An easy start to the week from SLORMGORM.
A good mix of clue types this morning. The solutions are all relatively straightforward. 1d had me scratching my head a bit as it seems too literal, unless I am missing something?
Otherwise all went in very smoothly. Some of the more enjoyable clues were ANDROMEDA, OUTRAGED, DRAW OFF. Thank you to Slormgorm!
Across
1 Cashmere pants? Hmmm, not sure about that! (6,2)
SEARCH ME
(CASHMERE)* (*pants)
5 Turn around lives blighted with sorrow at last (6)
SWIVEL
(LIVES)* (*blighted) with [sorro]W (at last)
9 Star two soldiers embarrassed at the front (3,5)
RED GIANT
GI + ANT (two soldiers); RED (embarrassed) at the front
10 Don’t start broadcasting the last part (6)
ENDING
[s]ENDING (broadcasting, don’t start)
12 Love a party with the Queen coming around (5)
ADORE
A DO (a party) + (ER<) (Queen, <coming round)
13 Degradation seen in a room under the house (9)
ABASEMENT
A + BASEMENT (room under the house)
14 Watch out for social worker concealing conflict (6)
BEWARE
BEE (social worker) concealing WAR (conflict)
16 Accusations of attacks (7)
CHARGES
Double definition
19 Pull out of contest to find the best artist? (4,3)
DRAW OFF
Double definition
21 Butterfly chicken Italian put on top of aga (6)
APOLLO
POLLO (chicken, Italian) put on A[ga] (top of)
23 A couple originally associated with Hair? (9)
ACTRESSES
A C[ouple] (originally) associated with TRESSES (hair) &lit
25 Theatre article Times rejected (5)
ARENA
(AN (article) + ERA (times))< (<rejected)
26 Honest and sweet American ultimately lacking ego (6)
CANDID
CAND[y] (sweet, American, ultimately lacking) + ID (ego)
27 Incensed editor goes after insensible paper (8)
OUTRAGED
ED (editor) goes after OUT (insensible) + RAG (paper)
28 Self-propelled digger? (6)
SHOVEL
Cryptic definition
29 Don’t ram a criminal in a willy- nilly way (2,6)
AT RANDOM
(DON’T RAM A)* (*criminal)
Down
1 A little flower? (6)
STREAM
Cryptic definition
2 Group of stars with attorney touring city (9)
ANDROMEDA
AND (with) + DA (attorney) touring ROME (city)
3 Conservative Arabic ruler brought up for misdeed (5)
CRIME
C (conservative) + (EMIR)< (Arabic ruler, <brought up)
4 Chap worried about daughter’s authoritative command (7)
MANDATE
MAN (chap) + ATE (worried) about D (daughter’s)
6 Damage on a big new motorhome (9)
WINNEBAGO
(ON A BIG NEW)* (damage)
7 Utter immorality, love to be involved in that! (5)
VOICE
VICE (immorality), O (love) to be involved in that
8 Most bright learner, one good on hard exam (8)
LIGHTEST
L (learner) + I G (one good) on H (hard) + TEST (exam)
11 Mineral found in Crystal Cave (4)
TALC
[crys]TAL C[ave] (found in)
15 When one might’ve had lunch period in the past (2,3,4)
AT ONE TIME
AT ONE (when one might’ve had lunch) + TIME (period)
17 Butcher did get leg of the highest quality (4-5)
GILT-EDGED
(DID GET LEG)* (*butcher)
18 Props ultimately behind forward passes (8)
ADVANCES
[prop]S (ultimately) behind ADVANCE (forward)
20 When to open this paper quickly (4)
FAST
AS (when) to open FT (this paper)
21 Offensive? A sailor can be that in conversation! (7)
ASSAULT
“A SALT” (a sailor, “in conversation”)
22 Time with yours truly spinning around on this? (6)
TANDEM
T (time) + AND (with) + (ME<) (yours truly, <spinning round) &lit
24 Brown and G. Osborne’s first dance (5)
TANGO
TAN (brown) and G O[sborne’s] (first)
25 Those leading admiralty officers right to a vessel (5)
AORTA
A[dmiralty] O[fficers] R[ight] T[o] A (those leading)
A gentle start to the week. I too had a question mark against STREAM @1d. I was also unsure about TANDEM @ 22d as nothing really pointed to the answer apart from “on this?”. All good fun though.
Thanks to Slormgorm and Teacow.
Thanks to Slormgorm and Teacow. Enjoyable. My only problem was with DRAW OFF because I was fixated on “drag off” (that did not parse).
Thanks Slormgorm & Teacow.
26 across is puzzling. In Freudian psychology the ego and the id are different elements, so lacking ego might indicate id, but would leave candy complete. Presumably ID is used in its more modern sense of identity document so that the parsing is
CAND[y] (sweet, American, ultimately lacking) + I[dentity]D[ocument] (ego)
Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow
Catching up on last weeks puzzles that I couldn’t print off on holidays. Not too many difficulties – didn’t know the APOLLO butterfly and only remembered the Italian chicken afterwriting it in. Thought thst his &lit clues were all good fun.
Didnt parse CANDID properly having CANDI[E]D making assumptions that E=ego.
Finished in the SW corner with ADVANCES and DRAW OFF the ladt couple in.