Coot is an occasional setter on Mondays and provides well-written clues. There was not much to complain about and plenty to enjoy.
You could maybe criticise 30A for use of a single word to represent several fodder items. Other than that, it was very solid and the surfaces read well.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PIE CHART |
One in gym daily beginning to track performance stats? (3,5)
|
| I in PE(=gym) + char(=daily, both words used for a cleaner) + t[rack] | ||
| 6 | COBRA |
Firm underwear – it can hurt you badly (5)
|
| Co{mpany} + bra | ||
| 10 | TESTIER |
Less affable Independent setter for a change (7)
|
| (I{ndependent} setter)* | ||
| 11 | MINUSES |
Hiding at home reflects signs of negativity (7)
|
| Muses(=reflects) around in(=at home) | ||
| 12 | BEACON |
Signal to live a life of crime? (6)
|
| DD/CD. Be a con=live a life of crime. | ||
| 13 | GOOIEST |
Try way to hold duck that is extremely sticky (7)
|
| (Go(=try) + st{reet}(=way)) around (O(=duck) + i.e.) | ||
| 15 | DESK |
Bureau trades krona, taking a cut (4)
|
| [Tra]des k[rona]. Bureau is a synonym for desk in both the literal sense as a piece of furniture and also in reference to a department (e.g. the trading desk). | ||
| 16 | POTTERERS |
Those busy with trivia organised protest around the outskirts of Reigate (9)
|
| Protest* around R[eigat]e | ||
| 19 | BALD PATCH |
Barren spell such as Coot has? (4,5)
|
| Barren(=bald, as in a bald hill i.e. nothing growing on it) + patch(=spell). Coots have a prominent shields on the foreheads, which gives rise to the expression “as bald as a coot”. | ||
| 21 | SLIP |
Lager brought round for trip (4)
|
| Pils< | ||
| 24 | CANDIDA |
Fungus father’s found on corgi’s extremities (7)
|
| Da(=father) on c and i(=first and last letters of corgi) | ||
| 25 | SWAMPS |
Politicians given a lot of dirty money in bogs (6)
|
| Swa[g] + MPs | ||
| 28 | BEATNIK |
Overcome Kyrgios, said to be an unconventional guy (7)
|
| Beat(=overcome) + hom of Nick, referring to the tennis player Nick Kyrgios. | ||
| 29 | WELL NOW |
Fit again – that’s a surprise (4,3)
|
| I’d probably say this is a DD rather than a charade because I don’t think “now” is a synonym for “again”. | ||
| 30 | DROOL |
Dribble leftovers on road heading west (5)
|
| (Dr(=road or Rd)< + l{eft} o{ver} o{ver})< | ||
| 31 | TREATISE |
Work 10 shifts … acting parts (8)
|
| A{cting) in(=parting) testier*(=answer to clue 10). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | INSTALS |
Abominable sins at lake lodges (7)
|
| (Sins at l{ake})*. The unusual spelling of installs does seem to be valid, although it did keep me from solving it for quite a while because I thought it couldn’t be right. | ||
| 3 | CHINOS |
Mostly opted to hem trendy trousers (6)
|
| Chos[e] around in(=trendy i.e. the “in thing”) | ||
| 4 | AIRY |
Open or unopened milk container? (4)
|
| [D]airy | ||
| 5 | TAMAGOTCHI |
Stray tomcat receiving a grand welcome – this pet needs care (10)
|
| (Tomcat* around (a g{rand}) + hi(=welcome). Tamagotchi is a type of electronic pet. | ||
| 6 | CONDONES |
Tolerates professor piercing cells in retina (8)
|
| Don(=professor) in cones(=types of cells in the retina of the eye) | ||
| 7 | BESIEGE |
It’s been said eagles occasionally swarm around (7)
|
| Odd letters of “been said eagles” | ||
| 8 | ASSET |
Energy company probing alternative technology’s virtue (5)
|
| SSE(=an energy company, formerly Scottish and Southern Energy) in a{lternative} t{echnology} | ||
| 9 | STAB |
Racket’s raised making shot (4)
|
| Bat’s<(=racket’s). Shot and stab both mean try (=have a shot/stab at something). | ||
| 14 | SPOT MARKET |
Somewhere to sell clothing from Equipment bearing two stains? (4,6)
|
| E[quipmen]t with spot and mark on top of it. Spot market is a term for a market in which financial instruments such as commodities and securities are sold. | ||
| 15 | DUB |
