This kept me thinking hard all the way through to the end. Thanks Aardvark.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MAVERICK | Rebel Jagger perhaps hogging road, meets resistance (8) |
| MICK (Jagger perhaps) contains (hogging) AVE (avenue, a road) with R (resistance) | ||
| 5 | BAROLO | Wine one drinks here with cool box regularly (6) |
| BAR (one drinks here) with every other letter (regularly) of cOoL bOx | ||
| 9 | NIGHT JAR | High-flyer’s dentures kept here when asleep? (8) |
| double / cryptic definition | ||
| 10 | ADMIRE | Greatly respect a Frenchman confined in awful surroundings (6) |
| A then M (Monsieur, Frenchman) inside (confined in…surroundings) DIRE (awful) | ||
| 12 | TALON | Large nail found inside piano, later rejected (5) |
| found inside piaNO LATer reversed (rejected) | ||
| 13 | MELBOURNE | Author left, reportedly destined for Australian city (9) |
| ME (the author) L (left) BOURNE sounds like (reportedly) “born” (destined for) | ||
| 14 | ANGLER | One maybe wants bass note to fill large complex (6) |
| N (note) inside (to fill) anagram (complex) of LARGE – a Bass is a fish | ||
| 16 | DEEP-SET | Initially, diabetic expert Pete’s at work describing particular eyes (4-3) |
| Diabetic Expert (first letters of, initially) then anagram (at work) of PETE’S | ||
| 19 | CREWMAN | Salt cellar emptied by European lady, missing nothing (7) |
| CellaR (emptied, no middle letters) by E (Europen) and WoMAN (lady) missing O (nothing) – a sailor | ||
| 21 | GRANNY | Family’s tree might show this type of knot (6) |
| double definition | ||
| 23 | CHAIN MAIL | System pyramid seller uses perhaps, as protection (5,4) |
| double definition | ||
| 25 | PRADA | Italian fashion label popular primarily with drama group (5) |
| Popular (first letter of, primarily) with RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, drama group) | ||
| 26 | ENTIRE | Conservationists in Ireland unqualified (6) |
| NT (National Trust, conservationists) in EIRE (Ireland) | ||
| 27 | LAKE CHAD | Each lad playing drinks constant water in Africa (4,4) |
| anagram (playing) of EACH LAD contains (drinks) K (the Boltzmann constant) | ||
| 28 | MIX-UPS | Motorway’s keeping wrong sign overhead, causing lots of confusion (3-3) |
| MI’S (M1’s, motorway’s) contains (keeping) X (wrong) UP (overhead) | ||
| 29 | SHEEP RUN | Woman training over managed farmland? (5,3) |
| SHE (the woman) then PE (physical exercise, training) reversed (over) and RUN (managed) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MINUTE | Note slow dance, last couple switching (6) |
| MINUET (slow dance) with last couple of letters switched | ||
| 2 | VIGILANTE | Protector unofficially left when grabbed by colossus during fight (9) |
| L (left) inside (when grabbed by) GIANT (colossus) inside (during) VIE (fight) | ||
| 3 | RAT ON | Hurried round to shop (3,2) |
| RAN (hurried) contains (round) TO | ||
| 4 | CHARMER | Person seducing American songstress reserves a room (7) |
| CHER (American songstress) contains (reserves) A RM (room) | ||
| 6 | ANDROMEDA | Group of stars with overseas capital accompanied by lawyer (9) |
| AND (with) ROME (overseas capital) with DA (lawyer) | ||
| 7 | OSIER | Basket-maker possibly more comfortable avoiding attic’s floor (5) |
| cOSIER (more comfortable) missing attiC (floor, the bottom, the last letter of) | ||
| 8 | OPERETTA | In Paris, father delving into old books appreciated musical drama (8) |
| PERE (French father, in Paris) going inside (delving into) OT (Old Testament, old books) then TA (thanks, appreciated) | ||
| 11 | FLED | Rookie driver, to be arrested by US lawman, ran off (4) |
| L (learner, rookie driver) inside (to be arrested by) FED (US lawman) | ||
| 15 | LEMON DROP | Sweet fruit put by sink (5,4) |
| LEMON (fruit) with DROP (sink) | ||
| 17 | SUNBATHER | Perhaps beach attendant told lad to take breath when swimming (9) |
| SUN sounds like (told) “son” (lad) then anagram (when swimming) of BREATH | ||
| 18 | ICE CREAM | Cold board in charge of City paper (3,5) |
| IC (in charge) EC (East Central, of The City of London, its postcode) then REAM (paper). |
||
| 20 | NEAT | Third of pint to consume undiluted (4) |
| piNt (third letter of) then EAT (consume) | ||
| 21 | GOLIATH | Monster dog disturbs pig, rising (7) |
| TAIL (dog, to follow) inside (disturbs) HOG(pig) all reversed (rising) | ||
| 22 | MAIDEN | Young lady and chap catching freshwater fish (6) |
| MAN (chap) contains (catching) IDE (freshwater fish) | ||
| 24 | ARTEX | Plaster in sculpture maybe old (5) |
| ART (sculpture maybe) EX (old) | ||
| 25 | PEEVE | Annoy first lady recording towards the back (5) |
| EVE (the first lady) with EP (extended play, recording) all reversed (towards the back) | ||
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
Struggled with the top left but got there in the end. Didn’t know BAROLO but easy to guess and then check. Clueing the letter K by ‘constant’ is, perhaps, a step too far in 27a but, again, easy to solve. All in all, a good workout. Thanks to S&B.
I loved this. I knew Aardvark was someone I liked but it was only after I finished that I was reminded that he is Scorpion who is one of my faves.
Cant single out anything-just class from start to finishThanks Pee Dee.Great stuff.
I didn’t realise Aardvark and Scorpion were one and the same. Does anybody know why, under the list of independent setters on this site, it lists Phi as also Posa but both for the Independent? Don’t recall ever seeing the Posa pseudonym.
Agree with Copmus.
A very nice post lunch test of the cryptic grey matter
Thanks to Aardvark and PeeDee
Hovis @3
Posa has only appeared in the Indy once, just over four years ago. The puzzle was set to celebrate the bicentenary of Verdi’s birth. I must have added him to the Setters list at the time and the entry has remained there ever since even though it is no longer relevant.
Thanks Gaufrid. Haven’t been doing the Independent that long.
Thanks Aardvaark and PeeDee
Hovis @ 1: I strongly recommend you get to know Barolo, it’s generally delicious.
I don’t think K = constant is too bad, after all, how many times do we get ‘unknown number’ signifying x, y, z, n and more?
Thanks Aardvark and PeeDee
Good test that needed a number of sittings to get it out with a couple of new words in BAROLO (will take up Simon’s recommendation and see if it has made it to our wine shops yet) and ARTEX.
Some cleverly disguised definitions – ‘Large nail’ (made even better with the clever reverse hidden run on), ‘one maybe wants bass’, ‘particular eyes’, ‘family trees may show this’,’system pyramid seller uses perhaps’, ‘protector’ (hadn’t really considered that as a definition of VIGILANTE before), and “cold board’. ‘Third of pint’ to derive N threw me for a while as well !
Finished in the NW corner with NIGHTJAR, ANGLER and VIGILANTE the last few in.