My first blog for 2018 is from a familiar setter to feature on Fridays. Thanks Bradman for a gentle workout to get the year started.
FF: 8 DD: 8
| Across | ||
| 1 | BHAKTI | Peculiar habit, hugging king, to show a form of devotion (6) |
| HABIT* containing K (king) | ||
| 4 | FLAPPERS | Female drinkers, unconventional young ladies (8) |
| F (female) LAPPERS (drinkers) | ||
| 9 | SAIGON | Number with US soldier when retreating in war-torn city (6) |
| NO (number) GI (us soldier) AS (when), all reversed | ||
| 10 | OVERTONE | Subtle extra meaning obvious to individual (8) |
| OVERT (obvious) ONE (individual) | ||
| 12 | ACTS | Book reviewed in latest catalogue (4) |
| hidden reversed in “..lateST CAtalgue” | ||
| 13 | LAUNDERING | Financial misdemeanour that could bring England ruin almost (10) |
| ENGLAND RUIn* (almost, i.e. without last character) | ||
| 15 | DISHEARTENED | Demoralised adherents die unhappily (12) |
| ADHERENTS DIE* | ||
| 18 | MICROBREWERY | Rex restricted by bug, getting tired, abandoning a place providing booze (12) |
| [ R (rex) in MICROBE (bug)] WEaRY (tired, without A) | ||
| 21 | HUMORESQUE | Sound so queer, playing in funny production (10) |
| HUM (sound) [ SO QUEER ]* | ||
| 22 | HULL | Loveless greeting in northern port (4) |
| HULLo (greeting, without O – loveless) | ||
| 24 | TIENTSIN | One in temporary accommodation west of evil Chinese city (8) |
| [I (one) in TENT (temporary accommdation) ] SIN (evil) | ||
| 25 | CHERUB | Innocent child posing problem to guerrilla? (6) |
| CHE (guerilla) RUB (problem) | ||
| 26 | STAR SIGN | Indication of a superior house (4,4) |
| cryptic clue | ||
| 27 | COARSE | Rude commander with a rude word (6) |
| CO (commander) ARSE (~ a rude word) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BASTARDY | Endlessly mean and slow, in a state disgracing the parents? (8) |
| [BASe (endlessly mean) TARDY (slow)] | ||
| 2 | ACID TEST | Bill that is about Brexit finally gets critical appraisal (4,4) |
| AC (bill) [ ID EST (that is, full form of i.e.) around T (brexiT, finally) ] | ||
| 3 | THOR | Writer of books not a superior god (4) |
| auTHOR (without A, U – superior) | ||
| 5 | LAVENDER-BLUE | John, one who finishes with sad song for kids (8-4) |
| LAV (john) ENDER (one who finishes) BLUE (sad) | ||
| 6 | PERSEVERED | Individual not getting on, woman looking embarrassed, kept going (10) |
| PERSon (individual, without ‘ON’) EVE (woman) RED (embarassed) | ||
| 7 | EROTIC | Man grabs old books designed to titillate (6) |
| ERIC (man) containing OT (old books, old testament) | ||
| 8 | SLEDGE | Audibly bump off vehicle sliding downhill? (6) |
| double def | ||
| 11 | HAIRDRESSING | Top treatment that makes Irish gardens look fantastic (12) |
| IRISH GARDENS* | ||
| 14 | DENIGRATES | Stains man found round part of the fireplace (10) |
| DENIS (man) around GRATE (part of the fireplace) | ||
| 16 | DEMURRER | More modest, retaining right to make legal objection (8) |
| DEMURER (more modest) containing R (right) | ||
| 17 | SYLLABLE | Male has one, female has more than one (8) |
| cryptic def | ||
| 19 | THETIS | Article on model, rising nymph (6) |
| THE (article) TIS (model = SIT, reversed) | ||
| 20 | AMOEBA | A crowd with inner energy descending on a small creature (6) |
| A [ MOB (crowd) containing E (energy)] A | ||
| 23 | SHOO | I don’t want you giving exclamations of pleasure when turning up (4) |
| OOHS ( exclamations of pleasure, reversed) | ||
*anagram
Struggled in the SE, but finally completed. Didn’t know BHAKTI. Pencilled in Braith as a guess until I resorted to a word fit. 8d must surely be SLEIGH. Thanks to S&B.
Happy new year to the select band!
Lovely puzzle. Agree with Hovis re 8 down.
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs.
I didn’t get 1ac but managed the rest eventually.
Agree it must be SLEIGH (sounds like SLAY).
Thanks all for stopping by. In Bradman’s puzzles, I often times expect there to be some cricket reference or the other. I am sure 8d is SLEIGH but in the game of cricket , the word SLEDGE is often times used to describe verbal taunting / provoking of the batsman by the fielders/bowlers in a bid to break his concentration and get him out. When I saw the clue, I assumed Bradman was creatively describing sledging as “Audibly bump off..” . As it so happens, a synonym for SLEDGE is SLEIGH. Regards,TL
I had no ref books so just wrote in BRAITH-yeah sounds like a half a Spooner.
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
At the medium difficulty range for this setter. Unfortunately I followed TL down the cricket SLEDGE pathway, but it is certainly, and now obvious to see, SLEIGH.
I parsed 26a as the definition being ‘house’ = STAR SIGN with a cryptic definition ‘indication of a superior’ = SIGN of a STAR = STAR SIGN
ACID TEST was the last in. It was interesting to see the full meaning of ‘that is’ = ID EST required as part of the word play.