It’s now October – beware of the snake.
I do enjoy Serpent’s puzzles – great surfaces and slightly odd cryptic directions. And of course a hidden message
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS is visible in the squares next to the perimeter. A great comedy from New Zealand, I believe.
Numerous classy clues – my pick of the bunch would be 22dn but there are some great other candidates
Thanks Serpent – fun and challenging in equal measure
Key: * anagram; rev. reversed; DD double definition; underline definition
Across
1 Fellow abridged short pieces of writing (8)
chap(fellow) + terse(short) – e = CHAPTERS
5 British university expresses revolutionary argument (4-2)
B(British) + u(university) + rev. puts (expresses) = BUST-UP
9 Guiding American group around empty house (8)
us(American) + ring(group) around he (empty house) = USHERING
10 Comic that is beginning to ridicule councillor (6)
Viz (comic) + ie(that is) + r (beginning to ridicule) = VIZIER
12 Show letters implicating junior member of parliament (5)
Hidden shOW LETters = OWLET
13 Announce team in America (9)
state (announce) + side(team) = STATESIDE
14 Game play outwardly involves chance (6)
py(play outwardly) around luck (chance) = PLUCKY
16 Detest crime that involves injuring men (5)
abh(crime that involves injuring) + por (men) = ABHOR
19 Firm keeping nothing in store (5)
hard(firm) around o(nothing) = HOARD
20 Guarantor undoubtedly voided treaty (6)
sure(undoubtedly) + ty(voided treaty) = SURETY
23 High regard for each helping to host party (9)
a(each) + ration(helping) around do (party) = ADORATION
26 Author briefly encapsulating first person in intertwined strands (5)
Plath (author) – around I(first person) = PLAIT
27 Weird corona that’s seen by Americans at night (6)
(corona)* = RACOON
28 Gamble represented giving priority to adult accomplice’s role (8)
bet(gamble) + meant(represented) moving a to front = ABETMENT
29 Pin dubious statement on bias (6)
er(dubious statement) after skew (bias) = SKEWER
30 Clubs put forward additional means of attack (8)
c(clubs) + lay (put forward) + more (additional) = CLAYMORE
Down
1 Company knowledgable about way of obtaining discount? (6)
Co(company) + upon(knowledgeable about) = COUPON
2 Wonder about brief high point for some time (6)
awe(wonder) around hill (high point) – l = AWHILE
3 Silenced and told the heartless rat off (9)
(told the rt)* = THROTTLED
4 Lead actor upset about new passionate speeches (5)
Rev star (lead actor) around n (new) = RANTS
6 Useful item worth little in board game? (5)
u tile (scrabble – worth little?) = UTILE
7 Drunk full of endless hogwash in final years (8)
tight(drunk) around swill(hogwash) – sl = TWILIGHT
8 Character almost went astray in The Borders? (8)
part(character) + erred (went astray) – d = PARTERRE
11 Brief week in bed (6)
w(week) in layer(bed) = LAWYER
15 Conservative fool lives for drink (6)
c(conservative) + ass(fool) + is(lives) = CASSIS
16 Dislike suggestion that abruptly upset some hosts (9)
tip(suggestion) + (tha)* in any (some) = ANTIPATHY
17 Places one goes to play and bathe at respectable houses (8)
Hidden baTHE AT RESpectable = THEATRES
18 Barrier that hurt introduction of electric vehicle (8)
bar(barrier) + ouch(that hurt) + e(electric) = BAROUCHE
21 Like cast’s second attempt for the audience (4,2)
Homonym of take two (second attempt) = TAKE TO
22 Timeless act or rock god? (6)
statute(act) – t = STATUE
24 Came up behind nurses beginning to operate (5)
arse(behind) around o (beginning to operate) = AROSE
25 Famous philanthropist from The Netherlands receiving honour (5)
Nl (Netherlands) around obe(honour) = NOBEL
COUPON
I took knowledgeable as UP and about as ON.
THEATRES
a minor omission: The ‘play’ to be included in the def.
Parsed 23a ADORATION with “High regard” as the definition and ” for each” = A.
1d COUPON needs a Playtex of UPON to get oed.com’s “Additional sense (1993)” – (it took them 97 years to spot it):
“1896– up on ——: = up in —— at main sense). colloquial (originally U.S.).” — meaning “knowledgeable about”, with this citation:
“1896 ‘Lias asked me to..ask Uncle Matt if he had a left-handed monkey wrench. How was I to know? I ain’t up on monkey-wrenches.’ G. Ade, Artie xvi. 150″
[6d The “U” TILE in Scrabble is only worth one little point, but essential if you’ve drawn a “Q”.]
Pretty tough crossword – nothing to complain about and lots to admire. Very enjoyable even if my time was well over par today.
Thanks Serpent and twenceslas
For once, I remembered that Serpent generally includes a nina, for once I spotted it and, for once, I recognised it. A splendid comedy – though the earlier series were better than the later. It brought a smile – and helped considerably in filling in solutions on the second pass through the puzzle. My only mistake was the crafty STATUE where, with the T and E in place, ATHENE went in for a while. ABETMENT is a new word for me, with a tricky bit of WP, and needed a dictionary – which highlighted the clash and then STATUE emerged. ‘Timeless’ is a bit cheeky – I would take that to mean no T’s rather than the removal of just one.
Favourite clues included VIZIER, ABHOR, SURETY, PARTERRE and LAWYER.
Thanks Serpent and twencelas
Agree with KVa@1 on 17d THEATRES. 8d PARTERRE was a TiLT. I dnk the horticultural meaning, only the THEATRE sense from a cinema in Dublin in the ’60s.
[It’s been nearly a year since I ‘Finally spotted an Inner Nina, the trademark of Basilisk/Jack/Serpent’. Completely missed it this time.]
Thanks S&T
Thanks Serpent for a well-crafted crossword. I spotted the Nina in the making and that helped a bit but I was unaware of its meaning. I failed with the nho VIZIER but all else eventually came to light. My top picks were STATESIDE, UTILE, TWILIGHT, STATUE, and AROSE. Thanks twencelas for the blog.
Nice Saturday solve from Serpent, a setter who ofttimes perplexes me… its a good feeling when 1ac goes in first without a quibble. The comic made me laugh, in a previous life I lived next door to the guys who created it… the use of “arse” was also refreshing, “Fnar, fnar” as Finbar Saunders might say.. didn’t spot the nina, but didn’t hinder the process…
Thanks Serpent n twencelas