Stuck up American friend’s nickname (3)
|
| Bud< | ||
| 17 | SIP |
In Ibiza, agreed to have soft drink (3)
|
| Si(=Spanish for “yes”) + p{iano}(=soft as musical direction) | ||
| 18 | OPTIONAL |
Voluntary? Best working for money (8)
|
| Optimal(=best) with the m{oney} replaced by on(=working, as in “the light is on”). | ||
| 20 | LONG AGO |
John Sullivan’s last joke’s stuck in the distant past (4-3)
|
| Loo(=john) around ([Sulliva]n + gag) | ||
| 22 | LAMENTS |
Officer, absorbing end of prayer on Sabbath, grieves (7)
|
| (Lt(=lieutenant) around amen(=end of prayer)) on S{abbath} | ||
| 23 | TWILIT |
Dim Coot left dope outside (6)
|
| (I(=Coot, the compiler) + l{eft}) in twit(=dope) | ||
| 24 | CUBED |
Chopped up 100 ruby red eider hearts (5)
|
| C(=100) + [r]ub[y] [r]e[d] [ei]d[er](middle letters of all the words). | ||
| 26 | SEWN |
Breaking news stitched together (4)
|
| News* | ||
| 27 | TWEE |
Bonsai maybe not right, wife’s interjected – too quaint? (4)
|
| T[r]ee around w{ife} |
Liked MINUSES, DROOL, SPOT MARKET, OPTIONAL and TWEE.
WELL NOW: Agree with the blogger.
Good puzzle and neat blog.
Thanks Coot and NealH.
I took WELL NOW as “I was ill once but now I’m fit again (well now)” rather than having exact synonyms for the two separate words (I think that’s what you’re saying in the blog NealH).
Leftovers in DROOL might make a Ximenean cringe a bit but I’m starting to like the inventiveness of clues like this. ASSET was a bung because of SSE and who knew AT is an abbrev. for Alternative Technology.
A very pleasant outing with smooth cluing that I’ve come to expect from Coot.
I liked DROOL, and SIP for the unlikely surface.
Well now, I also agree with the blog.
20a LONG AGO – a nice ‘lift and separate’ of the writer of Only Fools And Horses, famous for his GAGs.
Really liked the “Leftovers” Playtex in 30a LOORD<.
Delightfully Monday-ish. Just the job. CANDIDA tickled me, BEATNIK too. CUBED was neat and DROOL’s “leftovers” was an especially lovely touch. Many thanks to Coot and NealH.
A few clues like BEACON and SEWN seemed straight out of Michael Curl’s Times Easy Cryptic which I still do every day. Then again, the ‘clothing of equipment’ in SPOT MARKET was deft and I also like SIP and WELL NOW. I don’t really understand how trivia works in POTTERERS but maybe it’s common parlance in the UK. If I like to potter around in the garden how is that trivia? Thanks for the blog NH and thanks for the puzzle Coot. I had forgotten about ‘bald as a coot’ and wondered how a solver was supposed to know the setter’s follicle status. More fool me.
Sofamore @6 trivia meaning things of little importance, busy doing nothing ala the Bing Crosby song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QxvPXK3Gv4
Akin to bimbling, which is one of my favourite words
Nice Monday fare from Coot – whose pseudonym, I understand, alludes to his pate so Sofamore was correct in his deduction. I agree with those who enjoyed the L&S elements in both LONG AGO and DROOL. OPTIONAL and TAMAGOTCHI also earn ticks – I was aware of the craze for the latter though, thankfully, both my boys remained immune. I am concerned to learn that fellow commenter, ALP, is tickled by CANDIDA …
Thanks Coot and NeilH
[PostMark@8At least he’s frank and active with it] Nice puzzle. I am another who thought “leftovers” was innovative rather than transgressive.
Thanks Coot for a well crafted crossword. I missed CANDIDA and couldn’t parse TREATISE & LONG AGO but all else made sense with PIE CHART, COBRA, BEACON, BESIEGE, OPTIONAL, and TWILIT being my top picks. Thanks NealH for the blog.
Many thanks to Neal for a great blog and to all who have attempted and/or commented on the puzzle.
Sofamore@6 and PostMark@8 aren’t wrong that I am follicly challenged although my pseudonym is a tribute to my late father who first introduced me to clue-writing as a teenager via the Azed competitions. He had even less hair than I do.