What we have come to expect: not perhaps the most exciting surfaces (except for some, particularly 22dn), but plenty of ingenuity shown, and sound clues.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (anagram, homophone, hidden, inclusion, etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(like this). Link-words in green.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BUFF |
Polish admirer, nude (4)
|
| Triple def — to polish something is to buff it, an admirer of something is a buff (think music buff), in the nude/in the buff | ||
| 3 | REINSTATED |
Straitened, distressed, but back in office (10)
|
| (Straitened)* — one of Everyman’s trademark complete anagrams | ||
| 9 | RATS |
Curses and rants, being heartless (4)
|
| ra[n]ts — rats! = curses! | ||
| 10 | TRUNK ROADS |
Way to wear swimwear in major thoroughfares (5,5)
|
| road in trunks | ||
| 12 | ANYBODY’S GAME |
So began my day, unpredictably: it’s a toss-up (8,4)
|
| (so began my day)* | ||
| 15 | UNCHAIN |
Portion of cinnabun, chai: nourishing – and free! (7)
|
| Hidden in cinnabUN CHAI Nourishing — I’ve never heard of cinnabun, not that it made it hard | ||
| 16 | NESTLED |
Swiss multinational and Dutch cosied up (7)
|
| Nestlé D — Nestlé is the Swiss multinational, D = Dutch | ||
| 17 | ADDED UP |
Reckoned was plausible (5,2)
|
| 2 defs — to reckon a set of figures is to add them up, and if something is plausible it adds up (as in ‘it adds up,’ said the detective) | ||
| 19 | SALIERI |
Initially Schubert and Liszt’s illustrious educator – renowned Italian! (7)
|
| The first letters clue (and it’s true) | ||
| 20 | MASS HYSTERIA |
Everyman’s describing idiot husband – misguided satire – crazy scenes (4,8)
|
| M(ass h)y *(satire) — My = Everyman’s, ass = idiot, h = husband, describing = surrounding — the self-referential clue | ||
| 23 | APOSTROPHE |
Character seen towards end of The French Lieutenant’s Woman? (10)
|
| CD — an apostrophe appears where it says it does. Why the question mark? | ||
| 24 | ENYA |
Irish musician in African country, needing no introduction (4)
|
| [K]enya — this is much more likely than my first thought, which was [G]hana — and I sort of justified the Irish singer, but it was a bit unconvincing, and 13dn made it quite clear that this was wrong. | ||
| 25 | UNDERSTUDY |
Actor, waiting where Cluedo weapon concealed? (10)
|
| An understudy is an actor, waiting (for the main actor to be somehow incapacitated) — the Cluedo weapon might be concealed in the study, but under it? Or is the definition just ‘Actor’ and somehow under = waiting? Can’t see how | ||
| 26 | ASIA |
Eats pilaf regularly – here? (4)
|
| [e]a[t]s [p]i[l]a]f] — semi-&lit. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BARRACUDAS |
Scuba – radar deployed – voracious fish! (10)
|
| (Scuba radar)* | ||
| 2 | FATTY ACIDS |
Taking LSD, greasy hippies – in the end, they’re in a cell (5,5)
|
| fatty (acid) [hippie]s — fatty = greasy, LSD = acid — a cell of the body | ||
| 4 | EARLY ON |
Nobleman over there at crack of dawn? (5,2)
|
| Earl yon — earl = nobleman, yon = over there | ||
| 5 | NONAGON |
Buried in Parthenon, a gong, one with straight edges? (7)
|
| Hidden in partheNONA GONg — a nonagon has nine straight sides | ||
| 6 | TARAMASALATA |
At, sadly, a place of trade stocking American flipping fishy dish (12)
|
| (At alas a mar(A)t)rev. — rhyming with 11dn | ||
| 7 | TOAD |
In the auditorium, drew amphibian (4)
|
| “towed” — towed = drew, ‘in the auditorium’ is a homophone indicator | ||
| 8 | DOSH |
Do be quiet – lolly? (4)
|
| do sh — do = do, sh = be quiet, lolly and dosh are both slang words for money | ||
| 11 | HOWARD CARTER |
‘Ho! Abruptly draw back, draw back!’ – one who entered tomb (6,6)
|
| Ho (retrac[t] draw)rev. — retract – draw back (and ‘abruptly’ tells you to cut the last letter) — Howard Carter entered the tomb of Tutankhamun — this rhymes with 6dn | ||
| 13 | BLUEPRINTS |
Plans suggested by erotic etchings (10)
|
| blue prints — blue = erotic, prints = etchings | ||
| 14 | ADDIS ABABA |
To make greater numbers, is Swedish band touring a capital city? (5,5)
|
| add is Ab(a)ba — add = to make greater numbers, is = is, Abba is the Swedish band — Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia | ||
| 18 | PASS OUT |
Deal – or collapse (4,3)
|
| 2 defs, the first of them referring not to someone who passes the finishing exams of their college etc, but to the dealer in a card game, who passes out the cards | ||
| 19 | SCYTHED |
Was hacking, chesty daughter given treatment? (7)
|
| (chesty d)* — why the question mark? It can only apply to ‘scythed’, and there is no doubt in my mind that ‘hack’ and ‘scythe’ are synonyms | ||
| 21 | RAGU |
Pasta sauce in uniform covered with bit of old cloth (4)
|
| rag u — rag = bit of old cloth, u = uniform | ||
| 22 | CORD |
While using phone, removed central part of cable (4)
|
| “cored” — the homophone (While using phone) applies to all of ‘removed central part of’ |
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