The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hi all. When the first two acrosses went in readily, I thought I was in for a nice gentle ride. I had to think again. And again, and again …! It certainly took me longer than a typical Filbert, let alone a Filbert on Sunday. The long anagrams helped when I identified them, but even they took me ages to unravel.
For nicely-worked wordplay and convincing surfaces I marked out 10a (LITTER LOUT), 21a (WARREN G HARDING) and the clever &lit 8d, HOUSEBOAT. I also enjoyed the anagram in 11a (PENAL SERVITUDE), the amusing surface of 23a (RUGBY SHIRT) and several other neat touches such as “free from nippers” (7d) and “as a golfer wants to be” (17d). That’s certainly a lot of highlights, and I could have included more. Thanks Filbert!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Salt absorbed by exposed sticker on hull? (8) |
| BARNACLE — NACL (NaCl: salt) taken in by (absorbed by) BARE (exposed) | |
| 6a | Religious statue friend had wobbled (6) |
| BUDDHA — BUD (friend) + HAD anagrammed (wobbled) | |
| 9a | Third guy like the Gallagher brothers? (4) |
| MANC — MAN C (third guy – after man A and man B) | |
| 10a | Young darts player taking 50 to finish eliminated untidy thrower (6,4) |
| LITTER LOUT — LITT{L}ER (young darts player Luke) moving to the end (taking … to finish) L (50) + OUT (eliminated) | |
| 11a | Years with Labour deliver peanuts, unfortunately (5,9) |
| PENAL SERVITUDE — An anagram of (… unfortunately) DELIVER PEANUTS | |
| 13a | Incredibly rainy round part of Johannesburg (6) |
| SOWETO — SO (incredibly) + WET (rainy) + O (round) | |
| 15a | World’s longest river crossing a mafia boss guaranteed (6-2) |
| NAILED-ON — NILE (world’s longest river) spanning (crossing) A + DON (mafia boss) | |
| 16a | Mould encountered around dish (8) |
| TEMPLATE — MET (encountered) reversed (around) + PLATE (dish) | |
| 19a | Wake partner before call (6) |
| EXCITE — EX (partner before) + CITE (call) | |
| 21a | Henry hides uranium in network of tunnels protecting US president (6,1,7) |
| WARREN G HARDING — H (henry) is in place of (hides) the U (uranium) in WARREN (network of tunnels) plus G[u]ARDING (protecting) | |
| 23a | Hooker’s top right behind wig next to his pants (5,5) |
| RUGBY SHIRT — RT (right) goes after behind RUG (wig), BY (next to) and an anagram of (… pants) HIS | |
| 25a | Lap speed (4) |
| LICK — A double definition | |
| 26a | Stick together fellow admitted by doctor in A&E (6) |
| ADHERE — HE (fellow) inside (admitted by) DR (doctor), all of which is in A&E | |
| 27a | Silly malarkey making large hot punch (8) |
| HAYMAKER — An anagram of (silly) MA[l]ARKEY making L (large) H (hot) | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Quickly take off clothes rolling about (5) |
| APACE — APE (take off) surrounds (clothes) the reversal of (rolling) CA (about) | |
| 3d | Hearing of stolen rowing boat, wink (7) |
| NICTATE — Sounds like (hearing of) NICKED (stolen) EIGHT (rowing boat) | |
| 4d | Elderly people in care got involved in cryonics, perhaps (4,7) |
| COLD STORAGE — OLDS (elderly people) in an anagram of (… involved) CARE GOT | |
| 5d | Register concerning gut (7) |
| ENTERON — ENTER (register) + ON (concerning) | |
| 6d | Extra run later (3) |
| BYE — A double definition, the first from cricket | |
| 7d | Middle of tour through Leeds strangely free from nippers (7) |
| DELOUSE — The middle of tOUr goes inside (through) an anagram of (… strangely) LEEDS | |
| 8d | Utility, one of no fixed address next to banks? (9) |
| HOUSEBOAT — USE (utility), which HOBO (one of no fixed address) plus AT (next to) surrounds (banks) | |
| 12d | Trinity Lane turns the way one travels (11) |
| ITINERANTLY — TRINITY LANE is anagrammed (turns) | |
| 14d | Where bandage goes, too tight? (9) |
| OVERWOUND — OVER WOUND (where bandage goes) | |
| 17d | Fit as a golfer wants to be? There’s a moral in that (7) |
| PARABLE — ABLE (fit) under PAR – as a golfer wants to be | |
| 18d | American, say, bungling start of hit single (7) |
| ENGLISH — An anagram of (bungling) the first letter of (start of) Hit with SINGLE | |
| 20d | Mark removed from 18 façade? (7) |
| CEDILLA — An ENGLISH (18d) alternative spelling of façade may omit the CEDILLA on the c | |
| 22d | Macaroni cheese sandwiches not appealing to many (5) |
| NICHE — MacaroNI CHEese sandwiches the answer | |
| 24d | Watch showing seconds in useless jewelled semicircle (3) |
| SEE — The second letters of (seconds in) uSeless jEwelled sEmicircle | |
In full agreement with our blogger today. A tough Filbert and I struggled slightly at the end with the long anagrams but that’s partly because I was trying to do them in my head! I’d extend my agreement to the favourite clues – to which I would add 22d.
Thanks Filbert and Kitty
Tough, but enjoyable. I have to say that as a golfer I’d usually want birdie or eagle. But I’m probably just greedy. 😁🏌️♂️
This is a cracking puzzle, but it took me an eternity to do it.
Perhaps because Filbert has gone off-piste, all around the grid.
9(ac):Third guy= MANC. It’s a development of the device, but very original.
1(ac): “salt” = NACL ! At last. ( I always go for it, it’s never right).
Too much to praise, so I’m going to avoid that.
26(ac), “Stick together fellow” makes for a desperate surface introduction, to a great idea.
4(d) “Elderly people = OLDS. hmm.
12(d) is not the best anagram clue surface, perhaps? Trinity Lane. hmm.
The bottom line is, despite my grumpy old man gripes, this Filbert is up with his best, which means, up with the best.
8(d) HOUSEBOAT, is a little gem, amongst many others.
Super stuff, F & K
Jimboeb @2. I figured in 17d that ABLE is under par, so a birdie or eagle (or albatross) implied.
ENB @3: Trinity Lane is a thoroughfare in Cambridge, linking – I think – several of the colleges. I don’t know whether this is so but it might suggest our setter is from the poly in the Fens 😉
Ian @3: “the olds” is a kids-these-days slang term for their aged relations, but it’s as likely to include parents as grandparents. “Can’t come to the party; I have to go do some stuff with the olds.”
Agree with the blogger. I was quite pleased to have solved this only to read the blog and realise two clues I parsed as CDs (HOUSEBOAT and COLD STORAGE) were actually not. I guess a completion is a completion however you get there.
Another great one from Filbert who is one of, if not my favourite setters.
So many great ones but PENAL SERVITUDE was just brilliant.
Thanks Kitty and Filbert
Thanks Kitty and Filbert.
MrP@6 thanks, as always. It confirms that I am, indeed, a member of the olds.
I think I’ve heard “oldsters” from your side of the pond?
PM@5, yes, you have it; but I still do not see how the clue works.
I’m getting too old for this game. Thanks, both, Ian B
Hovis @4 – yep, I see that now. 🤦♂️