Salty’s third outing this Sunday
Can’t spot any themes or Ninas, thanks to Salty who is also one of our own bloggers
ACROSS
1. Window on opening of fire escape (6)
FLIGHT
F(ire) & LIGHT for window
5. Withdrew when erect and aroused (8)
RECANTED
9. Mastered swimming in groups according to ability (8)
STREAMED
10. Take possession of flash vessel (4,2)
MOVE IN
MO – flash & the blood vessel VEIN
11. Conservative lists formerly unblemished record (5,5)
CLEAN SLATE
C(onservative) & LEANS – lists & LATE – formerly
12. I must leave city to make room for a monk (4)
LAMA
A replacing I in the city LIMA
13. Working model directs film about alien (5,3)
TRAIN SET
TRAINS – directs & ET the setters’ favourite alien
15. Summary, like what’s shown on NY clocks (6)
DIGEST
DIG to like & E.S.T. Eastern Standard Time which NY uses
17. What starts scratching this spot on priest’s ball? (6)
SPHERE
S(cratching) & P(riest) & HERE – this spot
19. These novels are great fun on nitrous oxide? (3-5)
AGA-SAGAS
A GAS – great fun & nitrous oxide which is A GAS
21. Mineral component of dental crowns (4)
TALC
23. Doctor cracked his garden furniture (10)
DECKCHAIRS
[CRACKED HIS]* doctored. My experience of deckchairs is more likely broken fingers…
25. 1 of a prophet, cardinal, soldier and artist (6)
HEGIRA
1 is flight, the flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina was called HEGIRA so HE & GI & RA. I’m not sure about the HE being Cardinal, perhaps someone can enlighten me on this.
26. Cryptic code is cracked by detective in stages (8)
EPISODIC
PI – detective inside a cryptic [CODE IS]*
27. Singer following fashion? Not at all! (6,2)
FORGET IT
FORGE – fashion & TIT – bird – singer
28. Contented as a kid (2,4)
AT EASE
DOWN
2. Straw bedding absorbs litres more wee (7)
LITTLER
LITTER – straw bedding with L(itres) inserted
3. Drink pineapple crushes at home (9)
GRENADINE
IN – at home – inside GRENADE which is also called a pineapple
4. Packs from cycling brand (5)
TAMPS
STAMP – brand – cycled with the S moved to the end
5. Left and right behind amended bill (7)
REDRAFT
RED – left politically & R(ight) & AFT – behind
6. Raised funding in support of comedy writer’s compilations (9)
COMPENDIA
COM(edy) & PEN – writer & AID – funding reversed – raised
7. Central point arising from Uncle Vanya (5)
NAVEL
Hidden reversed in uncLE VANya
8. Posers like drinking spirit with a twist (7)
ENIGMAS
GIN inside SAME – like all reversed
14. Fixed frequency in distributed datasets (9)
STEADFAST
F(requency) in a distributed DATASETS*
16. Absurd eulogy mostly describing a river dip (9)
GUACAMOLE
Most of EULOG(y)* absurdly around (A & river CAM)
18. Dummy‘s rank smell (7)
PLACEBO
PLACE – rank & B.O. smell
19. Funds for project wife set aside – most shrewd (7)
ARCHEST
W(ife) removed from (w)AR CHEST
20. Rattle is interrupting when making showy greeting (3,4)
AIR KISS
IRK – rattle & IS all in AS – when
22. Sort of film about fish (5)
CLING
C(irca) – about & LING – a fish
24. Large country‘s leading feature? (5)
CHINA
The first CHIN – feature so CHIN A
HE = His Eminence
Very pithy puzzle. nho AGA SAGAS but I guess they’re a steamier version of kitchen sink dramas? DIGEST probably my fave today.
Thanks Salty and flashling
This was very nice, a pleasure to solve.
NHO HEGIRA but it’s nicely clued. I had lots of ticks with LAMA, AGA SAGAS and FORGET IT my top picks.
Many thanks to Salty and to flashling.
Very nice indeed. The nho HEGIRA was a bit of a punt at the end – must remember HE can be for a cardinal as well as an ambassador. I eventually talked myself into it, in any case. I also spotted MEDINA as fitting the crossers, although thankfully could make even less sense of that.
I wondered if we have a darts theme with LITTLER and FLIGHT, but if there are any other relevant entries it’s lost on me.
Thanks both.
LOi – had to sleep on it – 25a H.E. G,I. R.A. — Oed.com has it as ‘1575– … variant of HIJRA, n.¹’
Remembering Joni Mitchell’s album HEJIRA (1976, another variant) helped me solve it.
Thanks S&f
21a TALC – Google’s AI Overview: ‘Yes, talc is used in denTAL Crowns:
…Talc is a component of denTAL Crown filler materials, along with silica and glass fillers. The average particle size … typically between 0.1 and 10 microns.’
…and on 7d NAVEL: ‘
“NAVEL-gazing” is a term used to describe the characters in Anton Chekhov’s UncLE VANya who are consumed by their own introspection, depression, and boredom’. The Central point of the play and its title
5d RECANTED – Great surface, appropriate definition and anagrind.
17a SPHERE – another ” “.
19a A GAS A GAS – “nitrous oxide”, not just a GAS, but laughing GAS.
The puzzle was “great fun”! 😀
Many thanks flashling for the blog, and everyone for the kind comments. Much appreciated.
A fruit theme? NAVEL orange. CLING peach, LAMA, CHINAberry, others? Thanks both.
Find this a most enjoyable puzzle, puntastic in parts. Particularly liked DIGEST.
Thanks Salty and flashling