The puzzle can be found here.
This was one of those puzzles where I wrote in the answers to a fair few clues and worked out the parsing afterwards, but it was a staisfying solve that taught me a couple of new words (GAMELAN and CHACONNE).
Thanks, Neo.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MOPING | Cat draped round leg having sulk (6) |
| MOG (“cat”) draped around PIN (“leg”) | ||
| 4 | STAGNANT | Good bread in fact stale (8) |
| G(ood) NAN (“bread”) in STAT(istic) (“fact”) | ||
| 9 | NAIVE | Innocent one in place for congregation (5) |
| I (“one”) in NAVE (“place for congregation”) | ||
| 10 | DREAMBOAT | Spoilt or bad meat in hunk (9) |
| *(or bad meat) | ||
| 11 | STAMINA | Resilience enlivens non- European in recession (7) |
| <=ANIMAT(e)S (“enlivens” without the E (non-European), in recession) | ||
| 12 | UNLEASH | Not caught, Sam for example remains free (7) |
| UN(c)LE (“Sam for example” without the C (not caught)) + ASH (“remains”) | ||
| 13 | EDDA | Heroic work companion right leaving cheesy town (4) |
| (ch)EDDA(r) (“cheesy town”, with CH (“Companion” of Honour) and R(ight) leaving) | ||
| 14 | CHACONNE | Almost done with tea dance (8) |
| CONNE(d) (almost “done”) with CHA (“tea”)
A chaconne was a Spanish (or possibly Moroccan) dance. |
||
| 17 | ROMANIAN | National obsession little man embodies (8) |
| MANIA (“obsession”) embodied by RON (“little man”) | ||
| 19 | SCAN | Look quickly in small container (4) |
| S(mall) CAN (“container”) | ||
| 22 | PANACHE | Upright character escaping pain and hunger in style (7) |
| PA(i)N (“pain” with I (“upright character” escaping) and ACHE (“hunger”) | ||
| 24 | KAMPALA | American friend in Soul City (7) |
| AM(erican) PAL (“friend”) in KA (“soul”) | ||
| 25 | CHEVALIER | Sound cut in shout to encourage knight (9) |
| VALI(d) (“sound”, cut) in CHEER (“shout to encourage”) | ||
| 26 | RHINE | River sources only running high in northeast (5) |
| Sources of R(unning) H(igh) I(n) + NE (“northeast”) | ||
| 27 | LIEGEMEN | Vassals convey false impression with info about me (8) |
| LIE (“convey false information”) with GEN (“info”) about ME | ||
| 28 | MARTHA | Woman’s smart hairstyle trimmed front and back (6) |
| Hidden in “sMART HAirstyle” | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MINISTER | Senior politician wants skirt on rump made shorter (8) |
| MINI (“skirt”) on STER(n) (“rump”, made shorter) | ||
| 2 | PHILANDER | Greek character on spacecraft to flirt (9) |
| PHI (“Greek character”) on LANDER (“spacecraft”) | ||
| 3 | NOESIS | One regulated little sister’s intellectual activity (6) |
| *(one) + SIS(ter) | ||
| 5 | THE NUTCRACKER | Ballet article by head cryptographist? (3,10) |
| THE (“article”) by NUT (“head”) CRACKER (“crytographist”) | ||
| 6 | GAMELAN | Willing learner with an Asian ensemble (7) |
| GAME (“willing”) L(earner) with AN A gamelan is an Indonesian orchestra (mainly percussion) | ||
| 7 | AROMA | An Italian city offers subtle charm (5) |
| A ROMA (“an Italian city”) | ||
| 8 | TETCHY | Computer enthusiast over time liable to blow fuse (6) |
| TECHY (“computer enthusiast”) over T(ime) | ||
| 10 | DEATH IN VENICE | Mann’s novella — I’ve enhanced it spectacularly! (5,2,6) |
| *(i’ve enhanced it) | ||
| 15 | EUCHARIST | Cleaner is coming in Tuesday having elevated service (9) |
| CHAR (“cleaner”) IS coming in <=TUE(sday) | ||
| 16 | IN CAMERA | Eccentric American avoiding press and public (2,6) |
| *(american) | ||
| 18 | MACRAME | Ropy work from staff packaging butter (7) |
| MACE (“staff”) packaging RAM (“butter”, ie one that butts) | ||
| 20 | APICAL | Strange craving observed in city up at top (6) |
| PICA (“strange craving” eg during pregnancy) in <=L.A. (“city”, up) | ||
| 21 | SMYRNA | Old port — the writer’s joining British sailors in it (6) |
| MY (“the writer’s”) joining RN (Royal Navy, so “British sailors”) in SA (sex appeal, so “it”) | ||
| 23 | NIECE | Renegade finally accepted by respectable relative (5) |
| (renegad)E accepted by NICE (“respectable”) | ||
*anagram
Lots of unknown words for me but an enjoyable challenge. Didn’t know: CHACONNE, NOESIS and APICAL (from apex) or, for that matter, PICA for the craving. Have met GAMELAN before but had forgotten what it referred to.
Not sure what ‘only’ is doing in 26a but it still works. Thanks to Neo and loonapick.
Thanks Neo and loonapick
Neo back to a Thursday and with the degree of difficulty ratcheted up a notch or three. Enjoy his puzzles when he does !
CHACONNE, KA and PICA were the new terms for me. Liked the tricky parsing of 12a, 13a and 24a.
Finished in the SE corner with EUCHARIST, the well hidden MARTHA and that CHACONNE as the last few in.
Third of the day, probably the best in show due to wholesome surfaces and neat cluing. The three words mentioned above were clued well, apart from APICAL (as it included PICA which I have to say I didn’t know), but even that was done well.
As loonapick says a stiffer test from Neo, but a pleasure nonetheless.
featherstonehaugh @3
“Third of the day, probably the best in show due to wholesome surfaces and neat cluing”
Yes, you would say that, wouldn’t you. I’m sure you looked up PICA when you were determining the parsing even if you didn’t know it before.
I did, as a matter of fact. I simply found APICAL clued with PICA a little odd, that’s all.
Late comment. I thought this was a gem. Lots of interesting, unusual words with some excellent clues, eg for MINISTER.
For me this wins the prize as best of the week so far among the fifteensquared puzzles.
A big thanks to Neo and loonapick