The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28339.
I think Vulcan is now hitting the right notes for the Monday slot, after a shaky start as a Rufus tribute (and picking up on what I found as his less admirable traits). Not difficult by Guardian standards, but amusing and a pleasant solve.
| ACROSS | ||
| 4 | SOMBRE | Most of broad hat is dark (6) |
| A subtraction: SOMBRE[ro] (‘broad hat’) minus the last two letters (‘most of’). Of course, the two words are closely related. | ||
| 6 | SUNLIGHT | Paper not serious, but it’s illuminating (8) |
| A charade of SUN (UK tabloid, ‘paper’) plus LIGHT (‘not serious’). | ||
| 9 | BARFED | Given a pub meal, brought it all up (6) |
| BAR FED (‘given a pub meal’). I did not know that this synonym for “worshipped at the porcelain altar” had crossed the Atlantic. | ||
| 10 | FLIP-FLOP | In light footwear, turn and throw oneself down (4-4) |
| A charade of FLIP (‘turn’) plus FLOP (‘throw oneself down’). | ||
| 11 | ROLLER-SKATE | Waves to girl having to wheel herself along (6-5) |
| A charade of ROLLERS (‘waves’) plus KATE (‘girl’). ‘Herself’ is there just because of ‘girl’. | ||
| 15 | CONTACT | Meeting man in prison with sensitivity (7) |
| A charade of CON (‘man in prison’) plus TACT (‘sensitivity’). | ||
| 17 | ANY MORE | One army shattered: are there others? (3,4) |
| An anagram (‘shattered’) of ‘one army’. | ||
| 18 | DO ONE’S WORST | Be thoroughly malicious and toss one word out (2,4,5) |
| An anagram (‘out’) of ‘toss one word’. | ||
| 22 | AQUARIUM | Where to see all sorts, from angels to zebras? (8) |
| Cryptic definition, with ‘angel’ and ‘zebra’ being kinds of fish. | ||
| 23 | EXCISE | XII, say, to cut out (6) |
| Sounds like (‘say’) ‘XII’, with II as plural Is. | ||
| 24 | HARD AT IT | Insensitive, a singer working intensely (4,2,2) |
| A charade of HARD (‘insensitive’) plus ‘a’ plus TIT (bird, ‘singer’). | ||
| 25 | ANTRIM | An orderly area of the UK (6) |
| A charade of ‘an’ plus TRIM (‘orderly’), for the County in Northern Ireland. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BREEZE | Sort of block an easy task (6) |
| Double definition (although the first is more an allusion). | ||
| 2 | PULLS A FACE | Grimaces — does more than tweak a nose! (5,1,4) |
| Definition and – what? Something, anyway. | ||
| 3 | SLIPPERY | Awkward to walk on, like a light shoe? (8) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 4 | SUBTRACT | Take off in boat over region (8) |
| A charade of SUB (marine, ‘boat’) plus (‘over’, in a down light) TRACT (‘area’). Huge tracts of land. | ||
| 5 | MARBLING | Spoil jewellery, adding mottled effect (8) |
| A charade of MAR (‘spoil’) plus BLING (‘jewellery’). | ||
| 7 | GALA | Legal arguments shortened festival (4) |
| A hidden answer (‘shortened’ – unusual, but why should it not indicate shortening at both ends?) in ‘leGAL Arguments’. | ||
| 8 | TAPE | Record that’s broken at end of race (4) |
| Double definition, the first as a verb. | ||
| 12 | SET TO MUSIC | For singer, maybe, arrange costume — it’s to be altered (3,2,5) |
| An anagram (‘to be altered’) of ‘costume its’. | ||
| 13 | COURTIER | Wooer captivates one lady-in-waiting (8) |
| An envelope (‘captivates’) of I (‘one’) on COURTER (‘wooer’). | ||
| 14 | LENT TERM | Period when one learns fast? (4,4) |
| Cryptic definition. It translates as Hilary Term. | ||
| 16 | ALDERMAN | Councillor alarmed has to change name (8) |
| A charade of ALDERMA, an anagram (‘has to change’) of ‘alarmed’; plus N (‘name’). | ||
| 19 | WAXING | Getting larger waterproofing (6) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 20 | WASH | Wife remains clean (4) |
| A charade of W (‘wife’) plus ASH (‘remains’). | ||
| 21 | PURR | Sound pleased to turn up with expensive motor (4) |
| A charade of PU, a reversal (‘to turn’) of ‘up’ plus RR (Rolls Royce, ‘expensive motor’). | ||
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