Starightforward offering from GURNEY
Apart from some weak definitions (at least, in my opinion), this was a varied and enjoyable puzzle.
My favourite clue was 11dn.
Thanks Gurney.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ASSUMPTION | What some Christians believe in – it’s taken for granted (10) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | SMUG | Son, one easily fooled, complacent (4) |
| S + MUG | ||
| 9 | NEWSCASTER | Northeastern ne’er-do-well cornering special constable – he’s seen on TV (10) |
| NE + WASTER “cornering” S.C. | ||
| 10 | INFO | Data from rainforest (4) |
| Hidden in “raINFOrest” | ||
| 12 | MORRIS DANCER | Newly married, scorn one using traditional movement? (6,6) |
| *(married scorn) | ||
| 15 | EUCLIDEAN | Referring to old Greek group of states, 151, in front of clergyman (9) |
| E.U. (“group of states”) + CLI + DEAN | ||
| 17 | STRAP | Feature of some trains really aiding passengers at front (5) |
| First letters of “Some Trains Really Aiding Passengers” | ||
| 18 | LYRIC | Something to sing after end of wonderful year in charge (5) |
| (wonderfu)L + yr. + i.c. | ||
| 19 | ST ETIENNE | Entente is renewed in French town (2-7) |
| *(entente is) | ||
| 20 | ARCTIC CIRCLE | Extremely cold group here up north? (6,6) |
| ARCTIC (“extremely cold”) + CIRCLE
I think “extremely cold” for ARCTIC is weak here. |
||
| 24 | ROOM | On return secure space (4) |
| <=MOOR | ||
| 25 | PACIFIC RIM | Leading couples in Palace cite fine, crusading, imperial area (7,3) |
| “leading couples of” PAlace CIte FIne CRusading Imperial”
“Area” is a weak definition, but the wordplay makes the answer obvious. |
||
| 26 | DASH | Lawyer with quiet style (4) |
| D.A. + SH | ||
| 27 | PROSPECTUS | Booklet supports changes City introduced (10) |
| *(supports) with EC (“City”) introduced | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | AUNT | Relation’s adieu not hollow (4) |
| AdieU NoT, indicated by “hollow” | ||
| 2 | SAWN | Cut woman initially detained in sanitorium briefly (4) |
| W in San. | ||
| 3 | MICROCIRCUIT | Male, strange critic, curious, putting us off electical item (12) |
| M + *(critic curio) | ||
| 4 | TASER | Weapon from Sparta’s era? Yes and no! (5) |
| Hidden in “sparTA’S ERa” | ||
| 5 | OBEISANCE | Award is supported by African party, state’s ultimate homage (9) |
| O.B.E. IS + A.N.C. + (stat)E
ANC stands for African National Congress, the ruling party in South Africa. |
||
| 7 | MANICURING | Handy work? (10) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 8 | GEOGRAPHER | Blame husband taken in by devious George, earth scientist (10) |
| RAP H in *(George) | ||
| 11 | MARSEILLAISE | Horse friends brought up is featured in country air? (12) |
| <=ALLIES + IS “featured in MARE | ||
| 13 | REAL MADRID | Genuine servant welcoming doctor’s team (4,6) |
| REAL + MAID “welcoming” DR | ||
| 14 | SCARECROWS | Organised soccer wars – they frighten some (10) |
| *(soccer wars) | ||
| 16 | EASY CHAIR | Professorship a piece of cake? Relax here (4,5) |
| “A piece of cake” = EASY, and “professorship” = CHAIR | ||
| 21 | RAINS | Drops painter home at end of class (5) |
| R.A. (“painter”) + IN (“home”) + (clas)S | ||
| 22 | BRAT | One regularly aberrant? (4) |
| Regular letters from “aBeRrAnT“ | ||
| 23 | AMIS | Author wrong not to finish (4) |
| AMIS(s)
Refers to Martin Amis or his father Kingsley |
||
*anagram
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I very much doubt that any blogger will click on an unknown website from and unknown Helen who works for an unknown company.
All your info can easily be gleaned from this blog or from Big Dave’s blog etc.
Thanks for blog, loonapick, glad you enjoyed the puzzle.
Re ‘arctic’ I think that’s an informal meaning with Collins dict giving the example “The weather at Christmas was arctic”.
Anyone looked at puzzle today?
Thanks loonapick and Gurney.
All pretty straightforward as you say loonapick with the only real hold-up being MANICURING at 7dn which could easily have been Manuscript. Just as well I held back till all the crossers were in.
@Wagonman I did.
Thanks Gurney and loonapick
A backlog puzzle that didn’t seem to take too long to complete – but did find that I had to go back and rework 6a from SASS to SMUG and my last one in, 13d from an un-parsable WELL EARNED to a very clever REAL MADRID after working out that my NOOK at 24a should really have been ROOM.
A good contest in the end.