This is Teacow’s first blogging effort. Hello everyone! An enjoyable Monday morning offering from Falcon.
As our first attempt at blogging a crossword, this was, mercifully, fairly straightforward. We had a few technical issues, so apologies if this is a bit late.
22A was a new one for us, and we were slightly hampered by writing in FIRST ONE (stone for grave) in 24A. Anyway, hope this is ok and thank you Falcon.
ACROSS
1 Composed, lawyer heading for tribunal in diocese (6)
SEDATE
DA (lawyer) + T[ribunal] in SEE (diocese)
4 A worried couple endlessly ringing about a place in Mexico (8)
ACAPULCO
A + *(COUPL[E]) (*worried) ringing (around) CA (about, circa)
9 Showing intelligence by keeping control in the auditorium (6)
BRAINY
BY around (keeping) RAIN (control = “rein” – sounds like, in the auditorium)
10 Take part in an activity on water, and risk a wet undoing (5-3)
WATER SKI
*(RISK A WET) (*undoing)
The use of “water” in the clue is a bit odd.
12 Hush-hush operations in Crete upset head of tourism (3-6)
TOP SECRET
OPS (operations) in *(CRETE) (*upset) + T[ourism]
13 Oscar managed to acquire good instrument (5)
ORGAN
O (oscar) + RAN (managed) around (to acquire) G (good)
14 An American, Ness, incorrectly depicted in comedy film (11,3)
RENAISSANCE MAN
*(AN AMERICAN NESS) (*incorrectly)
A 1994 film starring Danny DeVito
17 Sketch on packaging (14)
REPRESENTATION
RE (on) + PRESENTATION (packaging)
21 Type of necktie a Caledonian may produce (5)
ASCOT
A + SCOT (caledonian)
22 G-man chose fancy dress (9)
CHEONGSAM
*(G MAN CHOSE) (*fancy)
24 Grave next to tree will get immediate attention (5,3)
FIRST AID
FIR (tree) + STAID (grave)
25 Deny any connection with row surrounding broadcast (6)
DISOWN
DIN (row) around (surrounding) SOW (broadcast)
26 Skilled workers, Arthur and Ian, carrying small spades (8)
ARTISANS
ART (arthur) + IAN around S (small) + S (spades)
27 Suspension of business in bay (6)
RECESS
Double definition
DOWN
1 Sorry tale of old boy on board, Conservative (3,5)
SOB STORY
OB (old boy) in SS (on board, steam screw) + TORY (conservative)
2 Departed on vessel, expressionless (7)
DEADPAN
DEAD (departed) + PAN (vessel)
3 Under emotional strain in past, perhaps (5)
TENSE
Double definiton (past tense)
5 Resort town – clubs, note, in lively coastal one (7-2-3)
CLACTON ON SEA
C (clubs) + N (note) in *(COASTAL ONE) (*lively)
6 Remarkable things – the old man describes number collected by macho males (9)
PHENOMENA
PA (old man) around (describes) NO (number) in (collected by) HE MEN (macho males)
7 Pasta dish from Los Angeles – long story involving name (7)
LASAGNA
LA (los angeles) + SAGA (long story) around (involving) N (name)
8 In error, I entered the countries of the east (6)
ORIENT
(in) [err]OR I ENT[ered]
11 Annoyed over department providing a representative sample (5-7)
CROSS SECTION
CROSS (annoyed) + SECTION (department)
15 Bothers Irish artiste, unruly (9)
IRRITATES
IR (irish) + *(ARTISTE) (*unruly)
16 Woodland plants: names one wrongly (8)
ANEMONES
*(NAMES ONE) (*wrongly)
18 Passage from start of Rebecca encased in bar (7)
EXCERPT
R[ebecca] encased in EXCEPT (bar)
19 Yet to be elected, vexed about ballot, ultimately (2,5)
IN STORE
IN (elected) + SORE (vexed) about [ballo]T
20 Fibre shown by female in service on island close to Tampa (6)
RAFFIA
F (female) in RAF (service) + I (island) + tamp[A]
23 Wet behind the ears, local taking time out (5)
NAIVE
NA[t]IVE (local with t (time) removed)
Welcome Teacow. A typical Falcon, I thought. Lots of very easy clues with a few hard ones thrown into the mix. I have met 22a before in a crossword (where else?) but couldn’t bring it to mind so resorted to an anagram solver. Like you, I thought the inclusion of ‘water’ in the clue for 10a was odd and, I might add, a bit clumsy. Not my favourite setter, but a gentle start to the week.
PS the blog was excellently done, I thought. These blogs are much appreciated by me and a host of others.
Thanks Falcon and welcome Teapot
Like you say a pretty gentle entry blog for you – hope that there are many more IN STORE for you!
I had opted for ‘rein’ as the control at 9a, but either work equally as well.
No real holdups and finished with RECESS which took a while to see where the definitions stopped and started.
Having spent quite a bit of time with a Chinese-Malay lady, I was very familiar with the CHEONGSAM which she often wore to formal social events – it was my third or fourth in.
Ah yes… rein is much better – have corrected! Thank you brucew.
Also, thank you hovis for your kind words.
Thanks to Falcon and Teacow. I knew of CHEONGSAM but not how to spell it and, as a US solver, needed help from Google for CLACTON ON SEA (my LOI). Enjoyable puzzle and blog.
A warm welcome Teacow! [did you see what you wrote, Bruce?]
A typical Falcon puzzle (including another film) but also with a couple of unusual oddities, already mentioned above.
Nice and clear way of blogging which, at some point, might make mine completely superfluous on a Monday. So be it then. 🙂
Falcon used to live in Clacton-on-Sea, I seem to recall
Oops …. now I did (sorry Teacow !!) … (and it wasn’t even brekky time when I posted down here) 😮
Did the FT announce that Monday’s crossword would no longer be a prize one?
The rubric to the puzzle on December 11 included the announcement.
Thanks