A brisk solve, clearly clued.
A fleeting pleasure. Thanks, Gurney.
| Across | ||
| 1 | STRATEGIST | One planning to have desserts sent back, say, at first (10) |
| Reversal of TARTS + EG + 1ST. | ||
| 6 | SPAT | Dad in street quarrel (4) |
| PA in ST[reet]. | ||
| 9 | EXPLICABLE | Possible to understand partner of old, flexible about contact initially (10) |
| EX (‘partner of old’) + PLI.ABLE around C[old]. | ||
| 10 | BLUE | Unhappy Tory (4) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 12 | HORTICULTURE | New court rule hit growers’ work (12) |
| Anagram (‘new’) of COURT RULE HIT. | ||
| 15 | APOLOGIST | One defending a game point (9) |
| A + POLO + GIST. | ||
| 17 | BLIMP | Reactionary officer’s airship (5) |
| Double def, ref ‘Colonel Blimp’. | ||
| 18 | ANKLE | Annoyed jacket is taken off in joint (5) |
| rANKLEd without exterior letters. | ||
| 19 | THROTTLES | Features of engines, extremely tough, dry in parts (9) |
| ToughH, eviscerated, + TT (‘dry’) in RO.LES (‘parts’). | ||
| 20 | INTERMISSION | Pause winter job, wife’s away (12) |
| wINTER MISSION without W[ife]. | ||
| 24 | OWNS | Admits one was needing support first of all (4) |
| 1st letters of words 2-5. | ||
| 25 | SIDE STREET | Unexpectedly test desire in minor way? (4,6) |
| Anagram (‘unexpectedly’) of TEST DESIRE. | ||
| 26 | SASH | Band of distinction, say, describing some windows (4) |
| Double def, although, strictly, I’m told, all windows have sashes: some slide. | ||
| 27 | ENUMERATOR | A remote run upset census worker (10) |
| Anagram (‘upset’) of A REMOTE RUN. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SHED | Quiet newspaper man in small building (4) |
| SH (‘quiet’) + ED[itor]. | ||
| 2 | ROPE | Cord somewhat retro perhaps (4) |
| Hidden in ‘retRO PErhaps’. | ||
| 3 | TRIGONOMETRY | Unfortunate tyro with grim tone describing branch of mathematics? (12) |
| Anagram (‘unfortunate’) of TYRO + GRIM TONE. | ||
| 4 | GRANT | Financial support for Hugh maybe (5) |
| Double def. Goes straight into the collection of clues for my name. | ||
| 5 | SOLICITOR | Very much legal – otherwise I may be called in? (9) |
| SO + LICIT + OR w cryptic def. | ||
| 7 | PELLUCIDLY | In very clear manner clued “pill” in new way, easy ultimately (10) |
| Anagram (‘in a new way’) of CLUED PILL + end of ‘easY’. | ||
| 8 | THE TEMPEST | Time man met upcoming nuisance –drama as a result! (3,7) |
| T[ime] + HE (‘man’) + reversal of MET + PEST (‘nuisance’). | ||
| 11 | GLOBETROTTER | Traveller ruined goblet – despicable person! (12) |
| Anagram (‘ruined’) of GOBLET then ROTTER. | ||
| 13 | CALAMITOUS | Aims a clout – out of order, disastrous (10) |
| Anagram of AIMS A CLOUT. | ||
| 14 | BOOKSTANDS | These provide reading matter as reserve runs for Parliament (10) |
| BOOK (‘reserve’) + STANDS (‘runs for parliament’). | ||
| 16 | INTUITION | Home schooling that seems right (9) |
| IN (‘home’) + TUITION (‘schooling’). | ||
| 21 | STEAM | Old-fashioned uncle accepting note (5) |
| Uncle SAM around TE. | ||
| 22 | NEWT | Small creature not seen before tantalises at outset (4) |
| NEW (‘not seen before’) + 1st of ‘Tantalises’). | ||
| 23 | STAR | Celebrity’s disdainful expression on way up (4) |
| RATS reversed upwards. | ||
*anagram
I agree with Grant’s words exactly. Someone will quibble about 21dn STEAM, but for me it slotted in automatically. Thanks Gurney and GB.
I agree with Grant’s words, but did wince at STEAM.
Thanks Grant & Gurney.
STEAM as old-fashioned is a first-class albeit facetious definition in Chambers.
‘Steam’ did give me pause, though not for the def (I routinely refer to my old-fashioned instruments which you can”t plug into anything as ‘steam’ guitar and piano).
But ‘uncle’ is somewhat unspecific. In the spirit of this puzzle, the insertion of, say, ‘American’ – sending us all wild-goose-chasing for ‘A’ or ‘US’ – would perhaps have legitimised the ‘uncle’ bit. Still, we needed a bit more head-scratching today, so no complaints from me.
Many thanks to both. This is the first time I have tried a puzzle by this setter so was pleasantly surprised. All very straightforward so no quibbles. Yes, STEAM did make me look twice but it is in Chambers and I have used it the way you suggest Grant.
Um, there is the odd strange bit of typesetting in the blog Grant.
Thanks to Gurney and Grant. I’ve never come across STEAM in that sense and did not parse SOLICITOR but much enjoyed this puzzle.
To Mystogre @5:
Do please specify yr probs with the typography. Doubtless there are a coupla typos but it looks more-or-less alright this end. Always happy to clarify things…
Minor correction: 9A “c” comes from “contract initially”. Accidentally repeated old.
Late to this party but I had a great time solving this gem by Gurney. Favorites were 18a and 8d. Did not get STEAM nor did I understand BOOKSTANDS until Grant explained it. Thanks to both.
Thanks Gurney and Grant
Seemed a lot gentler than the normal puzzle served up by this setter and although finished quite quickly, was still very enjoyable. Had no idea about that definition of STEAM and could not find it in the dictionaries that I usually use.
The only deliberate error that I saw in the blog was the underlining of ‘otherwise’ in 6d which is the OR of the wordplay. I wonder if Mystogre is mixed up with your insertion . in explanation.
Finished with APOLOGIST and BOOKSTANDS.
Many thanks for the blog, Grant, and many thanks also to those who commented.
STEAM, which seems to have given most difficulty, is in Collins dictionary, which is available free on-line, defined as “old-fashioned” (humorous) with the example “steam radio” which I’ve certainly heard a few times in real life.