Gila is occupying the Tuesday slot this week and is a compiler whose work I am fairly familiar with but which I have little experience of blogging.
This puzzle turned out to be mildly thematic, with 25 providing the gateway clue. I actually solved 1A first and then realised what 25 had to be. I enjoyed this theme and felt that it revised and extended my knowledge of the geography of this part of the US, without the theme “getting in the way of” me solving the puzzle.
As for the parsing, I need confirmation (or otherwise) from other solvers of my reading of 10 and 20. 3 was a new word for me but easily worked out from the wordplay. There were many clues that tickled my fancy today, none more so than the mental image conjured up by 5D! In addition, I liked 1D, 2, 18, all for surface; and 4 and 28, for their & lit. elements.
Overall, an appropriately pitched puzzle in terms of difficulty for a mid-week solve, I feel, for which my thanks go to Gila.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | SAN JOSÉ | Exceptionally large jeans manufactured outside a place in 25
OS (=exceptionally large, of clothing sizes) in *(JEANS); “manufactured” is anagram indicator |
| 05 | OAKLAND | Fine real estate borders a port in 25
A in [OK (=fine, all right) + LAND (=real estate)] |
| 09 | NICHE | Mini cheese sandwiches for a particular market
Hidden (“sandwiches”) in “miNI CHEese” |
| 10 | GREENHORN | An inexperienced kid not fully prepared to play an instrument
GREEN (=not fully prepared to play, i.e. inexperienced) + HORN (=instrument) |
| 11 | ITALIANATE | European-looking climbing plant found in international gallery
LIANA (=climbing plant) in [I (=international) + TATE (=gallery)] |
| 12/32 | PALM SPRINGS | Resort in 25 is well surrounded by trees
SPRING (=well, source, as noun) in PALMS (=trees) |
| 14 | GUISE | Sound blokes making an appearance
Homophone (“sound”) of “guys” (=blokes) |
| 16 | MONTEREY | Yet more rioting besieges Northern bay in 25
N (=Northern) in *(YET MORE); “rioting” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | WELL-KNIT | Source material is impressively put together
WELL (=source, spring) + KNIT (=material, fabric) |
| 21 | EXTOL | Applaud when old road tax gets cut
EX- (=old) + TOL<l> (=road tax; “gets cut” means last letter dropped) |
| 23 | ITEM | One satisfied when returning an item of clothing, for example
I (=one) + TEM (MET=satisfied, fulfilled e.g. conditions); “when returning” indicates reversal) |
| 25 | CALIFORNIA | Fail to distribute crop outside Iowa and another state
[*(FAIL) in CORN (=crop)] + IA (=Iowa); the is the gateway clue, needed to identify the location of all the other place names |
| 29 | SELF-AWARE | Being mindful of your actions feels unusual when accepting a fight
[A + WAR (=fight)] in *(FEELS); “unusual” is anagram indicator |
| 30 | TRIPE | Combined effect of acid and ecstasy is rubbish
TRIP (=effect of acid) + E (=ecstasy) |
| 31 | RAT RACE | The daily struggle of people pursuing a renegade
RAT (=renegade, turncoat) + RACE (=people, nation) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | SAN DIEGO | A city in 25 said to have gone and changed
*(SAID + GONE); “changed” is anagram indicator |
| 02 | NECTARINE | Something juicy in a centre spread
*(IN A CENTRE); “spread” is anagram indicator |
| 03 | OZEKI | Some booze killed a sumo wrestler
Hidden (“some”) in “boOZE KIlled”; an ozeki is a champion sumo wrestler |
| 04 | ENGINE-MAN | Noun in English loosely meaning “train driver”
N (=noun) in [E (=English) + *(MEANING)]; “loosely” is anagram indicator; & lit. |
| 05 | OVETT | He had a successful running career, mostly completed not having any shorts!
OVE<r> (=completed; “mostly” means last letter is dropped) + TT (=not having any shorts, i.e. teetotal); he reference is to British middle-distance runner Steve Ovett (1955-) |
| 06 | KENO | Ace dealt up after king – it could win you money
K (=king) + ENO (ONE=ace, in cards; “dealt up” indicates vertical reversal); keno is a gambling game similar to bingo |
| 07 | ALOHA | A Spaniard’s welcome to return to Australia, and welcome in part of America
ALOH (HOLA=a Spaniard’s welcome; “to return” indicates reversal) + A (=Australia); aloha is a Hawaiian greeting |
| 08 | DYNAMO | Magician‘s act entertaining a lot of people in turn
YNAM (MANY=a lot of people; “in turn” indicates reversal) in DO (=act); Dynamo is the stage name of British magician Steven Frayne (1982-) |
| 13 | PELÉ | Training with the French football legend
P.E. (=training) + LE (=the French, i.e. a French word for the); the reference is to Brazilian footballer Pelé (1940-) |
| 15 | EELS | What kippers do mostly around other fish
SLEE<p> (=what kippers do, i.e. people asleep); “mostly” means last letters dropped; “around” indicates reversal |
| 17 | NATTINESS | Being smart, I sheltered in the last bit of rain with a dry head
I in [<rai>N (“last bit” means last letter only) + A + TT (=dry, teetotal) + NESS (=head(land))] |
| 18 | EXTENSION | A bit on the side giving former partner stress
EX (=former partner) + TENSION; an extension is a bit, a flap, on the side of e.g. a table, to extend it |
| 19 | BLOATERS | Dried fish may be storable
*(STORABLE); “may be” is anagram indicator; bloaters are herring partially dried in smoke, especially at Yarmouth |
| 22 | BIG SUR | Great – and mostly safe – region of 25
BIG (=great) + SUR<e> (=safe; “mostly” means last letter dropped); Big Sur is an undeveloped mountainous region on California’s central coast |
| 24 | ECLAT | Lie about taking cocaine, creating an ostentatious display
C (=cocaine) in ELAT (TALE=lie, untruth; “about” indicates reversal) |
| 26 | AMAZE | Wow, you can see this at Hampton Court
A maze can be seen in the gardens at Hampton Court Palace in the UK; to wow is to amaze, to impress |
| 27 | OUTER | Peripheral networking device doesn’t start
<r>OUTER (=networking device); “doesn’t start” means first letter is dropped |
| 28 | NAPA | Down American wine here in California?
NAP (=down, fluff) + A (=American); the Napa Valley is a wine-producing area of California; semi- & lit. |
Thanks for blogging, RR.
I thought this was a brilliant puzzle. It’s Tuesday, so there’ll be a theme (well, mainly these days) but the gateway clue was gettable and then the rest went in steadily after that. Only needed help with the parsing of NAPA, because I’d forgotten that definition of ‘down’.
I got 10 and 20 in the same way you did.
Bloaters and Kippers in the same puzzle? I feel a When The Boat Comes In theme lurking somewhere.
Thanks to Gila for this one.
Eels and Tripe as well. Yes, a nice puzzle. Saw Monterey before hitting the gateway clue, which made things easier. Hadn’t heard of Ozeki or Keno but both gettable.
Thanks to S&B
Nice and easy stuff today, I thought. Lots of smooth clues with my faves being 8, 15 & 18d and a double-theme to boot. Thanks to Gila for an enjoyable grid and to RR for the write-up.
A very nice puzzle from Gila. I’m always impressed by Inquisitor setters like Gila and eXternal the other day who can put away the pliers and the knuckledusters and set quality puzzles for the daily punter.
Thanks to Gila and of course to RR