An enjoyable puzzle from the reliable Crosophile.
I feel as if there is probably a theme here but I’ve not spotted it. There are quite a few longer answers covering multiple slots in the grid.
| Across | ||
| 1/21 | CONCERTED EFFORT | Try abandoning forced entry etc storming stronghold in determined attempt (9,6) |
| (Forced en[try] etc) + fort | ||
| 6 | CUBED | Copper layer is cut to pieces (5) |
| Cu + bed | ||
| 9/6D | MUSICAL CHAIRS | Game Of Thrones? (7,6) |
| CD | ||
| 10/1D | STAND-UP COMEDY | Dandy poet mixing with scum might make enjoyable entertainment (5-2,6) |
| (Dandy poet scum)* | ||
| 11 | DOLMENS | Prehistoric structures, rough old pieces with a hint of Stonehenge (7) |
| &lit. Old* + men (chess pieces) + s[tonehenge] | ||
| 12 | ALREADY | Piece of land surrounding lake initially dug year in advance (7) |
| Area around l(ake) + d[ug] + y(ear) | ||
| 13 | BEAUFORT | Excellent person to have because he made a blow-by-blow account? (8) |
| Beaut around for(=because). The Beaufort scale of wind speed was named after Francis Beaufort who, despite the French name, was actually an Irish naval officer. | ||
| 15 | See 26 | |
| 17/22/18 | A BIT OF A SONG AND DANCE | Fiesta with band and conga in a fuss about nothing! (1,3,2,1,4,3,5) |
| &lit – (fiesta + band and conga)* around o | ||
| 23 | FIRE OFF | Bad offer providing returns at first – urgently ask some questions (4,3) |
| If< in front of offer* | ||
| 25 | See 26 | |
| 26/25/15 | A NAME TO CONJURE WITH | VIP’s attaché and junior women worked together (1,4,2,7,4) |
| (Attache junior women)* | ||
| 27 | NEATH | Welsh Rugby team in a lower position (5) |
| DD | ||
| 28 | KICK START | Karate takes time to get things moving? (4-5) |
| Not totally sure about this but I think it could be kicks art around t(ime) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | See 10 Across | |
| 2 | NASAL | Nosey girl comes up with a name for old Bob? (5) |
| Lass< with s(old Bob=s[hilling]) replaced by a n(ame) | ||
| 3 | EXCRETA | Waste from river flowing up over most of island (7) |
| Axe< around Cret[e] | ||
| 4 | TOLLS | Road taxes left in place for coins when heading North (5) |
| L(eft) in slot< | ||
| 5 | DESPAIRED | News department finished early as a couple gave up hope (9) |
| Des[k] (as in newdesk) + paired (=as a couple) | ||
| 6 | See 9 Across | |
| 7 | BEDLAMITE | Old asylum inmate after striking head timetabled to go mad (9) |
| [T]imetabled* | ||
| 8 | DIPTYCHS | Pairs of pictures showing yachts at sea without a following depression (8) |
| Y[a]chts* after dip | ||
| 13 | BRITANNIA | ‘Art In A Bin’ Shocked National Icon (9) |
| (Art in a bin)* | ||
| 14 | FENUGREEK | Bog’s not half ugly stench, a source of odorous seeds (9) |
| Fen + ug[ly] + reek | ||
| 16 | MAJORCAN | Important prison associated with an island (8) |
| Major + can | ||
| 19 | NORMANS | Old invaders, mainly Scandinavian, capturing one of our islands (7) |
| Nors[e] around Man | ||
| 20 | SO MUCH | A way of working up in this sort of thing to this extent (2,4) |
| MO< (modus operandi) in such | ||
| 21 | See 1 Across | |
| 23 | FRANC | Auditor’s candid – this currency’s not legal tender (5) |
| Hom of frank | ||
| 24 | OPERA | Love for acting in 9 drama (5) |
| O(=love) + per(=for) + a(cting) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Crosophile and NealH
I was wondering about a theme too, and considered things in twos, hinted at by both PAIRED in 5 and DIPTYCHS in 8.
I can come up with MUSICAL COMEDY & CHAIRS, KICK-START and FIRE OFF (vaguely synonymous), DOLMENS which STAND UP, A BIT and SO MUCH, FRANC and NORMANS, TOLLS and EFFORT (I think), WITH and (‘)NEATH, but I wonder if I’m clutching at straws.
Simon S @1 -maybe theres a few of us clutching at straws after Vulcan’s Second Symphony/Racket
This was welcome for a Monday.
Will forever be stuck on 99% for this one as the software wouldn’t let me enter the H in Chairs and didn’t seem to know which clue was next, so a relief to get away from it. One day……. Enjoyable otherwise. Thanks to Neal for the parsing – I’d lost the will. And of course thanks to Crosophile.
I was scratching around in vain for a theme, wondering if it may be something to do with forms of entertainment, but I think you’re on the right track, Simon S @1.
Found this reasonably challenging and a good way to get the brain into gear for the week ahead. Missed the parsing of a few such as BEAUFORT and was fooled by the River Axe, instead of the usual Exe, for 3d. I’ll go for ALREADY as my pick – should have been easy but wasn’t, at least for me.
Thanks to Crosophile and NealH.
Thanks both
A pity that the online software can’t cope with the linked solutions. I did many to persuade it to let me enter all the letters, Paul A, though with some difficulty.
Oh dear — a concerted effort is coordinated one, not a determined one.
And what’s musical about Game of Thrones?
Otherwise, a nice little Monday teaser. Thanks, setter and blogger.
Ian: thrones are chairs, so musical chairs is a game of thrones.. rather weak I think. I also wasn’t impressed by the clues for KICK START (Neal’s explanation was the best I could come up with) and FRANC: the French Franc is no more, but the Swiss one is still going strong, and a number of African countries still have a Franc as their currency.
I always groan inwardly when every clue seems to be dependent on another when I’m trying to get started, but eventually things started to come together. I had the same trouble trying to enter the characters for many of the linked clues, but managed to avoid thumping the keyboard. I really wish they’d sort it out! DIPTYCHS was my FOI, so you can see I was struggling to get a start. The bottom half then came together and I finished in the NW with DOLMENS where I was stuck with DOL_E_S and ground to a halt until I revealed the middle letter and MEN on a board leapt out at me. Doh! Just under 40 minutes, so not too bad for the dreaded link-fest. Thanks Crosophile and Neal.
I liked the GoT clue – nice and concise – although I went looking for something toilet-related initially. And I wouldn’t bet against a West End musical soon!
Good puzzle. All sorts of havoc with the linked clues, but got there in the end.
Thanks to S & B
When is the Indy going to get some decent software that will handle linked clues properly???
allan_c @ 10
They use a bought-in package from the US, so don’t hold your breath…
Thanks, NealH and everyone else. Yes. the theme was entertainment, via CONCERTed effort, MUSICAL chairs [I was rather pleased with the ‘weak’ Game of Thrones clue, but chacun…], a bit of a SONG AND DANCE, a name to CONJURE with, and OPERA.