Tough stuff for a Tuesday, I thought…
But I had simultaneous tech probs, hence late post, for which apologies. In retrospect there was nothing that should have detained me as long as it did. Great thing, retrospect. Thanks to Armonie for another corker.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ESCARGOT | Ogres cat demolished French delicacy (8) |
| Anagram of OGRES CAT. | ||
| 5 | STOCKS | Trades in plants (6) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 9 | TINTAGEL | Giant let loose in Cornwall (8) |
| Anagram of GIANT LET. | ||
| 10 | CARESS | Worries about second stroke (6) |
| CARES (‘worries’) around S[econd]. | ||
| 12 | TACKY | Tasteless adhesive (5) |
| DD again. | ||
| 13 | ARISTOTLE | Philosopher tries a lot when in trouble (9) |
| Anagram (‘when in trouble’) of TRIES A LOT. | ||
| 14 | MORALE | Pure oriental spirit (6) |
| MORAL (‘pure’) + E[astern] (‘oriental’). | ||
| 16 | GRANDAD | Old man’s splendid promotion (7) |
| GRAND AD[vertisement]. | ||
| 19 | RESISTS | Opposes breaks when touring island (7) |
| RESTS (‘breaks’) asround IS[land]. | ||
| 21 | RAKISH | Turkish spirit used to be smart (6) |
| RAKI (‘Turkish spirit’ drink) + S[econd] H[and] (‘used’). | ||
| 23 | SECTIONAL | Coastline developed in parts (9) |
| Anagram (‘developed’) of COASTLINE. | ||
| 25 | CLEAR | Get rid of Catholic king in play (5) |
| C[atholic] + LEAR (Shakespearean king). | ||
| 26 | BARBED | Malicious counterplot? (6) |
| BAR (pub ‘counter’) + BED (garden ‘plot’). Sneaky concatenation, as the question-mark suggests. | ||
| 27 | MARIGOLD | Scholar to tamper with hoary plant (8) |
| M.A. (‘scholar’) + RIG (to ‘tamper’) + OLD (‘hoary’). | ||
| 28 | WREATH | Anger about bearing garland (6) |
| WRATH around E[ast] (navigational ‘bearing’). | ||
| 29 | BEVERAGE | Bishop always has time for a drink (8) |
| B[ishop] + EVER (‘always’) + AGE (‘time’). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ESTATE | English country vehicle (6) |
| E[nglish] + STATE. | ||
| 2 | CONSCIOUS | Deceives many with promises? That’s deliberate! (9) |
| CONS (‘deceives’) + C (100, ‘many’) + I.O.U.S (‘promises’). | ||
| 3 | READY | Prepared to speak on the Fourth of July (5) |
| READ (to ‘speak’ a text aloud) + Y (4th letter of ‘julY’). | ||
| 4 | OVERAWE | Ring girl with energy to intimidate (7) |
| O (‘ring’) + VERA (‘girl’) + W[ith] + E[nergy]. | ||
| 6 | TOAST RACK | To rail about a small breakfast utensil (5,4) |
| TO + RACK (a ‘rail’) around A + S[mall]. | ||
| 7 | CHEAT | Charlie has a fervency for fraud (5) |
| C[ocaine] (‘Charlie’) + HEAT (‘fervency’). | ||
| 8 | SUSPENDS | Discontinues passes to tour America (8) |
| SPENDS (‘passes’, of time) around U.S. | ||
| 11 | SING | Carol produces the wrong note (4) |
| SIN (a ‘wrong’) + ‘note’ of G. | ||
| 15 | ABSTINENT | Ascetic is away collecting money (9) |
| ABSENT around TIN (‘money’). | ||
| 17 | DESDEMONA | Some French fiend confronts a Shakespearean victim (9) |
| DES (Fr. Pl. ‘some’) + DEMON + A, for Othello’s wife, whom (spoiler alert) he kills in jealous rage. | ||
| 18 | CROSSBOW | Irritable crook sets off a quarrel (8) |
| CROSS + BOW (a ‘hook’). The crossbow’s missile is of course a ‘quarrel’. | ||
| 20 | SINK | Small printing fluid drop (4) |
| S[mall] + INK. | ||
| 21 | RELEASE | Royal estate, initially rent- free? (7) |
| 1st letters of Royal, Estate + LEASE (‘rent’). De-concatenation again required, although the typesetter has done half the job in my version. | ||
| 22 | BRIDGE | Union member embraces girl in game (6) |
| BRIDE (‘member’ of a marriage or ‘union’) around G[irl]. | ||
| 24 | CURSE | Medicine containing sulphur is a disaster (5) |
| CURE around S[ulphur]. Or ‘-fur’ for American solvers. | ||
| 25 | CHIDE | Lecture about skin (5) |
| C[irca] (‘about’) + HIDE (‘skin’). | ||
*anagram
Excellent. Took three sessions to complete, breakfast, coffee and lunch, but very satisfying. Liked 18d. 22d LOI.
Thanks to both. For 6d you lost a “T” should be TRACK (rail) and in 18d BOW (crook). I had trouble parsing quite a few so, thanks again.
Just hard enough for the end of the day and satisfying to solve. I didn’t know the ‘Turkish spirit’ so 21a went in as a half guess.
My favourites were the misdirection in the surface of RELEASE at 21d and the original ‘sets off a quarrel’ definition for 18d, with the potential anagram indicators also confusing things.
Thank you to Grant and Armonie.
A satisfying solve for me. Could not parse RAKISH though l got it from ‘smart’. COD BARBED.
Thanks to Armonie and Grant. Enjoyable. I failed on MORALE and wasn’t sure about STOCKS, but I did get RAKISH and pieced out TINTAGEL.
Thanks Armonie and Grant
An interrupted day meant that I had three short cracks at this one which all would have added up to less than the half hour, so all told just a little longer than what this setter would take me to do.
Interesting puzzle and the couple where one had to lift and separate the clues – 26a and 21d added interest to it. Finished with one of them – BARBED and then CHIDE as the last one in.