A typically high-quality puzzle from Alberich.
I really enjoyed this solve as there was a bit of everything in here. Alberich is a very clever, but very fair setter, who uses a range of devices exceedingly well.
It took me a while to complete the top right corner, especially the parsing of LARBOARD, which was actually pretty straightforward in the end.
Thanks, Alberich
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BRUCKNER | Outside crease, bowled extremely nimble run scorer (8) |
| Outside RUCK (“crease”), B (bowled) + [extremely] N(imbl)E + R (run)
Refers to the Austrian composer (i.e. one who writes scores, so “scorer”), Anton Bruckner (1824-96) |
||
| 5 | ASSAIL | Set about Christmas festivity without wife (6) |
| (w)ASSAIL (“Christmas activity”) without W (wife) | ||
| 9 | WASHED UP | Unsuccessful, did he support unionist party? (6-2) |
| WAS HE D.U.P? (ie was he a supporter of the Democratic Unionist Party?) | ||
| 10 | TEMPER | Harden or soften? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | REROUTED | On detour, possibly, being this? (8) |
| RE (“on”) + *(detour) [anag:possibly] | ||
| 12 | STEREO | Hi-fi component from Trieste reordered (6) |
| Hidden in [from] “trieSTE REOrdered” | ||
| 14 | FILIBUSTER | I break in to lodge by river and hold Bill up (10) |
| I + BUST (“break”) in FILE (“to lodge”) by R (river) | ||
| 18 | ABOMINABLE | A mobile ban – fantastic or awful? (10) |
| *(a mobile ban) [anag: fantastic] | ||
| 22 | DASHED | Mum comes in late, returning shattered (6) |
| SH (“mum”, as in “quiet” (“keep mum”)) comes in <=DEAD (“late”, returning) | ||
| 23 | MITIGATE | Mollify one involved in US university scandal? (8) |
| I (“one”) involved in M.I.T. (“US university”) + GATE (“scandal” as in “Watergate”) | ||
| 24 | CONFER | Losing heart, pine perhaps for award (6) |
| CON(i)FER (“pine” perhaps, losing heart, i.e. its middle letter) | ||
| 25 | SAPPHIRE | Greek poet with passion for old jewel (8) |
| SAPPH(o) (“Greek poet”) with IRE (“passion”) for (i.e. instead of) O (“love”) | ||
| 26 | PAROLE | Release pop record on the radio (6) |
| PA (“pop”) + homophone of [on the radio] ROLL (“record”) | ||
| 27 | GENERATE | Dined on fresh green produce (8) |
| ATE (“dined”) on *(green) [anag: fresh] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BEWARE | We’ll turn up in empty cave (6) |
| WE will turn up in BARE (“empty”)
“Cave” is the Latin for “beware” as in “cave canem” (“beware of the dog”) |
||
| 2 | UNSURE | Insecure nurse embarrassed about uniform (6) |
| *(nurse) [anag: embarrassed] about U (uniform) | ||
| 3 | KEEP UP | Maintain this could give you a sly look? (4,2) |
| A “peek” is a “sly look” and KEEP spelt UPwards is PEEK | ||
| 4 | ECUMENICAL | Non-sectarian English university situated in nice calm ground (10) |
| E (English) + U (university) situated in *(nice calm) [anag: ground] | ||
| 6 | SPECTRUM | Play guitar, covering most of Kiss and Rainbow (8) |
| STRUM (“play guitar”) covering [most of] PEC(k) (“kiss”) | ||
| 7 | ASPIRATE | Hook’s primary character, thus he’s remembered? (8) |
| Hook begins with H, “Hook’s primary character” is an ASPIRATE, and Captain Hook will be remembered AS a PIRATE. | ||
| 8 | LARBOARD | Left, left, then right, passing over street (8) |
| L (left) then (st)ARBOARD (“right”, passing over St. (street)) | ||
| 13 | VILLEINAGE | Small community accepts a German serf’s tenure (10) |
| VILLAGE (“small community”) accepts EIN (“a” in “German”) | ||
| 15 | HANDICAP | Help one beat disadvantage (8) |
| HAND (“help”) + I (one) + CAP (“beat”) | ||
| 16 | POISONER | Spooner’s out capturing international criminal (8) |
| *(spooner) [anag:’s out] capturing I (international) | ||
| 17 | SIDEREAL | Team – one from Madrid – of stars (8) |
| SIDE (“team”) + REAL (“one (team) from Madrid”) | ||
| 19 | DIMPLE | Idle fancy surrounding representative’s depression (6) |
| *(idle) [anag: fancy] surrounding MP (“representative”) | ||
| 20 | LA DI DA | Posh boy stands on top of mountain (2-2-2) |
| LAD (“boy”) stands on top of (Mount) IDA (“mountain”) | ||
| 21 | REVERE | Greatly admire legendary American rider (6) |
| Double definition, the second referring to American hero Paul Revere. | ||
Alberich is my favourite FT setter, so always a pleasure. The clue for ASPIRATE was brilliant. Funnily enough, I spent longer than I should parsing LARBOARD as well.
”Beware of the dog” is “cave canem” I think. Probably an autocorrect problem in 1d (always a caveat when typing).
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick.
Thanks, Hovis – now edited.
My dictionary spells 13D as VILLAINAGE” which explains why I couldn’t get the German “a”. An online search found alternative spellings.
Thanks, loonapick. I agree with your preamble,except that it was the bottom left corner that held me up longest.
My favourites today were FILIBUSTER, SAPPHIRE, ECUMENICAL, VILLEINAGE – for both construction and surface – ABOMINABLE for making me smile and POISONER for not being a Spoonerism. 😉
Many thanks, as ever, to Alberich- I really enjoyed it.
Oh dear. I was so certain that 11ac was UNROOTED that I simply couldn’t finish the excellent NW corner. So thanks, Alberich, for your usual excellence, and loonapick for the hard work.
I couldn’t work out LARBOARD, being stuck on trying to fit in ‘road’ for ‘street’.
I liked the ‘scorer’ at 1a, the non-Spoonerism at 16d and my last in, FILIBUSTER. I didn’t know the reference to IDA as a ‘mountain’ and new word learnt today: VILLEINAGE.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick.
Had the same experience as Hornbeam as *ONDETOUR= UNROOTED thus making 1d almost impossible to crack but had to think of the other meanings of ‘cave’ then the penny finally dropped. LOI 1ac.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick. A clever and very enjoyable puzzle with which I made headway in the morning then finished at the end of the day. I liked the non–spoonerism Spooner but struggled with ASSAIL, ASPIRATE, and TEMPER.
1d (that I did not get) and 7d were brilliant
Thanks Alberich and loonapick
Entertaining puzzle as usual from this setter which took several sessions on a day that wasn’t feeling well and concentration span was lacking. Nevertheless was able to finish it with only LARBOARD not properly parsed.
A good variety of clue devices, including the unSpoonerism clue at 16d, that kept things interesting throughout the solve. Found that the definition would pop out quite quickly and then had to spend time working out the how bit. Was interested to see the appearance of Mt IDA at 20d – used to be a very popular crossword term that I hadn’t seen for a long time.
Finished in the NE corner with that LARBOARD, the very clever ASPIRATE and TEMPER (interesting the number of words that can have the opposite meanings) as the last few in.