The puzzle can be found here.
Nothing much to say about this puzzle – it wasn’t terribly difficult, there’s a good range of devices used, and some of the surfaces are very good. I did have a couple of minor niggles that aren’t even worth highlighting.
Thanks Neo
| Across | ||
| 1 | AGONY UNCLE | Advice columnist previously seen with New York pawnbroker (5,5) |
| AGO (“previously”) + N.Y. + UNCLE (another word for a “pawnbroker”) | ||
| 7 | CUFF | Copper following female gets smack (4) | Cu. (chemical symbol of“copper”) + F(ollowing) + F (emale) |
| 9 | MOOR | Space to retreat in open upland (4) |
| <=ROOM (“space”, to retreat) | ||
| 10 | SOMERSAULT | Mao’s result creates policy reversal (10) |
| *(maos result) | ||
| 11 | ACCENT | Money added to bill causes stress (6) |
| CENT (“money”) added to A/C (short for account, so “bill”) | ||
| 12 | MAN-EATER | Female with male appetite in staff restaurant closing early (3-5) |
| MAN (“staff”) + EATER(y) (“restaurant”, closing early) | ||
| 13 | CODPIECE | Article on fraud in personal cover (8) |
| PIECE (“article”) on COD (“fraud”) | ||
| 15 | TASS | Goblet that associate holds (4) |
| Hidden in “thaT ASSociate”
Tass is a dialect word for cup or goblet in Scotland and Northern England, according to Collins, although I’m Scottish and haven’t come across it before. |
||
| 17 | ORAL | Artist having starter of lamb after nil by mouth (4) |
| R.A. (member of the Royal Academy, so “artist”) having L(amb) after 0 (“nil”) | ||
| 19 | TAVERNER | Sailor embraces author and innkeeper (8) |
| TAR (“sailor”) embraces (Jules) VERNE (“author”) | ||
| 22 | GUNSMITH | MiGs hunt lawless arms producer (8) |
| *(migs hunt), with “lawless” as the anagrind. | ||
| 23 | LESSON | Not so much to do in class (6) |
| LESS ON (“not so much to do”) | ||
| 25 | COMIC OPERA | Amoco price crashes in light musical setting (5,5) |
| *(amoco price) | ||
| 26 | OGRE | Giant blunder in field by Royal Engineers (4) |
| O.G. (own goal, so “blunder in field”) by R(oyal) E(ngineers) | ||
| 27 | ISLE | The Spanish and Italian agreement reversed in Ireland? (4) |
| <=EL (“The” in “Spanish”) + <=SI (“Italian agreement”) | ||
| 28 | STEREOTYPE | Player has letters in pigeonhole (10) |
| STEREO (“player”) + TYPE (“letters”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | GROUCHO | Try to catch rook that hurt amusing brother (7) |
| GO (“try”) to catch R(ook) + OUCH (“that hurt”), so G(R-OUCH)O (Marx) | ||
| 3 | NORSE | Bouquet welcoming Romeo from old Scandinavia (5) |
| NOSE (“bouquet”) welcoming R(omeo) | ||
| 4 | UPSETTER | Leading compiler is hurtful person (8) |
| UP (“leading”) + SETTER (“compiler”) | ||
| 5 | CAMEMBERT CHEESE | Whip admitting MP – one smiles to say this – wants French dish (9,6) |
| CAT (“whip”) admitting MEMBER (“MP”) + CHEESE (“one smiles to say this”) | ||
| 6 | ERRANT | Heartless trainer in move going wrong (6) |
| *(traner), being “trainer” without its central letter (i.e its “heart”) | ||
| 7 | CHARACTER | Make-up case (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | FELLERS | Blokes who chop down trees? (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | PALESTINE | Terrible penalties in partitioned land (9) |
| *(penalties) | ||
| 16 | EVALUATE | Assess having dined after wash up at university (8) |
| ATE (“dined”) after <+LAVE (“wash”, up) at U(niversity) | ||
| 18 | RAUCOUS | Gold firm in Republican America making noise (7) |
| Au (chemical symbol for “gold”) + Co. (“firm”) in R(epublican) U.S., so R(AU-CO)US | ||
| 20 | EGO TRIP | Ultimate self-catering holiday? (3,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | PIVOTS | Velocity zero in refuelling lane, makes neat turn (6) |
| V(elocity) + O (“zero”) in PITS (“refuelling lane”) | ||
| 24 | SCOTT | Second time in bed for explorer (5) |
| S(econd) + T(ime) in COT (“bed”) | ||
*anagram
7a. CUFF ?
Sorry – yes; don’t know why that’s missing?
Now edited
Yes, pretty gentle but I needed it after yesterday’s ordeal by obscure composers. TASS was the only one I hadn’t come across before; wonder if it’s related to the French ‘tasse’? MAN-EATER and the surface for EGO TRIP were my favourites for today.
Thanks to Neo and loonapick
Thanks Neo and loonapick
A rather quicker solve of this fellow than has been the case with his last few puzzles. Still I was held up for some time with my last one in – CODPIECE which I had written in a totally unsatisfactory COMPLETE initially that took as long as the rest of the puzzle did to finally resolve.
The other one that took a bit of resolution was with ‘case’ and CHARACTER to both mean “an unusual or amusing person”.
Some rather nice clues throughout, even when they weren’t as hard as they normally are.
Late to the party – only just got round to solving, but just to add that TASS is in Chambers as ‘a drinking cup’ or ‘a small alcoholic drink’. Not indicated as dialect or Scots, but ‘tassie’ is given as Scots for ‘a small cup’. Etymology given as from French ‘tasse’.