An excellent puzzle from Aardvark.
I settled down to this one, expecting it to be enjoyable, and wasn’t disappointed. I can’t find anything to complain about in this puzzle, although some solvers may not like the general knowledge required (none of it terribly obscure, I would argue).
A few of the solutions took a while to parse, but I got there in the end.
Apologies for some of the formatting below, but the puzzle appeared a bit odd when it was transferred over into PeeDee’s excellent blogging program.
Thanks, Aardvark.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ROGER BANNISTER | Message received, seeing headline about leading track runner (5,9) |
| ROGER (“message received”) + BANNER (“headline”) “about” 1ST (“leading)
Roger Bannister was the first man to run the mile in under four minutes. |
||
| 10 | ORBIT | Cycle dash past centre of York (5) |
| (y)OR(k) + BIT (“dash”, as in a dash of milk, for example) | ||
| 11 | COLOSSEUM | Stadium officer succeeded in moving mouse (9,) |
| Col. (“officer”) + S(ucceeded) in *(mouse) | ||
| 12 | INDIANA | State aid’s written about in local article (7) |
| *(aid) in INN (“local”) + A | ||
| 13 | NEMESIS | Extremely naive individual in disarray finds ancient deity (7) |
| N(aiv)E + 1 in MESS
Nemesis was a Greek goddess of retribution |
||
| 14 | OOMPH | Sound of trombone perhaps lacking a sparkle (5) |
| OOMP(a)H | ||
| 16 | EMPTINESS | Futility of record company head retaining personal trainer (9) |
| E.M.I. NESS “retaining” P.T. (“personal trainer”) | ||
| 19 | RIN TIN TIN | Canine character runs into container twice (3,3,3) |
| R + IN + (TIN x 2) | ||
| 20 | CRAWL | Stroke fawn (5) |
| Double definition – a swimming stroke and to seek favour | ||
| 22 | UNBLOCK | Free Kenyan leader joining two alliances (7) |
| U.N. BLOC (“two alliances”) + K(enya) | ||
| 25 | RESPITE | Pause, always taking in peaks westwards (7) |
| <= E(TIPS)ER | ||
| 27 | ANGEL CAKE | On a spree, glance Jackie regularly nibbling sweet stuff (5-4) |
| *(glance) + (j)A(c)K(i)E | ||
| 28 | INTRO | Drinker, at last inside, enthusiastic about bars opening (5) |
| (drinke)R “inside” INTO (“enthusiastic about”) | ||
| 29 | BONNIE AND CLYDE | Couple on the run from city with Diane crossed British river (6,3,5) |
| BONN (“city”) + *(diane) + CLYDE (“British river”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | OMBUDSMAN | Referee begins to develop, in command when dismissing wingers (9) |
| BUDS (“begins to develop”) in (c)OMMAN(d) | ||
| 3 | EXTRA | Football team, one down, start to tire in time that’s added on (5) |
| X(I) (“football team”, less one) + T(ire) in ERA (“time”) | ||
| 4 | BUCHAREST | Just touring, Prince of Wales left out European city (9) |
| BUT (“just”) “touring” CHAR(l)ES | ||
| 5 | NYLON | Stocking some vinyl online (5) |
| Hidden in “viNYL ONline” | ||
| 6 | INSOMNIAC | Unable to drop off Monica at work under current partnership (9) |
| I (“current”) + NS (“partnership”, in bridge) + *(monica) | ||
| 7 | TRESS | Having removed top, highlight hair (5) |
| (s)TRESS | ||
| 8 | RAMESES | Old Egyptian repeatedly outside in elements, has woolly thing on (7) |
| RAM (“woolly thing”) + E(lement)S “repeatedly”, so ES ES | ||
| 9 | DOMINO | Piece of game from party doctor eats at home (6) |
| DO + M.O. “eating” IN (“at home”) | ||
| 15 | HOI POLLOI | The masses head into Nicosia regularly on early part of holiday (3,6) |
| HO (“early part of HOliday”) + POLL (“head”) into (n)I(c)O(s)I(a)
Had never come across POLL for “head” before, but it’s in Chambers. |
||
| 17 | PEN FRIEND | Training new China correspondent (3,6) |
| P.E. + N + FRIEND (“china”) | ||
| 18 | EMACIATED | Skinny latte, finally, Scotsman on a diet ordered (9) |
| (latt)E + MAC (“Scotsman”) + *(a diet) | ||
| 19 | RHUBARB | Bull and Ram’s Head – where booze’s served in the middle (7) |
|
21 LIE LOW |
R(ed) + HUB with “BAR” in the middle
RHUBARB and BULL can both mean “nonsense” When delivering inflatable mattress, keep quiet (3,3) Homophone of LIE LOW |
|
| 23 | BEGAN | Launched appeal with article (5) |
| BEG (“appeal”) + AN (“article”) | ||
| 24 | KOALA | Tree-dweller sadly curtailed after decisive blow (5) |
| K.O. + ALA(s) | ||
| 26 | SWILL | Refuse from the outset to sign document (5) |
| S(ign) + WILL (“document”) | ||
*anagram
I thought this was a great puzzle – plenty of 3-part solutions which I find very helpful in working out the solution from the wordplay rather than just “seeing” the answer. Thanks for the parsing of “Pen friend” which eluded me at the time.
Lovely crossword. Vlad in the Guardian was just too much for me today, excellent as that was too. Thanks for the blog.
Thanks Aardvark and loonapick
Very enjoyable puzzle that came in under the hour which is unusual for me with this fellow. Plenty of meat in the majority of the clues with the top and bottom long ones providing a very gettable gateway into the rest of the crossword.
Had the homophone at 21d as LILO.
Finished in the SE corner with SWILL and RESTIVE the last couple in.