Fun and tricky in parts – my favourites were 13ac, 17ac, 23ac, 8dn, and 10dn. Thanks to Pasquale
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SCRIBE |
Copier, first character in school to cheat and first in exam (6)
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first letter in S-[chool] + CRIB="cheat" + first letter in E-[xam] |
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| 4 | CARPETED |
Reprimanded for not having bare floorboards? (8)
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double definition: one meaning of 'carpet' is to reprimand |
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| 9 | ON AIR |
Very happy performing song (2,3)
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definition as in to be 'walking on air' or 'floating on air' ON="performing" + AIR="song" |
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| 10 | INTERCEDE |
Pray during early hour of prayer (half dead!) (9)
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definition: INTERCEDE can mean to plead or to pray IN TERCE="during early hour of prayer" + half of DE-[ad] TERCE is a Christian hour of prayer in the mid-morning |
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| 11 | DISMANTLE |
Princess’s hubby let loose to destroy? (9)
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DI'S MAN="Princess [Diana]'s hubby" + anagram/"loose" of (let)* |
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| 12 | ANNIE |
Woman with gun? Princess is holding one (5)
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definition: reference to Annie Oakley the sharpshooter [wiki] ANNE (Princess Anne) around I="one" |
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| 13 | WES STREETING |
Across road you and I celebrate Cabinet member (3,9)
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definition: Wes Streeting is the UK's Secretary of State for Health and Social Care WE SING="you and I celebrate" around/across STREET="road" |
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| 17 | BALANCED DIET |
Enable addict to reform – healthy food and drink needed (8,4)
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anagram/"to reform" of (Enable addict)* |
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| 20 | ALOES |
What ’oly people ’ave – bitter drug (5)
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definition refers to a bitter purgative drug made from the leaves of aloe plants [H]-ALOES=what [h]-oly people [h]-ave, following the pattern of dropping the 'h' |
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| 21 | EXTIRPATE |
Old lover on horrible trip had to pull up (9)
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definition: extirpate can mean to remove by pulling up by the roots EX="Old lover" + anagram/"horrible" of (trip)* + ATE="had" |
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| 23 | DEMEANOUR |
Behaviour of fourth character less generous, we hear (9)
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sounds like ("we hear"): 'D meaner'="fourth character [of the alphabet] less generous" |
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| 24 | SCRIM |
Material concealed by this criminal (5)
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definition: a type of fabric used for e.g. upholstery hidden in [thi]-S CRIM-[inal] |
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| 25 | MARGENTS |
Manuscript containing silver edges (8)
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definition: archaic term meaning 'margins' MS (Manuscript) around ARGENT="silver" |
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| 26 | ANTLER |
Natural weapon of mammal? Insect left with little hesitation (6)
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ANT="Insect" + L (left) + ER (as an interjection)="little hesitation" |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SHOWDOWN |
What NI cartographer will do in confrontation? (8)
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a cartographer of Northern Ireland will SHOW [County] DOWN on a map |
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| 2 | REASSESS |
Mark again sees stars, being confused combatant finally knocked out (8)
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anagram/"confused" of (sees stars)*, with final letter of [combatan]-T removed |
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| 3 | BURMA |
British graduate goes round old city in old country (5)
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definition: Myanmar was formerly known as Burma B (British) + MA (Master of Arts, graduate); both around UR="old city" |
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| 5 | AUTHENTICATOR |
Appraiser of work, awfully nice tat, welcomed by writer (13)
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anagram/"awfully" of (nice tat)*, inside AUTHOR |
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| 6 | PERTAINED |
