A riveting challenge from a much-welcome setter, with just the right level of frustrating yet innovative clues. Thanks Wanderer !!
nina running along the sides , and connected to conrad’s work down the center.. is there a larger context to this?
DD: 9 FF : 10
| Across | ||
| 1 | BEDCLOTHES | Bottom, an ass? He’s put these on before going off, perhaps (10) |
| BED (bottom) CLOT (ass) HE’S | ||
| 7 | DORM | Where kippers might be the choice of many? (4) |
| cryptic clue; DORM should be read as D OR M i.e. 500 or 1000 (choice of many) | ||
| 9 | LEAN | Film director found in list (4) |
| duoble def, david lean being the director | ||
| 10 | FRANGIPANI | Perfume female called Isis originally, after one Greek deity (10) |
| F (female) RANG (called) [ I (Isis, originally) after I (one) PAN (greek deity) ] | ||
| 11 | AACHEN | Long to be in a northern spa town (6) |
| ACHE (long) in [A N (northern) ] | ||
| 12 | TEAK WOOD | It’s very tough to beat tae kwon do champion’s last outing (4,4) |
| TAE KWOn DO* (without ‘N’ – champioN’s last) | ||
| 13 | CHECK OFF | Give a tick to playwright’s broadcast (5,3) |
| sounds like anton CHEKHOV | ||
| 15 | TARN | One sailing before noon in lake (4) |
| TAR (one sailing) N (noon) | ||
| 17 | KAKA | Parrot has answer on tip of beak repeatedly (4) |
| [K (tip of beaK) A (anwer) ] repeated | ||
| 19 | ABU DHABI | A short practice involving little growth in capital (3,5) |
| [A HABIt (practice, short)] containing BUD (little growth) | ||
| 22 | OVERBOOK | What some airlines do with surplus volume (8) |
| OVER (surplus) BOOK (volume) | ||
| 23 | VOTING | Given to dithering after dropping a tablet, making one cross? (6) |
| GIVeN TO* (after dropping E – ecstacy, drug, a tablet) | ||
| 25 | UNLIKENESS | Difference in US kennel is staggering (10) |
| IN US KENNEL* | ||
| 26 | RASH | Right wood for hives? (4) |
| R (right) ASH (wood) | ||
| 27 | TEXT | Send message that’s offensive, without a kiss (4) |
| TET (offensive) outside X (kiss) | ||
| 28 | ASSORTMENT | When ugly monster initially terrified mixed group (10) |
| AS (when) [MONSTER]* T (iniially Terrified) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | EYELASH | Hair stood on edge during tough sale? Yes (7) |
| hidden reversed in “..tougH SALE YEs”. | ||
| 3 | CINCH | Army chief posts piece of cake (5) |
| short for Commander-IN-CHief (army chief) / See comment@1 below. Thanks Eileen. | ||
| 4 | OFF AND ON | Occasionally switch positions (3,3,2) |
| cryptic clue | ||
| 5 | HEART OF DARKNESS | Novella in which king and knight briefly appear (5,2,8) |
| cryptic clue; heart of darKNess is K – King and N – Knight. | ||
| 6 | SIGNAL | Wherein JD Salinger essentially goes off message (6) |
| jd SALINGer* (essentially, middle part) | ||
| 7 | DIPSWITCH | Uses ducking stool, perhaps, once light’s dimmer (9) |
| cryptic clue – to be read as DIPS WITCH; a ducking stool in olden days, was used to punish women, especially prostitutes and witches. | ||
| 8 | RANCOUR | Managed firm, supported by your texted venom (7) |
| RAN (managed) CO (firm) UR (your, as spelt in text messages) | ||
| 14 | CHAIRLIFT | Man overboard? Hoist way up! (9) |
| CHAIR (man overboard, as in a corporate board) LIFT (hoist) – liked this clue! | ||
| 16 | SUN VISOR | Six runs, so hit sightscreen? (3,5) |
| [VI (six) RUNS SO]* | ||
| 18 | ADVANCE | Go ahead with early March offer (7) |
| cryptic clue. | ||
| 20 | BENISON | Blessing well in African country (7) |
| SO (well) in BENIN (african country) | ||
| 21 | MODENA | Italian city getting up-to-date, but not right away (6) |
| MODErN (up-to-date, without R – right) A (away) | ||
| 24 | THRUM | Umpteenth rumba’s to repeat monotonously (5) |
| hidden in “umpteenTH RUMba…” / See comment@2 below, with regards to my query on container indicator | ||
*anagram
Thanks, Turbolegs.
I always enjoy Wanderer’s puzzles and this was no exception. I found it tougher going than usual, but no less enjoyable for that.
I puzzled over CINCH: I can’t find that anywhere as an abbreviation for Commander in Chief [even on a website giving fifteen acronyms!]. I only knew C in C and I’m thinking now we have to get the H from rugby posts – I’ve seen that before in crosswords.
I think ADVANCE is a quadruple definition.
I’m not familiar with HEART OF DARKNESS – but I bet there are more references.
Many thanks to Wanderer for the challenge.
I think the container indicator in 24dn is the apostrophe s, which crops up fairly regularly.
Eileen,
As always, thanks for shedding light where needed. I was clearly out of my depths in relating posts to H.
Regards,
Turbolegs
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs
Always look forward to seeing this setter’s name in the banner and today’s puzzle was no exception. Optimistically tried to do it whilst watching a DVD movie last night with very limited success, but was able to finish it off this morning.
Had read HEART OF DARKNESS years ago, a rather bleak story that was used as the basis for the movie “Apocalypse Now” after re-siting it from Africa to Vietnam. I cannot see any other references to it elsewhere in the grid – but then I failed to see the nina down the side in the first place !
Couldn’t parse VOTING and forgot about the H goal posts from rugby at 3d. Lots of very good clues throughout that I was able to get to make this a really enjoyable solve. Finished in the NW corner with the tricky AACHEN, that CINCH and David LEAN the last few in.