Perhaps Chalmie should have “charged” us to complete this puzzle…
… as the word “CHARGE” appears in many clues and solutions.
Chalmie has done well to get the word into so many clues, and yet keep the puzzle varied and entertaining. I had no quibbles with anything, and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, even if it wasn’t terribly difficult.
Thanks, Chalmie.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SUPERCHARGED | More potent, cheaper drugs distributed (12) |
| *(cheaper drugs) | ||
| 10 | AMBIENT | Ban item malfunctioning in the atmosphere (7) |
| *(ban item) | ||
| 11 | LIBERIA | State airline left first (7) |
| IBERIA (“airline”) with L(eft) “first” | ||
| 12 | HORSE | Charger right to wear socks (5) |
| R(ight) “to wear” HOSE (“socks”) | ||
| 13 | AGREEING | Consenting adult? Dyke embraces a German (8) |
| A(dult) + GREG (Dyke) “embraces” EIN (“a” in German), so A-GRE(EIN)G | ||
| 15 | ESTATE DUTY | Passing on charge laid out in Brussels treaty which lacks content (6,4) |
| STATED (“laid out”) in E.U. (“Brussels”) + T(reat)Y, so E(STATED)U-TY | ||
| 16 | TEAR | Drop charge (4) |
| Double definition – (tear “drop”) and “charge” as in “move quickly” | ||
| 18 | IF SO | Aperitifs? Order bottles in that case (2,2) |
| Hidden in (indicated by “bottles”) “aperitIFS Order” | ||
| 20 | PILOT LIGHT | Irrational group lacking what should always be on (5,5) |
| PI (“irrantional” number) + LOT (“group”) + LIGHT(“lacking”) | ||
| 22 | TOWNSMEN | Have kinky sex among a number of people from Clacton? (8) |
| OWN (“have”) SM (“kinky sex”, or sadomasochism) “among” TEN (“a number”), so T(OWN-SM)EN | ||
| 24 | PHOTO | Powerhouse to snap (5) |
| P(ower) + Ho.(use) + TO | ||
| 26 | REIGATE | English town engineers Apple scandal? (7) |
| R.E. (Royal Engineers) + iGATE (think iPad and Watergate, combine the two and you’d get an “Apple scandal”) | ||
| 27 | PLATTER | Charger needing drink in Puerto Rico (7) |
| LATTE (“drink”) in P(uerto) R(ico)
Hadn’t come across “charger” meaning a “shallow disc” before, but it’s in at least one online dictionary. I don’t have my Chambers to hand, but will check to see if it’s in there later. |
||
| 28 | LIGHT BRIGADE | Illuminate a bridge ruined by chargers (5,7) |
| LIGHT (“illuminate”) + *(a bridge”)
Think “CHARGE of the Light Brigade” |
||
| Down | ||
| 2 | UNBURNT | Having escaped fire, Polish Greek character turns up with nightclothes (7) |
| <=(RUB (“polish”) + NU (“Greek character”)) “with” N(igh)T (the outer layers or clothes” of NIGHT) | ||
| 3 | EYETEETH | Canines already see support rising. What about that? (8) |
| YET (“already”) + <=TEE (“support”) with EH (“what”) about, so E(YET-EET)H | ||
| 4 | CUTE | Clever charges undermine the expenditure caps (4) |
| Caps (or tops of, so “first letters of”) C(harges) U(ndermine) T(he) E(zpenditure) | ||
| 5 | ALLEGATION | Charge against Luxembourg’s chargés d’affaires? (10) |
| A(gainst) L(uxembourg) + LEGATION (“charge’s d’affaires”) | ||
| 6 | GABLE | Part of roof beginning to buckle in storm (5) |
| B(uckle) in GALE (“storm”) | ||
| 7 | DORMICE | Party about to welcome master in charge of rodents (7) |
| DO (“party”) + RE (“about”) “to welcome” M(aster) I/C (“in charge”), so DO-R(M-I/C)E | ||
| 8 | CASH REGISTERS | Resist charges wrongly shown by these (4,9) |
| *(resist charges) | ||
| 9 | MARGARET COURT | Australian tennis player’s violent tram rage gets charges brought here (8,5) |
| *(tram rage) + COURT (“charges brought here”)
Margaret Court won 24 Grand Slam titles, her first the Australian Open in 1960. |
||
| 14 | ADVISEMENT | Commercial power gets people in film careful consideration, in America at least (10) |
| AD (“commercial”) + VIS (“power”) + MEN (“people”) in E.T. (“film”)
VIS means “force or power”, according to several dictionaries, although it is not in common usage these days. |
||
| 17 | SLAP-BANG | Directly lead one through 23 (4- 4) |
| Pb (chemical symbol for “lead”) + A (“one”) in SLANG (see 23dn) | ||
| 19 | SAWBILL | Flyer noticed list of charges (7) |
| SAW (“noticed”) + BILL (“list of charges”) | ||
| 21 | GHOSTED | The gods could be haunted (7) |
| *(the gods) | ||
| 23 | SLANG | Be rude about Pole’s informal talk (5) |
| SLAG (“be rude”) “about” N(orth) (“pole”) | ||
| 25 | SPUR | Starts to see pixies under rock outcrop (4) |
| “starts to” See Pixies Under Rock | ||
*anagram
Interesting choice for a theme – I wonder if there’s any significance to it, beyond the potential for different meanings.
Vis in 14d was completely new to me, so my Latin’s obviously not up to scratch. Faves probably 13a and 22a – why Clacton of all places? 🙂
Cheers to Chalmie and loonapick.
@Michael
Why the theme? Why not?
Why Clacton? Again, why not?
Sorry not to be able to come up with anything of deeper significance.
Thanks to you and loonapick.
Chalmie, thanks for confirming Clacton was arbitrary – you’ve saved me a pointless train journey this weekend. 😉
Always expect a nice puzzle when Chalmie’s, um, in charge.
Not many comments today but I liked it!
Also, nice to have a commenter now who’s name is not an anagram of Alchemi. 🙂
Thanks, loonapick.
Nice one, Sil. I had a dream that one day I’d be a professional setter with some amusing anagrammatical pseudonyms, but Holmans has ruined that. 😀
I find it hard to believe that Clacton was arbitrary, as it is in Essex and Chalmie is trying to misdirect the solver towards an anagram of SEX.
Thanks Chalmie and loonapick
Did this one near the day but had just put it aside whilst sorting out a new work contract. It only took two short sessions to get done so couldn’t have been as hard as he can be. Did notice a few of the ‘charge’ words but didn’t think too much of it at the time.
There were a number of new terms though – ADVISEMENT (my last in), the VIS part of it, ‘charger’ as a PLATTER and GREG Dyer. Was nice to see an Aussie legend appear – although she hasn’t endeared herself to many in recent years with her very strong and outspoken anti-views of homosexuality.