The puzzle can be found here.
Salutations, solvers, and a splendid Serpentine Saturday to you all. Some of these I found stiff in the parsing, although the solutions slipped in more readily than sometimes with this setter. A smattering of my favourites among some super stuff: CLUB SODA, IDLED, HARD AT IT, DIAPER and SENSE.
Seeing the first two clues, I thought we might be in for a theme to sip or slurp; instead there’s a nina (though I forgot to seek her until the cessation of the solve). Something inspired by the crosses in the grid, perhaps? See below.
So long, everyone, and thanks to Serpent!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.
Across
1a Drink drivers perhaps having trouble reversing (4,4)
CLUB SODA
CLUBS (drivers perhaps) with (having) ADO (trouble) reversing
5a Drink dispenser is returned to pub working (6)
SIPHON
IS sent back (returned) beside (to) PH (pub), then ON (working)
9a Subject without title is more likely to be seen (8)
COMMONER
A greater spotted double definition
10a Man providing service delivered by bicycle rickshaw (6)
CLERIC
Contained in (delivered by) bicyCLE RICkshaw
12a Let’s not start to look relieved (5)
EASED
[l]EASED (let) without (not) the first letter of (start to) Look
13a Firm dates must be changed when fare is withdrawn (9)
STEADFAST
DATES needs to be anagrammed (must be changed) and followed by FAST (when fare is withdrawn)
14a False lead by organised crime is not taking in detective (12)
MISDIRECTION
An anagram of (organised) CRIME IS NOT containing (taking in) DI (detective)
19a Apparently lacking in sexual magnetism (12)
UNATTRACTIVE
A cryptic definition with a play on sexual/magnetic attraction
22a Surprise greeting curtailed by tears (9)
BOMBSHELL
HELLo (greeting) without the last letter (curtailed) next to (by) BOMBS (tears)
25a Like to be located outside city (5)
LIEGE
EG (like, for example) with LIE (to be located) around (outside)
26a Make a mistake with assignment (6)
ERRAND
ERR (make a mistake) + AND (with)
27a Conceive of case for everyone saving up (8)
ENVISAGE
The outer letters of (case for) EveryonE + SAVING, all anagrammed (up)
28a Reduce amount of religious material being broadcast (6)
LESSEN
Sound like (… being broadcast) LESSON (religious material)
29a Guard transferred by train from Chicago (8)
SENTINEL
SENT IN (transferred by) EL (train from Chicago) I know from crosswords that el is short for elevated railway, and also that there’s one in Chicago; however, today I learned that the Chicago one is properly the “L”
Down
1d Prestige of expert winning hearts in court (6)
CACHET
ACE (expert) containing (winning) H (hearts), all in CT (court)
2d Last, but certainly not least, Britain must exit (6)
UTMOST
[b]UT (from the clue) + MOST (certainly not least), with the removal of B (Britain must exit)
3d What requires a combination of wind and frost? (9)
SNOWDRIFT
An anagram (combination) of the letters in WIND and FROST is required to make the answer
4d Force university to abandon formal attire (5)
DRESS
D[u]RESS (force) with U (university) to leave (to abandon)
6d Did little on vacation after a fashion? (5)
IDLED
DID and LittlE with the middle bit removed (on vacation) after a letter rearrangement (after a fashion)
7d Busy firm involved in criminal activity? (4,2,2)
HARD AT IT
HARD (firm) + AT IT (involved in criminal activity?)
8d Drug company initially trialling ibuprofen in square capsule (8)
NICOTINE
CO (company) and the first letters of (… initially) Trialling and Ibuprofen in a container of (in … capsule) NINE (square)
11d Memorised Limerick writer’s books (6)
LEARNT
LEAR (limerick writer) + NT (books, those of the New Testament)
15d Multimedia “performance” features cover of Young Americans (6)
DIAPER
MultimeDIA “PERformance” contains (features) the American word for a nappy
16d Payment to sovereign is stolen by municipal officer (5,4)
CIVIL LIST
IS inside (stolen by) CIVIL (municipal) plus LT (officer)
17d Weight of Big Ben (minus the tongue)? (4-4)
DUMB-BELL
Big Ben without its tongue (clapper) might be said to be a DUMB BELL
18d Sets aside money once used to support nobleman who’s out of line (8)
EARMARKS
MARKS (money once) following (used to support) EAR[l] (nobleman) who is missing (who’s out of) L (line)
20d Control degree qualification dons continue to present (6)
REMAIN
MA (degree qualification) goes inside (dons) REIN (control)
21d Withdrawal agreement’s beginning to sicken banks (6)
REPEAL
Agreement’s initial letter (beginning), which REPEL (to sicken) surrounds (banks)
23d Witnesses not having their wits about them lost touch? (5)
SENSE
witNESSEs not having their WITS about them, anagrammed (lost)
24d Olympic event in which swordswoman finally makes her move (5)
LUNGE
LUGE (Olympic event) in which is the last letter of (… finally) swordswomaN
Thanks for parsing of REPEAL-spotting the nina didnt help there. Great puzzle as always from Serpent.And thanks Kitty.
Chicago train? “How often to they go past?”
“So often you dont notice” Correct if wrong!
Serpent can be very devious on occasion, and this was one of those occasions, with quite a few 14s among the clues. We got everything in the end, but only after a struggle in the SE corner. Failed to spot the nina, but that was probably because we were so pleased to have finished that we didn’t bother looking.
We thought 19ac wasn’t up to this setter’s usual standard – almost a straight definition and hardly cryptic.
But we liked CLERIC and SNOWDRIFT, the latter almost &lit-ish.
Thanks, Serpent and Kitty.
Thanks Serpent, every clue a joy. I did struggle with 16d, new to me, making SE my last quadrant.
I did this puzzle after seeing it advertised on twitter – just so you know that works!
Thank you Kitty for pointing out the Nina which I missed of course (or I wouldn’t be thanking you)
Many thanks to Kitty for the excellent blog (as always) and to everyone who has taken the time to comment.
Had trouble with the SE corner yesterday, but managed to finish it this morning. I always look for a Nina when it’s a Serpent, so it was easily spotted.
Thanks to Serpent and Kitty, both of whom I spoke to at the Parcel Yard about 6 weeks ago.
Coming back to this I finished it last night with only a bit of cheating in the bottom right), something about the Nina I don’t see mentioned. As far as I can tell, there is no definite article in any of the clues. Was this so obvious that no-one bothered to mention it?
Dormouse @6, I looked for that very feature, but there is one in 17d. I’ve just checked the last Serpent puzzle – not one in that one!
Thanks Serpent, Kitty
So there is!
I look in on Serpent’s puzzles without solving, for the surfaces and general clever-clever. “Cover of young Americans” alone made it worthwhile today