A gentle start to the week from FLIMSY…
Some nice surfaces today. We particularly enjoyed FIREWOOD, VIRTUALLY, EXAMINING and PLATFORMS to name but a few. Nothing particularly taxing.
Thanks to FLIMSY for a fun solve!
(We apologise for the lack of grid.)
Across
1 A lord bags bird next to eastern high point (8)
ALTITUDE
A LUD (lord) bags TIT (bird) next to E (eastern)
5 Swallow annoyed cat with peck no end (6)
ACCEPT
(CAT with PEC[k] (no end))* (*annoyed)
9 Door wife chopped up for this? (8)
FIREWOOD
(DOOR WIFE)* (*chopped up) &lit
10 Cross newly-wed biting groom’s head (6)
BRIDGE
BRIDE (newly-wed) biting G[room] (head)
12 Cold, cold and hot – with a fever, perhaps (5)
CHILL
C (cold) and H (hot) with ILL (a fever perhaps)
13 Thick-soled boots: Paddington has them (9)
PLATFORMS
Double definition
14 Rude to make fun of a lady on a regular basis (6)
RIBALD
RIB (to make fun of) + A + L[a]D[y] (on a regular basis)
16 Send diamonds by rail, going west (7)
DELIVER
D (diamonds) + (REVILE)< (rail, <going west)
19 Daisy, initially with loud noise, tucks into dog food (7)
PUDDING
(D[aisy] (initially) with DIN (loud noise)) tucks into PUG (dog)
21 Actors quietly leaving films (6)
LAYERS
[p]LAYERS (actors with P (quietly) leaving)
23 Looking to cut back quarrying (9)
EXAMINING
(AXE)< (cut, <back) + MINING (quarrying)
25 Good, trusty person? Tense prat (5)
TRUMP
T (tense) + RUMP (prat)
26 Empty balloon could be filled with this (3-3)
HOT-AIR
Double definition
27 Tripped, son fell in a heap (8)
STUMBLED
S (son) + TUMBLED (fell in a heap)
28 She’s cutting the man’s hair, creating anxiety (6)
STRESS
S[he] (cutting HE (the man)) + TRESS (hair)
29 Schools’ and colleges’ similar terms (8)
SYNONYMS
Schools’ and colleges’ are synonyms
Down
1 Put on act to impress two females heading to Essex (6)
AFFECT
ACT to impress (FF (two females) + E[ssex] (heading))
2 Put out fire, tired, shaking like a leaf (9)
TERRIFIED
(FIRE TIRED)* (*put out)
3 Too wet, wiping bottoms with large cloth (5)
TOWEL
TO[o] WE[t] (wiping bottoms) + L (large)
4 Upset in countryside – poor daffodils wilted (7)
DROOPED
([countrysi]DE POOR D[affodils])< (in, <upset)
6 Straighten curly leaf cautiously (9)
CAREFULLY
(CURLY LEAF)* (*straighten)
7 Embarrassed the Parisian climbing tree (5)
ELDER
(RED (embarrassed) + LE (the Parisian))< (<climbing)
8 About to be surrounded by cheers, certain to get prize (8)
TREASURE
RE (about) to be surrounded by TA (cheers) + SURE (certain)
11 Give worker round of applause (4)
HAND
Triple definition
15 Sailor with one line is without knot skills (9)
ABILITIES
AB (sailor) + I (one) + L (line) + IS without TIE (knot)
17 Almost worth ditching European partner (9)
VIRTUALLY
VIRTU[e] (worth, ditching E (European)) + ALLY (partner)
18 Ordering cheese after drink, ignoring university lectures (8)
SPEECHES
(CHEESE)* (*ordering) after S[u]P (drink, ignoring U (university))
20 Sign of resistance by one in doctor’s power (4)
GRIP
(R (sign of resistance) by I (one)) in GP (doctor)
21 Lamp starts to look yellow, faintly (7)
LIGHTLY
LIGHT (lamp) + L[ook] Y[ellow] (starts to)
22 Tailor passed suit (6)
SPADES
(PASSED)* (*tailor)
24 Change rope for hanging criminals after height has dropped (5)
ALTER
[h]ALTER (rope for hanging criminals with H (height) dropped)
25 Those people leaving hospital work up speed (5)
TEMPO
T[h]EM (those people, leaving H (hospital)) + (OP)< (work, <up)
A great start to the week, thanks, Flimsy. I thought 27ac STUMBLED was a bit rudimentary, though (compared with the ones Teacow singled out).
In 25a, I initially thought Flimsy was getting political and that “prat” was the definition, but I couldn’t parse it that way! I could not equate ‘ta” with “cheers” (8d). Thanks Teacow and Flimsy
Thanks to Flimsy and Teacow. Lots of fun. I took a while spotting the “revile” reversed in DELIVER, but my major problem was deciding between ELDER and alder. Is the latter not viable?
john @2: In the UK “ta” and “cheers” are both used as an informal “thanks”.
ACD @3: You’re quite right that ALDER is a viable solution, if not for 5a needing the E. (Personally we hadn’t thought of that and went straight for ELDER).
Amusing surfaces, especially 2d which tickled me. Flimsy’s surfaces as smooth as Chifonie’s today.
I meant 3d (numbers in grid faint in my printout)
Very enjoyable. I wasn’t familiar with that meaning of TRUMP… (Is it an oxymoron?… I probably shouldn’t have said that). I was a bit baffled by the apostrophes in 29a. Why are they needed? Am I being a bit thick? (probably). Among others, I loved the triple definition HAND, ABILITIES and SPEECHES. Thanks Flimsy and Teacow.
Thanks Flimsy and Teacow
Thought that this was a little trickier than normal from this setter, albeit at the more straightforward end of the FT difficulty spectrum. (Or maybe I’m still just in holiday mode!)
Agree on the great surfaces throughout the puzzle and am afraid that it led me down the wrong track for a little while at 13a, thinking that it was dealing with the bear rather than the station ! Wasn’t particularly enamoured with 29a and thought that the word play in 25d was the wrong way around (even with the invisible comma).
Finished with TRUMP, which I hadn’t seen in that context, and thought that there could be a case for getting it expunged in these strange times. Also had not seen that definition of ‘prat’.