Mostly on the easy side with a couple of exceptions.
There might be a theme, as there seem to be quite a lot of food or plant-related items, but I'm not sure what it is.
I struggled for an eternity with 5 down – one of those clues that looks too much like container and contents. Sometimes you just have to conclude that it's impossible for the 1D interpretation to work, so it must be something else. 16A I was somewhat dubious about, as I've explained in the blog. 15A would be a tricky device for a lot of less experienced solvers.
ACROSS | ||
1 | WRAITH | Ghost is one consumed by rage (6) |
I in wrath |
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4 | HARMLESS | Husband having no weapons in safe (8) |
H{usband} + armless. Not sure anyone would ever use armless instead of unarmed to indicate having no weapons. |
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10 | RADICCHIO | Salad ingredient two hundred welcome during broadcast (9) |
CC + Hi in radio. |
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11 | SCOUR | Search scrub (5) |
DD (scour the area) |
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12 | PELT | Little piggies returned holding wolf skin? (4) |
Hidden, rev in litle piggies |
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13 | ESTIMATION | Respect valuation opinion (10) |
Triple def |
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15 | ARSENIC | As a rule Sun has nice characters upset (7) |
A r{ule} s{un} + nice*. As is the chemical symbol for arsenic. |
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16 | LICHEN | Vegetation right outside church (6) |
Lien around ch. I struggle a bit to justify lichen for vegetation. Lichen isn't a plant – it's a symbiosis of a fungus and an alga. However, both words can refer to morbid growths or rashes, so maybe you could get away with it on that. |
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19 | TALLOW | Time to get permit for rendered fat (6) |
T{ime} + allow |
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21 | OREGANO | Ecstasy in heart perhaps before love leaves (7) |
E{cstasy} (abbrev from the drug, of course) in organ + O |
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23 | LANGUOROUS | A slug on our ground is lethargic (10) |
(A slug on our)* |
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25 | BONE | Brownies regularly dropped anvil perhaps (4) |
Brownies with the even letters dropped. The anvil is a bone in the ear (proper name incus). |
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27 | ZILCH | Nick losing head following unknown love (5) |
Z(=unknown) followed by [f]ilch |
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28 | TRADEMARK | Backward arrow on e-book brand (9) |
Dart< + e-Mark (Biblical book). |
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29 | RINGSIDE | Call team to edge of fighting area (8) |
Ring + side |
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30 | PIGEON | Opine about gripping head of game bird (6) |
Opine* around g[ame] |
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DOWN | ||
1 | WORDPLAY | Promise drama and witty repartee (8) |
Word(=promise i.e. I give you my word) + drama(=play) |
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2 | ANDALUSIA | A sundial fixed by artisan initially in part of Spain (9) |
(A sundial)* + a[rtisan] |
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3 | TACK | Heads of the army caught knight in course of action (4) |
Initial letters of the army caught knight |
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5 | ASOCIAL | Disinclined to mix in a party (7) |
DD |
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6 | MISMATCHED | Mad chemist raging and discordant (10) |
(Mad chemist)* |
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7 | E COLI | Half of line covered by green bacteria (1,4) |
Li[ne] with eco on top of it. |
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8 | STRING | Swindle involving river train (6) |
Sting around r{iver} |
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9 | PHYSIC | Something healing scientist drops first (6) |
Physic[ist] |
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14 | ONSLAUGHTS | Last shogun organised attacks (10) |
(Last shogun) |
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17 | ELABORATE | Pack up before lecture becomes complicated (9) |
Bale< + orate |
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18 | MOLESKIN | 12 spots family (8) |
Moles(=type of brown spot on the skin) + kin. 12 is pelt, so this would be another type. |
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20 | WORSTED | Got the best of fine fabric (7) |
DD – to worst someone can bizarrely be the same as to best them. One of the words (cleave being another example) that can have both the same meaning and the opposite meaning. |
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21 | OCULAR | Compose carol about start of unity of vision (6) |
Carol* around u[nity] |
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22 | BLAZER | Fire republican in jacket (6) |
Blaze + r{epublican} |
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24 | NYLON | Material held by many longshoremen (5) |
Hidden in many longshoremen |
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26 | YETI | Mythical beast besides setter (4) |
Yet + I |
Thanks Vigo and Nealh
I saw 5D as a single definition ‘Disinclined to mix’ with ‘a’ + ‘social’ (party) as the wordplay. Or possibly it’s a whole-clue extended definition.
A gentle and pleasant puzzle with 15a my favourite.
Many thanks to Vigo and to Neal.
I agree it was on the easy side but I struggled to solve the anagrams at 6D and 23A. It’s funny how they sometimes leap out at you and elsewhen need much head-scratching. Thanks Vigo and Neal.
A nice ease into Monday morning. No particular favourites but I rather liked 28ac
Thanks Vigo and Nealh
loved the anagrams.. the partial anags took way longer than strictly needed …to find PIGEON.. and entirely forgot As as symbol for arsenic..
thanks Vigo n NealH
A very enjoyable solve with one or two minor hiccups along the way – sorting out the spelling of LANGUOROUS, and spotting that ‘As’ was the definition in 15ac. On the other hand RADICCHIO was a bit of a write-in, given away by 200 indicating CC.
Favourite, though was PHYSIC.
Thanks, Vigo and NealH
Thanks Neal and Vigo made a rod for my own back by writing in a different light in 1a svc wondering why i couldn’t get the top left corner to work. Doh. Generally quite easy bit like Angel on Saturday.
Svc? Umm ok try “and”.
Maybe not one of my favourite puzzles from this setter but it would be cruel to expect her to delight me with every compilation.
12a made me laugh (the grandchildren are just up to learning about the big bad wolf!) so that gets my vote today.
Thanks to Vigo and to Neal – best of festive wishes to both of you.