Typically straightforward and mildly enjoyable Tuesday offering from Armonie.
Nothing too taxing today. One or two quibbles (see below) and I had to check the ‘sea’ in 22 but all fair, I thought.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ADHERENT | Ten heard nonsense from supporter (8) |
| Anagram (‘nonsense’) of TEN HEARD. | ||
| 5 | LOITER | Idle American’s capacity to take nothing in (6) |
| LITER (U.S. spelling of litre, a ‘capacity’) includes 0 (‘nothing’). | ||
| 9 | STRATEGY | Plan for homeless to get back inside (8) |
| STRAY (‘homeless’) includes GET, reversed. | ||
| 10 | ATTEST | Provide evidence at trial (6) |
| AT TEST (‘at trial’). | ||
| 12 | SHEDS | Gets rid of outbuildings (5) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 13 | TAIL-ENDER | Hurt in caring for rabbit (4-5) |
| AIL (‘hurt’) in TENDER (‘caring’). ‘Rabbit’ as ‘an inferior player at golf, cricket etc’ (Chambers). | ||
| 14 | GAMBLE | Bad weather keeps doctor in a flutter (6) |
| MB (‘doctor’) in GALE (‘bad weather’). | ||
| 16 | GLISTEN | Shine having knowledge about table (7) |
| GEN (‘knowledge’) around LIST (a ‘table’). | ||
| 19 | CALORIE | A recoil released an amount of energy (7) |
| Anagram (‘released’) of A RECOIL. | ||
| 21 | CAESAR | Autocrat created a scare (6) |
| Angram (‘created’) of A SCARE. | ||
| 23 | RAISE CAIN | Hit the roof, as Adam did (5,4) |
| Adam being, biblically, Cain’s father. | ||
| 25 | TASKS | Team leader requests work (5) |
| T (‘leader’ of Team) + ASKS (‘requests’). | ||
| 26 | AGENDA | Turkish commander accepts completion of meeting plan (6) |
| AGA (‘Turkish commander’) includes END (‘completion’). | ||
| 27 | FAMILIAR | Acquainted and becoming intimate (8) |
| Double def, perilously close to duplication, imho. | ||
| 28 | ENSURE | Guarantee rebuke when scratching head (6) |
| cENSURE (‘rebuke’), deleting first letter (‘scratching head’). | ||
| 29 | FAREWELL | Food’s all right for so long (8) |
| FARE (‘food’) + WELL (‘alright’). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ASSIST | Help animal first (6) |
| ASS (‘animal’) + 1ST. | ||
| 2 | HORSETAIL | Weed or plant during bad weather (9) |
| SET (‘plant’) in HAIL (‘bad weather’). | ||
| 3 | RATES | Painter put up prices (5) |
| RA (member of Ryal Academy, a ‘painter’) + SET (again, this time = ‘put’) reversed. | ||
| 4 | NIGHTIE | Closely bind covering for kippers (7) |
| NIGH (‘closely’) + TIE (‘bind’) + jocular def. | ||
| 6 | ON THE SIDE | Doctor hides note secretly (2,3,4) |
| Anagram (‘doctor’) of HIDES NOTE. | ||
| 7 | TREAD | Step in tango requiring study (5) |
| T[ango], in radio code, + READ (‘study’ at university. | ||
| 8 | RETIRING | Quiet when going to bed (8) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 11 | RING | Call the band (4) |
| And again. | ||
| 15 | BARTENDER | Publican’s purpose in trade (9) |
| END (‘purpose’) in BARTER (‘trade’). | ||
| 17 | TRANSPIRE | Tory leader managed summit to become known (9) |
| T (‘leader’ of ‘Tory’) + RAN (‘managed’) + SPIRE (‘summit’, I suppose). | ||
| 18 | SCARFACE | Notorious gangster stole one (8) |
| SCARF (a ‘stole’) + ACE (‘one’), ‘Scarface’ of course being the nickname of Chicago’s ‘notorious gangster’ Al Capone. | ||
| 20 | ELAN | Icelander shows panache (4) |
| Inclusion in ‘icELANder’. | ||
| 21 | CANTATA | Tory gets an informal farewell in musical form (7) |
| C[onservative], (‘Tory’) + AN + TATA (‘informal farewell’). | ||
| 22 | ASTRAL | Saint in a sea of stars (6) |
| ST (‘saint’) in ARAL, the now almost completely dried-up inland sea bordering Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan. | ||
| 24 | IDEAS | Plans tossed aside (5) |
| Anagram (‘tossed’) of ASIDE. | ||
| 25 | TRIBE | Note about supporting member of a family (5) |
| TE (‘note’ in sol-fa scale) around RIB (‘supporting member’). Nice disguise. | ||
*anagram
Completed in less than 10 minutes. Not really a challenge but that’s not a criticism. Given the difficulty I had with today’s Guardian and Independent, it was a welcome relief. Thought the definition at 13a was odd until you explained that meaning of ‘rabbit’. I felt the clue for ASTRAL would have worked better if ‘a’ was dropped. I don’t think the surface needs it and it needs to be ignored in the cryptic reading.
Yo, Hovis,
Good post & thanks. Re 13a (‘rabbit’), I personally always thought that a ‘rabbit’ was more a ‘beginner’ than simply ‘rubbish’ but heigh-ho.
As to ASTRAL 1) Many years since I heard of the Aral Sea, so had to check it out (what a tragedy) and 2) I’m personally clear that ‘a’ is always up for grabs. It’s one of those fillers: either it’s part of the clue, the answer or just a bit of stuffing. Never bothers me.
Thanks Armonie and GB
13 is a specific cricket reference/definition: tail-end batsmen (who are generally bowlers themselves) are known as rabbits because, like rabbits in a spotlight, they (allegedly) freeze when facing a good bowler. Having said that, they are better batsmen than ferrets – they get sent in after the rabbits…
Armonie is always easy but this was very very easy.
I had a similar (time-) experience as Hovis.
Almost over before my brain really started working.
Not a bad crossword, though.
What struck me was that two ENDs were crossing each other in the SW.
And that ‘farewell’ was used in a clue and as an answer, crossing too.
Thanks Grant for the blog.
Thanks Armonie and Grant
Melbourne Cup day down here so this was relegated till the Wednesday time slot … and maybe, as a result of the poor result of the selection process this yesterday, it took about double the time that you guys did to do it – nearly missing my train station in the process.
‘Tis a tragedy – the Aral Sea – one of the worst of our human stuff ups !!
GAMBLE was the last in and took way longer than it should have.