ARTEXLEN kicks off the week…
Great set of clues, thoroughly enjoyable. Not come across 16a before.
Thanks ARTEXLEN!
ACROSS
1. VIP raves for revellers (10)
CELEBRANTS
CELEB (VIP) + RANTS (raves)
6. Probability eccentric succeeded (4)
ODDS
ODD (eccentric) + S (succeeded)
9. Arrive to box in radiator for mate (7)
COMRADE
COME (arrive) to box in RAD (radiator)
10. Winged beast from narrated story we heard (7)
REDTAIL
"read tale" = REDTAIL (narrated story, "we heard")
12. Spooner’s pile has provision for servants (10)
BACKSTAIRS
"STACK BEARS" = BACKSTAIRS (pile has provision for, "Spooner's")
13. Identity produced banks rejected (3)
EGO
[b]EGO[t] (produced, banks rejected)
15. Name of girl in archery lesson (6)
CHERYL
16. Plant borders in area outside Number Ten this regularly (8)
AUBRETIA
A[re]A (borders) outside [n]U[m]B[e]R [t]E[n] T[h]I[s] (regularly)
18. Turned bar covering over component as means of access (8)
TRAPDOOR
(ROD (bar) covering O (over) + PART (component))< (<turned)
20. Band’s hit after replacing intro of kazoo with piano (6)
STRIPE
STRIKE (hit, after replacing K[azoo] (intro of) with P (piano))
23. Sight of first person in auditorium (3)
EYE
"I" = EYE (first person, "in auditorium")
24. Corrupt one, where is former president? (10)
EISENHOWER
(ONE WHERE IS)* (*corrupt)
26. Chanted popular single, being part of vacuous trend (7)
INTONED
IN (popular) + (ONE (single) being part of T[ren]D (vacuous))
27. Delight Musk welcomes at opening of institution (7)
ELATION
ELON (Musk) welcomes (AT + I[nstitution] (opening of))
28. Teacher from university with toupee back to front (4)
GURU
(U (university) with RUG (toupee))< (<back to front)
29. Biscuit type with violet reverse (6,4)
BRANDY SNAP
BRAND (type) with (PANSY)< (violet, <reverse)
DOWN
1. Tap around unopened security device (4)
COCK
C (around) + [l]OCK (security device, unopened)
2. Drink and meal I’d prepared European (7)
LIMEADE
(MEAL ID)* (*prepared) + E (European)
3. Showing sign of damage, nut and legume (5-4,4)
BLACK-EYED BEAN
BLACK EYED (showing sign of damage) + BEAN (nut)
4. Warnings of changes with temperature dropping (6)
ALERTS
ALTERS (changes, with T (temperature) dropping)
5. End what Biden’s doing? (8)
TERMINUS
TERM IN US (what Biden's doing)
7. Affectionate term, husband’s last before each sleep (7)
DEAREST
[husban]D (last) before EA (each) + REST (sleep)
8. Stuck to speed all around the bend (10)
SELLOTAPED
(TO SPEED ALL)* (*around the bend)
11. Carry sedition out? It’s optional (13)
DISCRETIONARY
14. Small cows with large shed — group spreading about (10)
SCATTERING
S (small) + CATT[l]E (cows, with L (large) shed) + RING (group)
17. Judge Tory Party to be on right (8)
CONSIDER
CON (Tory) + SIDE (party) to be on R (right)
19. One could be offending a superior (7)
ABETTER
21. Fibs merit being exposed with article about Med region (7)
IBERIAN
[f]IB[s] [m]ERI[t] (being exposed) with AN (article)
22. A French cardinal skipping verse unnoticed (6)
UNSEEN
UN (a, French) + SE[v]EN (cardinal (number) skipping V (verse))
25. Bargain goes quickly, last is taken up (4)
SNIP
NIPS (goes quickly, last (letter) is taken up)
A fitting puzzle for a Monday, I thought. Breezily enjoyable with no obscurities.
My favourite was SELLOTAPED for its surface but I liked SNIP and EISENHOWER too. Didn’t know AUBRETIA either but that was gettable, thankfully.
Thanks for the fun, Artexlen, and Teacow, as well, for clearing up two I didn’t fully parse: EGO and BRANDY SNAP.
Loi BACKSTAIRS – Parsed it as “pile” = STACK, “has” = BEARS, with “provision for servants” as the definition.
Good fun, no dramas. Only one I’d not heard of — AURETTA. I’ve never known a radiator to be called a rad.
Thanks Artexlen & Teacow.
I had the same parse and def for BACKSTAIRS as FrankieG. I cannot find the word being defined as ‘servants’ but it is the staircase that servants would use so ‘provision for servants’ makes a sensible def and the simple ‘has’ = the ‘bears’ part of the Spoonerism. i suspect those who have not heard of AUBRETIA have certainly seen it – one of the most popular flothery bedding plants often growing through/over low walls/rockeries.
Very nice puzzle for a Monday; clearly clued throughout
Thanks both
As Diane@1 says, a fitting puzzle for a Monday. Breezily enjoyable with no obscurities. It took us a while to figure out AUBRETIA but we had a nice penny-drop moment when we got SELLOTAPED.
GDU@3: we think RAD is mainly a shorthand used by plumbers and heating engineers.
Thanks, Artexlen and Teacow.
Liked this, “Aubretia” was new, and couldn’t parse “Ego”, but otherwise no real difficulty.
Thank you to Artexlen and Teacow
Thanks for the blog, good set of neat concise clues . AUBRETIA is at its best now in the UK , ground cover plant for the rockery with purple flowers, will last for many years and spread.
Thanks Artexlen for a nice crossword. My top picks were REDTAIL, STRIPE, TERMINUS, SELLOTAPED, and SCATTERING. I failed to parse EGO and COCK. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
Teacow, thank you. And also to Artexlen for a fun puzzle. I had no idea on AUBRETIA and put ANORETIA thinking Number was NO . Then lost Biden’s TERMINUS for that. SELLOTAPED was never going to happen for me in the US. Enjoyed EISENHOWER and CELEBRANTS and BLACK EYED BEAN (thought it was PEAS though for a long time). Anil.
All easy for me except Sellotaped. On this side of the Atlantic we call it Scotchtape (seems like we should swap terms 😂).