SLORMGORM kicks off the month…
A good solid puzzle, not too taxing, and with some nifty surfaces. I particularly liked 8a.
Thanks SLORMGORM!
ACROSS
7. Abominable type is still child at heart (4)
YETI
YET (still) + [ch]I[ld] (at heart)
8. Late boozer having last of Guinness in a jug… (6,4)
BEHIND BARS
BEHIND (late) + BAR (boozer) having [guinnes]S (last of)
10. …overeager to be seen in Tulungagung hostelry (4-2)
GUNG-HO
[tulunga]GUNG HO[stelry] (to be seen in)
11. Freed soldiers told stories about victory in Europe (8)
RELIEVED
RE (soldiers) + LIED (told stories) about VE (victory in Europe)
12. Surrealist painter seen with Stones visiting China (8)
MAGRITTE
GRIT (stones) visiting MATE (China)
13. Primarily tense individual smacks heavyweights (6)
TITANS
T[ense] I[ndividual] (primarily) + TANS (smacks)
15. Ending that son ruined in Brief Encounter? (3-5,5)
ONE-NIGHT STAND
(ENDING THAT SON)* (*ruined)
18. Paul McCartney is one ditching the intro in Help! (6)
ASSIST
[b]ASSIST (Paul McCartney is one, ditching the intro)
20. Nervous cast outside opening of Inception or Memento (8)
SOUVENIR
(NERVOUS)* (*cast) outside I[nception] (opening of)
22. Tea and a slice of orange knight gets escort (8)
CHAPERON
CHA (tea) and PER (a) + O[range] (slice of) + N (knight)
24. Accidents Putin initially called suspicious at front (6)
PRANGS
P[utin] (initially) + RANG (called) + S[uspicious] (at front)
25. Worked up or set for bed? (4-6)
FOUR-POSTER
(UP OR SET FOR)* (*worked)
26. Bit of rain in desert (4)
DROP
DOWN
1. Those enforcing rules in crapulent lager tours (10)
REGULATORS
(LAGER TOURS)* (*crapulent)
2. Women’s undies hang on line occasionally (8)
LINGERIE
LINGER (hang on) + [l]I[n]E (occasionally)
3. Aussie statesman in the thrall of fab bottoms (6)
ABBOTT
[f]AB BOTT[oms] (in the thrall of)
Tony Abbott
4. Hip apartment English separatist leader blows up (8)
INFLATES
IN (hip) + FLAT (apartment) + E (English) + S[eparatist] (leader)
5. A protest to get rid of love will be hopeless (6)
ABJECT
A + [o]BLECT (protest, to get rid of O (love))
6. Republican to cut support for one bearing crown (4)
TREE
R (Republican) to cut TEE (support)
9. Wooden sort of box purloined by heroin addict (5,8)
HORSE CHESTNUT
CHEST (box) purloined by (HORSE (heroin) + NUT (addict))
14. Model in car possibly about to crash on trail (7,3)
NODDING DOG
NODDING (about to crash) on DOG (trail)
16. Private or subordinate mistaking Foxtrot for Tango (8)
INTERIOR
INFERIOR (subordinate, mistaking F (foxtrot) for T (tango))
17. Deal aide put into action in city abroad (8)
ADELAIDE
(DEAL AIDE)* (*put into action)
19. Corrupt politician you slapped in anger (6)
IMPURE
(MP (politician) + U (you)) slapped in IRE (anger)
21. Amphetamines found in part of Oxford and Sweden (6)
UPPERS
UPPER (part of oxford, the shoe) and S (Sweden)
23. Short gangster getting time is amusing individual (4)
HOOT
HOO[d] (gangster, short) getting T (time)
Completely agree with Teacow’s preamble. One of those nifty surfaces is 3D, given Abbot’s penchant for brief swimmers but I’d rather not have been reminded of it!🤣
Thanks for the fun, Slormgorm, and Teacow too.
I don’t think I’ve heard of jug/jail.
I felt right at home today, what with ADELAIDE & ABBOTT. One of many reasons I remember the latter — though I do try very hard to forget him — was his unforgettable malapropism “suppository of all wisdom”.
Yup, liked behind bars, one night stand, thx all
That’s hilarious, Geoff @2
As others have said, a pleasant non-taxing solve. A couple of very good anagrams ONE-NIGHT STAND and FOUR-POSTER and imho a terrible one ADELAIDE, where AIDE isn’t even re-arranged.
Yes, I agree it was an OK puzzle
I particularly liked INFLATES, TITANS (solution came to me as I was mixing a martini), PRANGS, and ASSIST
There were more unnecessary UK-only clues. NHO UPPER as part of a shoe. And Tony ABBOTT a statesman: huh?
Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow
I had never heard of NODDING DOG. This bit of kitsch is apparently very British, according to the internet, so I’m not too troubled.
Mrpenney,@7, you should be proud, and grateful you’ve never seen one. Mind you I think they went out in about 1980.
Enjoyable and not too taxing (if that’s not a tautology). Thanks, Slormgorm and Teacow