Nothing too much to frighten the horses here, which is how it should be. Mostly charades, insertions and anagrams, but it’s a puzzle for improving solvers, so fair play.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Optional term otherwise relating to large city
METROPOLITAN
(OPTIONAL TERM)* A nice Easie Annie to get us going.
9 Crush good part of orange
GRIND
A charade of G and RIND.
10 Attention occupied by work in New York waterway
EAST RIVER
An insertion of STRIVE in EAR.
11 Delicate eastern article, not fake
ETHEREAL
A charade of E, THE and REAL.
12 Hearts captured by artist with a flower
DAHLIA
An insertion of H in DALI followed by A.
14 Exposes new troubles
NAILS
A charade of N and AILS.
16 Maintain faltering debate, finally lifeless
INANIMATE
A charade of (MAINTAIN)* and E for the last letter of ‘debate’.
18 Source of popular fashion followed by worker?
INFORMANT
A charade of IN, FORM and ANT.
19 County‘s southern dialect, not northern
SLIGO
A charade of S and LI[N]GO for the Irish county
20 Cowboy with a cough in a bad way
GAUCHO
(A COUGH)*
22 Historic event set down by gospel writer
LANDMARK
A charade of LAND and MARK for the writer of one of the synoptic gospels.
25 Repose interrupted by coach in control
RESTRAINT
An insertion of TRAIN in REST.
26 Improve condition in mixture of dye
EDIFY
An insertion of IF in (DYE)*
27 Film from Billy Wilder‘s collection with skill seen by people time after time
THE APARTMENT
This setter does like to produce multi-part clues, which can make parsing difficult. I think that this is HEAP and ART followed by MEN, all in T and T.
Down
2 Singer showing heart of defiance in depth if suffering
EDITH PIAF
An insertion of the middle letters of defIAnce in (DEPTH IF)* gives you the chanteuse probably best known for Non, je ne regrette rien.
3 Jockey relieved to be over hesitation
RIDER
A charade of RID and ER.
4 Regarding hurt, appeal to stop friend before tying the knot
PREMARITAL
Another four-part clue: RE, MAR and IT in PAL. IT for ‘sex appeal’, which is what good girls and boys try to resist while their relationship is PREMARITAL. I couldn’t possibly say what my own personal experience in this field was.
5 Go on at the end
LAST
A dd.
6 Small turtles, poor pair, grabbed by seabirds
TERRAPINS
An insertion of (PAIR)* in TERNS.
7 Original verse during Christmas
NOVEL
An insertion of V in NOEL.
8 Doubtful about facility, brother? Get a mechanic
GREASE MONKEY
Another insertion, of EASE and MONK in GREY, gives you a slightly derogatory term for a ‘mechanic’.
9 Envious, identifies growing ability
GREEN FINGERS
A charade of GREEN and FINGERS.
13 Expert rates stamp poorly
PAST MASTER
(RATES STAMP)*
15 Cleaner in rush for additional payment
SURCHARGE
An insertion of CHAR in SURGE.
17 Disturbance produced by taint Iago concocted
AGITATION
(TAINT IAGO)*
21 Out of bed and ready for trouble
UPSET
A charade of UP and SET.
23 Democrat with drive filled with energy and hope
DREAM
D for ‘Democrat’ followed by an insertion of E in RAM.
24 Drooping, walk unevenly
LIMP
A dd.
Many thanks to Everyman for this morning’s puzzle.
Steady solve, but wasted a lot of time thinking what 8d could be
Thanks Everyman and Pierre.
This went quite smoothly last Saturday, but I stupidly failed to parse EAST RIVER – I also spent a lot of time over GREASE MONKEY!
This is well-pitched for the Everyman slot, I think. There are some very nice surfaces, and it is nice to see “Flower” clueing an actual flower for once instead of a river.
Thanks, Everyman and Pierre.
Thanks both – good stuff. No obligatory bird link for 6d?
Afraid not, Shirl. Under the Fifteensquared blogging constitution, paragraph 14.1.3, the obligatory bird link is only permitted when the solution is a bird. Sorry to disappoint. Glad you enjoyed the puzzle.
Pleasant solve in the plane home from the truly excellent Edinburgh Tattoo in Wellington.
This was at the easier end of the spectrum. Only uncertainty is why Nails means Exposes? I uncovered/exposed the solution, so I nailed it? Hmmm.
Think that is what ‘nails’ is supposed to mean, but in my book, ‘nails’ means to crack a problem . I thought the parts of 4D convoluted and clumsy but some other good clues made up for that one . I got grease monkey immediately but struggled over probably much easier clues.
I got 12 ac but was stuck on Dahl instead of Dali even tho I know Dahl is not an artist in the visual sense.
one of those situations when it doesnt pay to over analyse the the clue too much…..
BTW for kiwis watching today’s test – Barrie is Brendon McCullum’s middle name…
The old “fill the holes in” theory backfired on me this time when I plonked in infuriant ( source of frustration?) for 18a and blissfully went ahead thinking I’d solved the whole thing. I don’t think it’s even a word but it seemed obvious at the time! In 4d the sex thing didn’t make much sense either but I guess it rarely does! Thanks to all.
Yep, Everyman, this was a good one, enjoyed solving it on a great Saturday here in Paradise. Thanks to you and Pierre.
I nailed this crossword, meaning that I solved it perfectly, spot on, absolutely bang on.
It was’nt that sexy though. Some of the clues are misleading, like 4d, does hurt mean mar, really?
I feel like I solved the crossword despite the clues rather than because of them. I can’t complain though. Thank you everyone.
Yoo hoo. I solved it all. Lots of Aha moments in this one, Barrie. Liked most of these clues because they made sense to me. They even led me to work out the answer which is what they should do, after all. Really enjoyed doing this one. Well done Everyman and thanks Pierre.
I concur – completed and thoroughly enjoyable