I don’t know what’s happened to the scheduled blogger today but here is a quick, and very belated, analysis of the clues.
Across
7 Kid is the first person in Paris to get fine (4)
JOKE – JE (the first person in Paris) around (to get) OK (fine)
9 Plan to transform the Arctic (9)
ARCHITECT – an anagram (to transform) of THE ARCTIC
10 Want 50% less antagonism (6)
NEEDLE – NEED (want) LE[ss] (50% less)
11 Extremely slow intake is worrying (8)
SWEATING – S[lo]W (extremely slow) EATING (intake)
12 Message misspelling detailed legal term (8)
TELEGRAM – an anagram (misspelling) of LEGA[l] TERM
14 What’s the last part of studies? (6)
THESIS – THE S IS answering the question posed in the clue and sort of &lit
15 Celebrity‘s expression of mild irritation is taken the wrong way (4)
STAR – RATS (expression of mild irritation) reversed (is taken the wrong way)
17 Fools cut the top off pineapple (5)
NANAS – [a]NANAS (cut the top off pineapple)
18 Talk about a great story (4)
SAGA – GAS (talk) reversed (about) A
19 A stupid amount of Chinese food? (3,3)
DIM SUM – DIM (stupid) SUM (amount)
21 Couple touring parts of Western Austria (8)
TIROLESE – TIE (couple) around (touring) ROLES (parts)
24 Fish identified by its angry writhing (8)
STINGRAY – an anagram (writhing) of ITS ANGRY
26 Playwright having a drink with the Queen (6)
PINTER – PINT (a drink) ER (the Queen)
27 Dead comedian‘s statements about stupid, uncultured American (4,5)
BILL HICKS – BILLS (statements) around (about) HICK (stupid, uncultured American)
28 Scottish girl in a boxing ring (4)
IONA – IN A around (boxing) O (ring)
Down
1 Pillbox maybe contained illicit drugs, including ecstasy (8)
HEADGEAR – HAD GEAR (contained illicit drugs) around (including) E (ecstasy)
2 Rush / job (6)
CAREER – double def.
3 Holes in one area dry up (4)
ACES – A (area) SEC (dry) reversed (up)
4 Pizza’s topping has various items (no peppers) (8)
PIMENTOS – P[izza] (pizza’s topping) plus an anagram (various) of ITEMS NO
5 Decide when American leaves a place in Washington (6)
SETTLE – SE[a]TTLE (American leaves a place in Washington)
6 Pop star, having acquired stock, may be this rich (8)
STINKING – STING (pop star) around (having acquired) KIN (stock)
8 Very big wardrobes, excluding trousers (5)
OBESE – hidden in (trousers) ‘wardrOBES Excluding’
13 Artist rising a couple of hours before lunch? (5)
MANET – TEN AM (a couple of hours before lunch) reversed (rising)
16 Double VAT added to small washing machines (8)
TWINTUBS – TWIN (double) TUB (vat) S (small)
17 Greek governors protest in numbers (8)
NOMARCHS – MARCH (protest) in NOS (numbers)
18 Great declines overturned with investment of loan (8)
SPLENDID – DIPS (declines) reversed (overturned) around (with investment of) LEND (loan)
20 Run / without a partner (6)
SINGLE – double def.
22 Serve up some meats – a perfect meal (6)
REPAST – hidden (some) reversal (serve up) in ‘meaTS A PERfect’
23 The brilliance of a Welsh actor (5)
SHEEN – double def.
25 Don’t bother with seconds of your cake, it’s disgusting! (4)
YUCK – alternate letters in (don’t bother with seconds of) Y[o]U[r] C[a]K[e]
Thanks G & G. I liked TWINTUBS
Got stuck on HEADGEAR and NEEDLE, now can’t see why.
Architect for plan?? Can I have an example of one word substituting for the other?
Thanks to Gaufrid and Gila.
gwep @2: I can’t see how architect = plan either. Planner may have worked.
Favourites were THESIS and YUCK.
Architect is a verb if you are designing or planning computer stuff.
Don’t blame me.
From Chambers under ‘architect’: “transitive verb – to plan or design as an architect”.
From Colins: “(transitive) to plan or create (something, esp a computer system)”
@4&5 Maybe in your book(s), but never in mine. This all started with impact being turned into a verb, now one of the most overused in the language.
Well – Bert is an Architect and was concerned about it being used as a verb as it is a ‘protected’ status!
Having said that he was also very amused by the placings of JOKE ARCHITECT – was it referring to him?
We’ve spent the free time we have had over the weekend finishing the iQ – we have only just found time to complete this puzzle.
Anyway, we would like to say thanks to S&B.
Liked this. To check I’m not going mad, was gila one of our bloggers years ago?
Thanks G for the emergency write-up and to all for the comments.
I have admittedly never used ‘architect’ in this way (and probably never would), but I’m generally with Calvin when it comes to the whole verbing thing:
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1993/01/25
And no, flashling, you’ve still got all your marbles. I was indeed a daily Indy (and latterly IoS) blogger back in the day 🙂
Ali/Gila