Phi is occupying the Friday slot during this special Platinum Jubilee weekend, although I see nothing related to this special occasion in this puzzle.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty crossword, although I was held up by three clues, at 1, 11, 21, despite having all the crossing letters in each case. I put the puzzle down for a while and when I returned to it, these remaining solutions slotted into place. Incidentally, I think that I am more familiar with APP.=apparently than AP. (at 2), and it also took a while for the penny to drop at 18.
My favourite clues today were 4, 11, 14, 16 and 22D, all for surface reading. I have noticed that all the down entries contain a double letter, which cannot have happened by chance.
I hope that we all have a few cruciverbal treats in store for us over the course of this bumper bank holiday weekend.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | FAERIE | Home of whiskey a force to be recalled in the world of spirits
EIRE (=home of whiskey, spelt the Irish way) + A + F (=force, as in RAF); “to be recalled” indicates reversal |
| 05 | CASTAWAY | Lonely figure in theatre group, having taken a deviant approach after reflection
CAST (=theatre group, i.e. actors in a play) + A + WAY (YAW=deviant approach, in sailing; “after reflection” indicates reversal) |
| 09 | SPECIMEN | Singular muscle men including one remarkable example
I (=one) in [S (=singular, in grammar) + PEC (=muscle, in chest) + MEN] |
| 10 | ADHERE | Stick instruction on magazine page layout?
Cryptically, “(put) ad here” could be “instruction on magazine page layout” |
| 11 | ANTE | Upfront cash invested in important enterprise
Hidden (“invested in”) in “importANT Enterprise”; an ante is an advance payment, hence “upfront cash” |
| 12 | HEATHROW | Passion and argument about opening of historic transport hub
H<istoric> (“opening of” means first letter only) in [HEAT (=passion) + ROW (=argument)] |
| 14 | TACHOMETER | It measures speed comet interacts with Earth
*(COMET + EARTH); “interacts with” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | ESPY | Borders of Everglades – pretty spot
E<verglade>S P<rett>Y; “borders of” means first and last letters only; to spot is to catch sight of, to espy |
| 18 | MESA | What’s evident in same repeated geographical feature?
Hidden (“what’s evident”) in “saME SAme” (“repeated” means the same word twice) |
| 19 | ORDINATION | Military men seeking the future not against one ministerial appointment
OR (=military men, i.e. other ranks) + DI<vi>NATION (=seeking the future; “not against (=V, for versus) one (=I)” means letters “vi” are dropped); the “ministerial” in the definition refers to a religious minister, not a government minister |
| 21 | GADGETRY | Doctor about to understand, surrounded by colourful collection of devices?
[GET (=to understand, twig) in DR (=doctor)] in GAY (=colourful) |
| 22 | APEX | The best copy produced by Times?
APE (=copy, imitate) + X (=times, i.e. multiplied by); the apex of something is the pinnacle of, the ultimate in |
| 24 | BODEGA | Be a predictor of good area for wine shop
BODE (=be a predictor of) + G (=good) + A (=area) |
| 25 | INEXPERT | One subsequently bringing in person without skill
PER. (=person) in [I (=one) + NEXT (=subsequently)] |
| 26 | NEWSPEAK | What the media provides – maximal language to constrain your thinking
NEWS (=what the media provides) + PEAK (=maximal, as in peak production) |
| 27 | TRENDY | Hear about result attracting lots of attention
END (=result, upshot) in TRY (=hear, in court) |
| Down | ||
| 02 | APPENDAGE | Additional item, apparently last to be carried by servant
AP. (=apparently) + [END (=last, final) in PAGE (=servant)] |
| 03 | RECCE | Survey play area and church
REC (=play area, i.e. recreation ground) + CE (=church, i.e. Church of England) |
| 04 | EMMY | TV award? One’s used to prize, though not first
<j>EMMY (=one used, by burglar, to prize (open), i.e. a crowbar); “not first” means the first letter is dropped |
| 05 | CONNECT | Study lots of computers maintaining constant link
CON (=study, scan) + [C (=constant) in NET (=lots of computers)] |
| 06 | SCATTERING | Guy investing in UK currency losing pounds, being dissipated
