A relatively easy end to the workweek with this offering from NEO.
FF: 8 DD: 6
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MOHAIR |
Doctor brought to hospital bearing material (6)
|
| MO ( doctor ) H ( hospital ) AIR ( bearing ) | ||
| 4 | APERITIF |
Rampaging pirate provided opening shot (8)
|
| [ PIRATE ]* IF ( provided ) | ||
| 9 | TAMED |
Bit about yours truly being reined in (5)
|
| TAD ( bit ) around ME ( yours truly ) | ||
| 10 | OVERSIGHT |
Innocent mistake concerning vision (9)
|
| OVER ( concerning ) SIGHT ( vision ) | ||
| 11 | ARSENIC |
As in Racine’s rationale that’s read backwards? (7)
|
| hidden reversed in “..raCINE’S RAtionale..”; chemical symbol for arsenic is As | ||
| 12 | INTERIM |
Temporary home: one having to call round (7)
|
| IN ( home ) [ TERM ( call ) around I ( one ) ] | ||
| 13 | OPEN |
Honest about middling writer? (4)
|
| O ( abOut, middle ) PEN ( writer ) | ||
| 14 | BADLY-OFF |
Poor boy! Lad shattered by fines! (5- 3)
|
| [ BOY LAD ]* FF ( fines ) | ||
| 17 | DEAD DUCK |
Hopeless plan to take late dip? (4,4)
|
| DEAD ( late ) DUCK ( dip ) | ||
| 19 | TRIO |
Trend initially used by City Group (4)
|
| T ( Trend, initially ) RIO ( city ) | ||
| 22 | ONTARIO |
On air to broadcast in Canadian province (7)
|
| [ ON AIR TO ]* | ||
| 24 | NOSEBAG |
What could feed Brummel’s horse, for Spooner? (7)
|
| spoonerism of [ BEAU’S ( brummel’s, referring to beau brummel, socialite frmo late 1700’s ) NAG ( horse ) ]; solved the clue but had to look up the brummel connection | ||
| 25 | MARMALADE |
Horse carrying disease endlessly spread (9)
|
| MARE ( horse ) containing MALADy ( disease, endlessly ) | ||
| 26 | BRAIN |
One used to think of black cats and dogs (5)
|
| B ( black ) RAIN ( ~ cats and dogs ) | ||
| 27 | TELLTALE |
Swiss legend possibly revealing secrets! (8)
|
| cryptic def; TELL referring to william TELL , legend = TALE; double def usage of ‘legend’ as both a noun and an adjective | ||
| 28 | CREDIT |
Acknowledge deferred payment (6)
|
| double def | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | METHANOL |
Hotel man mixed something dangerous for drinker! (8)
|
| [ HOTEL MAN ]* | ||
| 2 | HOMESTEAD |
Some hated building this house (9)
|
| [ SOME HATED ]* | ||
| 3 | IODINE |
I love to consume food and antiseptic (6)
|
| I O ( love ) DINE ( consume food ) | ||
| 5 | POETIC LICENSE |
Freedom for Simon Armitage? (6,7)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 6 | RISOTTO |
Meal is too much served in rhino’s hide (7)
|
| [ IS OTT ( too much, Over The Top ) ] in RO ( RhinO’s hide, end characters ) | ||
| 7 | TIGER |
Aggressive performer good in row (5)
|
| G ( good ) in TIER ( row ) | ||
| 8 | FATIMA |
Handsome caliph: second male out for prophet’s daughter (6)
|
| FAT ( handsome ) IMAm ( caliph, without the second M – male ) | ||
| 10 | ONCE AND FOR ALL |
Finally describing unique public statement? (4,3,3,3)
|
| cryptic def; ONCE ( ~ unique ) AND { FOR ALL ( ~public ) } | ||
| 15 | FIREBRAND |
Agitator in East London ready with complex brief (9)
|
| [ BRIEF ]* RAND ( ready { money } in east london { south african port } ) | ||
| 16 | DOUGHNUT |
Money head needed for cake (8)
|
| DOUGH ( money ) NUT ( cake ) | ||
| 18 | ABREAST |
Level area next to Bristol? (7)
|
| A ( area ) BREAST ( bristol ) | ||
| 20 | FORMAT |
Presentation intended to reach China shortly (6)
|
| FOR ( intended ) MATe ( china, cockney rhyme, shortly i.e. without last letter ) | ||
| 21 | ISOBAR |
Front line? (6)
|
| cryptic def; front as in weather front | ||
| 23 | TYROL |
Property roll includes Alpine region (5)
|
| hidden in “properTY ROLl..”, austrian state |
Thanks Neo and Turbolegs
Also found this very much at the easier end of this setter’s difficulty spectrum. Usually I find his clues crisply defined, but struggled to pair up the definition of one of them today – imam / caliph (reckon there’s a bit of difference in their pay grades). I did like the idea and surface of the clue all of the same. Liked the cryptically defined ISOBAR at 21d.
Had 5d more of an &lit clue, once I’d learnt who Simon Armitage was, that is.
Finished in the SE corner with CREDIT (neat double definition), DOUGHNUT and TRIO (which wasn’t as hard as I made it out to be).
Morning Bruce. I am not mistake-proof unfortunately, but Collins backs me up on this one with definition 2 under IMAM, ‘a caliph, as leader of a Muslim community’. Re Armitage yes, it was an effort at a cd.
Cheers, and thanks to Turbolegs ‘n’ all.
I reckon it’s the difference between Imam and imam.
Enjoyable while it lasted, with yet another appearance of chemical element of the month @ 11a
Thanks to Neo for the fun and Turbolegs for the blog
Unpretentious and enjoyable. Ta
Poetic licence, surely?
Thanks for the blog, a lot of neat and sound clues.
Very minor quibble, a FRONT and an ISOBAR are not the same. Isobars will often be perpendicular to a front.
How is BRISTOL breast?
Ong’ara @8
It’s Cockney rhyming slang: Bristol City – titty – breast.
I had LICENCE rather than LICENSE although Collins lists both, with a note that LICENSE is American usage. Anyone else try the WONGANUT cake?
Oh, I see, Gaufrid, thanks for the titties, he he
Thanks Neo, that was fun. I was able to get all the correct solutions but I needed Turbolegs to understand ABREAST, FIREBRAND, ARSENIC, ( I forgot the chemical symbol), and RISOTTO, not knowing OTT as over the top. Favourites included MOHAIR, BRAIN, and DOUGHNUT. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog, it was quite helpful today.
Late to the party as I didn’t start this till after 11pm, but all fairly straightforward apart from bunging in an unparsed ‘margarine’ at 25ac till 10dn showed me the error of my ways.
A bit of a chemical theme, maybe, with ARSENIC, IODINE and METHANOL?
Thanks, Neo and Turbolegs
Re Simon S and john-dun, yes it was sent in as LICENCE, being the noun and not the verb (in English English, at any rate).
Thanks Neo and Turbolegs. The printed solution shows LICENCE in 5dn.