This was a fairly gentle puzzle with no particularly difficult clues.
I quite liked 21D for the definition and 24 seemed quite topical, given that Donald Trump doesn't appear to know which country Alaska is in.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SPREADING |
Son studying about pressure and expansion? (9)
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(S{on} + reading(=studying, as in reading a subject at university)) around p{ressure} |
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| 6 | CACHE |
Hidden store of money an auditor notices (5)
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Hom of cash |
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| 9 | GRUMPIEST |
Awfully prim guest is surly in the extreme (9)
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(Prim guest)* |
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| 10 | PONGS |
Quiet piece of music without intro soprano hums (5)
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P{iano}(=quiet) + [s]ong + s{oprano}. The def is used in the slang sense of something humming giving a bad smell. |
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| 11 | OUNCE |
Big cat of little weight (5)
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DD. An ounce is another name for the snow leopard. |
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| 12 | AIR RIFLES |
Those possibly pumped to take a shot? (3,6)
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CD referring to air rifles requiring pressured gas to fire the projectile. |
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| 13 | INVOICE |
Where one finds detectives screening Old Bill (7)
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(In vice)(=where one finds detectives i.e. in the vice squad) around o{ld} |
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| 15 | EXCITED |
Conservative dons left in high spirits (7)
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C{onservative} in(=dons) exited(=left, as in Elvis has left the building) |
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| 18 | IN BRIEF |
To sum up, one with new pants will get end away (2,5)
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I(=one) + n{ew} + brief[s](=pants with the end away) |
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| 20 | CONFORM |
Do what’s expected of prisoner with record (7)
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Con(=prisoner) + form(=record, as in "he's got form for burglary") |
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| 21 | SNARE DRUM |
One beaten in spades by underarm bowling (5,4)
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S{pades} + underarm*. Bowling is a slightly unusual anagram indicator, although I've seen it used before. I'm not completely sure of the context – possibly in the sense of "bowling over" or in a cricketing sense of making a mess of the stumps. |
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| 23 | ASPEN |
A writer hugging small tree (5)
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(A pen)=(a writer) around s{mall} |
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| 25 | A LIST |
Ace record from celebrity (1-4)
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A{ce} + list(=record) |
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| 26 | ADDINGTON |
After relinquishing power, bear old PM (9)
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[P]addington. The def refers to Henry Addington, who was prime minister from 1801 to 1804. |
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| 27 | LONER |
I must get hands around inveterate singleton (5)
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One in (L+R)(=left/right hands) |
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| 28 | DECADENCE |
Debauchery in 80s perhaps pleasant, I expressed (9)
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Decade(=80s perhaps) + n[i]ce |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SIGNORINI |
Young Italian men in irons GI set free (9)
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(In irons GI)* |
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| 2 | ROUEN |
Regret drinking ordinary and ultimately rotten port (5)
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(Rue(=regret) around o{rdinary}) + [rotte]n. Although inland, Rouen does have a large river port. |
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| 3 | APPLETINI |
Mixologist’s alpine tip for cocktail? (9)
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(Alpine tip)*. Appletini is an alternative version of martini. |
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| 4 | ITERATE |
Island gallery in which Queen perform again (7)
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(I{sland} + Tate(=gallery)) around ER |
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| 5 | GUTHRIE |
Corporation that’s hosting extremely hyper singer (7)
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(Gut(=corporation as a slang term for a pot belly) + i.e.(=that is)) around h[ype]r. Def refers to Woody Guthrie. |
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| 6 | CAPRI |
Holiday destination beset by manic April (5)
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Hidden in "manic april" |
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| 7 | CANALETTO |
Italian painter travelling on cattle around area (9)
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(On cattle)* around a{rea} |
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| 8 | EASES |
Stop polishing off Coke and Southern Comforts (5)
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[C]ease(=stop with C{oke} removed) + S{outhern} |
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| 14 | VIBRATION |
Six heading to Burma and helping in quake (9)
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VI(=six) + B[urma] + ration(=helping in the sense of a helping of a foodstuff) |
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| 16 | CONTAINED |
I dance not wildly, showing self-control (9)
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(I dance not)* |
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| 17 | DOMINANCE |
Minister splits parties over drug control (9)
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Min{ister} in (do(=party) + ANC(=political party)) |
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| 19 | FORWARD |
Belligerent Dutch striker (7)
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I think this must be a triple def but I'm not sure on the middle bit. Forward can mean belligerent in the sense of someone being forward/assertive and obviously a forward is also a striker but I'm not sure on the context for Dutch being forward. |
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| 20 | COMEDIC |
Funny, but firm physician (7)
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Co{mpany}(=firm) + medic(=physician) |
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| 21 | SNAIL |
Cops finally arrest one hiding in home? (5)
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[Cop]s + nail(=arrest) |
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| 22 | EATER |
Holy festival not ultimately pious, one scoffs (5)
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Ea[s]ter |
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| 24 | PUTIN |
President Trump finally gets Utah home (5)
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[Trum]p + Ut{ah} + in(=home). |
19d is FOR WAR (in favour of a war = belligerent) + D (abbreviation for Dutch).
I enjoyed this – thanks Hoskins and NealH.
FORWARD was my favourite clue in an enjoyable puzzle. Thanks, both.
Although this was very tame for Hoskins, I did enjoy the solve with FORWARD my favourite.
Thanks to Harry and to NealH
It seems a long time time since I got round round to a Hoskins puzzle (nothing personal, Harry 😉 ) and, like everyone else, I enjoyed this one. (And Slormgorm in the FT, too, for good measure.)
My favourites were FORWARD, GRUMPIEST, CONFORM, ADDINGTON, DECADENCE, SIGNORINI and ITERATE.
Thanks to Hoskins and NealH.
Quite a gentle puzzle from our ‘arry although I was grateful for Paddington’s help with the old PM!
Top clues for me were those for IN VOICE, CONFORM & FORWARD.
Many thanks to Hoskins and to Neal for the review.
Nice for the setter to be appearing twice today and for lucky us who get to solve them. Not ‘quite’ as debauched as usual but none the worse for that. As jane says, thank Goodness for (P)ADDINGTON – that’s a PM I’ve never heard of. I’m another with ticks for CONFORM and FORWARD which I parsed as Quirister @1.
Thanks Hoskins and NealH
Thanks Hoskins for a cleanly clued, entertaining crossword. My list of favourites is long — EXITED, DECADENCE, GUTHRIE, CAPRI, VIBRATION, FORWARD (my LOI), COMEDIC, and SNAIL are among them. Thanks NealH for the blog.
I don’t think the Indy typically does Mondays in the way the G does, but this one was indeed a gentle start to the week. Faves were FORWARD and LONER, and I’m another who was grateful for Paddington as a flash of inspiration after having failed to get anywhere with [p]anda.
Thanks both
Like others, I too thank the bear from Peru for his help getting the obscure PM. (I can name all the 21st and most of the 20th century ones, but earlier than that I know only a handful–Gladstone, Disraeli, Pitt, Walpole, Melbourne, Peel, Lord North, maybe a couple others.) I also hadn’t heard of the painter, but it was the only arrangement of those letters (once most of the crossers were in place) that made a plausible Italian surname.
Guthrie of course might be not only Woody but his son Arlo.
Thanks both.
Posterity (or possibly Alaskans?) might value that the ‘E’ in 18d DOMINANCE covers the ‘over drug’ part of the wordplay.