A gentle start to the week from Armonie.
A few new words for us today (PATMOS, RUBESCENT, PELF). Overall a smooth solve, but we had LOSE for “fail” twice, two L’s for “student” and “pupil”, and a couple of bridge references.
Thanks Armonie!
Across
1 Fail to get back in time, becoming sad (8)
DESOLATE
LOSE< (fail, to get back) in DATE (time)
5 Everybody joined in naughty song (6)
BALLAD
ALL (everybody) joined in BAD (naughty)
9 Peripheral damage to trap set by a student (8)
MARGINAL
MAR (damage) + GIN (trap) + A + L (student, learner)
10 Maps to develop Greek island (6)
PATMOS
(MAPS TO)* (*develop)
12 Teen curbs awkward blushing (9)
RUBESCENT
(TEEN CURBS)* (*awkward)
13 The future, for example, is worrying (5)
TENSE
Double definition
14 Money extracted from chapel funds (4)
PELF
[cha]PEL F[unds] (extracted from)
16 Women listen to the French charm (7)
WHEEDLE
W (women) + HEED (listen to) + LE (the French)
19 Fail to keep bill for sugar (7)
LACTOSE
LOSE (fail) to keep ACT (bill)
21 Enthusiasts to stagger back (4)
NUTS
STUN< (stagger, back)
24 Girl’s ramble in woodland (5)
GROVE
G (girl’s) + ROVE (ramble)
25 Militiaman in fight about English bible (9)
RESERVIST
RESIST (fight) about ERV (English Bible, English Revised Version)
27 Horse, one with spirit, is to persist (4,2)
HANG IN
H (horse) + AN (one) + GIN (spirit)
28 Clergyman having fool in church is in a deep hole (8)
CREVASSE
(REV (clergyman, reverend) + ASS (fool)) in CE (church)
29 After gangster concerning mail (6)
POSTAL
POST (after) + AL (gangster, Capone)
30 Writer allowed to tuck into salmon (8)
SMOLLETT
LET (allowed) to tuck into SMOLT (salmon)
Down
1 Take exception to Egyptian leader retiring (6)
DEMURE
DEMUR (take exception to) + E[gyptian] (leader)
2 Pirate in Kent is a writer (6)
SCRIBE
CRIB (pirate) in SE (Kent)
3 See one partnership produce cuts of meat (5)
LOINS
LO (see) + I (one) + NS (partnership, North and South in bridge)
4 Burglar used to help make a hot drink (3,4)
TEA LEAF
Double definition
Tea leaf being rhyming slang for thief
6 A model keeps some servants in accommodation (9)
APARTMENT
(A + T (model)) keeps (PART (some) + MEN (servants))
7 Drink made Noel tipsy (8)
LEMONADE
(MADE NOEL)* (*tipsy)
8 Bowl woman left for jumble (8)
DISHEVEL
DISH (bowl) + EVE (woman) + L (left)
11 Soaks up goulash (4)
STEW
WETS< (soak , up)
15 Oriental drunkard getting Heather’s dark secrets (9)
ESOTERICA
E (Oriental, eastern) + SOT (drunkard) + ERICA (Heather)
17 Plants fruit, showing a most important craft (8)
FLAGSHIP
FLAGS (plants) + HIP (fruit)
18 Books of a peer in the Civil Service (8)
ACCOUNTS
A + COUNT (peer) in the CS (Civil Service)
20 Notice bridge player’s merit (4)
EARN
EAR (notice) + N (bridge player, North)
21 Most run out of medicine (7)
NOSTRUM
(MOST RUN)* (*out)
22 Tory leader to supply intricate network (6)
TISSUE
T[ory] (leader) + ISSUE (to supply)
23 Stopped king interrupting an investigation (2,4)
AT REST
R (king) interrupting A TEST (an investigation)
26 Composer to enthuse over pupil (5)
RAVEL
RAVE (enthuse) + L (pupil, learner)
Thanks to Armonie and Teacow. An enjoyable Monday outing. I assumed (without checking) that TEA LEAF was slang for burglar, but I did know PATMOS and SMOLLETT, not the usual island and writer evoked in crossword-land. PELF is part of my working vocabulary thanks to Face’s Epilogue in Jonson’s The Alchemist where that con artist uses it to refer to the ill-gotten gains accrued from duping his victims.
A good crossword if you are a bible-reading, bridge-playing, salmon fishing Scottish horticulturalist who wrongly believes that a Bill is an Act.
Tea Leaf is cockney rhyming slang for thief.
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
Don’t know if I was too distracted whilst doing this one, but it took 2-3 times longer than normal for me to complete it. I’m a bit in Grumpy’s corner this time, especially with his bill /act reference (thought that a bill was the legislation up until the time that it was passed by the Senate in our case into an act – although I see them listed as synonyms in the online Oxford).
Did notice the two occasions that LOSE was used and the ‘mini bridge tournament’ going on with 3d and 20d.
Finished in the SW corner with RESERVIST (after initially trying to make IN SURG E NT work initially) and EARN (which took longer to understand why than to get).