Today’s puzzle ca be found here.
A slow start for me this morning, but once the longer entries (including the split solutions going down in the NW and SE corners) went in, the rest followed without too much difficulty.
A good range of devices, and clear definitions, with my only minor complaint being that some fo the definitions wer too precise (eg “including Mexico” made 7dn a giveaway).
Thanks Wanderer
| Across | ||
| 1 | LITTLE DORRIT | Novel poorly titled Golden Rule in Literature (6,6) |
| (*(titled) + OR (“golden”) R(ule)) in LIT(erature), so L(ittled-OR-R)IT | ||
| 8 | AUGMENT | Swell time, going after $1,000 in gold pieces (7) |
| T(ime) going after G(rand) (“$1,000”) in Au (“gold”) MEN (“pieces” in chess, eg), so Au-G-MEN-T | ||
| 9 | GAINFUL | Lucrative enough to provide some wonga in Fulham? (7) |
| Hidden in “wonGA IN FULham” | ||
| 11 | INTROIT | Opening to Italian anthem (7) |
| INTRO (“opening”) to IT(alian) | ||
| 12 | ALSO RAN | One not among the first three managed by amateur orchestra (4-3) |
| RAN (“managed”) by A(mateur) LSO (London Symphony “Orchestra”) | ||
| 13 | AWNED | Dane upset about wife having a beard (5) |
| *(dane) about W(ife) | ||
| 14 | DOMINIONS | Party given by underlings in government’s territory (9) |
| DO (“party”) by MINIONS (“underlings”) | ||
| 16 | EXPRESSED | Articulated what new mother may have done? (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | LYCRA | Some really crass material (5) |
| Hidden in “realLY CRAss” | ||
| 21 | INITIAL | Latin 11, playing first (7) |
| *(latin ii) | ||
| 23 | CAIRNED | Exotic dancer’s one buried, marked by a pile of stones (7) |
| *(dancer) with I (“one”) buried | ||
| 24 | ATTEMPT | Go all out on vacation to seduce (7) |
| A(ll ou)T + TEMPT (“seduce”) | ||
| 25 | NEUTRON | Uncharged particle centrally sited within nerve cell (7) |
| (si)T(ed) within NEURON (“nerve cell”) | ||
| 26 | LEASEHOLDERS | Awful holes, with dealers as tenants? (12) |
| *(holes dealers) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1, 2 | LIGHTEN THE LOAD | Telling hothead off, to help make things less pressured? (7,3,4) |
| *(telling hothead) | ||
| 3 | LATITUDES | A bird you find finally in the French region a certain distance from the equator (9) |
| A TIT (“bird”) + (yo)U (fin)D in LES (“the French”), so L(A TIT-UD)ES | ||
| 4 | DOGMA | Belief in a male deity sent up (5) |
| <=(A M(ale) GOD (“deity”)), sent up | ||
| 5 | REINS IN | Checks a fall, we hear (fall from grace) (5,2) |
| Homophone of RAIN (“fall”) + SIN (“fall from grace”) | ||
| 6 | INFERNO | Raging fire with no end of conflagration? (7) |
| *(fire no n) where the “n” is the end of “conflagration” (& lit.) | ||
| 7 | LATIN AMERICA | First section of lambada gets extended in a number of countries including Mexico (5,7) |
| Extension of the abbreviation LA(mbada) | ||
| 10 | LONG-STANDING | Far-reaching reputation is well established (4-8) |
| LONG (“far-reaching”) + STANDING (“reputation”) | ||
| 15 | MEDICINAL | Doctor claimed swallowing a small measure is curative (9) |
| *(claimed) swallowing IN.(ch) (“a small measure”) | ||
| 17 | PHILTRE | Arousing drink from pub? One litre, one’s knocked out (7) |
| PH (public house, so “pub”) + I (“one”) L(i)TRE | ||
| 18 | ENIGMAS | Setting up a trap in identical puzzles (7) |
| <=(GIN (“trap”) in SAME (‘identical)) set up | ||
| 19, 20 | LEISURE CENTRES | Buildings with recreational facilities where Leicester nurse exercises (7,7) |
| *(leicester nurse) | ||
| 22 | LATCH | Thin strip of wood circling around spring-loaded door lock (5) |
| LATH (“thin strip of wood”) circling C (“around”) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Wanderer and loonapick
Was right on his wavelength today and finished this one much quicker than it usually takes for this setter.
Had used the L Am start of ‘lambada’ at 7d but looking it up now, all one needs is the LA bit. At 22d, I had LATH around C (as C spring) so didn’t have ‘spring’ as part of the definition.
Lots of clever clues, including ALSO RAN and, my last in, PHILTRE.
Being underwhelmed with the Graun puzzle I thought I’d try the others and see if it was just me.
But I really enjoyes this. And the Monk although he nutmegged me finally in the SW
Thanks loonspick and Wanderer
Thanks, loonapick, for the blog, and Wanderer for another great puzzle.
Hi copmus @2 – I’m so glad it wasn’t just me. 😉 I knew Wanderer [one of my top favourites] would make me feel better.
Of course, I loved ‘where Leicester nurse exercises’ – just down the road from me!
Thanks to Wanderer and loonapick. The answer to 7 down was clear, but I didn’t get the LA or LAM part of the clue. I also had to wait for all the crossers to get EXPRESSED (though I knew what I was looking for). Overall, a very enjoyable puzzle.