Had to do with red tape awkwardly restricting home (9)
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anagram/"awkwardly" of (red tape)* around IN=[at] "home" |
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| 7 | THE END |
No more after this – you show agreement, having missed nothing (3,3)
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THEE="you" + NOD="show agreement" minus O="nothing" |
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| 8 | DEEMED |
Thought this person would get caught in the act (6)
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ME="this person" inside DEED="act" |
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| 10 | IN THE SAME BOAT |
Like a couple suffering together in bohemian state, distraught (2,3,4,4)
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anagram/"distraught" of (bohemian state)* |
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| 14 | TRANSLATE |
Move to see somewhere else? (9)
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cryptic definition: TRANSLATE can mean to move a cleric from one ecclesiastical office (e.g. a 'see') to another (to another see somewhere else) |
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| 15 | BINAURAL |
A lab I run badly, as one who should be doubly listening? (8)
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anagram/"badly" of (A lab I run)* |
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| 16 | STREAMER |
Flag in vessel crossing river (8)
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STEAMER=steamboat="vessel" around R (river) |
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| 18 | RANDOM |
Managed to perform music initially disorganised (6)
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RAN="Managed" + DO="perform" + initial of M-[usic] |
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| 19 | FORMER |
Yesteryear’s traitor not popular (6)
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[in]-FORMER="traitor", without 'in'="popular" |
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| 22 | RESIN |
Go wrong again with sticky stuff? (5)
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RE-SIN=to sin again="Go wrong again" |
Surprisingly straightforward for this setter, with only INTERCEDE and MARGENTS causing a head-scratch. Lots of likes including SHOWDOWN, the consecutive princesses, BALANCED DIET, ALOES, IN THE SAME BOAT and FORMER. WES STREETING caused a few complaints on the G site from non-UK solvers last night, although I’m not sure how well-known he is in the UK either. SCRIM was guessable from the wordplay. Thanks for explaining TRANSLATE.
[RIP John Mayall].
Ta Pasquale & manehi.
I managed a few clues in the bottom right corner, but otherwise I was beaten all ends up.
Thank you for the answers and explanations.
10a – I was close with INTERVENE.
My earworm for us old rockers
https://youtu.be/FBnSWJHawQQ?si=JUqVQu0mbLOuxmNH
Keep up the good fight Steffen, one day…
A lot easier than yesterday’s Vlad. Only the SW caused me a few problems. Alan C @1: I’d say WES STREETING is well known in the UK. I recommend his autobiography: One Boy etc…He’s had quite a journey. With thanks to Pasquale and manehi.
Had TRANSLATE in mind for ages from the crossers before thinking of checking the definition in Chambers which confirmed my suspicion about ‘see’ in the clue. I did know terce from somewhere for INTERCEDE. Agree with the others that for the most part Pasquale was in a gentle mood today, with some fine anagrams in BALANCED DIET and IN THE SAME BOAT (with surfaces that made sense as well). Laughed at ALOES. Thanks to manehi and Pasquale.
Besides learning a few new words, I also learnt another usage of TRANSLATE. TA Pasquale & manehi
Thanks, manehi, especially for the explanation of translate. It was the only answer that had me scratching my head. I should have gone the extra mile as Tomsdad did. Like him, I had suspicions about Bishoprics but did not further investigate. I can see why non-doms would not necessarily know about Wes Streeting. A bit of googling would presumably put that right? Thought this was a spiffing puzzle and rather easy for a Pasquale – though I love finding or resurrecting new words – thanks be to him, as ever.
It seems that increasingly we don’t have indicators for archaic terms, like MARGENTS, but the cluing, and online confirmation sorted that out.
I thought Pasquale was being extra ‘elpful with the clue for ALOES. That religious clue was accessible to me, but the other two were a challenge. I knew INTERCEDE, but not the terce. And TRANSLATE, absolutely no idea. Thanks manehi.
I should have been on the lookout, as from Meet the Setter, 11 years ago, Pasquale at that time was the editor of the Church Times.
WES STREETING no problem, fairly clued.
My favs were IN THE SAME BOAT and BALANCED DIET, great spot for the anagrist and construction of the clues, and FORMER and CARPETED also for the surfaces.
