My last blog for 2016 and a pleasurable solve at that, with Bradman serving up a delectable challenge. Thanks Bradman for an apt finish to the 2016 work week.
Devious in places; I did need some help for a couple of clues so thanks to Geoff for the prop up. Have a great new years eve folks, and wish you all a fantastic 2017 up ahead.
FF: 9 DD: 9
| Across | ||
| 1 | SPOT CHECKS | Blemishes on the outside of holy books church found in random inspections (4,6) |
| SPECKS (blemishes) on the outside of [ OT (holy books, old testament) CH (church) ] | ||
| 7 | TAFF | Front of pole lost in river (4) |
| sTAFF (pole, without starting character) | ||
| 9 | SORB | Brothers returning for service (4) |
| reverse of BROS (brothers) | ||
| 10 | MELTING POT | Gent involved with plot, I’m in a situation of change and uncertainty (7,3) |
| GENT PLOT IM* | ||
| 11 | BOSTON | US city street in favour (6) |
| ST (street) in BOON (favour) | ||
| 12 | EVENTING | Regular obsession, not hard when it comes to sport (8) |
| EVEN (regular) ThING (obsession, without ‘H’ – hard) | ||
| 13 | SONORANT | Type of sound made by boy shouting about love (8) |
| [SON (boy) RANT (shouting)] around O (love) | ||
| 15 | OWEN | Poet seen as old and modern, looking back (4) |
| O (old) WEN (modern = NEW, reversed) – presumably wilfred owen | ||
| 17 | BRED | Raised money, disposing of article (4) |
| BREaD (money, without ‘A’ – article) | ||
| 19 | VIOLENCE | Old man into wickedness and aggression (8) |
| [O (old) LEN (man)] into VICE (wickedness) | ||
| 22 | ALSATIAN | Dog squatted, one occupying a ground taken short (8) |
| [ SAT (squatted) I (one) ] in A LANd (ground, short) | ||
| 23 | DEMEAN | Cathedral dignitary, this person being held in dishonour (6) |
| ME (this person) in DEAN (cathedral dignitary) | ||
| 25 | APPLE SAUCE | Squishy food device hairy man provided for Scot (5,5) |
| APPLianCE (device, with ESAU – hairy man , replacing IAN – scot) – devilish clue, thanks Geoff for the help. | ||
| 26 | VASE | Container with lubricant, not commercial product (4) |
| VASEline (lubricant, without LINE for commercial product) | ||
| 27 | EERY | Very hard stuff putting maiden off – that’s strange (4) |
| EmERY (very hard stuff, without ‘M’ – maiden, from cricket) | ||
| 28 | RESILIENCE | Soldiers quiet, crossing island in spring (10) |
| [RE (soldiers) SILENCE (quiet)] around I (island) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | PRO BONO | Supporting singer-songwriter for the public good (3,4) |
| PRO (supporting) BONO (singer-songwriter, U2) | ||
| 3 | TOBIT | Book that’s beginning with account of someone’s life (5) |
| T (That’s, beginning) OBIT (account of someone’s life) | ||
| 4 | HYMENEAN | Old fashioned wedding’s exciting he-men? Nay! (8) |
| HE MEN NAY* | ||
| 5 | COLLECTIVE NOUNS | Number participating in nasty cults, 19 resulting in pride, murder etc (10,5) |
| NO (number) in CULTS VIOLENCE* (answer to 19ac) | ||
| 6 | SOIREE | Party thus faces anger, end of tolerance (6) |
| SO (thus) IRE (anger) E (end of tolerancE) | ||
| 7 | TIGHTROPE | Line up for daring challenge (9) |
| cryptic clue | ||
| 8 | FLOUNCE | Decorative piece on garment creating storm (7) |
| double def | ||
| 14 | OLD BAILEY | I’d obey all that’s ordered in court (3,6) |
| ID OBEY ALL* | ||
| 16 | GOOD DEAL | Bargain that you would expect from reliable timber merchant? (4,4) |
| cryptic clue; an alternative meaning for DEAL is fir/pine wood for building | ||
| 18 | RELAPSE | Fruit tree growing up on trellis, one not showing deterioration (7) |
| reverse of ESPALiER (fruit tree on trellis, growing up = reverse in a down clue, without ‘I’ for one) | ||
| 20 | CLASSIC | Standard work in the third tier of the first form? (7) |
| CLASS 1C (third tier of the first form) | ||
| 21 | BIG SUR | Grub is awful in coastal region (3,3) |
| GRUB IS* | ||
| 24 | MOVIE | Olympic athlete to contend for victory in film (5) |
| MO (olympic athlete, farah) VIE (contend for victory) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Turbolegs and Bradman.
Bottom half was harder and thanks for parsing relapse,apple sauce, vase and movie…
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
A good challenge that took the afternoon on and off to get it out – more so from some tricky clueing rather than the customary obscure words from this setter. SORB, HYMENEAN and BIG SUR were the terms that I hadn’t seen before. Thought that the clue for COLLECTIVE NOUNS was the best of a very good bunch with excellent misdirection of the example nouns.
Finished in the SW corner with APPLE SAUCE (even though I had the ESAU part early, took an age to see the swap out of IAN to get the word play), RELAPSE (another where I had to get the word first and then work out the cryptic part) and ALSATIAN (which took some time to see the cryptic logic). Good finishing week day puzzle.
Happy New Year TL – thanks for your blogs and to the handful of posters that do come to FT land …
Many thanks. A Happy New Year to one and all.