Steady-as-she-goes from Everyman. A pleasing puzzle.
Nothing to alarm. A bunch of good clues, no duds, perhaps not reaching the heights that I’ve seen in recent months from this setter, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BOTTLE | Container that’s dry inside trunk (6) |
| TT (teatotal = dry) inside BOLE | ||
| 4 | WRETCHED | Pathetic pieces of work that aren’t even engraved (8) |
| WR (odd (ie: not even) pieces of WoRk) ETCHED (engraved) | ||
| 9 | CLEAN AS A WHISTLE | Reform of laws, sane, ethical and immaculate (5,2,1,7) |
| Anag. (reform) of LAWSSANEETHICAL | ||
| 11 | SPANIEL | Length of time that is left for dog (7) |
| SPAN IE L | ||
| 12 | RANKLED | Offensive and motivated, caused continuing annoyance (7) |
| RANK (offensive) LED (motivated?) | ||
| 13 | ALSO | Further from initial source (4) |
| hidden in (from) initiALSOurce | ||
| 14 | CONSULTANT | Adviser working with sovereign in court (10) |
| ON (working) SULTAN (sovereign) in CT (court) | ||
| 18 | EXHAUSTING | Tiring, getting cross, engaged in treatment of huge stain (10) |
| X (cross) in an anagram (treatment) of HUGESTAIN | ||
| 19 | DIVA | Prima donna eager to return (4) |
| Reversal of AVID | ||
| 21 | MISTRAL | Wind spool finally after film by artist (7) |
| MIST (film) RA (artist) L (spooL, finally) | ||
| 23 | OBVIOUS | Plain old vehicle occupied by six officers initially (7) |
| O (old) BUS (vehicle) around VI (six) O (Officers, initially) | ||
| 24 | PRESS CONFERENCE | Meeting for journalists with bias covering extremes of serious fraud (5,10) |
| PREFERENCE (bias) around SS (extremes of serious) CON (fraud) | ||
| 25 | ESSAYIST | Influence is held by established writer (8) |
| SAY (influence) IS in EST(ablished) | ||
| 26 | DEPART | Go quiet during precious time (6) |
| P (quiet) in DEAR T | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BACKSPACE | Key defenders with speed (9) |
| BACKS (defenders) PACE (speed) | ||
| 2 | THE CAT’S WHISKERS | Explosive musical beat, in short, endlessly excellent thing (3,4,8) |
| HE (explosive, apparently) CATS (musical) WHISK (beat) in TERSe (short, endlessly) | ||
| 3 | LENTIL | Advanced tips for ideal pulse (6) |
| LENT (advanced) IL (tips for IdeaL) | ||
| 5 | ROWER | One with oar in crew originally raised (5) |
| Reversed hidden, in cREWORiginally | ||
| 6 | TRIANGLE | Fight to keep Rhode Island in shape (8) |
| TANGLE (fight) around RI | ||
| 7 | HOTEL CALIFORNIA | Real faith in cool, fantastic song (5,10) |
| Anag. (fantastic) of REALFAITHINCOOL | ||
| 8 | DREAD | Fear start of difficult study (5) |
| D (start of Difficult) READ (study) | ||
| 10 | SELL-OUT | Stripped of power, explain betrayal (4-3) |
| SpELL OUT (explain, stripped of Power) | ||
| 15 | SEND-OFF | Farewell so full of purpose, very loud (4-3) |
| SO around END, then FF (very loud) | ||
| 16 | TRANSIENT | Brief rest at inn, refreshed (9) |
| Anag (refreshed) of RESTATINN | ||
| 17 | GUERNSEY | Man apprehending sneer changed sweater (8) |
| GUY (man) around anag (changed) of SNEER | ||
| 20 | AVERSE | Hostile article on part of Bible (6) |
| A VERSE | ||
| 21 | MAPLE | Plan ends in special care for tree (5) |
| MAP (plan) then L E (ends of speciaL and carE) | ||
| 22 | LOOKS | Appearance from rising sun receiving approval (5) |
| SOL (sun) reversed (rising) around OK (approval) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Matt and Everyman.
1A Teatotal? An interesting variant on teetotal – unless it is Long Island Iced Tea, which is most definitely not AA approved!
2 down. HE = High Explosive perhaps?
Thank you Matt and Everyman.
This was en enjoyable solve. Love Matt’s “teatotal”! It took me a while to spot ROWER.
The usual good, solid Everyman. Bit of trouble with 2d at the end, but the rest was plain sailing.
Another well-pitched Everyman. I found a couple (25a, 17d) quite tricky, though afterwards I couldn’t see why I did. Thanks, Everyman and Matt.
My loi were the same two as jennyk, otherwise I’m with Matt, enjoyable solve in just under an hour but not one of his best.
Still, thanks Matt and EM. And yes, HE = High Explosive.
Yes no complaints this week. Essayist was the last one in for me.
Late starting today due to watching the Olympics and in particular the Women’s shot put. Well done Valerie. A Silver medal is still a good result.
I was surprised no one else made the same mistake as me and put POTTLE for 1 ac which I felt rather clever about until it totally meant 1d was unsolveable. Luckily was able to learn a new word Bole in tweaking it correctly.
Not sure about HE for explosive does everyone agree? but some clever clues in there particularly like 3d,14ac
Found parts of this quite difficult especially the top left hand corner. Hadn’t heard of “bole” either and struggled with 2d thinking it was an anagram of some sort. Wasn’t helped by having “away” instead of “also” but got there in the end. Have to acknowledge though that it was a good puzzle. Thanks to all. Hope our “rower” brings home the gold tonight.
The emperor has no clothes! I say BS, balderdash & codswallop. Many of these clues are ridiculous!
Such as 1a dry = tt, trunk = bole. Who would think of that?
1d, A typists clue, backspace, is horrible, defends = backs, speed = pace. Clever but mean and nasty.
2d, explosive musical, who would think of Cats? It is an insult to the intelligence, it is not amusing or enjoyable, in my humble opinion.
Joe @ 10, both HE and TT are worth remembering as they are old favourites of cryptics. TT is always an abstainer, sober, dry, on the wagon etc.
So Cats is just the Musical, not explosive musical. HE is the Explosive bit.
Bole is a word beloved of poets so I agree perhaps a bit unusual, and Backspace for key is simply a definition by example, but surely not too much of a stretch?
As for mean and nasty, of course! That’s what all cryptic setters are there to be!
Incidentally, rumour hath it that it’s Teetotal (not Teatotal) from a leading temperance advocate of the day who had a stutter and advocated t-total abstinence…
Late to the party as usual but some toughees in this one. 2dn and 1ac had me going.