A relief after yesterday’s. MARGENTS new to me, as is this specific meaning of TRANSLATE.
A nice mix of fill-ins for some clues (some excellent anagrams and fun wordplay here) and a fair bit of chewiness for good measure. Several were staring at me in the face, but it took a while for the penny to drop because I think I was braced for all manner of difficulties and obscurities after yesterday.
Tricky – and I ended up revealing one or two on account of a hangoverous fog sitting between my eyes… TRANSLATE certainly beat me – I only go in churches on me ‘olidays. Lots of anagrams made this one relatively manageable even after a Hobgoblin too many last night! Ta manehi for nudging me in the right direction, and ta Pasquale!
Got sick of staring at the crossers, used alphacheck to get the ell of translate (dnk the clerical meaning), and then did what it said to fill in the unknown cabinet member. The rest .. agree, pretty painless. The ‘oly ‘aloes were fun. Cheers Don and manehi.
I missed yesterday’s solves, spending the entire day driving from the Midlands to the far tip of the Isle of Skye and it looks likes a missed both an excellent puzzle and a mauling. How lucky am I to be able to solve this delightful Pasqaule on the first morning of my short break up here?
WES STREETING is remarkably up-to-date: evidence that not all puzzles sit on the editor’s desk for months. I was pleased to remember the name – though I’d have no hope of identifying him in a line-up. I loved this puzzle and was close to achieving a clean fill until beaten by the interlinked TRANSLATE (so annoying – I had guessed that ‘see’ was a religious reference but did not know of the clerical relocation meaning so, whilst the solution had crossed the mind, I could not recognise it as correct) and ALOES where I was looking for a singular drug (let alone that I never thought of (h)ALOES as I went through all the H-words I could think of that might be related to holy folk!). The other unknowns – SCRIM, MARGENTS and BINAURAL all went in from WP. I’m joining those who have nominated BALANCED DIET and IN THE SAME BOAT as favourites.
Thanks Pasquale and manehi
[Hmm yes, Hobgoblins, PA @10, about 9% if I remember …]
Kudos to Pasquale for being bang up to date with his politicians! As the new Health Secretary, WES STREETING is probably going to become better known than he already is, at least in the UK.
This began as almost a write-in, but slowed down as some of Pasquale’s trademark rarities (nho MARGENTS) and churchy vocabulary (TERCE and TRANSLATE) appeared. But impeccable clues, nice surfaces, good anagrams. I liked SHOWDOWN, RESIN, IN THE SAME BOAT, BALANCED DIET, SCRIBE, ANTLER.
ALOES doesn’t claim to be a sound-alike clue, but the emphasis on the sound of the missing H meant that I was looking for one – and ‘aloes only look like aloes, they sound different.
No big ticks or crosses today.
I enjoyed piecing together the answers from the clear clues.
I liked the ‘ALOES, EXTIRPATE, AUTHENTICATOR, and the good anagram for IN THE SAME BOAT. I DNK MARGENTS and the religious meaning of TRANSLAT: from Chambers: (transitive)
To transfer (a cleric) from one ecclesiastical office to another
To transfer (a see) from one place to another.
Thanks Pasquale and manehi.
This was much more on my level, more my cup of tea than several recent toughies. Though needed Manehi to explain how TRANSLATE, EXTIRPATE and THE END worked exactly. As ever with Pasquale, new ones for me with SCRIM, BINAURAL and MARGENTS. Loi REASSESS.
Do any films made today still bring up the words THE END when they come to a close. In case anyone hasn’t realised or has fallen asleep and needs to stand for the playing of the National Anthem?
[PostMark @12, Half yer luck being in Skye. The nearest I get is a bottle of Talisker these days. There’s a bridge there now I see. My Dad dragged me up one of the Black Cuillins in my teens… Sgurr Alasdair maybe]
“I hope 13a isn’t some Brit that no-one here’s ever heard of,” thought I.
