The puzzle can be found here.
As always with Alberich, you know what you’re going to get before you start (tidy surfaces, some unusual anagrinds and fair clues).
This was typical of the man – I liked 5, 18, 26ac and 2, 16 and 24dn.
Thanks, Alberich.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ALYSSUM | A pest’s not the first problem for garden plant (7) |
| A (f)LY”S (“pest’s”, not the first) + SUM (“problem”) | ||
| 5 | PICKLED | The best conducted Brahms and Liszt (7) |
| PICK (“the best”) + LED (“conducted”) | ||
| 9 | AORTA | Regularly aboard that vessel (5) |
| A(b)O(a)R(d)T(h)A(t) | ||
| 10 | NOVITIATE | New member’s no pervert (9) |
| NO + VICIATE (“pervert”) | ||
| 11 | INSOLVENT | Victor breaks brassy bust (9) |
| V(ictor) breaks INSOLENT (“brassy”) | ||
| 12 | TUTTI | Three times I carry uniform for all the players (5) |
| TTT (three T(imes)) + I carrying U(niform) | ||
| 13 | AMISS | Article by young woman is unsuitable (5) |
| A (“article”) + MISS (“young woman”) | ||
| 15 | OFFENDING | Unsatisfactory conclusion is displeasing (9) |
| OFF (“unsatisfactory”) + ENDING (“conclusion”) | ||
| 18 | PREORDAIN | Determine beforehand – smart clothes or red pants? (9) |
| PAIN (“smart”) clothes *(or red) | ||
| 19 | CUPPA | Drink some cappucino after knocking it back (5) |
| Hidden backwards in “cAPPUCino” | ||
| 21 | NEVER | Divorce, swapping partners? Surely not! (5) |
| (s>N)EVER (“divorce” changing partners – (S(outh) becomes N(orth)) | ||
| 23 | PRESCIENT | Penny gets in secret supply, being far-sighted (9) |
| P(enny) gets *(in secret) | ||
| 25 | CORKSCREW | Sailors from Irish port proceed on a twisty course (9) |
| CORK’S CREW (“sailors from Irish port”)
Second time in a week I’ve come across CORK’S CREW. |
||
| 26 | OPINE | Somebody should hold power, I suppose (5) |
| ONE (“somebody”) should hold P(ower) + I | ||
| 27 | ARIADNE | Song with finale about woman Theseus abandoned (7) |
| ARIA (“song”) + <=END (“finale”, about) | ||
| 28 | BANNERS | Forbidding person’s standards? (7) |
| Someone who forbids would be a BANNER | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ARABICA | American artist and writer wants a coffee (7) |
| A(merican ) + R.A. (“artist”) + BIC (pen, so “writer”) + A | ||
| 2 | YORKSHIRE | Son missing risky horse sports? Riding was part of it (9) |
| *(riky horse) | ||
| 3 | STALL | Hold up a retail outlet (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | MINNESOTA | State of Maine’s not changing (9) |
| *(maines not) | ||
| 5 | PIVOT | Turn to bigwig upon whom everything depends (5) |
| <=TO V.I.P. (“bigwig”) | ||
| 6 | CATATONIC | Chap needs a medicine, being unable to move (9) |
| CAT (“chap”) needs A TONIC (“medicine”) | ||
| 7 | LEAST | Most insignificant start for Leyton Orient (5) |
| L(eyton) + EAST (“orient”) | ||
| 8 | DIETING | Sound as a bell after long eating in moderation (7) |
| TING (“spund as a bell”) after DIE (“long”) | ||
| 14 | SURPRISED | Resistance force in south of France is caught unawares (9) |
| R(esistance) + PRISE (“force”) in SUD (“south” in French) | ||
| 16 | FUNNEL-WEB | Nun flew off, having picked up live spider (6-3) |
| *(nun flew) + <=BE (“live”, picked up) | ||
| 17 | IMPRECISE | One covers for magazine including summary that’s inaccurate (9) |
| I (“one”) + M(agazin)E including PRECIS (“summary”) | ||
| 18 | PANACEA | Dash out of hospital with a remedy (7) |
| PANAC(h)E (“dash” with H(ospital) out) with A | ||
| 20 | ARTLESS | Cruel Cockney said to be naive (7) |
| Homophone of ‘EARTLESS (“cruel” as said by a Cockney) | ||
| 22 | VERDI | Italian scorer exaggerated, avoiding extremes (5) |
| (o)VERDI(d) (“exaggerated”, avoiding its extremes) | ||
| 23 | PURGE | Quietly encourage removal of undesirable elements (5) |
| P(iano) (“quietly”) + URGE (“encourage”) | ||
| 24 | CLOWN | Could be Coco Chanel on vacation getting personal (5) |
| C(hane)L getting OWN (“personal”) | ||
*anagram
Pleasant way to pass half an hour or so, with nothing too contentious or obscure.
I liked the ‘Brahms and Liszt’ clue and the idea of a nun picking up a live FUNNEL-WEB spider raised a smile and shiver at the same time.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick. Very enjoyable. I’m weak on Cockney rhyming slang but still parsed PICKLE. FUNNEL-WEB spider was new to me as was ALYSSUM but both were well clued and even in the US I did make the Riding-YORKSHIRE connection.
Thanks Alberich and loonapick
Enjoyable puzzle that took a couple of shortish sessions to knock over. Was interesting to see our FUNNEL-WEB make an appearance – thankfully most of them are up in Sydney and it is unusually the male that is responsible for most of the bites on humans – very poisonous little blighters !
Also liked PICKLED but my clue of the day would have to be for the very clever Coco the CLOWN.
Finished in th NE corner with PICKLED and DIETING.