A slow and tough solve…
…with a bit of help from the theme around Jane Austen. Favourites were 5/21, 13dn, and 22dn. Thanks to Paul for the puzzle.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | LISTERIA |
Arguably an excess of emotion when cataloguing bug? (8)
|
|
LISTERIA sounds like it could be a portmanteau word combining 'list + hysteria' to mean "an excess of emotion [i.e. hysteria] when cataloguing [i.e. list]" |
||
| 9 | STALL |
Stop and stand (5)
|
|
double definition: to stop = to stall; or a market stand = a market stall |
||
| 10, 4 | JANE FAIRFAX |
Beautiful message by 22 down – for her character (4,7)
|
|
definition: a character in Jane Austen's Emma FAIR="Beautiful" + FAX="message", after/by JANE=Jane Austen, as AUSTEN is the solution to "22 down" |
||
| 11 | CARABINERO |
Roman copper coin, a rare fake featuring head of Balbinus (10)
|
|
definition: a member of the Italian (i.e. Rome/"Roman") police force ("copper" = policeman). My Chambers has this listed as 'carabiniere', with CARABINERO as 'A member of the Spanish Civil Guard' anagram/"fake" of (coin a rare)*, around the head letter of B-[albinus] for the surface reading, Balbinus was an emperor of ancient Rome |
||
| 12, 16 | ELINOR DASHWOOD |
22 down character remains attached to English lord in senselessly joining club (6,8)
|
|
definition: a character from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility ASH="[burnt] remains" after anagram/"senselessly" of (E[nglish] lord in)*; plus WOOD="[golf] club" |
||
| 14 | ALLSPICE |
Game pie calls for dried fruit (8)
|
|
anagram/"Game" of (pie calls)* |
||
| 15 | DRAMEDY |
Comedic theatre where amusing hosts made merry (7)
|
|
DRY="amusing" around/hosting anagram/"merry" of (made)* DRY as in dry humour |
||
| 17 | PANICKY |
Foot carrying cut, very anxious (7)
|
|
PAY="Foot" e.g. 'foot the bill'; around NICK="cut" |
||
| 20 | STRESSED |
On the rack – in italics? (8)
|
|
double definition: a person may feel stressed; or a section of text may be stressed |
||
| 22 | ACETIC |
One that’s correct, though not entirely sharp (6)
|
|
ACE="One" + not the entire word of TIC-[k] = a tick mark indicating "that's correct" |
||
| 23 | HOLLOW LEGS |
LS’s extra dining room? (6,4)
|
|
definition: having 'hollow legs' means being able to eat more than usual i.e. having extra room to fit more food into one's body LS is the word L-[EG]-S made HOLLOW, taking out its inner letters |
||
| 24 | SOHO |
Drunkard, sweating, dropping time and time again in London area (4)
|
|
SO-[t]="Drunkard" + HO-[t]="sweating", dropping the letters t (time) and t (time again) |
||
| 25 | PESTO |
Greenfly for example with love for green stuff (5)
|
|
PEST="Greenfly for example" + O=zero="love" |
||
| 26 | SVENGALI |
Mesmerising guru, one accompanying Scandinavian lass (8)
|
|
I="one" after/accompanying SVEN="Scandinavian" + GAL="lass" |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FINAGLER |
Part of fish, large on threshing shark (8)
|
|
definition: a "shark" meaning a swindler FIN="Part of fish" + anagram/"threshing" of (large)* |
||
| 2 | STYE |
Mark eyed in first year (4)
|
|
definition: a stye is a mark on one's eye hidden in [fir]-ST YE-[ar] |
||
| 3 | GROCER |
Seller of food that’s less appetising, we hear? (6)
|
|
sounds like (we hear): 'grosser'=more gross="less appetising" |
||
| 4 |
See 10 Across
|
|
| 5, 21 | ISABELLA THORPE |
22 down character personifies a despicable pleb loather (8,6)
|
|
definition: a character from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey IS A="personifies a" + anagram/"despicable" of (pleb loather)* |
||
| 6 | FANNY PRICE |
For example, Fitzgerald’s behind sacrifice, 22 down character (5,5)
|
|
definition: a character from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park FANNY="behind" in US English (as spoken by, for example, F. Scott Fitzgerald) + PRICE="sacrifice" |
||
| 7 | CLERIC |
22 down’s Mr. Collins, say, cut from poem and caught (6)
|
|
definition: Mr Collins in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a priest CLERI-[hew]=type of "poem", with 'hew'="cut" taken "from" it, plus C (caught, cricket abbreviation) |
||
| 13 | NUMBERLESS |
Book contains three-fifths of tales untold (10)
|
|
NUMBERS="Book" of the Bible, around three-fifths of the letters of [ta]-LES |
||
| 16 |
See 12 Across
|
|
| 18 | KNIGHTLY |
In speech, 22 down character’s noble (8)
|
|
sounds like (In speech): [George] 'Knightley', a character from Jane Austen's Emma |
||
| 19 | ADVERSE |
Bad day punctuating a creative work (7)
|
|
D (day) inside A VERSE="a creative work [of poetry]" |
||
| 21 |
See 5
|
|
| 22 | AUSTEN |
Author, ‘X’ from Oz? (6)
|
|
AUS TEN = Australian number 10 = X [in Roman numerals] from Oz |
||
| 24 | SAGA |
Long narrative, a talk written up (4)
|
|
A (from surface) + GAS=[to] "talk"; all reversed/"written up" |
Comments are closed.