ZAMORCA kicks off the week…
A nice Monday morning puzzle, and a pangram to boot!
Thanks ZAMORCA!
ACROSS
1. Liberal backing secures unionist party development (5,2)
BUILD UP
((LIB)< (liberal, <backing) secures U (unionist)) + DUP (party)
5. Teams of 4 kids chasing first spot (6)
SQUADS
QUADS (4 kids) chasing S[pot] (first)
8. Fossil fuel supplier and oilman offset carbon ahead of energy reading (4,5)
COAL MINER
((OILMAN)* (*offset), C (carbon) ahead) + E (energy) + R (reading)
9. Ringing family at weekend (5)
CLANK
CLAN (family) at the [wee]K (end)
11. Comes close to crying heading off after final production (5)
NEARS
[t]EARS (crying, heading off) after [productio]N (final)
12. Setter defeated by computer technology? (2,5,2)
IT BEATS ME
I.T. BEATS ME (setter defeated by computer technology)
13. Drink’s provided following weary Dad’s return (8)
APERITIF
IF (provided) following (TIRE (weary) + PA (dad))< (<return)
15. Suitable for all to have one day on horseback in the country (6)
UGANDA
U (suitable for all) to have (A (one) + D (day) on NAG (horse))< (<back)
17. Detective to take legal action about son’s neglect (6)
DISUSE
DI (detective) + (SUE (take legal action) about S (son))
19. Cruelly ready to puncture mother’s reverie (8)
DAYDREAM
(READY)* (*cruelly) to puncture DAM (mother)
22. Representing Iceni over-simply is wrong (9)
INJUSTICE
(ICENI)* (*representing) over JUST (simply)
23. Stings best treated without iodine (5)
BITES
(BEST)* (*treated) without I (iodine)
24. Tube’s outside university accommodation (5)
HOUSE
HOSE (tube) outside U (university)
25. Scottish island copper finally arrested a big fish (9)
BARRACUDA
BARRA (Scottish island) + CU (copper) + [arreste]D (finally) + A
26. Difficult for seabird having tiny wings (6)
KNOTTY
KNOT (seabird) having T[in]Y (wings)
27. Applied to have old tree chopped down (7)
EXERTED
EX (old) + (TREE)* (*chopped) + D (down)
DOWN
1. Bar, welcoming business in Kentish Town, provides breakfast fare (5,8)
BACON SANDWICH
(BAN (bar) welcoming CO (business)) + SANDWICH (Kent(ish) town)
2. Bewildered by naiad sporting with Zeus? Not half! (2,1,4)
IN A DAZE
(NAIAD)* (*sporting) with ZE[us] (not half)
3. Gets rid of politician involved in endless smut (5)
DUMPS
MP (politician) involved in DUS[t] (smut, endless)
4. Tentatively plan writer abridging a bit of dialogue at the end of chapter one (6,2)
PENCIL IN
PEN (writer) + (LIN[e] (a bit of dialogue, abridging) at the end of (C (chapter) + I (one)))
5. Washes medic’s uniform (6)
SCRUBS
6. Unmoved, international organisation has conservative suspended (9)
UNCHANGED
UN (international organisation) has C (conservative) + HANGED (suspended)
7. Dead issue absorbing tabloid is going on too long (5,2)
DRAGS ON
(D (dead) + SON (issue)) absorbing RAG (tabloid)
10. Very eager to have newly unmasked star hosting episode’s finale (4,2,7)
KEEN AS MUSTARD
(UNMASKED STAR)* (*newly) hosting [episod]E (finale)
14. Pressing hospital department to support organised sit-ins (9)
INSISTENT
ENT (hospital department) to support (SIT INS)* (*organised)
16. Happy going round Spain without a vehicle (8)
CAREFREE
CAR FREE (without a vehicle) going around E (Spain)
18. Stay very neutral describing day in Paris (7)
SOJOURN
(SO (very) + N (neutral)) describing JOUR (day, in Paris)
20. Put in charge of sorting out unrest overwhelming Thailand (7)
ENTRUST
(UNREST)* (*sorting out) overwhelming T (Thailand)
21. Quickly hiding money in trash, turned up largely cleaned out (6)
NIMBLY
(M (money) in (BIN)< (trash, <turned up)) + L[argel]Y (cleaned out)
23. Irregular verb answer’s put in bold (5)
BRAVE
(VERB)* (*irregular), A (answer) put in
Well, I never knew a knot was a bird. There were a few UK things that challenged me, such as the Kentish town, the DUP and Barra, but I did remember the U classification. A line as a “bit of dialogue” was a bit of a stretch, I thought.
Enjoyable overall, thanks Zamorca & Teacow.
To GDU@1, an actor learns his/her lines. In this way, a line is a bit of dialogue.
A small typo in the parsing for 22a: it should read ICENI.
Looking for a pangram helped me with 27a
Thanks to Zamorca and Teacow.
Thanks LarryS@2, have corrected the typo.
That was nice and gentle. 12A was my fave. I remember wondering if folk like GDU@1 would get the Kentish town and Scottish island, but then again maybe a British puzzle should have some British elements to it. Thanks to Zamorca and Teacow.
Very smooth and a steady solve from Zamorca. I started with CAREless not CAREFREE until disabused by the crossers.
Thank you to Zamorca and Teacow.
I have reported that I have been having trouble for some time including links in my post. Ken, the site’s administrator, asked me to try again so that he could troubleshoot. So for no other reason here is a link to the Wikipedia page on the town of Sandwich, Kent.
In 6d UNCHANGED “suspended…” needs to be followed by “…by the neck until dead” The Tories – Hanging’s too good for ’em.
Thanks Z&T
Thanks for the blog , a good set of clues for a steady solve.
Actors will complain – I have only been given a few lines – perhaps one line is the smallest unit of dialogue.
Zamorca’s puzzlwes are usually pangrams so we were on the lookout for less common letters, whic helped us to finish – not that there was anything we couldn’t get, but it took a whiole to see some of the parsings, such as for UGANDA.
Thanks, Zamorca and Teacow.