But it was.
An archaic word for “margins” whose wordplay uses an archaic word for “silver” was too much of a tall order.
Lexicon expanders: TERCE, EXTIRPATE & SCRIM. And no wonder I couldn’t parse TRANSLATE.
As others have said, this was perhaps a little gentler than usual from Pasquale. I enjoyed it, with my favourite probably being BALANCED DIET for the clever surface and anagram.
I think MARGENT crops up occasionally in Shakespeare. From Love’s Labour’s Lost:
cramm’d up in a sheet of paper,
Writ o’ both sides the leaf, margent and all
Many thanks Pasquale and manehi.
Very stylish .I did know any further than Angela in Kerr’s cabinet but fished for someone and WES
And there he was.It had to be MARGENTS
Thanks all.
Consistently good crossword with lots of great clues – many nods of agreement and zero hmms.
Thanks Pasquale and manehi
Not the most difficult of Pasquale puzzles, with fewer rarities than some. MARGENTS was the only word I hadn’t come across. I knew the ecclesiastical meaning of TRANSLATE though it only occurred to me after I decided what the solution had to be. ‘Terce’ I knew from Eco’s ‘The Name of the Rose’ and those Cadfael novels, but a little learning is a dangerous thing – I spent a while trying to do something with (the earlier morning) Matins and Lauds
I liked the anagram clues for BALANCED DIET and IN THE SAME BOAT and ALOES raised a smile (homograph rather than homophone this time).
Thanks to S&B
[BTW The name for the prayers which follow ‘terce’, and are recited around noon, is SEXT. There’s a cryptic clue there, if nobody has already thought of it…]
I thought this was Pasquale in very gentle form – but my general knowledge includes lots of church vocabulary so Terce and TRANSLATE weren’t that challenging, so I’m another who found this a gentle relief after yesterday’s Vlad (which I also enjoyed).
For those who like challenges, Io is in the FT today.
Lovely little romp, thank you to manehi and Pasquale.
Thanks Manehi.
Did not know the mid-morning prayer, but INTERCEDE was easy enough to guess.
Welcome cranial relief after yesterday. I do enjoy DG’s puzzles.
WES STREETING, seemed a bit harsh on our overseas solvers, he’s only been in office for a couple of weeks! Gettable from the wordplay though.
Thanks both.
Ground to a halt in SW hoping ‘ABITS was a bitter drug
Postmark @12 – isn’t this the time of year one gets eaten alive by midges on Skye??
A mighty relief after yesterday, and lots to like here. Like several others, I had never heard of MARGENTS but the construction was clear. ALOES was new to me, although getting haloes from the clue and crossers sufficed. And as another non-dom, I had to look up Starmer’s cabinet.
1D was on my favorites list, as well as the clever anagrams.
GDU @19: MARGENTS is certainly a rare word, but ‘argent’ much less so – it’s the current word for silver in French, and the name used in heraldry for the colour white (originally silver – the corresponding heraldic word for yellow (gold) is ‘or’, which pops up a lot in crosswords). And as a mnemonic, the chemical symbol for silver is Ag, from the Latin name ‘argentum’.
[HIYD @28: not if there’s a breeze and here on the coast, there is always a breeze. If the breeze does die down for once, repair indoors and open one of Tim C’s Taliskers!]
Thanks, Gervase @ 30. Collins says “argent” is archaic or poetic. I hadn’t heard of it. But I have now.
GDU@19: Hear, hear on 13a, but I don’t think of ARGENT as archaic (Argentina, anyone?). On another matter, how can anyone under 110 be expected to have heard of Annie Oakley, since she died in 1926? We need clues that reference yesterday. 😁
I enjoyed this, though. Thanks, Pasquale and manehi.
It all went in smoothly until I came to TRANSLATE which I wrote in but totally failed to parse. I guessed that there might be some archaic meaning of the word and I wondered about ‘See’ – but to no avail. I do recall a line in MND: “Bless thee Bottom: thou art translated” involving such an archaism – but it didn’t quite work (pity the Don didn’t use that quote!).
