A brisk solve, solidly clued and with some notably smooth surfaces.
Enjoyable midweek fare. Thanks to Orense.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DOMINION |
Academic taking in dress circle’s power (8)
|
| DO.N (‘academic’) includes MINI (‘dress’) + O (‘circle’). | ||
| 5 | AGHAST |
Content of handbag has them appalled (6)
|
| Hidden in ‘handbAG HAS Them’. | ||
| 9 | MANDARIN |
Partner with endless courage is a person of influence (8)
|
| MAN (‘partner’, as in ‘man and wife’) + DARINg (‘courage’, without end). | ||
| 10 | FINGER |
Better to accept good point (6)
|
| FIN.ER (‘better’) contains G[ood]. | ||
| 12 | SYRIA |
Society rejecting open state (5)
|
| S[ociety] + reversal of AIRY (‘open’). | ||
| 13 | INCLEMENT |
Sort of weather popular with pope? (9)
|
| IN (‘popular’) + CLEMENT (name of pope). | ||
| 14 | GLADES |
Annoying lad escaped crossing open areas (6)
|
| Contained in ‘annoyinG LAD Escaped’. | ||
| 16 | NUPTIAL |
No end of film used in planned platinum wedding (7)
|
| Anagram (‘planned’) of ‘pLATINUM’, minus M (‘end of filM’) | ||
| 19 | ROSEHIP |
Got up with it for such fruit (7)
|
| ROSE (‘got up’) + HIP (groovy, ‘with it’, baby). | ||
| 21 | PAGODA |
Trouble with space rejected for an ornamental building (6)
|
| ADO (‘trouble’) + GAP (‘space’), all reversed. | ||
| 23 | FIELD TRIP |
Expedition of file changed daughter before stumble (5,4)
|
| Anagram (‘changed’) of FILE + D + TRIP (‘stumble’). | ||
| 25 | OOMPH |
High pressure low returns giving energy (5)
|
| H[igh] + P[ressure] + MOO (to ‘low’), all reversed. Nice surface, avoiding the standard MPH. | ||
| 26 | ISOBAR |
Pressure line from one’s pub carrying oxygen (6)
|
| 1’S BAR contains O[xygen]. | ||
| 27 | DIATRIBE |
Speech from Thai bride furiously rejecting hotel (8)
|
| Anagram (‘furiously’) of ‘ThAI BRIDE’ minus H[otel]. | ||
| 28 | GUILES |
Leads, discarding diamonds for last of potential tricks (6)
|
| GUIdES (‘leads’), its D[iamonds} replaced by last of ‘potentiaL’. | ||
| 29 | PARLEYED |
Talked, watched by friend holding Republican (8)
|
| EYED (‘watched’) after PA.L containing R[epublican]. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DAMASK |
Daughter should have a face-covering material (6)
|
| D[aughter] + A + MASK (‘face covering’). | ||
| 2 | MANDRILLS |
Chap bores primates (9)
|
| MAN + DRILLS. | ||
| 3 | NYALA |
Creature from US city unfortunately docked (5)
|
| N[ew] Y[ork] + ALAs (‘unfortunately’), curtailed. | ||
| 4 | ORIGINS |
Sources of old equipment needing insurance (7)
|
| O[ld] + RIG (‘equipment’) + INS[urance]. | ||
| 6 | GUINEA PIG |
Pet subject of experimentation? (6,3)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 7 | ARGUE |
Contend fit is about right (5)
|
| A.GUE (a shivering ‘fit’) around R[ight]. | ||
| 8 | THROTTLE |
Suppress article about corruption trial, discontented (8)
|
| TH.E (‘article’) contains ROT (‘corruption’) + eviscerated TriaL. | ||
| 11 | SCAN |
Barely enough, with no time to read through (4)
|
| SCANt (‘barely enough’) without T[ime]. | ||
| 15 | DEHYDRATE |
Lose water and they dread to metamorphose (9)
|
| Anagram (‘metamorphose’) of THEY DREAD. | ||
| 17 | INDEMNIFY |
Guarantee distressed denim provided in New York (9)
|
| Anagram (‘distressed’) of DENIM + N.Y containing IF (‘provided’). | ||
| 18 | TRIFLING |
Meaningless short affair comes after endless journey (8)
|
| FLING (‘short affair’) after TRIp, without last. | ||
| 20 | PARE |
Standard finish to Rolls-Royce trim (4)
|
| PAR (‘standard’) + last of ‘rolls-roycE’. | ||
| 21 | PAPRIKA |
Father repeatedly welcoming pointless risk for spice (7)
|
| 2X PA surrounds ‘RIsK’ without S[outh] (compass ‘point’). | ||
| 22 | SHIELD |
Such defence started to hold line (6)
|
| SHIE.D (‘started’, of e.g. horses) contains L[ine]. | ||
| 24 | E COLI |
Without pressure, police fixed bug (1,4)
|
| Anagram (‘fixed’) of ‘pOLICE’ without P[ressure]. | ||
| 25 | OCTAL |
Coat left in pieces – of eight! (5)
|
| Anagram (‘in pieces’) of COAT and L[eft]. |
Stared (almost) in vain at 9a at the end, hoping I wasn’t going to have to do a modified alphabet trawl, until MANDARIN suddenly materialised. Still, managed to include an extra A not an E into an unparsed PARLEYED and therefore a DNF for a pleasant though not overly difficult puzzle.
I liked the ‘pieces – of eight!’ misdirection for OCTAL and our boring male ‘primates’ friends at 2d.
Thanks to Orense and to Grant
Finished in the NE where I slowed after an enjoyable romp through and needed help for MANDARIN/MANDRILLS. Fairly clued and fun to parse overall, my favourite was ROSEHIP.
Thanks to Orense and Grant.
ACD
Thanks to Orense and Granr. A quick solve but enjoyable. I was surprised to see NY appearing twice and I too struggled with the two MAN solutions.
Thanks Orense for the rare opportunity to complete a crossword and understand every parsing. It took awhile, however, and I was held up in the NW corner with NYALA and SYRIA the last to fall. ROSEHIP, PAGODA, and PAPRIKA were favourites. Thanks Grant for the blog.
Thanks Orense and Grant
Was able to get through this one more quickly than usual and in another of example how different the solving experience can be, MANDRILLS / MANDARIN were the second and third entry.
No real standout clues but was quite fun to work through the grid, having to come back after completion to properly parse NUPTIAL.
Finished in the NE corner with FINGER (with its well disguised definition) and ARGUE (with a lesser used ‘fit’) as the last couple in.