Not quite the palindromic date of the new year (have to wait till February for that) but post New Year a duel with Tyrus beckons. Always a pleasure.
Some complex wordplay indeed. Two that I must admit defeat on.
12ac – which I imagine is a gem of a clue- is it a CB reference perhaps?
13ac where I can’t see where the BEN comes from.
Thanks to Eileen for enabling the parsing to be completed.
My favourite clue has to be 6dn – I’m maybe swayed a little by liking his compositions. Whilst 14dn would probably incur the wrath of the late Mary Whitehouse – though I did like it myelf.
Many thanks Tyrus – always a challenge and always fun and a happy MMXVI to all.
Key:
- anagram; Rev. Reverse; Underline definition
ACROSS
9 Light left on before service(7)
L (left) + ante (before) + RN (service) = LANTERN
10 Overuse unfamiliar works (7)
(overuse)* = OEUVRES
11 Blooming brave but pointless (5)
Ballsy (brave) – s (pointless) = BALLY
12 Poor example of 10, 4 using Word – see a bit of criticism flying round (6, 3)
(x + four+see + c)* = EXCUSE FOR
13 He may not get on with ladies’ man on the surface, but partner’s very forward (11)
ben (partner of but) + w (with) in charmer (ladies’ man) = BENCHWARMER (player who doesn’t often get a game)
15 Little amphibian’s not old (3)
Toad (amphibian) – o (old) = TAD
17 Bombed insurgent’s house – it’s immoral (15)
(insurgentshouse)* = UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
20 Call friend over (3)
Rev (Bud(friend)) = DUB
22 Hated bonking each one when engaged? I don’t think so! (3,4,4)
every I (each one) in (hated)* = THE VERY IDEA
24 OK to hold current rise over? NO! (4, 1, 4)
Well (OK) around I(current) + Rev. (Hill(rise)) + WILL I HELL
25 Hurt when doing the same thing with nothing on – language ! (5)
RSI (hurt when doing the same thing – Repetitive Strain Injury) after FA (nothing) = FARSI
26 Talk to police about who vandalised display (7)
Sing (talk to police) about (who)* = SHOWING
27 Struggle to take in atmosphere round holiday hotspot (7)
Vie + r (take) in Rev.(air (atmosphere)) = RIVIERA
DOWN
1 Bad social network site abroad – and that’s definite (3, 2, 5)
Ill (bad) + Bebo (social network) + und (abroad and (German)) = I’LL BE BOUND
2 Joke about African runner upset Phil’s wife (3-5)
on (about) + Rev (Nile (African runner)) + ER (Phil’s wife as in Prince Phillip) = ONE-LINER
3 Bank being extremely heartless (4)
Really (extremely) – heary = RELY
4 Certain characters somehow having time to socialise (8)
(certain + t)* = INTERACT
5 Film host in boudoir? Maybe (6)
Room (boudoir maybe) around MC (host) + ROMCOM
6 Modest musician scented shameful U-turn by insiders (10)
Musky (scented) around Rev. (gross (shameful)) + MUSSORGSKY (Modest is his first name)
7 Benefit from learning about computers etc. with academic (6)
Prof(academic) + IT (learning about computers) = PROFIT
8 Government-appointed ‘expert’ gets a right stuffing (4)
Hidden geTS A Right = TSAR
14 Run off under the influence in Bristol – trouble (8, 2)
high (under the influence) + ail (trouble) in tit (Bristol) = HIGHTAIL IT
16 Political work with Democrat – question a mate about it (3, 7)
D (Democrat) + ask (question) + a pal (a mate) around it = DAS KAPITAL
18 Big boss’s girlfriend getting head down? No way! (8)
Lover (girlfriend) moving head + o (no) + rd (way) = OVERLORD
19 Marks on back of one dress suspicious (8)
(one dress) = ENDORSES
21 Attachment to Football League team (6)
Bolt on (attachment to) = BOLTON
23 Change to green at last – surely – that means go (6)
(green)* + y (last surely) = ENERGY
24 Understanding reasons for report (4)
Homonym of whys (reasons) = WISE
25 Most liked ‘wild beast’ except for you (4)
Fauve (wild beast) – u (you – text speak) = FAVE
Thanks, twenceslas, for a fine blog.
I found this tough but most rewarding. It was 25ac and dn where I had to phone a friend for the parsing.
12ac is an anagram of X [ten] FOUR, [the word] SEE and C[riticism].
In 13ac BEN is ‘but partner’, as in ‘but and ben’, a two-roomed house.
many thanks to Tyrus for a really satisfying solve – eventually!
Quite a struggle although I saw a few answers, e.g. MUSSORGSKY and DAS KAPITAL, at once and even with e-help there were lots I couldn’t parse. So thanks, Twencelas and Eileen (and Tyrus of course).
Thanks Eileen – have updated the blog. But and ben is a new one on me.
Hi twencelas
I have the advantage of having had a Scottish husband!
My apologies for copying your name wrongly the first time around.
Very hard work for me with all eventually in after several hours, but a few unparsed including FARSI, BENCHWARMER (I’d certainly never heard of ‘but and ben’ either) and EXCUSE FOR. Even the 3 and 4 letter answers weren’t easy eg DUB, WISE and FAVE. LOI and definitely my COD as well was MUSSORGSKY, with an honourable mention to HIGHTAIL IT.
Thanks Tyrus and twencelas – I don’t envy you having had to blog this one!
Superb Prize puzzle with so much to admire. I loved benchwarmer and endorses.
Thanks to Tyrus and twenceslas
[twencelas – palindrome eh? Really? – this isn’t 2061! As for February, enjoying your April fool joke – being a leap year, it will fall on 61st February (which is palindromic)]
A pleasant puzzle, though I had to resort to Chambers (for “ben”) to confirm parsing of 13ac.
Well done, Tyrus and twencelas, and thanks. Belatedly, Happy New Year all!
Many thanks to twencelas for the blog and to others for their comments.
Hi Tyrus @8
It’s a real shame that there have been so few so far – thanks again! 😉
A great puzzle, which took some serious perseverance. I was skirting around the parsing for EXCUSE FOR but somehow never quite saw it, so thanks to Eileen for clearing that up – and to twencelas and Tyrus too, of course.
Is it just me or does it feel like someone has had a New Year’s resolution to make sure the prize puzzles are genuinely prizeworthy this year?