Jason is the setter today.
I woke up expecting a theme in today’s puzzle (election or American independence) and don’t know if I was disappointed or not to find a rather starightforward unthemed puzzle instead. I’m not sure I’ve parsed UNAFFECTED properly either.
Thanks Jason
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | LEGATE |
For example, boring dead papal ambassador (6)
|
| e.g. (“for example”) boring LATE (“dead”) | ||
| 9 | ANIMATOR |
Cartoonist changed main schedule around (8)
|
| *(main) [anag:changed] + <=ROTA (“schedule”, around) | ||
| 10 | CODE |
First of collected poem’s defining set of principles (4)
|
| [first of] C(ollected) + ODE (“poem”) | ||
| 11 | ASSESSMENT |
Opinion fools fellows in street (10)
|
| ASSES (“fools”) + MEN (“fellows”) in St. (street) | ||
| 12 | GAPS |
Going round Australia navigational tool breaks (4)
|
| GPS (“navigational tool”) going round A (Australia) | ||
| 13 | MAIN COURSE |
Meat and two veg, possibly a student’s preoccupation (4,6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | HERO |
That girl’s old pin-up, perhaps (4)
|
| HER (“that girl”) + O (old) | ||
| 18 | REFER |
On iron rule seek info (5)
|
| RE (“on” the subject of) + Fe (chemical symbol for “iron”) + R (rule) | ||
| 19 | ALTO |
Singer being part of loyal toast (4)
|
| Hidden in [being part of] “loyAL TOast” | ||
| 21 | PESTILENCE |
Select pine fixed plague (10)
|
| *(select pine) [anag:fixed] | ||
| 23 | FINE |
Fit for forfeit (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | LAY READERS |
Non-clerical staff could cause rare delays (3,7)
|
| *(rare delays) [anag:could cause] | ||
| 28 | CHAT |
Gossip about bowler, perhaps (4)
|
| C (circa, so “about”) + HAT (“bowler, perhaps”) | ||
| 29 | MENSWEAR |
Chaps pledge their habit (8)
|
| MEN (“chaps”) + SWEAR (“pledge”) | ||
| 30 | OPENLY |
In an honest way individual set about exercises (6)
|
| ONLY (“individiual”) set about PE (physcial “exercises”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DETONATE |
Go off school during meeting (8)
|
| ETON (“school”) during DATE (“meeting”) | ||
| 2 | WATERSPOUT |
Fountain transforming rawest long face (10)
|
| *(rawest) [anag:transforming] + POUT (“long face”) | ||
| 3 | RED ADMIRAL |
One would fly past senior Communist officer (3,7)
|
| RED (“Communist”) + ADMIRAL (“officer”)
Not sure why “senior” is in the clue unless it’s referring to the Senior Service (i.e. the Navy) to indicate that the officer needs to be a Navy officer. |
||
| 4 | MASS |
Bulk of male beast of burden (4)
|
| M (male) + ASS (“beast of burden”) | ||
| 5 | DIGS |
Where to stay on archaeological works? (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | PALM |
Appropriate mate beginning to mature (4)
|
| PAL (“mate”) + [beginning to] M(ature) | ||
| 7 | POINTS |
Nothing in beers provides subjects to discuss (6)
|
| O (nothing) in PINTS (“beers”) | ||
| 14 | IN FUN |
Playing endless jazzy soul for a hoot (2,3)
|
| IN (“playing”) + [endless] FUN(k) (“jazzy soul”) | ||
| 15 | CORNER SHOP |
Local retailer controls the dance market? (6,4)
|
| CORNERS (“controls the market”) + HOP (“dance”) | ||
| 16 | UNAFFECTED |
Real impact of blue organisation? (10)
|
| The UN wear blue berets, so anything “impacted” by them could be described as UN-AFFECTED | ||
| 20 | TENTACLE |
Wine of the highest quality flooded large bit of octopus (8)
|
| TENT (a Spanish “wine”) + ACE (“of the highest quality”) flooded L (large) | ||
| 22 | ENAMEL |
Inlay, say, from the Spanish bearing reputation (6)
|
| EL (“the” in “Apnsih”) bearing NAME (“reputation”) | ||
| 25 | RISK |
Danger of body search fellow neglected (4)
|
| F (fellow) neglected in (f)RISK (“body search”) | ||
| 26 | AGED |
Mature French impressionist endlessly set up (4)
|
| <=(DEGA(s) (“French impressionist” endlessly, put up) | ||
| 27 | EARL |
Attention given to Liberal peer (4)
|
| EAR (“attention”) given to L (liberal) |
Couldn’t parse IN FUN nor UNAFFECTED. If your parsing of the latter’s right, Loonapick, it ain’t much of a clue. I have no alternative suggestions.
Everything else was enjoyable and the right level of difficulty for this little black duck.
I think ANIMATOR is OK: anagram of MAIN followed by schedule = ROTA reversed. No need for a container?
PM@2 – didn’t look at the clue that way, but obvious once pointed out – should really have a coffee before starting puzzles, but just don’t have time on blogging days!
Now edited to reflect PostMark’s parsing of ANIMATOR which I originally misparsed.
UNAFFECTED
Agree with GDU@1. Also, there seems to be a part of speech mismatch.
RED ADMIRAL
I think the ‘senior’ is there to indicate that an ADMIRAL is a senior officer.
I had to wait for all the crossers on UNAFFECTED but took the ‘blue’ to be down, depressed or unemotional, and therefore un’affected’?
This was worth doing just for the stand-out Fit for forfeit > Fine. Fantastically felicitous. Much else to enjoy too. Thanks to all. Have a good afternoon. Vote. 🖖🏼
Happy July 4th to those in the US and good luck to those in the UK. It is exciting to see a new world record for eating hot dogs was set today.
To the puzzle! The answers flew in initially and I completed about 75% of the grid in my first pass. The rest took at least as much time. I too could not parse IN FUN and I did not think I parsed UNAFFECTED, but I got to the same place as loonapick and take it as a win.
No clue stood out as a favourite, but I enjoyed the puzzle overall. Proof again that a puzzle can be very enjoyable without being excessively difficult.
Thanks Jason and loonapick
We found this a bit tricky in places but got it all, unaided, in the end. We liked RED ADMIRAL, LAY READERS and CORNER SHOP.
Thanks, Jason and loonapick.
LOi 16d UNAFFECTED – 😐
Liked 3d RED ADMIRAL – “fly” = flutter, “past” = by – 🙂
Thanks J&L