loft? Bring the house down, paradoxically (5,3,4)
double definition |
| 21 | PENINSULA |
Jutland, for example? (9)
cryptic definition – land that juts out from the mainland |
| 23 | OPERA |
Disc for each actor originally in stage work (5)
O (a disc) PER (for each) Actor (originally, first letter of) |
| 24 | UPSURGE |
Growth in top-class euphorbia quietly advanced (7)
U (top-class) SPURGE (Euphorbia, a plant) with P (piano, quietly) moved to the front (advanced) |
| 25 | DWINDLE |
Cold wind led hedges to shrink (7)
found inside (hedged by) colD WIND LEd |
| 26 | DODGEM |
It’s designed to bash odd rough stone (6)
ODD* anagram=rough and GEM (stone) – a fairground ride |
| 27 | KNITWEAR |
Woollies in Newark? It went bust (8)
anagram (went bust) of NEWARK and IT |
| Down | ||
| 1 | FABIAN |
Soccer bosses forbid recruiting one favouring the left (6)
FA (The Football Association, soccor bosses) then BAN (forbid) containing I (one) |
| 2 | ISLAND |
Fancy Lindisfarne or finer ——? (6)
an anagram (fancy) of LINDISFARNE is also (or) an anagram of FINER + ISLAND – I’m not sure what the definition is here, but the solution is certainly clear enough. |
| 3 | PERISCOPE |
It helps sub manage risks going first out of loch (9)
COPE (manage) following (with…going first) PERILS (risks) missing (out of) L (loch) |
| 4 | AS SAFE AS HOUSES |
Fully secure, like empty areas in hideouts for moles (2,4,2,6)
AS (like) then AreaS (empty, mo middle letters) in SAFE HOUSES (hideouts for moles, spies) |
| 6 | INCUR |
Meet with police where they were after uprising? (5)
RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary, police) and NI (Northern Island, where they were) all reversed – the RUC were formed in 1922 following the uprisings leading to the partition of Ireland |
| 7 | MARINATE |
Steep place to make fast note (8)
MARINA (place to make fast) TE (note, of the scale) |
| 8 | REMASTER |
Rock group behind short record again (8)
REM (rock group) ASTERn (behind, short=unfinished) |
| 9 | I BEG YOUR PARDON |
Sorry, I spoil par round with bogey (1,3,4,6)
anagram (round) of I SPOIL PAR with BOGEY |
| 15 | ECOLOGIST |
English officer meaning to arrest old green campaigner (9)
E (English) COL (officer) GIST (meaning) contains (to arrest) O (old) |
| 16 | PROPOUND |
Present attitude of Eurosceptics? (8)
PRO-POUND (attitude of Eurosceptics) |
| 17 | LIONISED |
Put on a pedestal, left and cleared the air (8)
L (left) and IONISED (cleared the air) |
| 19 | NEEDLE |
What sewer holds is, for the most part, not required (6)
NEEDLESs (not required) unfinished (for the most part) |
| 20 | CAREER |
In her occupation nurse conserves energy (6)
CARER (nurse) contains (conserves) E (energy) |
| 22 | NORSE |
Choice of directions for old Scandinavian (5)
N OR SE (choice of directions) |
definitions are underlined
Thanks for the blog, PeeDee.
Another terrific puzzle from one of my top favourite setters. Many well-constructed and witty clues, as ever: my favourites were 10, 13 and 27ac, and – sheer brilliance! – 6dn.
Re 27ac, it’s worth mentioning that Woolies [sic] was the affectionate name for Woolworths, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworths_Group, which sadly did go bust.
Many thanks to Redshank -I loved it!
Thanks Peedee for the parsing of 6d, a lovely clue but I didn’t get to RUC. I liked FIGURINES, PENINSULA, BELARUS and KNITWEAR (which also featured in another paper today) and many more – many thanks REDSHANK.
I would like to join Eileen and dutch’s more than kind verdicts.
Another very good crossword by this great setter.
Unfortunately, as ever, not picked up by that many solvers – at least not at Fifteensquared.
6d was indeed extremely good but I am afraid that I only guessed it
The reason? Probably the fact that I am not a Brit.
I guessed 7d (MARINATE) too and I failed in the same corner on BUCKRAM but, apart from that, no complaints from the Cambridge area.
[I liked 22d for a particular reason]
Thanks PeeDee (and Redshank, of course).
I think where Redshank really wins is that while his clues feel fresh, interesting and entertaining they are mostly traditional anagrams and charades etc. He avoids stepping into the the ‘compileritis’ zone that so irritates some solvers.
Eileen – thanks for highlighting Woolworths, it was so familiar I overlooked it. I’m sure there will be overseas solvers who will not know it.
Thanks Redshank and PeeDee
A bit late to this which I started after Friday night post-work drinks. As others have said – a very fine puzzle.
Missed the parsing of PERISCOPE (an oversight), AS SAFE AS HOUSES (another oversight, but doubt whether I could have any way) and the NI part of INCUR (did see the RUC bit and missed the now obvious NI bit).
Finished in the NE corner with BUCKRAM, INCUR, SIMMER and REMASTER the last few in.
We still have Woolworths supermarket stores in operation down here, they took over the Safeway chain of stores in recent years.
Thanks PeeDee and Redshank.
A good solid puzzle with much to enjoy.
Finished in the NE with REMASTER and BUCKRAM.
Pleased that I was able to fully parse this including INCUR.
Thanks again.