On the other hand, those other awkward words SCRIM, TERCE in INTERCEDE, and MARGENTS went in OK: not heard of MARGENT but as an archaic form of MARGIN it sounds plausible.
Liked SCRIBE, THE END, DEMEANOUR, AUTHENTICATOR, INTERCEDE, DISMANTLE, BALANCED DIET. And others.
Thanks to Don and manehi
TassieTim @33 – but I’ve seen Annie Get Your Gun on stage in the last decade, just, with Jason Donovan – at the end of the tour, and obviously tired with a voice that needed resting. That stage show dates from 1950, and includes Anything You Can Do .. – that link is from the 1950 film starring Howard Keele and Judy Garland. (I do also know my parents saw the stage show courting, and had the album, so I grew up knowing it.)
Count me with those green with envy at Postmark on Skye this week. I have photos of snow covered Cuillins in the background behind the bridge from a few Christmases ago. I too climbed one of them in my teens, camping and walking with a friend. You can keep the Talisker.
[Etymological digression: TRANSLATE and ‘transfer’ are derivatives of the same Latin verb: the former from the past participle and the latter from the present tense. The literal meaning of both is ‘carry over’, but the most common use of TRANSLATE in English is metaphorical. This metaphor for linguistic conversion is mirrored in other tongues: ‘traduire (French), tradurre (Italian) – literally ‘lead across’; übersetzen (German), översätta (Swedish) – literally ‘set across’.
‘Bless thee, Bottom, bless thee. Thou art translated’ exclaims Peter Quince]
Annie get your gun, Squeeze – 1982.
And the Irving Berlin musical was revived on Broadway in 2000.
Not yesterday, I grant you, but surely a smattering of popular culture history is one of the prerequisites of a successful solver.
A bit late today but just wanted to add to the appreciation of this enjoyable puzzle. I share manehi’s favourites, especially the two great anagrams, with the addition of 10ac INTERCEDE, 11ac DISMANTLE, 5dn AUTHENTICATOR and TRANSLATE.
Fortunately, all today’s more obscure words were within my ken – I remember learning the list of prayer periods in mediaeval monasteries and I know MARGENT from Shakespeare (though not LLL, Lord Jim, which I’ve never ‘done’).
I’m among those impressed by Pasquale’s prompt use of WES STREETING (though I suppose it would only have needed the deletion of ‘Shadow’ in the definition, if the puzzle had been sitting on the Editor’s desk for longer – but then he would perhaps have been even less recognisable.)
[PM @31 – I did read in the paper only a couple days ago or so that this year’s weather had made the midges even more prevalent than usual. Enjoy the Talisker, anyway. 🙂 ]
Many thanks to Pasquale and to manehi.
[Gervase@23 – I too cribbed TERCE from The Name of the Rose – but I’m blessed if I can remember in what order all those prayers are meant to be said! What I do recall is that those poor monks had to be dragged out of bed at some God-awful time in the wee small hours to say their first prayers (not to mention that they had to reckon with a serial killer in their midst…) ]
I have to admit I thought 19d was just a definition of BOOMER, as if written by any of the subsequent generations!
Re WES STREETING, Pasquale’s original clue might have read ‘front bencher’ or even just ‘politician’, with the amendment to ‘Cabinet member’ made immediately before publication of the puzzle
Lovely puzzle from Pasquale.
Thanks Manehi for the blog and specifically for the explanation of TRANSLATE.
BINAURAL and MARGENTS were new words that could be worked out from the clues. Likewise WES STREETING who, as an Aussie, I didn’t know but could easily look up.
My favourites were the anagrams and surfaces of IN THE SAME BOAT and BALANCED DIET, the amusing ALOES and the groan-worthy DEMEANOUR.
