My experience was this started off super-easy in the top-left corner then gradually began to stiffen up as the solve progressed. Very enjoyable all the way though. Thank you Nitsy.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SWAN | Small, pale bird (4) |
| S (small) WAN (pale) | ||
| 3 | PLECTRUM | Axeman might use this initially entering copse, trying resolutely to cut tree (8) |
| first letters (initially) of Entering Copse Trying Resolutely inside (to cut) PLUM (tree) – an axe is an electric guitar | ||
| 10 | UNDER THE WEATHER | Below par when Arthur teed off – gripping end to game (5,3,7) |
| anagram (off) of WHEN ARTHUR TEED containing gamE (lat letter, end to) | ||
| 11 | DRESS CODE | Add seasoning to fish – European, posh restaurant might insist on this (5,4) |
| DRESS (add seasoning to) COD (fish) E (European) | ||
| 12 | SODA | Son – stir flipping drink! (4) |
| S (son) then ADO (stir) reversed (flipping) | ||
| 13 | ORDERLY | Well-behaved soldier (7) |
| double definition | ||
| 15 | SLOGAN | “Labour with vigour” – a new catchphrase (6) |
| SLOG (labour with vigour) A N (new) | ||
| 17 | ANYHOW | Adult who’s lost east of American city, carelessly (6) |
| A (adult) then anagram (lost) of WHO to the left of (east of, on a map) NY (American city) | ||
| 19 | AUSTERE | Gold record-player with no ordinary remote (7) |
| AU (gold, chemical symbol) then STEREo (record-player) missing O (ordinary) | ||
| 20 | FETA | Food sent back – some chocolate fudge (4) |
| found reversed (sent back) inside (some) chocolATE Fudge | ||
| 21 | REMAINDER | Cue, holding a rest (9) |
| REMINDER (cue) contains A | ||
| 24 | CROSSWORD PUZZLE | Angry talk to confuse what you’re doing? (9,6) |
| CROSS (angry) WORD (talk) PUZZLE (confuse) | ||
| 25 | DESOLATE | Bare bottoms in England are very overdue (8) |
| last letters (bottoms in) of englanD arE then SO (very) LATE (overdue) | ||
| 26 | IDLE | Unimportant fish in loch? On the contrary (4) |
| L (loch) in IDE (a fish) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SQUADRON | Queen wearing blue right next to group of soldiers (8) |
| QU (queen) inside (wearing) SAD (blue) then R (right) ON (next to) | ||
| 2 | ADDLE | Confuse movement of a duck with taking off (5) |
| wADDLE (movement of a duck) missing (taking off) W (with) | ||
| 4 | LAWLESS | Unruly large women getting in beer on ship (7) |
| L (large) then W (women) inside ALE (beer) on SS (steam ship) | ||
| 5 | CLASS CONSCIOUS | Aware of standing close to terrific girl, awake (5-9) |
| terrifiC (last letter, close to) then LASS girl and CONSCIOUS (awake) | ||
| 6 | REHYDRATE | Concerned about heat and dry? Frantically do this (9) |
| RE (about) then anagram (frantically) of HEAT and DRY – definition is semi-&lit and top-and-tails the wordplay: concerned about… …so frantically do this. | ||
| 7 | MERE | Basic in some respects (4) |
| found inside soME REspects | ||
| 8 | DRESS REHEARSAL | Don tries to break actual drill (5,9) |
| DRESS (don) then HEARS (tries) inside (to break) REAL (actual) | ||
| 9 | THEORY | Conservative welcoming the man’s idea (6) |
| TORY (Conservative) contains (welcoming) HE (the man) | ||
| 14 | DANGEROUS | Treacherous rogues and rebels (9) |
| anagram (rebels) of ROGUES AND | ||
| 16 | REPRIEVE | Rescue from deep river, swimming out of depth (8) |
| anagram (swimming) of dEEP RIVER missing (out of) D (depth) | ||
| 18 | WORK OUT | Come off train (4,3) |
| double definition – succeed and exercise | ||
| 19 | ARMADA | Group of military vessels are made at docks – every stern (6) |
| ARe MADe At missing last letters (docks every stern) | ||
| 22 | DAZED | Father adopting type of Buddhism, almost bewildered (5) |
| DAD (father) contains (adopting) ZEn (type of Buddhism, almost) | ||
| 23 | ACID | Ill-natured American police department (4) |
| A (American) and CID (police department) | ||
This setter is a regular on the DT’s Tuesday back page team where no attributions are given, so I was interested to try an offering that was definitely penned by him. One or two rather uncommon definitions used here but an enjoyable solve. Pleased with myself for remembering the ‘axeman’ and laughed out loud at 10a – but then you would have to know the Arthur I had in mind!
Thanks to Nitsy and to PeeDee for the review.
Similar experience to PeeDee for me. Much enjoyed, though I found Idle = Unimportant a bit of a stretch. Also for no valid reason entered Electrum at 3A before realising my error. Thanks Nitsy and PeeDee.
A pleasant and fairly quick solve for us with plenty to savour in the clues. We particularly liked PLECTRUM, ANYHOW, DANGEROUS and ARMADA. However, we failed on 23dn, putting in ‘iced’ (‘frosty’ might mean ‘ill-natured) as a hidden in polICE Department although we couldn’t explain the ‘American’.
Thanks, Nitsy and PeeDee.
I didn’t find this too challenging, but I did enjoy it.
I don’t understand why SLOG in 15a is described as “Labour with vigour”. Surely it is just “hard labour”?
PLECTRUM was my favourite with UNDER THE WEATHER in second place.
Many thanks to Nitsy and to PeeDee.