A neat pleasant challenge from Falcon today. Generally easy with a dash of inventive cluing that kept me away from a complete solve just a tad longer. I did learn a couple of new meanings to words that I already did know. Thanks Falcon, for a good workout today.
FF: 8 DD: 7
| Across | ||
| 1 | PUNISH |
Play on words is hard to beat (6)
PUN (play on words) IS H (hard) |
| 4 | INVENTOR |
Author in IOW resort dropping second name (8)
IN VENTnOR (Resort in Isle of Wight, dropping the second ‘N’ – name). |
| 9 | BAGEL |
British member back on a roll (5)
B (british) [ GEL (member = LEG, reversed) on A ] |
| 10 | ALEXANDER |
Boy band leader? (9)
Triple def; Boy’s name, Alexander’s Band is the space between two rainbows; Alexander the Great. |
| 11 | ISTHMUS |
Narrow strip of land is like this over miles (7)
[IS THUS (like this)] over M (miles) |
| 12 | LITERAL |
Actual misprint (7)
doubel def. I didnt know that “LITERAL” was a noun as well (for the second def) until I looked up Chambers. |
| 13 | ALPS |
A record on small and high mountains (4)
A LP (record) S (small) |
| 14 | CONSIDER |
Judge in Tory party, first to resign (8)
CON SIDE (Tory party) R (first to Resign) |
| 17 | TINY TOTS |
Toddlers with it coming back awfully snotty (4,4)
TI ( IT, reversed) with anagram of SNOTTY |
| 19 | MINI |
Married in one, a short skirt (4)
M (married) IN I (one) |
| 22 | RISOTTO |
Rice dish recipe – it’s too complicated (7)
R (recipe) followed by anagram of ITS TOO |
| 24 | SNAFFLE |
Appropriate bit (7)
double def |
| 25 | TIGER LILY |
Wendy’s last behind girl I let out and princess Peter Pan saved (5,4)
Y (wendY’s last) after anagram of GIRL I LET |
| 26 | PERIL |
Beautiful fairy left in danger (5)
PERI (beautiful fairy) L (left) |
| 27 | HOTELIER |
Ritz, say, may offer more comfortable time for male (8)
HOmELIER (more comfortable) with T (time) replacing M (male) |
| 28 | LEGEND |
Motto on one side of court (6)
LEG (on – cricket) END (one side of court?) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | PUBLICAN |
Article supporting popular landlord (8)
AN (article) supporting PUBLIC (popular) |
| 2 | NIGHTSPOT |
Badly-written thing, notice in club (9)
NIGHT (anagram of THING) SPOT (notice) |
| 3 | SALAMI |
Short Greek island sausage that’s highly-spiced (6)
SALAMIs (greek island, short) |
| 5 | NEEDLESS TO SAY |
Those speaking more concisely do, naturally? (8,2,3)
cryptic clue; Those speaking more concisely would NEED LESS TO SAY. |
| 6 | EXACTED |
Insisted on precise editor (7)
EXACT (precise) ED (editor) |
| 7 | TUDOR |
Organised tour round duke’s house (5)
Anagram of TOUR around D (duke) |
| 8 | RARELY |
Hardly ever right, a bank (6)
R (right) A RELY (bank) |
| 10 | AT SHORT NOTICE |
The cartoonist sacked with little warning (2,5,6)
Anagram of THE CARTOONIST |
| 15 | REINFORCE |
Strenghten check on behalf of church (9)
REIN (check) FOR (on behalf of ) CE (church) |
| 16 | LIBELLED |
Cover defending beautiful woman, defamed (8)
LID (cover) containing BELLE (beautiful woman) |
| 18 | NATURAL |
Small number at Russian river, as is to be expected (7)
N (small Number) AT URAL (russian river) |
| 20 | WRETCH |
Scoundrel with gag (6)
W (with) RETCH (gag) |
| 21 | SAMPLE |
Seconds – large cross-section (6)
S (seconds) AMPLE (large) |
| 23 | SIGHT |
Vision of number changing leader (5)
eIGHT (number) changing ‘E’ (leader) to “S” |
10a Alexander’s Ragtime Band?
“Alexander’s Ragtime Band” is a song by Irving Berlin, so 10a is a quadruple definition.
Thanks Falcon and Turbolegs
A bit more grist here than normal from this setter. I’d only parsed 10a as a double with the Berlin song, so very impressive with the other two as well. Had not heard of the ALEXANDER band in relation to rainbows before.
Had to look at a map of the Isle of Wight to find VENTNOR in what was my last one in.
Thanks Turbolegs and Falcon.
SNAP!
Alexander band in a rainbow and LITERAL meaning misprint were both new definitions to me.
Needed your help to parse HOTELIER – doh.
So all good!