A puzzle full of intricate wordplay from Italicus.
The surface readings were uniformly smooth and the clues were often cleverly misleading. For example 18 and 21 both had the word “in” but in neither case was it a containment indicator.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MIRACULOUS | Our claim about America is extraordinary (10) |
| (Our claim)* + US | ||
| 6 | SPUR | Goad retreating rugby players heartlessly (4) |
| (RU (Rugby Union, a form of rugby) + p[layer]s)< | ||
| 10 | ISSUE | Is girl put out? (5) |
| Is + Sue | ||
| 11 | OFF THE PEG | Article by bad penny, say, intended for mass market (3-3-3) |
| The(=article) next to off(=bad) + p{enny} + e.g.(=say) | ||
| 12 | PRATFALL | Planned trip with publicity ace some time before autumn (8) |
| PR (=public relations) + a{ce} + t[ime] + fall. This would be a trip in the sense of tripping over deliberately. | ||
| 13 | EARLS | Touring centre of Chelsea, Cockney picks up posh types (5) |
| ‘Ears around (touring) [che]l[sea] | ||
| 15 | ANISEED | A rum needs to capture island flavour (7) |
| A + needs* around I{sland} | ||
| 17 | SLITHER | Start to study more sinuous snake (7) |
| S[tudy] + lither (i.e. more lithe). Snake here would be used as a verb. | ||
| 19 | FITTING | It appears in newspaper popular with German right (7) |
| It in FT + in + G{erman} | ||
| 21/1D | PARLOUR MAID | Spooner’s composer gave money to servant (7,4) |
| Spoonerism of “Mahler paid”. | ||
| 22 | ANDES | Range of canned peas oddly reduced (5) |
| Even letters of canned peas | ||
| 24 | SHOWDOWN | Doctor who’s on deck for decisive engagement (8) |
| Who’s* + down(=on deck in the sense of being on the deck i.e. on the ground). | ||
| 27 | ASCERTAIN | Verify a small particular (9) |
| A s{mall} certain | ||
| 28 | MANGE | Roman general contracted disease (5) |
| Hidden in roman general | ||
| 29 | TATA | Good-bye to All That author’s initials (2-2) |
| Initial lettes of t[o] a[ll] t[hat] a[uthor]. Goodbye to All That is a real book, which was an autobiography of Robert Graves (best known for I, Claudius). | ||
| 30 | EPOXY RESIN | Irene’s wasted, having injected lousy chemical substance (5,5) |
| Irenes* around poxy | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | See 21 Across | |
| 2 | RESTRAINT | Others rave about one’s self-control (9) |
| Rest + rant about I | ||
| 3 | CLEFT | Split from leader of Champagne socialists (5) |
| C[hampagne] + left | ||
| 4 | LEOTARD | Gyrating part of body in fat dancer’s costume (7) |
| Toe< in lard | ||
| 5 | UNFOLDS | Mysterious aircraft maintains bearing over lake, detective reveals (7) |
| UFO around N{orth} + l{ake} + DS(=Detective Sergeant) | ||
| 7 | PIPER | Musician from Portugal appearing in seaside venue (5) |
| P{ortugal} in pier | ||
| 8 | REGISTRARS | Doctors, engineers and soldiers run into sailors (10) |
| RE(=Royal Engineers) + GIs + r{un} into tars | ||
| 9 | CHEESIER | Comparatively stinking rich see poor engulfing earth (8) |
| (Rich see)* around e{arth} | ||
| 14 | MALFEASANT | Villain beat up a knight, gatecrashing banquet (10) |
| Lam< + feast around a N(=knight in chess). | ||
| 16 | EMISSARY | Representative from record company’s claim about Queen (8) |
| EMI’s + say around R(=regina) | ||
| 18 | HOODWINKS | Fools outlaw whiskey in Kansas (9) |
| Hood + w{hiskey} + in + KS | ||
| 20 | GAS LAMP | Light from space enveloping second city on mountain (3,4) |
| Gap around (s{econd} + LA + m{ountain}) | ||
| 21 | PHOENIX | It symbolises rebirth of hope in troubled times (7) |
| (Hope + in)* + X(=times, as in multiply). | ||
| 23 | DUCAT | Coin another term for school with no restrictions (5) |
| [E]ducat[e] | ||
| 25 | DEMUR | Curious journalist raised objection (5) |
| (Rum ed)< | ||
| 26 | BEAN | Very little money for food (4) |
| DD (as in “I haven’t got a bean”). | ||
*anagram
Enjoyed this although it was a very quick solve.
For 24a, I took “deck” = “down” in the verbal sense.
Thanks to Italicus and Neal.
Very good but don’t like m = mountain at 20D. I suppose it’s in one of the dictionaries but who can honestly say they’ve abbreviated mountain to m? Always Mt in English surely. But thanks anyway to Italicus for the fun and NealH for the blog.
I found this quite challenging in parts but really enjoyable with lots of inventive cluing and definitions.
I agree with Tatrasman @2 about M =/ mountain. It is in neither Collins on-line not Chambers.
Many thanks to Italicus and to NealH.
CORRECTION to @3. It is in neither Collins on-line nor Chambers
M for mountain is in my Collins (upper case M) but not in my Chambers.
Found this quite tough in places and the odd clue (eg 20d) overly complicated, but a most enjoyable solve.
24&27a plus 21d were the top three here.
Thanks to Italicus and to NealH for the blog.
We didn’t find this too difficult and completed it unaided. We did raise our eyebrows over M for mountain but, like Hovis, found it in our Collins; we also wondered about P for Portugal, thinking it should be pt – but we were thinking of the internet domain rather than the IVR.
Favourite was 17ac for the alliteration.
Thanks, Italicus and NealH