SLORMGORM kicks off the week…
A fun puzzle with some lovely surfaces. Mostly trouble-free, though I’m not entirely sure about my parsing of 2d.
Thanks SLORMGORM!
ACROSS
1. Parasitic plant from which smack can be derived? (9)
MISTLETOE
6. Politician in bit of a lather about deprived areas? (5)
DUMPS
MP (politician) in (SUD)< (a bit of a lather, <about)
9. Manly pants split in two places by a foreigner (7)
MALAYAN
(MANLY)* (*pants) split in two places by A
10. State of the French? Heading for bankruptcy shortly! (7)
LEBANON
LE (the, French) + B[ankrupcy] (heading for) + ANON (shortly)
11. Express trains finally off at first green light (3-2)
SAY-SO
SAY (express) + [train]S (finally) + O[ff] (at first)
12. This ultimately opens port brought to work party (9)
CORKSCREW
[thi]S (ultimately) opens (CORK (port) brought to CREW (work party)) &lit
14. Lawyer requiring essentially juridical PA (3)
DAD
DA (lawyer) requiring [juri]D[icial] (essentially)
15. Something made of rubber in cabinet lads blew up (7,4)
ELASTIC BAND
(CABINET LADS)* (*blew up)
17. Having gone off, it’s who slept very fast (7-4)
WHISTLE-STOP
(ITS WHO SLEPT)* (*having gone off)
19. Letter of support (3)
TEE
20. One who buys press release about posh royal pursuit (9)
PURCHASER
PR (press release) about (U (posh) + R (royal) + CHASE (pursuit))
22. Object used in Belgrade murders (5)
DEMUR
[belgra]DE MUR[ders] (used in)
24. Leftover a Parisian polished off (7)
UNEATEN
UN (a, Parisian) + EATEN (polished off)
26. American stores north Jamaican athlete opens up? (7)
UNBOLTS
US (American) stores (N (north) + BOLT (Jamaican athlete))
27. Ultimate of drunks sleeps in refuse containers (5)
SKIPS
[drunk]S (ultimate of) + KIPS (sleeps)
28. What discharged hospital patients did is sinister (9)
LEFTWARDS
Double (cryptic) definition (LEFT WARDS)
DOWN
1. One’s into Slormgorm and primarily strong, silent types (5)
MIMES
IM (one’s) into ME (Slormgorm) and S[trong] (primarily)
2. At the death, Rangers appeared wide open (7)
SPLAYED
[ranger]S (at the death) + PLAYED (appeared)
3. Tale Tory concocted about socialist leader in Bury (3,2,4)
LAY TO REST
(TALE TORY)* (*concocted) about S[ocialist] (leader)
4. Can sot write after mixing refreshing drinks? (5,6)
TONIC WATERS
(CAN SOT WRITE)* (*after mixing)
5. On regular occasions, Beverly’s a slippery customer (3)
EEL
[b]E[v]E[r]L[y] (on regular occasions)
6. Detectives going over bishop’s outstanding bills? (5)
DEBTS
DETS (detectives) going over B (bishop)
7. Medium-sized whale seen around hot holiday destination (7)
MINORCA
(M (medium-sized) + ORCA (whale)) seen around IN (hot)
8. Smooth jam that a swinger might pull out of bag? (4,5)
SAND WEDGE
SAND (smooth) + WEDGE (jam)
13. Anatomical structure cut off rat or monkeys (7,4)
ROTATOR CUFF
(CUT OFF RAT OR)* (*monkeys)
14. Power showers not working and power circuits not starting (9)
DOWNPOURS
DOWN (not working) and P (power) + [t]OURS (circuits, not starting)
16. Lip-shaped device that helps with love-making? (6,3)
CUPIDS BOW
18. Old prime minister deporting Dutch citizen abroad (7)
ISRAELI
[d]ISRAELI (old prime minister, deporting D (Dutch))
19. Acrobat who trips up must be out of head (7)
TUMBLER
[s]TUMBLER (who trips up, out of head)
21. Detests exotic starter covered in Scotch bonnets? (5)
HATES
E[xotic] (starter) covered in HATS (Scotch bonnets)
23. Dangers of body-searches put off felons initially (5)
RISKS
[f]RISKS (body-searches, put off F[elon] (initially))
25. Nothing left after last of loot stolen from fool (3)
NIL
L (left) after NI[t] (fool, [loo]T (last of) stolen from)
Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow.
2dn: I was happy with Teacow’s parsing: she played/appeared in yesterday’s match.
Further to Pelham Barton@1, the equivalence of PLAYED to “appeared” is especially appropriate in this clue with the reference to the Rangers FC.
Thank you Slormgorm and Teacow.
How might a swinger pull a sand wedge out of a bag?
and how are hats scotch bonnets – could just have been bonnets – bonnets are not exclusively Scotch – and anyway it is Scottish – unless they mean the chillies
Liked: CORKSCREW, PURCHASER, DEMUR
Thanks both
Fiona@3, a swinger in this case is a golfer
Fiona – SAND WEDGE – golf club, swinger. – golfer. I read Scotch bonnets as trying to mislead about chillies.
Fun solved, thank you to Slormgorm and Teacow.
I’m in agreement with others about both the swingers and the cheeky use of Scotch – which the Scots would abhor – but which is just about forgivable in the context of the surface. I also support the blogger’s parsing of S PLAYED.
Nice typical Slormgorm for a Monday; laced as per with drink and drugs and a little bit of the other. Plenty of humorous surfaces, somehow made to sound quite conceivable which, of course, they are in this setter’s madcap world. Faves inc MALAYAN, LEBANON, CORKSCREW (COTD), DEMUR, SKIPS, MIMES, TONIC WATERS, MINORCA and TUMBLER.
Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow.
Very enjoyable, even if I came up a bit short on a few.
Doesn’t it matter that there are no Malayans any more? They’ve been Malaysians for decades.
Kevin @8 Malaya remains the correct term for the part of Malaysia on the mainland. Not sure if the residents are Malayans, though.
2D The use of “death” as a last letter indicator seems iffy to me. Under the heading “death”, Chambers has “end or destruction”, Collins has “termination or destruction”, and the ODE has “the end of life of a person or organism”. Further, the ODE defines “be in at the death” as “be present when a hunted animal is caught and killed”. These all refer to the cessation of something’s existence, rather than the final element of something.
That was my feeling also.
oed.com has “Phrases … P.10.a. 1751– at the death: (Hunting) at the point when game is caught and killed; (figurative) at the crucial or last possible moment; at the very end. Frequently in to be in at the death.” and cites:
“1933 You have a tremendous sense of the ‘right moment’, Ernest. It’s wonderful. You pop up like a genie out of a bottle, just to be in at the death!
N. Coward, Design for Living ii. iii. 71″ — [Where’s today’s blog?]