Raich and I bump into one another again, which is no burden for me – I enjoy his puzzles. A few unusual words (to me at least) in this one, but all clearly clued as usual, so you could get there in the end.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Embrace troubles old Bob?
CARESS
A charade of CARES and S for solidus or shilling in old money; a shilling was known as a ‘bob’.
4 Following vehicle note nasty woman’s in state no more
CARTHAGE
A charade of CAR and HAG in TE.
9 Seafood glut – one’s heading for aitchbone for change?
LANGOUSTE
(GLUT ONES A)* The aitchbone is a cut of beef, so the surface is suggesting a change from pesce to carne.
11 Nonsense about sailor’s place to sleep
ROOST
An insertion of OS for ordinary seaman or ‘sailor’ in ROT.
12 Old place one’s going to – spacious on reflection
ILLYRIA
New one on me. I got the YRIA bit, but took ages to see ILL. It’s I’LL for ‘one’s going to’. An old region in the Balkans.
13 Take as model one couple limiting sex?
IMITATE
A charade of I and IT inserted into MATE in its verbal sense.
14 I’ve pals upset with nanny state
PENNSYLVANIA
(I’VE PALS NANNY)* Good surface.
18 Awfully dirty? Bath is useful at outset – in this?
BIRTHDAY SUIT
(DIRTY BATH IS U) with an extended definition
21 Before led by person from Vienna, say, not half serious
AUSTERE
ERE for the poetic word for ‘before’ preceded by AUST[RIAN].
22 Japanese, say, ultimately carefree as a bird?
EASTERN
A charade of E AS TERN.
24 Move fast in pursuit of second portion
SHARE
A charade of S and HARE.
25 Showing restraint, police force backing exercise charge
TEMPERATE
A charade of MET reversed, PE and RATE.
26 Article Woodrow oddly ignored about Roosevelt
THEODORE
A charade of THE, ODO for the even letters of ‘Woodrow’ and RE gives you the first name of the 26th President of the United States.
27 Affirm correctness of a primarily tough examination
ATTEST
A charade of A, T for the first letter of ‘tough’ and TEST.
Down
1 Name that is inspiring work?
CALLIOPE
A charade of CALL and OP inserted in IE. One of the Muses, of epic poetry, so she could be said to have ‘inspired work’, although the ‘inspiring’ in the surface has to be taken as ‘breathing in’. Makes a change from ERATO.
2 Game not available for extensive period: leave
RUN ALONG
A charade of RU for Rugby Union or ‘game’, NA for ‘not available’ and LONG.
3 Resentful about cocaine search
SCOUR
An insertion of C in SOUR.
5 Reformed madam in career that shows anything is possible
AMERICAN DREAM
(MADAM IN CAREER)* The so-called prospect of wealth and a new life that encouraged much of the immigration to America. Including Mr Trump’s wife.
6 Bombast, that – unctuous at first, unusually rigid, extremely tacky
TURGIDITY
The first letters of ‘that’ and ‘unctuous’, (RIGID)* and the outside letters of ‘tacky’.
7 Vamp at heart said to be without principles
AMORAL
The inside letters of vAMp and ORAL.
8 Book some rest here
ESTHER
The Old Testament book is hidden in rEST HERe.
10 A red?
SCARLET LETTER
I struggled with this, although once I’d got a few crossers I guessed the SCARLET bit. What was painted on the arm of an adulteress in red. This link will explain the origin of the phrase better than I can.
15 Woman’s daughter needs small drink at first for farm worker
SWINEHERD
HER and D preceded by S and WINE.
16 Integrate prisoner, European, in flier’s part
FUSELAGE
A charade of FUSE, LAG and E.
17 Most heartless site’s not flexible
STONIEST
(SITES NOT)*
19 Chance holding fool’s dog
BASSET
The hound is an insertion of ASS in BET.
20 Exodus – all inside leaving headland in this
ESCAPE
A charade of ES for the outside letters of ‘Exodus’ (‘all inside leaving’) and NESS CAPE for ‘headland’. Another extended definition.
23 Opponents at table worry old soldier
SWEAT
Never heard of this one either, but it’s in dictionaries. S and W for bridge ‘opponents’ and EAT for ‘worry’.
Many thanks to our Irish setter for this Sunday’s puzzle.
Very pleasant.
Typically interesting Raich, some straightforward, some not so. For some reason CARESS was my last one in.
19D definition is dog, 20D I know NESS is often used in crosswordland (much more often than in “real” life), but …
Thanks to Raich and Pierre
A pleasant Sunday diversion, with the anagrams easily unscrambled. CARTHAGE was my LOI as it took me some time to work out what order the various bits came in. Incidentally the parsing could just as easily be CART + HAG + E.
ILLYRIA is indeed in the Balkans; it’s also the setting for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Thanks, Raich and Pierre
Whoops, sorry about NESS and CAPE. I was clearly on autopilot.
I didn’t know that about Twelfth Night, Allan – thank you.
Many thanks, Pierre, for the excellent blog and thanks too to those who commented.