A long day at work resulted in a delayed post – apologies for the same. Rushed through this, a moderately difficult challenge from the Don I thought. I was held up equal parts in the solving, as well as in the parsing, for the clues that did pose a challenge. Thanks Don, for a good workout.
DD:8 FF: 7
| Across | ||
| 1 | FACILITATE | Ease of life with Attica becoming decadent (10) |
| LIFE ATTICA* | ||
| 6 | SPEC | Description a tiny bit inadequate (4) |
| SPECk (a tiny bit, not complete) | ||
| 10 | STOMA | Opening boy’s found in army (5) |
| TOM (boy) in SA (army, salvation) | ||
| 11 | RENASCENT | Becoming active again, being more rational about money (9) |
| reverse of SANER (more rational) + CENT (money) | ||
| 12 | DISTRAIN | Seize vehicle going to hellish location (8) |
| DIS (~hell, netherworld) TRAIN (vehicle) | ||
| 13 | UNTIE | Set adrift, relation’s first to go (5) |
| aUNTIE (relation, without first character) | ||
| 15 | ARTICLE | It could be the section of a legal document (7) |
| doubel def | ||
| 17 | SPINNER | Spider? First glimpse of such somewhere in Middlesex (7) |
| S (first letter of Such) PINNER (somewhere in middlesex) – not a big fan of this clue as I got the parsing only after i solved the clue from the crossrefs. | ||
| 19 | TOREROS | Fighters in the ring feeling pain languish on return (7) |
| reverse of SORE (pain) ROT (languish) | ||
| 21 | DIGITAL | Enjoy modern technology, man – it’s this! (7) |
| DIG (enjoy) IT (modern technology) AL (man) | ||
| 22 | EPSOM | Poems about Surrey town (5) |
| POEMS* | ||
| 24 | PERIODIC | Occasional table for scientist may be so described (8) |
| cryptic clue, mendeleev’s contribution to chemistry | ||
| 27 | OVERSTATE | Exaggerate position of country’s ruler (9) |
| cryptic clue; a country’s ruler would be looking over his state. | ||
| 28 | ARKLE | Seen in park, legendary horse winning many races (5) |
| hidden in “..pARK LEgendary…” | ||
| 29 | TAFT | President getting behind after short time (4) |
| T (time) AFT (behind) | ||
| 30 | LOSS LEADER | The Spanish dealer’s in trouble – what can attract customers? (4,6) |
| LOS (‘the’, spanish) + DEALER’S* | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FUSE | Factory’s first exercise to produce safety device (4) |
| F (Factory’s first) USE (exercise) | ||
| 2 | CHORISTER | Awful rioters following church singer (9) |
| CH (church) + RIOTERS* | ||
| 3 | LEAST | Learner heading in one direction – to the lowest degree (5) |
| L (learner) EAST (direction) | ||
| 4 | TERRACE | Queen being in a spot creates row (7) |
| ER (queen) in TRACE (spot) | ||
| 5 | TENANTS | A number of hill-workers who rent accommodation? (7) |
| TEN (number) ANTS (hill-workers) | ||
| 7 | PLEAT | Gather soil conditioner that’s left for collection (5) |
| PEAT (soil conditioner) containing L (left) | ||
| 8 | CATHEDRALS | See buildings in various cities (10) |
| cryptic clue | ||
| 9 | ASSUMING | Arrogant idiot being angry, not the first (8) |
| ASS (idiot) fUMING (being angry, without first character) | ||
| 14 | LAST RESORT | Desperate solution that lies at the end of the package tour? (4,6) |
| cryptic clue | ||
| 16 | CERAMIST | Conservative smartie, terrible person of some craft (8) |
| C (conservative) SMARTIE* | ||
| 18 | NITPICKED | Fool, one of the ancient people reportedly, was overcritical (9) |
| NIT (fool) PICKED (sounds like PICT, ancient people of scotland) | ||
| 20 | SOPRANO | Singer thus needs instrument that’s right for one (7) |
| SO (thus) PiANO (instrument, with R – right replacing I – one ) | ||
| 21 | DORMERS | Active folk holding jollies, as seen from windows (7) |
| DOERS (active folk) holding RM (jollies, Royal Marines) | ||
| 23 | SHELF | Quiet little person may have to bear many things (5) |
| SH (quiet) ELF (little person) | ||
| 25 | ORATE | Men getting worried speak at length? (5) |
| OR (men) ATE (worried) | ||
| 26 | SEER | One observes a channel partially hollowed out (4) |
| SEwER (channel, partially hollowed out) | ||
*anagram
ThanksTL. Super puzzle from Bradman. I thought you scored him low on the FF-ometer!
Hi Jmac,
Thanks for stopping by. I did it in a bit of a hurry so perhaps that played a part. Glad that you found it more fun than I did !! 🙂
Cheers
TL
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
Found this pretty tough, taking 3-4 sittings to get though it – probably me being off more than anything, given that it took an eternity to see the anagram of EPSOM ! Although ARKLE was my first one in, I did’t realise that he would have been that well known outside of racing circles to make it into an FT crossword. PINNER was a new town to me and DISTRAIN was a new term.
Finished in the NW corner with FUSE, FACILITATE (another anagram that took ages to see) and TERRACE the last few in.