A pleasing puzzle from Italicus to go with the Sunday morning coffee.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Lunatic presided over trial, having rejected coroner’s conclusion
HEADCASE
HEA[R]D CASE
5 Dormant snake seen outside shelter
ASLEEP
An insertion of LEE in ASP. The insertion indicator is ‘seen outside’.
10 Relative value of empty apartment in city
RATIO
An insertion of AT for the outside letters of ‘apartment’ in RIO. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
11 Workman caught a tenant embracing Penny
CARPENTER
A charade of C, A and an insertion of P in RENTER. The insertion indicator is ’embracing’.
12 Awkward line in drama about ordinary company department
MALADROIT
An insertion of L in (DRAMA)* followed by O and IT for a ‘company department’. The insertion indicator is ‘in’; the anagrind is ‘about’.
13 King starts to notice an extremely versatile villain
KNAVE
A charade of K, N and A for the initial letters of ‘notice’ and ‘an’, and VE for the outside letters of ‘versatile’. He must be a villain, because he stole the tarts.
14 French article about strange, retiring creatures
LEMURS
An insertion of RUM reversed in LES for one of the French words for ‘the’. The insertion indicator is ‘about’.
15 Agitated rugby fan initially ran away
RUFFLED
A charade of RU, F for the initial letter of ‘fan’ and FLED.
18 Liberated Union State with adequate education
UNYOKED
A charade of U, NY, OK and ED.
20 His Excellency leaves infidels’ capital
ATHENS
[HE]ATHENS
22 Illustration detailed embryo’s last stage of development
IMAGO
A charade of IMAG[E] and O for the final letter of ’embryo’.
24 Dazzle female with vintage eyewear
BLINDFOLD
A charade of BLIND, F and OLD.
25 Earl captivated by original Mona Lisa’s enigmatic features
ANOMALIES
An insertion of E in (MONA LISA)* The insertion indicator is ‘captivated’ and the anagrind is ‘original’.
26 Records of victory in year fifty
VINYL
A charade of V, IN, Y and L for the Roman numeral.
27 Endeavour to squeeze butt in
TRENDY
An insertion of END in TRY. The insertion indicator is ‘to squeeze’.
28 Condemns European resistance movement about obstructing detective
DEPLORES
An insertion of E, PLO for the Palestine Liberation Organisation and RE in DS for ‘Detective Sergeant’. The insertion indicator is ‘obstructing’.
Down
1 Rushes around married women’s lodgings in Brunei
HAREMS
An insertion of M in HARES. The insertion indicator is ‘around’. Historically, a HAREM was part of a Muslim household; Brunei is an Islamic state. But whether Brunei is particularly renowned for harems these days, I know not.
2 Gunners indisposed to block supply route
ARTILLERY
An insertion of ILL in ARTERY. The insertion indicator is ‘to block’.
3 Deciphering incomplete code could unlock a utopian realm
CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND
(COD[E] COULD UNLOCK A)* with ‘deciphering’ as the anagrind.
4 Clergymen discovered hiding in ship’s quarters
SECTORS
An insertion of [R]ECTOR[S] in SS for ‘ship’. The insertion indicator is ‘hiding in’.
6 Arbitrarily develop this fake reaction to someone’s appearance
SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
(DEVELOP THIS FAKE)* with ‘arbitrarily’ as the anagrind.
7 Run from sex trafficker
EXTRA
Hidden in sEX TRAfficker. Think cricket.
8 Forecasts result in flipping bad mood
PORTENDS
An insertion of END in STROP reversed. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
9 Large hole right below chest
CRATER
A charade of CRATE and R.
16 Proprietor of farm, say, left warden no alternative
LANDOWNER
A charade of L and (WARDEN NO)* with ‘alternative’ as the anagrind.
17 Thoughtful type has drink in a theatre
RUMINANT
A charade of RUM, IN, A and NT for the [National] Theatre.
19 Ruins two upstanding teachers
DEBRIS
A reversal (‘upstanding’, since it’s a down clue) of SIR and BED for Bachelor of Education.
20 Nasal sound is audible in question
AT ISSUE
A homophone (‘is audible’) of ATISHOO!
21 Twisted attorney suppressing perverse lust for 18-year-olds?
ADULTS
A reversal of DA followed by an anagram of (LUST)* The anagrind is ‘perverse’.
23 Make reparations in agreement
ATONE
To be ‘in agreement’ is to be AT ONE.
Many thanks to Italicus for this Sunday’s puzzle.
Thanks, Italicus and Pierre. Enjoyed the puzzle and the blog.
My kind of crossword (and blog). Liked VINYL and TRENDY but the clues were all entertaining andf consumately parsed with a quotidian vocabulary. Thanks.
Nothing too difficult and great fun from start to finish with TRENDY my favourite.
Thanks to Italicus and to Pierre.
I liked TRENDY, ANOMALIES and the crossword and blog as a whole. Thanks.
Very enjoyable and not too difficult, a typically pleasant Sunday morning puzzle.
I particularly liked the unintentionally topical RUFFLED (I was after the disgraceful decision to send off Freddie Steward yesterday) ADULTS and ATONE.
Many thanks Italicus and Pierre.
Ref HAREMS, there are lots of reports from the more salacious press from around 2019 referencing the 40 strong harem maintained by the ‘playboy brother’ of the Sultan of Brunei. Though, as far as I can tell, reference was being made to the ladies in question, rather than to their accommodation.
What Sofamore @2 said. The past week has had several puzzles that were outside my wavelength, so it was nice to have one that meshed with my abilities. Thanks to Italicus and Pierre!
Good fun from Italicus so many thanks to him and to the birdless Pierre for the review.
Top answers for me were RUFFLED, IMAGO, TRENDY & SPEAK OF THE DEVIL.
This certainly went in very quickly, with only a couple delaying me at the end.
Liked CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND (Nephelokokkygia), from Aristophanes’ comedy The Birds, but not the people who have used it:
Margaret Thatcher, Bernard Ingham, Ann Widdecombe, Newt Gingrich. No fun there.
And they can’t seem to agree on how to spell it – with spaces, one hyphen or two.
I think The Lightning Seeds got it right – all one word:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudcuckooland_(album)
Aristophanes didn’t have hyphens. 🙂
Thanks I & P