The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hello everybody. There are a couple of obvious reasons why I liked this puzzle! There are other reasons too: I thought the fashion model in 10a worthy of an award, the unlikely REM concert venue (18a) very nice, and have to say that 5d (the creeper) was expertly worked to make a great surface. You may well have other highlights to share. Thanks Liari!
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 | Mix tape with excellent content (2,5) |
| AT PEACE — Make an anagram of (mix) TAPE + ACE (excellent) | |
| 5a | Mark had tub manufactured for treatment in spa (7) |
| MUDBATH — M (mark) + HAD TUB anagrammed (manufactured) | |
| 9a | Bright coloured hat you’re in (5) |
| LURID — LID (hat) with UR (you’re) in | |
| 10a | Fashion model glad to get award (4,5) |
| GOLD MEDAL — Form an anagram of (fashion) MODEL GLAD to get the answer | |
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|
| 11a | Ride straight on to work (5,5) |
| GHOST TRAIN — STRAIGHT ON anagrammed (to work) | |
| 12a | Cry of bird missing mother (3) |
| CAW — [ma]CAW (bird) missing MA (mother) | |
| 14a | The priory was oddly commendable (12) |
| PRAISEWORTHY — THE PRIORY WAS, anagram (oddly) | |
| 18a | Unlikely place to find REM shows? (2,4,6) |
| IN YOUR DREAMS — Two definitions, the second of a literal interpretation of the answer rather than the idiom | |
| 21a | Fellow quietly leaves for a drink (3) |
| CHA — CHA[p] (fellow); P (quietly) leaves | |
| 22a | Leave to besiege small island trapping bloody coward (7-3) |
| SCAREDY-CAT — SCAT (leave) surrounding (to besiege) CAY (small island), in turn surrounding (trapping) RED (bloody) | |
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|
| 25a | Iris cut across street to get something to eat (5,4) |
| IRISH STEW — IRIS from the clue + HEW (cut) going across ST (street) | |
| 26a | Bug bites lady’s face near middle of cheek causing swelling (5) |
| BULGE — BUG takes in (bites) Lady’s first letter (face) by the middle of chEek | |
| 27a | Soldier about to depart from ship (7) |
| FIGHTER — RE (about) to depart from F[re]IGHTER (ship) | |
| 28a | Prepares speeches with no notice (7) |
| DRESSES — [ad]DRESSES (speeches) with no AD (notice) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Claim member’s drowning in alcohol (6) |
| ALLEGE — LEG (member) is inside (drowning in) ALE (alcohol) | |
| 2d | Kitty, squirrels, a couple of rooks and ape (6) |
| PARROT — POT (kitty) stashes (squirrels) A and R R (couple of rooks) | |
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|
| 3d | Car heading to border goes around university concert hall (10) |
| AUDITORIUM — AUDI (car) preceding (heading) TO + RIM (border) goes around U (university) | |
| 4d | Keen listener comprehending long lecture finally (5) |
| EAGER — EAR (listener) including (comprehending) the last letters of (… finally) lonG lecturE | |
| 5d | Creeper I originally planted in ground close to fence (9) |
| MILLIPEDE — I plus originally Planted in MILLED (ground) + the end of (close to) fencE | |
| 6d | Red amphibian keeping a bit wet (4) |
| DAMP — A hidden word: reD AMPhibian is keeping the answer | |
| 7d | Detective Inspector caught in a club ultimately had to resign (8) |
| ABDICATE — DI (detective Inspector) and C (caught) in A, cluB ultimately and ATE (had) | |
| 8d | High school patrols start to walk through quiet corridors (8) |
| HALLWAYS — HS (High school) guards (patrols) the first letter of (start to) Walk going inside (through) ALLAY (quiet) | |
| 13d | Frightening figure I head to battle in valley (10) |
| FORMIDABLE — FORM (figure) + I + the initial letter of (head to) Battle in DALE (valley) | |
| 15d | Sign new abridged dictionary (9) |
| INDICATOR — An anagram of (new) DICTIONARy without its last letter (abridged …) | |
| 16d | Bad behaviour coming from school next to motorway that is loud (8) |
| MISCHIEF — SCH (school) next to MI (motorway) followed by IE (that is) + F (loud) | |
| 17d | Extremely giddy sailor spinning around (8) |
| GYRATING — The outer letters of (extremely) GiddY + RATING (sailor) | |
| 19d | Ship carrying 100 antique carpets (6) |
| SCOLDS — SS (ship) carrying C (100) and OLD (antique) | |
| 20d | Highlight small lock of hair (6) |
| STRESS — S (small) + TRESS (lock of hair) | |
| 23d | Went by boat and by bike, reportedly (5) |
| ROWED — RODE ([went] by bike), sounds like (reportedly) | |
| 24d | Cat traps tail of thrush – a small bird (4) |
| CHAT — CAT surrounds (traps) the last letter of (tail of) thrusH | |
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|
What a wonderfully appropriate image to accompany 2d! Mind you, Pierre’s lawyers will be getting in touch about that last one 😉
… but it’s missing the squirrels, rooks and ape! A poor showing really.
Kitty’s optional bird images are completely unrelated to Pierre’s obligatory bird links. No need for lawyers, please. I can’t afford it on my blogging fees.
A nicely illustrated blog all round. I am another fan of IN YOUR DREAMS. Thanks, both.
There’s an extra S in your parsing of SCAREDY CAT. Cay is “small island.”
Oops, so there is. I will correct that now – thanks.
I’m a fan of 3d AUDITORIUM and also 5d MILLIPEDE.
The whole thing was enjoyable. Thanks Liari and Kitty!
Thanks both. GHOST TRAIN wins my GOLD MEDAL particularly as I loved but was never frightened by the rides as a child. Made for a Sunday with CHAT and BULGE for a while achieving the double-bluff effect as we were handed cat and bug without prejudice.
Great fun. Annoyingly enough it was the ones where you just had to put the word from the clue in that slowed me down (IRIS)H STEW and (BU)L(G)E for example.
LIked the anagram for GHOST TRAIN, IN YOUR DREAMS, HALLWAYS and PARROTS amongst others.
Thanks Kitty and Liari
Immaculate surfaces, generously clued. MILLIPEDE, ABDICATE and HALLWAYS were especially jolly. Best thanks to Liari and Kitty.
Needed the blog to parse the creeper, but the crossers didn’t leave much choice… everything else was fairly straightforward and very enjoyable… nice Sunday…
Thanks Liari n Kitty
Agreeing with many on IN YOUR DREAMS – and overall a simply delightful Sunday puzzle. Thanks so much Liari, and to Kitty for our blog!
Lovely puzzle, enjoyed that, thanks both
Some held me up realising “Don’t think of a synonym. Cat is just cat, and bug bug”. Fun tho, ta both.
Thanks Liari, that was perfect with my top picks being GOLD MEDAL, CAW, FIGHTER, ABDICATE, FORMIDABLE, and SCOLDS. Great surfaces throughout. Thanks Kitty for the appropriately illustrated blog.
Thank you all for the lovely comments and to Kitty for the blog. For those more unfamiliar with my puzzles, I will always include at least one bird in the grid. This one just happened to have a few cats too.