Thanks both.
This restored my confidence after a struggle and abandonment yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed being able to parse so many of the clues and thank you for explaining the ones that I couldn’t manehi, THE END and TRANSLATE. Never heard of MARGENTS or EXPTIRPATE but could work out from the clear clues. Thanks Pasquale for brightening up my day.
I’m sure dictionaries will prove me wrong but I would have thought the plural of halo was halos.
r@44 you’re right on both counts 🙂
Ticks for FORMER & SHOWDOWN
With 3/5 crossers, the wordplay & google I think most solvers, regardless of age, could have had a reasonable stab at ANNIE
Cheers D&M
I didn’t at first fully see the wordplay in TRANSLATE; the mathematical meaning (it comes up early in linear algebra) was close, but not quite on the money. Then I saw what see was for (sitting on a see-saw) and all was well.
I came to the Guardian to avoid Io in the FT. I liked the varying degree of difficulty across the clues and the variety of cryptic devices. My favourites were the anagrams, with BALANCED DIET the standout. The puzzle was marred for me by the excessive use of obsolete or obscure words. At least it was not Io
Thanks Pasquale and manehi
…was ignorantly wondering what all the talk/discussion today about Io on the FT was all about. Having read those two letters as an ell and an o, as in lo and behold. Rather than a two letter name beginning with a capital I. I obviously don’t get out enough, or have been tackling too many cryptic clues with little fiddly components.
Pasquale always clues his obscure items unambiguously, so you know just what to do to get there. WES STREETING was no exception: I was directed to Google the UK Cabinet, which I did. 🙂 I already had the W and S, so I was pretty sure it would be Wes Somebody. To be perfectly fair, I don’t think I could name half the members of the American cabinet either. [On that note, one of the current lot–on the shortlist for Harris’s veep slot, so he may soon become better-known abroad–is Pete Buttigieg. He’s probably about as well-known here as your Wes Somebody is over there, but…good luck writing a clue for him!]
[(If he were nominated and won, he’d be the second consecutive vice president with a husband, which might be one more person-with-husband than they’re willing to risk running on the same ticket, so I have my doubts.)]
ravenrider @44 & bodycheetah @44: Haloes or halos? Chambers and Collins list both alternatives. The general rule seems to be that the more naturalised the word is, the more the -es plural predominates. We write tomatoes and potatoes but gauchos and caudillos.
Thanks Pasquale for an enjoyable crossword. I revealed the nho WES STREETING as well as SHOWDOWN but all else went in easily albeit with parsing gaps. I don’t mind odd words like MARGENTS when they’re clued so clearly. My top picks were DISMANTLE, ANNIE, BALANCED DIET, REASSESS, BURMA, RANDOM, and FORMER. Thanks manehi for the blog.
You have awakened the pedant in me, ronald@48.
I had always thought of IO as being capital I o, as in the moon. But it is a name so it could be any combination. Small l capital I or even one (1) would work, while O could be the number or the letter.
I am sure the ambiguity was deliberate and I have missed it all this time. Thanks for pointing it out.
mrpenney @49: I’m in total agreement! Pasquale is scrupulous when he clues the esoteric and there are still too many boomers for Americans to accept a Buttigieg!
I found this less difficult than others by Pasquale, but not easy by any means. As usual, the clues were impeccably precise once unravelled.
I didn’t understand TRANSLATE, and as a non-UK resident I didn’t know about WES STREETING. MARGENTS was a jorum for me.
I particularly enjoyed 1dn (SHOWDOWN), but there were certainly plenty of clues to like.
[mrpenney @49: why should there be a problem writing a clue for Buttigieg? –
American politician behind independent composer, not Republican (9)
American politician initially buys underwear too tight, is glad it expands gradually (9)]
Fun Pasquale, on his easier side, I’d say.
I didn’t know the ecclesiastical meaning of 14, so had a different take, namely to see/understand somewhere else/in a foreign country, might be to TRANSLATE, with Move as the definition.
