It is the last Wednesday of the month, so Dac is having a well-earned break and Quixote is standing in for him.
I found this puzzle to be a quick and enjoyable solve and completed it in one sitting. I hesitated over 1A, as I didn’t know this spelling of the solution, but the wordplay meant that the central letter had to be an “a” and not an “e”. Similarly, I was unfamiliar with “silly” as a noun. 26 was a new word for me, but it could easily be worked out from the wordplay and confirmed in Chambers.
My favourite clues were 10, for making me smile when the penny dropped, and 19, for smoothness of surface.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | ASSAGAI | Silly commander, one showing weapon
ASS (=silly (person)) + AGA (=commander, in Turkey) + I (=one) |
| 05 | PIFFLE | Rubbish heap fine female falls into
[F (=fine) + F (=female)] + PILE (=heap) |
| 08 | CONCORDAT | Opposing line put by party, its odd characters not seen to be in agreement
CON (=opposing, against) + CORD (=line, rope) + <p>A<r>T<y> (“its odd characters not seen” means even letters only are used); a concordat is, for example, an agreement between the Pope and a secular government |
| 09 | RULER | Top person // that has to be absolutely straight
Double definition: a ruler is both a governor AND an instrument for drawing a straight line |
| 11 | SILENCE | What is golden is brought back by man to church
SI (IS; “brought back” indicates reversal) + LEN (=man, i.e. a man’s name) + CE (=church, i.e. Church of England) |
| 12 | NAILING | Fixing any number suffering from e.g. flu
N (=any number, in maths) + AILING (=suffering from e.g. flu) |
| 13 | BRANCHING OUT | Healthy food, a prominent feature with disease spreading
BRAN (=healthy food) + CHIN (=a prominent (facial) feature) + GOUT (=disease) |
| 17 | WIN ONE’S SPURS | New US prisons with new configuration gain distinction
*(NEW US PRISONS); “with new configuration” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | RATAFIA | Sweet drink at a fair is disgusting
*(AT A FAIR); “is disgusting” is anagram indicator; ratafia is a cordial or liqueur flavoured with fruit-kernels |
| 21 | COMMUTE | Change // journey to and from work
Double definition: to commute a sentence is to change it, e.g. from the death penalty to life imprisonment |
| 23 | SIT-IN | Locatin’ a demonstration
SITIN’<g> (=locatin’<g>) |
| 24 | DOUBTLESS | A certain Thomas was encouraged to, unquestionably
The reference is to the Apostle Thomas, the original doubting Thomas, who was encouraged to “doubt less” and believe more |
| 25 | ASLEEP | Dreaming, maybe, like backward-looking PM of yesteryear
AS (=like) + LEEP (PEEL=PM of yesteryear, i.e. Robert Peel; “backward-looking” indicates reversal) |
| 26 | EPHEDRA | Bit of rubbish heaped untidily in shrub
*(R<ubbish> + HEAPED); “untidily” is anagram indicator; an ephedra is a shrub of the sea-grape genus |
| Down | ||
| 01 | ACCOST | Address bill, having amount to be paid
AC (=bill, i.e. account) + COST (=amount to be paid) |
| 02 | SINGLE | Celebrate with the French bachelor
SING (=celebrate) + LE (=the French, i.e. the French word for the) |
| 03 | GROWN | Audible complaint’s increased
Homophone (“audible”) of “groan” (=complaint) |
| 04 | IT DOESN’T STAND UP | Italian shows disrespect for national anthem? That seems impossible
IT (=Italian) + DOESN’T STAND UP (=shows disrespect for national anthem) |
| 05 | PUT IN THE PICTURE | Being informed, apply to get hung at the Royal Academy?
If you wish to have a picture exhibited at the Royal Academy, then you put/send it in |
| 06 | FOREIGNER | Enemy holding rule, king seen as stranger
[REIGN (=rule) in FOE (=enemy)] + R (=king, i.e. rex) |
| 07 | LOLLIPOP | Lounge with one old man that’s sweet
LOLL (=lounge) + I (=one) + POP (=old man) |
| 10 | RIGHTO | Coastal city should expel its extreme characters, OK!
<b>RIGHTO<n> (=coastal city); “should expel its extreme characters” means first and last letters are dropped |
| 14 | RING-FENCE | Phone criminal? It’s impossible to get through
RING (=phone) + FENCE (=criminal); a ring-fence is a fence continuously encircling an estate, hence “impossible to get through” |
| 15 | SWORDS | Second angry speech? Such may be cutting
S (=second, i.e. as unit of time) + WORDS (=angry speech, as in to have words with someone) |
| 16 | INSTATES | Establishes home, say, overlooking Sidmouth’s front
IN (=home) + STATE (=say) + S<idmouth> (“front” means first letter only) |
| 18 | PUREED | Venison at university, served up as mashed food
DEER (=venison) + UP (=at university); “served up” indicates vertical reversal |
| 19 | PERSIA | Aspire to reform the old country
*(ASPIRE); “to reform” is anagram indicator; Persia is modern-day Iran |
| 22 | MATCH | Partner not wanting English church for marriage
MAT<e> (=partner; “not wanting English (=E)” means letter “e” is dropped) + CH (=church) |
Thanks, RR. Yes, a pleasing puzzle from The Don. My favourite was 13: took me ages to twig that ‘spreading’ was the def & not some sort of anagrind. Not so much a lightbulb- as Grr-moment. Thanks to Qixote: wouldn’t it be nice to see his name over the daily edition puzzle (grumble, grumble)?
Pretty straightforward with a mixture of write-ins and those that required just a little thought. The only one that caused any problem was EPHEDRA but as RR says, it could be worked out from the wordplay. And I’d not encountered INSTATE except in the form ‘reinstate’. No obvious CoD but I liked PIFFLE, CONCORDAT and DOUBTLESS.
Thanks, Quixote and RatkojaRiku