We see Hypnos a fair bit on Sundays, so it’s easy to take for granted quite how good this setter is.
Which I suppose is my long-winded way of saying I enjoyed this one a great deal. A bit of a challenge in places, but with some lovely surfaces and a few little chuckles along the way too.
Good stuff, and many thanks to Hypnos.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DELUSORY | Deceptive work in Lourdes close to charlatanry (8) |
| LOURDES* + [charlatanr]Y. | ||
| 5 | EGG CUP | Support for component in clutch? (3,3) |
| Cryptic definition, a “clutch” being “a sitting of eggs”. | ||
| 10 | SHEBANG | Affair began uneasily after quiet (7) |
| SH + BEGAN*. | ||
| 11 | NAIVETE | Innocence about alien French commune (7) |
| (ET + EVIAN), all reversed. | ||
| 12 | AWARE | Sensible writer awaited some backing (5) |
| Hidden backwards in [writ]ER AWA[ited]. | ||
| 13 | DEPRECATE | Belittle fall in value? Not I (9) |
| DEPREC[i]ATE. | ||
| 14 | FACE THE MUSIC | Fine expert with article on country, say, has to confront critical situation (4,3,5) |
| F + ACE + THE + MUSIC. It took a while to spot the country/music connection but it seems obvious once you know. | ||
| 19 | IN THE PICTURE | Properly briefed like an artist’s model? (2,3,7) |
| Two definitions, the latter slightly whimsical. | ||
| 22 | COURTSHIP | Places for rallies fashionable in pre-union period? (9) |
| COURTS + HIPS. Courts as in tennis. | ||
| 25 | BROOD | Meditate moodily on family (5) |
| Two definitions. | ||
| 26 | LEGHORN | Bird is on the either edge of hen-run? (7) |
| LEG (“on” in cricket) + H OR N. | ||
| 27 | TERRAIN | Aquatic creature lacking tail in damp ground (7) |
| From TERRA[p]IN lacking the final letter of “damp”. | ||
| 28 | REEFER | What could be drawn illicitly in jacket (6) |
| Two definitions. | ||
| 29 | MOBY DICK | Gang in bad condition with end prominent in book (4,4) |
| MOB + DICKY, but with the end Y moved forwards, thus more prominent. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DISMAY | Note Frenchman wearing expression of surprise and worry (6) |
| D (a musical note) + (M in I SAY). | ||
| 2 | LEEWAY | Director to ponder, we hear, operating space? (6) |
| Spike LEE + homophone of “weigh”. There may well be other directors named Lee, but Spike’s the first that came to my mind. Once could also read this as a homophone of “Leigh”, as in Mike, and “weigh”. Take your pick. | ||
| 3 | STALEMATE | Stand-off in flat with friend (9) |
| STALE + MATE. | ||
| 4 | RIGID | Inflexible and cold fellow ignored (5) |
| [f]RIGID. | ||
| 6 | GUISE | Noise of chaps making appearance (5) |
| Sounds like “guys”. | ||
| 7 | CREVASSE | Expedition’s leader is covered in woolly scarves in place avoided by climbers? (8) |
| E[xpedition] in SCARVES*. | ||
| 8 | PRETENCE | Claim represented by, say, nine Anglicans (8) |
| PRE TEN + CE. | ||
| 9 | SNAPSHOT | Instant record showing cold spell’s characteristic of summer? (8) |
| SNAP‘S HOT. | ||
| 15 | EPIPHANY | What about offence given by some sudden revelation? (8) |
| (PIP in EH) + ANY. I hadn’t come across PIP for “offence” but it’s in Chambers, albeit fairly deeply hidden. | ||
| 16 | MARY BERRY | Partner of Hollywood object of devotion and rock icon (4,5) |
| MARY + Chuck BERRY. I’m told she partners someone named Paul Hollywood in a TV programme I’ve never watched. I’m also told she’s a thoroughly horrible person in real life, but of course I’m too much of a gentleman to repeat that. | ||
| 17 | CIRCULAR | Round notice (8) |
| Two definitions. | ||
| 18 | STRUGGLE | Fight statute left in much of team sport (8) |
| ST +(L in RUGGE[r]) | ||
| 20 | SOMALI | Note African country – and one from another (6) |
| SO + MALI. | ||
| 21 | GDANSK | Desperate type’s hosted by Greek in foreign port (6) |
| Desperate DAN‘S in GK. | ||
| 23 | T-BONE | Steak that’s black in colour (1-4) |
| B in TONE. | ||
| 24 | PATIO | Friendly touch I love in inner courtyard (5) |
| PAT + I + 0. | ||
* = anagram; < = reversed; [] = removed; underlined = definition; Hover to expand abbreviations
Couldn’t parse DISMAY, as I read “note” as being of the sol-fa scale, ie doh etc, rather than a key designation, ie A-G. GDANSK nice, this has been clued a couple of times recently, can’t recall how.
15D as in “you really give me the pip”, though that tends to indicate irritation rather than the stronger offence.
Thanks to Hypnos and Simon Harding.
Seemed to get stuck on all the clues containing H, for some reason, e.g. Epiphany, my LOI. Enjoyable workout, thanks to S&B.
Annoyingly, 29ac was my LOI, and I only got it with a word search, despite it being one of my favourite books. And even after getting it, I couldn’t parse it. Indeed, there were a few I couldn’t parse so thanks for all the explanations.
You’re welcome, thanks DM. To my shame I’ve never read it, but I’m always open to a good book recommendation. Maybe once I get through the pile of “to reads” 🙂