An interesting CRUX kicks off the week…
Plenty of well surfaced clues here, and a good mix of clue types. 1a, 3d, 20d, and 18a were some of our favourites.
Thanks CRUX!
Across
1 Country said to be behind a joint effort (5-6)
ELBOW GREASE
“Greece” (country, said) to be behind ELBOW (joint)
7 Monopolise a source of meat (3)
HOG
Double definition
9 Accustom Jack to ignore harm (5)
INURE
IN[j]URE (J (Jack) to ignore in harm)
10 Sounds like a cover-up by expert is free (9)
AVAILABLE
“a veil” (a cover-up, sounds like) by ABLE (expert)
11 Make an angry fuss as Adam and Eve did (5,4)
RAISE CAIN
Double definition
12, 15 I must talk freely; not easy to do for a man! (5-4)
MULTI-TASK
(I MUST TALK)* (*freely)
13 It may prove impossible to express . . . . disgust, that is (7)
TOUGHIE
TO + UGH (express disgust) + IE (that is)
15 See 12
18, 20 Unfeeling, like 20 down, literally (4-7)
COLD-HEARTED
hatchet (20 down) has C (cold) at its heart (literally)
23 Head of school’s lost direction indicated by this (5)
ARROW
[h]ARROW (school, head of which is lost)
24 Genuine alloy of gold with one tenth carbon (9)
AUTHENTIC
(AU (gold) + I (one) + TENTH + C (carbon))* (*alloy)
26 Long form of coat created by son in 8 (9)
MACINTOSH
Cryptic definition
“Mac” is the Gaelic word for son. Long form of Mac is Macintosh.
27 Rare kind of ballgame, clearly not a success (2-3)
NO-HIT
Double definition
28 The French way to show regret (3)
RUE
Double definition
rue = street (way) in French
29 Wicked stepmother and daughter finally display impatience (5,6)
SHORT TEMPER
(STEPMOTHER)* (*wicked) + [daughte]R (finally)
Down
1 Move from Arab state to protect head of government (8)
EMIGRATE
EMIRATE (arab state) to protect G[overnment] (head of)
2 From roundabout I queue for it perhaps (8)
BOUTIQUE
[rounda]BOUT I QUE[ue] (from) &lit
3 A question with its answer? (5)
WHERE
W (with) + HERE (the answer to “where?”)
4 24 asleep oddly after drinking this? (4,3)
REAL ALE
REAL (24 across, authentic) + A[s]L[e]E[p] (oddly)
5 A seat won second time in opposition (7)
AGAINST
A GAIN (a seat won) + S (second) + T (time)
6 Special mixture to contain morning sickness (9)
ECLAMPSIA
(SPECIAL)* (*mixture) to contain AM (morning)
7 Restrict movement of black bishop in a spot (6)
HOBBLE
(B (black) + B (bishop)) in HOLE (a spot)
8 Unnamed fallen angel in charge of language (6)
GAELIC
(A[n]GEL (unnamed))* (*fallen) + IC (in charge)
14 Robin bats and pulls a fast one (9)
HOODWINKS
HOOD (robin) + WINKS (bats)
16 False criminal charge comes from final act in theatre? (6-2)
STITCH-UP
Double definition
Operating theatre
17 Start employing French duke, a mostly conservative master (8)
EDUCATOR
E[mploying] (start) + DUC (french duke) + A + TOR[y] (conservative, mostly)
19 Game needs help with tennis shot, upset over nothing (7)
DIABOLO
(LOB AID (help with tennis shot))< (<upset) over O (nothing)
20 The object of a post-war burial (7)
HATCHET
Cryptic definition
Bury the hatchet
21 More peaceful destiny, so to speak (6)
CALMER
“karma” (destiny, so to speak)
22 Nativity scene in church held by native American (6)
CRECHE
CH (church) held by CREE (native American)
Creche means nativity scene in America
25 Man from the north drowned in lake (5)
ERNIE
N (north) drowned in ERIE (lake)
Best of the day. Thanks all.
Very enjoyable – thank you Crux and teacow
Thanks to Crux and Teacow. Lots of fun. Got off to a slow start but then things fell into place. I was slowed down by starting with Hard, not COLD-HEARTED, but getting HATCHET solved that problem. TOUGHIE appropriately was my LOI (I needed all the crossers and missed the ugh-disgust).
Better than the Graun one today. FOI RUE(very chestnutty) LOI 14d. COD 29a. Thanks Crux.
Agree with Chadwick @4 that the ‘stepmother’ in 29a is indeed wicked anagram fodder. TOUGHIE was also appropriately sneaky (except for more enlightened Telegraph readers, perhaps) & altogether a very pleasant start to the week.
Thanks to both and see you all tomorrow (?).
Acd@3 – I also had HARD rather than COLD but it was HOODWINKS that sorted it out for me. I thought there were lots of nice moments in this puzzle with RAISE CAIN and MULTI-TASK being my favourites. Definitely more enjoyable than The G because the clues were well constructed.
Thanks Teacow and Crux – I’m going to look you up in the setters now.
Thanks Crux and Teacow
Interesting puzzle that didn’t take all that long on the clock, but it still felt that one had been on a journey all the same. Lots of innovative clues with some taking longer than they should to have seen through – INJURE was one of them where I had to get ABUSE out of my head for way too long. I also liked the cross-reference with COLD HEARTED and that clue that it actually referenced as a very clever cryptic definition.
Not all that sure about CRECHE equalling ‘nativity’ but get where he was coming from … and also the &lit meaning for BOUTIQUE was a bit of a long bow as well.
Finished in the SE corner with STITCH UP (where the ‘theatre’ reference was a clever misdirection) and NO-HIT (a new term for me) as the last couple in.