Anyone for doubles?
There are a plethora of double definitions in this puzzle, but they are mainly quite clever.
I do have some issues with this effort, but may be missing something, so apologies in advance if it’s my understanding or parsing that’s at fault. The angaram fodder in 6dn is wrong, and I can’t find the required definition of PIP in 16dn. As well as that, 18ac is very contrived.
My favourite clue was 4d.
Thanks, Sleuth.
| Across | ||
| 1 | LOGBOOK | Restricted symbol? It’s bound to indicate attendance record (7) |
| LOG(o) + BOOK (it’s bound) | ||
| 5 | INHIBIT | Check at home current book probing murder (7) |
| IN (at home) + (i (current) + B(ook) “probing” HIT (murder)) | ||
| 9 | AFOOT | A small measure in operation? (5) |
| A FOOT | ||
| 10 | STAIRCASE | Container for a flight? (9) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 11 | LEGENDARY | Renowned stage ready to be renovated around November (9) |
| LEG (stage) + *(ready) “around” N(ovember) | ||
| 12 | OUTDO | Better way to characterise picnic? (5) |
| A picninc could be an outdoor party, thus an OUT DO | ||
| 13 | TRIBE | People showing resistance in much of Asian country (5) |
| R(esisrance) in TIBE(t) | ||
| 15 | REPRIMAND | Businessman on border with carpet (9) |
| REP + RIM + AND (with) | ||
| 18 | OFF THE MAP | Remote ME path winding behind old fellows (3,3,3) |
| O(ld) FF (fellows) + *(me path) | ||
| 19 | AROMA | Flavour in a capital according to its citizens (5) |
| A + ROMA (Rome, in its own language, ie “according to its citizens”) | ||
| 21 | PATIO | Friendly touch I love in inner courtyard (5) |
| PAT (friendly touch) + I O | ||
| 23 | BODY CLOCK | It could be a stiff hit for internal regulator? (4,5) |
| BODY (it could be a stiff) + CLOCK (hit) | ||
| 25 | PRIVILEGE | Sanctimonious type, English, defending odious favour shown to a few (9) |
| PRIG + E(nglish) “defending” VILE | ||
| 26 | ALIEN | Foreign invention put in middle of land (5) |
| LIE “put in (l)AN(d) | ||
| 27 | RATINGS | Workers on board? Programmes could benefit from them (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | MANATEE | Old woman with a teen disturbed aquatic creature (7) |
| MA + *(a teen) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LEAFLET | Foreign article one felt misguided in flimsy publication (7) |
| LE + A + *(felt) | ||
| 2 | GOOD GRIEF | Sound with expression of loss – or expression of amazement? (4,5) |
| GOOD (sound) + GRIEF | ||
| 3 | ORTON | Source of drama in poor tone (5) |
| Hidden in “poOR TONe”
Referring to Joe Orton, the English playwright who wrote Loot. |
||
| 4 | KISSAGRAM | Celebratory service is facing decline in note put up (9) |
| IS + SAG (decline) “in <=MARK | ||
| 5 | ITALY | Friend half-heartedly supporting appeal in country (5) |
| AL(l)Y “supporting” IT (appeal) | ||
| 6 | HARMONICA | Instrument playing in a march I found discordant (9) |
| I think this is supposed to be an angagram, but the fodder doesn’t seem right. *(in a march) gives the letters of HARMNICA, but I can’t see the O? | ||
| 7 | BLAST | Enjoyable occasion in ruin (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | TOEHOLD | Hotel possibly covering over origin of defects gains first advantage (7) |
| (*(hotel) “covering” O(ver)) + D(efects) | ||
| 14 | ETHIOPIAN | Haiti open after revolution for one from another continent (9) |
| *(haiti open) | ||
| 16 | PIPE DREAM | Disgust over senior journalist on papers showing fanciful ambition (4,5) |
| PIP (disgust?) + ED + REAM (papers)
I’ve not been able to find DISGUST as a synonym for PIP, and I’ve checked three dictionaries and several online sources. The closes definition of PIP that I can find is “to annoy”, but that’s not the same as “to disgust”. |
||
| 17 | APOLOGIST | See serving man in a job as defensive figure (9) |
| LO + G.I. (serving man) in A POST | ||
| 18 | ON PAPER | Where one might find diarist in theory (2,5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | ASKANCE | Obliquely request expert to tour North (7) |
| ASK ACE “to tour” N(orth) | ||
| 22 | TWIST | Fool imbibing second mixed drink (5) |
| TWIT “imbibing” S(econd) | ||
| 23 | BLESS | Approve ironic word of affection (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | CHAIN | Part of bike in commercial series (5) |
| Double definition | ||
*anagram
Thanks loonapick
6dn is ON (playing) in an anagram (found discordant) of A MARCH I
Re 16dn, under ‘pip’ Chambers has “spleen, hump, disgust, offence (informal)”
Thanks, loonapick.
I enjoyed most of this, although I held myself up for a while by entering STAIRWELL at 10ac.
6dn does seem to be wrong.
Re 16dn: I could only think of ‘give someone the pip’, which Collins has, with the definition ‘bad temper or depression’ but that isn’t the same as disgust, as you say. However, I find that Chambers’ 5th definition of ‘pip’ is ‘spleen, hump, disgust, offence’.
Thanks to Sleuth for the puzzle.
I was pipped at the post! 😉
Thanks for HARMONICA, Gaufrid – and apologies to Sleuth.
I was somewhat surprised to see Tibet defined as an ‘Asian country’ in 13 across…
I didn’t fall into the Harmonica trap so the whole thing was solved very easily but I did enjoy myself along the way
Thanks to Sleuth and Loonapick
Re 9ac is a foot a small measure? Maybe compared to a mile. Doesn’t seem to be needed in the clue. Also senior in 16d doesn’t really add anything. Otherwise a good puzzle despite all the doubles.
Thanks Sleuth and loonapick
For 6 I had ABOUT, which works for me: A BOUT (small amount) of flu, say, rather than a full-blown illness, and ABOUT = IN OPERATION, as in “The police were out and about”, ie operating more visibly than usual. Any takers?
Thanks Sleuth and loonapick
Interesting puzzle that took a couple of sittings to get out. Missed the LOGO parsing in 1a – was thinking more along the lines of logarithm (although the symbol part was a bit flaky). Couldn’t find the PIP = ‘disgust’ definition anywhere and had to wait to see that here. Didn’t know that TWIST was an actual mixed drink – was aware of a lemon twist being a part of a mixed drink but not the drink itself.
Finished in the SE corner with AROMA, CHAIN (one of the clever double definitions) and APOLOGIST (which took a bit of thought to work out the LO GI bit) the last few in.