CAT (=guy, chap) in STER<l>ING (=UK currency; “losing pounds (=L, as in LSD)” means letter “l” is dropped) |
| 07 | ABHORRENT | Nasty bit of residue on the bar tidied up
*(R<esidue> (“bit of” means first letter only) + ON THE BAR); “tidied up” is anagram indicator |
| 08 | ARROW | Projectile taking top off mound
<b>ARROW (=mound, for burial); “taking top off” means first letter is dropped |
| 13 | IMMODERATE | Angry about male fashion being extravagant
[M (=male) + MODE (=fashion, as in à la mode)] in IRATE (=angry) |
| 15 | HEADDRESS | Capital display made by ambassador with speech
HE (=ambassador, i.e. His Excellency) + ADDRESS (=speech, oration) |
| 17 | PIONEERED | Individual tucking into flan and wine got started
ONE (=individual) in [PIE (=flat) + RED (=wine)] |
| 20 | DERRICK | Strain to support article from Berlin, prominent feature at oil-well
DER (=article from Berlin, i.e. a German word for the) + RICK (=strain, sprain) |
| 21 | GOOSE | Silly person to leave position, yielding power
GO (=leave, depart) + <p>OSE (=position, place; “yielding power (=P, in physics)” means letter “p” is dropped) |
| 22 | APPLE | Pollarded tree bearing soft fruit
P (=soft, i.e. piano, in music) in <m>APLE (=tree; “pollarded” means top, i.e. first letter, is cut off) |
| 23 | BEET | Vegetable whose production is determined by pollinator and temperature
BEE (=pollinator) + T (=temperature, in physics) |
Not long ago, Phi had a puzzle themed around Taurus the Bull and this time we have GEMINI in the middle row. I guess there must be some ‘twin’ theme lurking but I didn’t spot it. Probably be kicking myself later.
Thanks RR, your assessment sums it up perfectly for me. I had difficulties with the fiendish MESA – spent far too long looking for a repeated pair of letters, eg Haha. Clever clue.
EMMY also took me ages to spot, but that’s one of my favourites – cleverly misleading. I’d usually spell that meaning of prise with an S, but Collins gives Z as the preferred spelling, so no argument there.
And FAERIE was my LOI – hard to spot even with crossing letters in place. All fair and above board though, very nice puzzle – thanks Phi.
Widders @2: MESA beat me – I wonder how many other people went for MERE ‘hidden’ in ‘saME REpeated’ and an obvious geographical feature. So obvious, I didn’t think to question it until running into problems elsewhere in the SW as a result!
Hovis @1: I’m claiming no credit, if this is right, since I’m only connecting RR’s observation in the preamble with your guess but would the GEMINI ‘twin theme’ possibly be the repeated pairs of letters?
FAERIE, SPECIMEN, HEATHROW, ESPY, CONNECT, ABHORRENT, IMMODERATE and PIONEERED were favourites today.
Thanks Phi and RR (who must have been up early or late to post such a timely blog! 😉 )
PM – I didn’t spot MERE though it does look fairly obvious now you mention it. But it would have been ruled out for me by the A in HEADDRESS even if I had seen it.
Double letters for Gemini, for sure, so quite appropriate for RR to be on duty.
It is a long weekend here in NZ – but the first weekend of June is every year for the Queen’s Birthday holiday (Monday 6th June this year). I can’t say it had even crossed my mind when the platinum jubilee weekend was to fall.
Widders @4: it depends on which clue one solved first! Unfortunately, I ‘solved’ MERE – which made HEADDRESS harder than it should have been …
I am, as promised, now kicking myself. Every down solution has a double letter – so obvious in hindsight, as most things are I suPPose. Reminiscent of a recent episode of ‘inside no. 9’.
Hovis @7: don’t kick too hard. You broke half the back of it and RR broke the other. It took Crick and Watson for DNA, both Curies for radioactivity, Rutherford and Chadwick to discover neutrons etc etc etc
Completely passed me by too, Hovis! Didn’t even spot the Gemini.
Nice one, Phi!
Another to have missed the theme and the MESA parsing (yes, initially “mere” for me too) which in retrospect is also thematic in a way.
Seeing ‘Berlin’ in the wordplay of the clue for which DERRICK was the answer reminded me of the “Inspector Derrick” German TV series of long ago, even if I see now it was set in Munich.
Thanks to Phi and to RR
I had SPATTERING at 6D, which seems to work, at least to me it does! Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.