ARTEXLEN kicks off the week…
A solid, enjoyable puzzle with a nice range of clues.
Thanks ARTEXLEN!
ACROSS
1. Drew close quietly before fish feeding took off (10)
APPROACHED
(P (quietly) before ROACH (fish)) feeding APED (took off)
7. Youngster close to age eight, say (4)
CUBE
CUB (youngster) + [ag]E (close to)
9. A hog gets overlooked in wood heaps (4)
MANY
M[ahog]ANY (wood, A HOG gets overlooked)
10. Brilliant netting for one of bean plants (10)
LEGUMINOUS
LUMINOUS (brilliant) netting EG (for one)
11. Track turning lines within bark (6)
FOLLOW
(LL (lines) within WOOF (bark))< (<turning)
12. Performing arts with some eminent composers (8)
MAESTROS
(ARTS with SOME)* (*performing)
13. Plants from girl’s borders daughter put in garlicky sauce (8)
GLADIOLI
G[ir]L (borders) + (D (daughter) put in AIOLI (garlicky sauce))
15. Uncovered boat that’s good to leave (4)
BARE
BAR[g]E (boat, G (good) to leave)
17. Winged beast is receiving focus of seabirds (4)
IBIS
IS receiving [sea]BI[rds] (focus of)
19. Little around market is showy (8)
TINSELLY
TINY (little) around SELL (market)
22. Fish-like beast, alien one put in prison (8)
CETACEAN
(ET (alien) + ACE (one)) put in CAN (prison)
23. Err away from objective (6)
OFFEND
OFF (away from) + END (objective)
25. Note this writer’s left surgical instrument uncovered (10)
IMPORTANCE
I'M (this writer's) + PORT (left) + [l]ANCE[t] (surgical instrument, uncovered)
26. Swap tips in metal trade (4)
DEAL
swap tips in LEAD (metal)
27. Found incomplete idol (4)
STAR
STAR[t] (found, incomplete)
28. Author coming from Manchester to Norwich (10)
CHESTERTON
[man]CHESTER TO N[orwich] (coming from)
DOWN
2. Bird’s waste product disgusting, we’ve heard (7)
PEAFOWL
"pee foul" = PEAFOWL (waste product disgusting, "we've heard")
3. Shunning outsiders, are boys pals of prince, perhaps? (5)
ROYAL
[a]R[e] [b]OY[s] [p]AL[s] (shunning outsiders)
4. Consider everything that hurt figure verbally (5,3)
ALLOW FOR
ALL (everything) + OW (that hurt) + "four" = FOR (figure, "verbally")
5. Demanding answer to what caretaker’s doing at top of The Shard? (4-11)
HIGH-MAINTENANCE
Double (cryptic) definition
6. Young girl from Epsom regularly collected by boy going north (6)
DAMSEL
(E[p]S[o]M (regularly) collected by LAD (boy))< (<going north)
7. Police officer on street probing lead (9)
CONSTABLE
(ON + ST (street)) probing CABLE (lead)
8. Room for woman’s kid occupied by old couple in retirement (7)
BOUDOIR
(RIB (kid) occupied by (O (old) + DUO (couple)))< (<in retirement)
14. Model avoids fur to show lack of appreciation (9)
DISFAVOUR
16. Slothful at home, fast to welcome party (8)
INDOLENT
(IN (at home) + LENT (fast)) to welcome DO (party)
18. One seen on pub table I’m unsure to include in round (4,3)
BEER MAT
ERM (I'm unsure) to include in BEAT (round)
20. Wish to try going far back in time (4,3)
LONG AGO
21. PC struggling with site afflicted with bugs (6)
SEPTIC
(PC with SITE)* (*struggling)
24. Damage at sides in remote’s variable control (5)
FADER
D[amag]E (at sides) in FAR (remote)
A solid and enjoyable puzzle although CETACEAN had me stumped. I particularly liked PEAFOWL. Thanks Artexlen and Teacow
Liked STAR, PEAFOWL and HIGH-MAINTENANCE.
Thanks Artexlen and Teacow.
We didn’t make much of the acrosses in our first pass but then a few downs opened things up and we were able to finish without needing any help. Favourites were LEGUMINOUS and CETACEAN.
Thanks, Artexlen and Teacow.
I had a similar experience – I solved many of the downs in my first pass, but most of the across clues remained defiantly blank. I found several clues challenging in finishing the puzzle from there.
I liked CUBE, GLADIOLI, FOLLOW, and thought ROYAL was interesting
I needed Teacow’s help to parse MANY – such huge deletions are beyond me, I am afraid. I will endeavour today to work TINSELLY and LEGUMINOUS into every conversation. I need the practice as I cannot remember ever using or hearing either word.
Thanks Artexlen and Teacow
I thought Artexlen’s puzzles were too tough for me, but managed to get to the end of this without recourse to any external aids. I thought MANY was a wicked clue – totally impenetrable at first but clear once the crossers were there. Needed the blog to understand FADER, though.
I was a bit surprised to see ‘going’ in the clue for LONG AGO.
Thanks Artexlen and Teacow.
It was tough for me but I got about sixty percent? My vocabulary is growing but still not large enough!
21d has two equally satisfactory answers- SEPTIC and PESTIC (according to my dictionary). I chose the latter, thinking of creepy-crawlers rather than bacteria.
Lots of good clues here; my favourite was 25a IMPORTANCE for the deceptive definition. Thanks Artexlen and Teacow for the friendly fun.
Cellomaniac@7: I could not find pestic in any of Chambers 2016, Collins 2023, ODE 2010, or SOED 2007. This would explain how the clue passed whatever testing process was carried out. I agree that a credible source for pestic with an appropriate definition would make it a valid alternative.