Standard Falcon fare.
A couple of minor niggles at 21 ac and 26dn apart, this was a competent, but pretty anodyne puzzle. Apart from 13 ac, which was very good, most of the clues were good, but not exceptional.
| Across | ||
| 1 | TACKLE | Take on equipment (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | EPIDEMIC | I’d piece prepared about mass outbreak (8) |
| *(id piece) “about” M | ||
| 10 | OBSESSION | Thing old bishop put down before sitting (9) |
| O(ld) B(ishop) + SESSION | ||
| 11 | UPPER | Superior meal, seconds not required (5) |
| (s)UPPER | ||
| 12 | OPEN | Ring writer ready to entertain new ideas (4) |
| O + PEN | ||
| 13 | APOCALYPSE | Copy includes song back to front – a major disaster (10) |
| APE “includes” OCALYPS (calypso = “song” with its back (O) at the front) | ||
| 15 | GUNSHOT | Report weapons recently stolen (7) |
| GUNS + HOT (“recently stolen”) | ||
| 16 | ARARAT | Mountain in eastern part of Sahara desert (6) |
| (sah)ARA + RAT (to “desert”) | ||
| 19 | STUMPS | End of play is completely perplexing (6) |
| Double definition.
In cricket, “stumps” is the end of a day’s play, when the stumps are removed from the pitch. |
||
| 21 | CUTICLE | Dead skin around base of nail attractive girl describes (7) |
| C (“around”) + NAI(l) “decribed by” CUTIE
To me, this clue would work better as a down clue, as base indicates “bottom” rather than “end”. |
||
| 23 | SQUARE MEAL | It can still be served on a round plate! (6,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | BRAT | Annoying child runs into club (4) |
| R(uns) “into” BAT | ||
| 27 | LOUGH | Lake in steep valley, not cold (5) |
| (c)LOUGH | ||
| 28 | NOTRE DAME | Small number embarrassed entering flat in building in Paris (5,4) |
| No. + (RED “entering” TAME) | ||
| 29 | MINISTRY | Office cars to tax (8) |
| MINIS (“car”) + TRY (“tax”) | ||
| 30 | ADONIS | Commercial being televised is for the handsome young man (6) |
| AD + ON (“being televised”) + IS | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | THOROUGH | Complete, from beginning to end, nothing concealed (8) |
| O “concealed” in THROUGH (“from beginning to end”) | ||
| 2 | CASHEW NUT | Roasted food item – when ready, we served up on crackers, mostly (6,3) |
| CASH (“ready) + <=WE + NUT(s) | ||
| 3 | LIST | In hotel I study register (4) |
| Hidden in “hoteL I STudy” | ||
| 5 | PANACEA | Criticise expert sitting on a universal remedy (7) |
| PAN + ACE + A | ||
| 6 | DOUBLE ACTS | Couples who may make one laugh in adult clubs, wearing old padded jackets (6,4) |
| A(dult) C(lubs) “wearing” DOUBLETS (“old padded jackets”) | ||
| 7 | MOP UP | Clean head of hair on top (3,2) |
| MOP (“head of hair”) + UP (“on top”) | ||
| 8 | CAREER | Calling baby-sitter around eight, initially (6) |
| CARER “around” E(ight) | ||
| 9 | LIMPET | Consent to entertaining mischievous child, one not easily got rid of (6) |
| LET (“consent to”) “entertaining” IMP | ||
| 14 | THE MARCHES | Article on demonstrations in border area (3,7) |
| THE (“article) “on” MARCHES (“demonstrations”)
The Marches is a kind of generic term for the borders between England and Scotland, and those between England and Wales. |
||
| 17 | ASCERTAIN | A head of state bound to find out (9) |
| A S(tate) + CERTAIN | ||
| 18 | RESTLESS | Fidgety? Be more active! (8) |
| REST LESS | ||
| 20 | SEMINAR | Group studying ruined remains (7) |
| *(remains) | ||
| 21 | CHASTE | Modest order husband put in (6) |
| CASTE (“order”) with H(usband) “put in” | ||
| 22 | ASYLUM | A year in rathole provides refuge (6) |
| A + (Y “in” SLUM) | ||
| 24 | U-TURN | Complete change in direction brought about by socially acceptable act (1-4) |
| U (“socially acceptable”) + TURN (“acceptable act”) | ||
| 26 | FEED | Stooge satisfied about routine, at last (4) |
| FED “about” (routin)E
I hadn’t come across a stooge as someone who feeds lines to forgetful actors before. I’m not sure about this one, because to me FED and FEED are form the same root. |
||
*anagram
Thanks loonapick, and to Falcon for a puzzle that was a nice and gentle solve at an uncomfortably humid 2am.
Re 26d, a stooge is actually a fellow performer who sets up jokes and feeds lines to others. Not the same as a prompter who feeds a line to a forgetful actor.
Thanks, Michael, for the clairification – that does make sense now. My reading from the dictionary definition seemed to be more like a prompt.
My comment about FEED and FED still applies though. They are essentially the same word (just a different tense).
But in 26d FEED is a noun – “an actor who feeds another, a stooge” (Chambers).
I had 21Dn as…CASTE (“order”) with H(usband) “put in”
21Dn It was a typo I believe.
Yes, mb
’twas a typo, now corrected.
Thanks
Thanks Falcon and loonapick
Whilst still at the easier end of the FT stable, I’m finding this setter starting to ratchet up the difficulty level in his last few offerings. (He can serve up a pretty testing Polymath)!
This one took a bit longer to get a start than normal and then went pretty smoothly until coming to FEED, which did take quite a while to nut out and finish off the puzzle.
He is easier, but I always enjoy his work.
Thanks loonapick and Falcon.
I’m with Brucew on this. I think that he’s getting generally trickier.
Just one question, why does “put down before sitting” mean SESSION in 10ac? I can see that a session of parliament could be a sitting but “put down”, in an across clue? I’m clearly missing something.
I think it’s just an instruction to “put down” the O and the B before you put down the SESSION