Amoeba – plain puzzle for S&B York 2023

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A plain puzzle (with a twist in the tail) by Amoeba – the puzzle can be downloaded from here.

The top and bottom rows of the grid spell out RHUBARB and CUSTARD – I spotted this in time for it to be some help in getting some final answers. In the notes that the setter provided for the puzzle he says this is “for no reason except my own amusement”.

Thanks to Amoeba for the puzzle.

 
Across
8 BELOW PAR Unwell, or better than expected? (5,3)
Double definition: unwell in the health sense, or a good score in golf. “Under par” might also be a solution if the crossing letters allowed it
9 KAOLIN Clay kiln managed to hold a duck (6)
A O in KILN*
10 IFFY Dodgy second judge removed (4)
JIFFY (short time, second) less J
11 UNMANNERED Strangely rude, mean, and offensive, essentially? (10)
Anagram of RUDE MEAN [a]N[d] [offe]N[sive], &lit
12 CANNON Clergyman picked up gun (6)
Homophone of “canon”
14 DISCOVER Find dance rather lacking in the end (8)
DISCO + VER[y]
15 SIT-UPS After expert’s ignored, spacesuit is prepared for exercises (3-3)
Anagram of SPACESUIT less ACE
17 GAZEBO Pavilion oddly glad of hosting Madchester star making a comeback (6)
BEZ reversed in odd letters of GlAd Of
20 STRANGLE Rum cut with a dash of lemon makes you choke (8)
L[emon] in STRANGE (rum)
22 TASSEL Former reservists retiring without decoration (6)
TA (Territorial Army, now the Army Reserve) + reverse of LESS
23 BACKHANDER Bung finance worker the Libor in the end (10)
BACK (to finance) + HAND + [th]E [Libo]R
24 DOPE Take part in sports to get an unfair advantage? (4)
DO P.E.
25 PIG OUT Eat too much pastry after back’s thrown out by painful condition (3,3)
PI[e] + GOUT
26 COSMETIC Minor firms force leaders to introduce changes (8)
COS (companies, firms) + MET (Metropolitan Police) + first letters of Introduce Changes
Down
1 RED FLAGS Warning signs as rose perhaps wilts (3,5)
RED (rose is a reddish colour) + FLAGS
2 HOLY Revered cyclist protecting Lance at first (4)
L[ance] in (Chris) HOY
3 UPTURN Rise after you heard vessel being filled with port (6)
PT (port) in U URN
4 BROMIDE Newlywed needs doctor to go back inside for sedative (7)
Reverse of MO in BRIDE
5 AKINESIA Trouble moving after a family served up top-notch stew at regular intervals (8)
A KIN + reverse of A1 S[t]E[w]
6 ROLE MODELS European method stops revolutions – others should follow their lead (4,6)
E MODE in ROLLS
7 BIREME Boat somewhat drab, I remember (6)
Hidden in draB I REmember
13 NO THANK YOU I’ll pass out on ground after admitting adultery when half-cut (2,5,3)
Half of HANKY-panky (adultery) in (OUT ON)*
16 PAGEANTS Boxers covering up degenerate tattoos (8)
AGE (to degenerate) in PANTS
18 OVERPAID Obscene rap video too highly rewarded (8)
(RAP VIDEO)*
19 VERDICT Clever dictator reserves judgement (7)
Hidden in cleVER DICTator
21 TRAGIC He leaves the Big Smoke to travel north, becoming very sad (6)
THE less HE + reverse of CIGAR
22 TERESA Woman in the creek swam out of sight occasionally (6)
Alternate letters of ThE cReEk SwAm
24 DEER Does river run? (4)
DEE (Scottish river) + R, with “does” rhyming with “toes” for the definition

5 comments on “Amoeba – plain puzzle for S&B York 2023”

  1. Sadly I couldn’t make it to York, but at least I got a taste of it with this puzzle for a leisurely Sunday solve helped by spotting the nina early on. In 17ac I did wonder if Madchester was a typo but a spot of googling highlighted my lack of education in that direction, and the answer was obvious anyway. LOI was TASSEL one I twigged the definition was simply ‘decoration’.
    Thanks, Amoeba and Andrew.

  2. Nicely done, Amoeba. I enjoyed spotting the ninas this morning, albeit too late to be enormously helpful in the solve. IFFY, UNMANNERED, PAGEANTS and VERDICT were my favourites. I am only vaguely aware of BEZ as a Thing/person – Stacia was the dancer who accompanied a band when I was in my pomp – so that went in with bit of a shrug followed by some Googling.

    Thanks Amoeba and Andrew

  3. A well-clued puzzle, I thought, and not the ‘leisurely solve’ that exit (@1) enjoyed! (It took me as long to solve as, say, each of the last three Guardian Saturday puzzles.) I struggled at the end with the intersecting pair ROLE MODELS and TASSEL.

    I had no idea of who Bez was (or Madchester, which I read as the well-known similar name until after I got the answer!).

    I particularly liked BELOW PAR, BACKHANDER, PIG OUT and PAGEANTS.

    Naturally, I missed the nina.

    Thanks to Amoeba and Andrew.

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