A somewhat trickier than usual start to the work week from CRUX…
A couple of typos today, 27/28 (which is why 28 is not complete – supposed to be LETTER), also 29, and it seems that Sibyl rather than Sybil is more common in 9a.
Anyway, a good mix of clues here, we particularly liked 1a, 13a, 8d and 30a, and 19a/20a were amusingly quirky.
Thanks CRUX!
Across
1 To show off is not allowed in Eden (6)
PARADE
PARAD[is]E (Eden, without “is”)
4 Still popular and on the go (8)
INACTIVE
IN (popular) + ACTIVE (on the go)
9 Sybil, say, is first off the boat (6)
ORACLE
c[ORACLE] (boat, first off)
10 A blow in the back (8)
TAILWIND
Cryptic definition
12 Possibly easiest one, in my opinion (2,1,3,2)
AS I SEE IT
(EASIEST + I (one))* (*possibly)
13 Harry’s mark of rank, by right (6)
BADGER
BADGE (mark of rank) + R (right)
15, 16 Preferred mindset of customers by car salesmen? (4-10)
AUTO-SUGGESTIVE
Cryptic definition
19 Small fruit extractor located in corner (4,6)
JACK HORNER
From the nursery rhyme “Little Jack Horner“
20 It was specifically retrieved by 19 (4)
PLUM
Again, a reference to the nursery rhyme “Little Jack Horner“
23 Oft-repeated words, a threat to poachers, mostly (6)
MANTRA
MANTRA[p] (a threat to poachers, mostly)
25 Supports victims of fraud perhaps, on telephone (8)
SUCCOURS
“suckers” (victims of fraud “on telephone”)
27 How we usually spell literatim (6,2,6)
LETTER BY LETTER
Double definition
29 Edison egcould be an old cynic (8)
DIOGENES
(EDISON EG)* (*could be)
30 Messy dog in a messy place is hard to swallow (6)
STODGY
(DOG)* (*messy) in STY (messy place)
Down
1 Relatively poor part contains only half the fruit (3,4)
PRO RATA
(PART)* (*poor) contains ORA(nge) (half the fruit)
2 Bizarrly it is clear and true-to- life (9)
REALISTIC
(IT IS CLEAR)* (*bizarrely)
3 Sounding sweet, sounding gloomy etc for a change (6)
DULCET
DUL (“dull”, sounding gloomy) + (ETC)* (*for a change)
5 Zookeeper starts to notice our animal habits (4)
NOAH
N[otice] O[ur] A[nimal] H[abits] (starts to)
6 Founder of company left over failure (8)
COLLAPSE
CO (company) + L (left) over LAPSE (failure)
7 Kind of sugar to be avoided by pilots (5)
ICING
Double definition
Icing conditions
8 Back the last runner? It failed to start! (7)
ENDORSE
END (the last) + [h]ORSE (runner, failed to start)
11 Louis and Queen run around like spirits (7)
LIQUORS
(LOUIS + Q (queen) + R (run))* (*around)
14 Wicked genius holding ring of fire (7)
IGNEOUS
(GENIUS)* (*wicked) holding O (ring)
17 Badly dressed, apparently, so inappropriate (3-6)
ILL-SUITED
Double definition
18 They ride away to find source of spiritual insight (5-3)
THIRD EYE
(THEY RIDE)* (*away)
19 Something huge briefly came first, like an anagram! (7)
JUMBLED
JUMB[o] (something huge briefly) + LED (came first)
21 Liberal in distress may be close (7)
MISERLY
L (liberal) in MISERY (distress)
22 It could be acute stress (6)
ACCENT
Double definition
24 No information on gas being explosive (5)
NITRO
NITRO[gen] (gas, with no gen (information))
26 Go back up to a French priest (4)
ABBE
A + (EBB (go back))< (<up)
Thanks Crux and Teacow
Didn’t find this as hard as his last one, but still took 2-3 times as long as the usual Monday puzzle. With four cd’s and four dd’s – it felt a bit like a harder version of a Dante crossword. I liked JUMBLED and NITRO.
Finished in the NE corner with TAILWIND (a clever cd), ENDORSE and the long AUTO SUGGESTIVE (which required all crossers to finish it off).
Thanks to Crux and Teacow. An enjoyable workout – and the typos added to the challenge. I was slowed down by putting in “suggestion” rather than AUTO-SUGGESTIVE so that TAILWIND and ENDORSE were my LOI. I liked JACK HORNER-PLUM.
Thanks Crux and Teacow
Definitely harder that I normally find Crux. And there’s a third typo in 2D “Bizarrly”. Second time there’ve been foul-ups in the FT in just over two weeks. I feel sorry for the setter when that happens.