Thanks, Pazza and manehi.
LJ @55 very good 🙂
LJ @55 👏🏻
I enjoyed this. Having a generous helping of longer entries often makes a puzzle more interesting – at least for me – and this puzzle certainly had it.
TRANSLATE was an excellent clue. I pencilled in TRANS, leaving four blanks following, tried elsewhere in that bottom corner, and on returning
to it later realised that the whole clue defined the answer.
Thanks to Pasquale and manehi.
Lord Jim @55: Splendid, but you missed out the Pete, which makes it a bit trickier – Streeting had his Wes 🙂
Gervase @60 – American politician, almost safe behind independent composer, not Republican?
[Very good, pavement @61. For the other one:
American politician, initially pushing economy to extremes, buys underwear too tight; is glad it expands gradually (4,9)
Phew!]
The Don always sets a tricky but rewarding challenge, and usually quite a test of GK obscurities, and this was all of that.
SCRIM and MARGENTS were completely unknown, but confidently entered as the wordplay was clear.
Pleased to see a different “princess” in ANNIE, but DI had already appeared in the clue before!
IN-TERCE-DE and TRANSLATE both require knowledge of Christian church stuff, which is a bugbear of mine as an atheist who was force fed Christian church stuff as a kid: I resent the fact that I still have some of that knowledge in my head (I wasn’t familiar with either of today’s examples though), and I always slightly resent it when crossword clues include it. I don’t think it is very inclusive towards people of other faiths or none.
Translate is also what you do when you move a Saint’s relics to a new place of veneration.
Always knew that 1971 degree in Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Old Norse Studies would be of use one day. 😊
Very nice puzzle, and quite gentle. As above, some excellent anagrams. Yorkshire Lass and I were both happy with it – and she, just sometimes, is a little easy to displease.
Many thanks to setter and blogger.
Like Steffen@2 I had INTERVENE, so a dnf for me. Of course intervention is what a god might do in response to the intercession of the worshipper. Doh! (1961Danny@63. As a lifelong atheist myself I seem to have acquired a lot of religious GK by the usual means of noticing things. Probably helps not to have been traumatised by being force fed church stuff. Sorry about that )
As others have said, a relatively straightforward set of clues, especially in contrast to yesterday’s impalement. The Don is becoming a bit of a favourite for me, now that he has mellowed.
Thanks to setter and blogger as always.
[Ronald@48 and Martyn@52 – re “IO” (India Oscar) – one good reason why I dislike sans-serif fonts! I haven’t investigated whether this site can be viewed in a different font – does anyone know?
Anyway, where I have control over the font I’m writing in, it’s nearly always Times New Roman. Play it safe!
On a different crosswording site I inadvertantly registered my handle as “laccaria” with a lower-case L. Some people read that as “iaccaria” which sowed confusion. I’ve learnt my lesson!]
Lovely puzzle from the Don. Very nice after yesterday’s torture (but fair). Yes to Postmark get your deet out: those Scottish midges do not take prisoners!
Shanne @35 et al. It doesn’t do to use irony @33 on this site, even with an emoji, does it? Seriously, Annie Get Your Gun was my first thought too, from my parents’ record collection.
A lovely satisfying puzzle, although I had to look up the meaning of MARGENT after putting it in and I couldn’t parse SHOWDOWN. Just by the way it was Betty Hutton in Annie Get Your Gun, not Judy Garland.
Steffen, I admire your patience; please keep trying.
Thanks Pasquale and manehi.
I enjoyed this even though I failed to solve 8d, 10d.
I could not parse 7d.
Thanks both.
Enjoyed it this morning – always a day late. About WES S, though, I had in the back of my mind that he was one who lost his seat over Gaza, but he was saved by a couple of hundred votes. That would have caused problems were this puzzle to have sat on the editor’s desk for ages.