A fun challenge from XELA !!
FF: 10 DD: 8
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | NEUROSIS |
New money overseas is complex component? (8)
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N ( new ) EUROS ( money overseas ) IS |
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| 5 | DREADS |
Cringes at the thought of certain hairstyle (6)
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double def; the second being more colloquial than formal ( short for dreadlocks ) |
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| 9 | REASSESS |
Once again evaluate animals kept in reserve (8)
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ASSES ( animals ) in RES ( reserve ) |
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| 10 | LA-DI-DA |
Pretentious agents principally worked in the Hollywood area (2-2-2)
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[ A ( Agents, first letter ) DID ( worked ) ] in LA ( hollywood area ) |
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| 12 | ADAMS |
Commercials featuring American president (5)
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ADS ( commercials ) containing AM ( american? ) |
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| 13 | CHANTEUSE |
Each tune’s remixed for singer (9)
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[ EACH TUNES ]* ; elegant surface |
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| 14 | THESES |
The things here initially sublate academic papers (6)
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THESE ( the things here ) S ( Sublate, first letter ) |
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| 16 | TREACLE |
Both ends of tube clogged with strangely clear, viscous substance (7)
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[ CLEAR ]* in TE ( TubE, end letters ) |
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| 19 | PODCAST |
Downloadable recording of school performers (7)
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POD ( school ) CAST ( performers ) |
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| 21 | OFFISH |
Word meaning ‘cool’ derived from ‘brill’? (6)
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cryptic def; read as OF FISH ( derived from brill, a fish ) |
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| 23 | CELEBRANT |
Wedding official’s tirade about named individual? (9)
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CELEB ( name individual ) RANT ( tirade ) |
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| 25 | LEAVE |
Don’t take time off (5)
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double def |
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| 26 | AVATAR |
Moving picture in franchise that’s grossed billions (6)
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double def; or cryptic def ? |
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| 27 | AMBITION |
Enterprise confines current working (8)
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AMBIT ( confines ) I ( current ) ON ( working ) |
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| 28 | ELANDS |
Creatures from eastern territories (6)
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E ( eastern ) LANDS ( territories ) |
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| 29 | IN DEMAND |
Popular GOP adversary also much sought-after (2,6)
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IN ( popular ) DEM ( gop adversary, democrat ) AND ( also ) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | NORWAY |
Get out of town to tour heart of vibrant country (6)
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NO WAY ( ~get out of town ) around R ( vibRant, central letter ) |
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| 2 | UNABASHED |
Prior to strike, one Italian editor is not ill at ease (9)
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UNA ( one, italian ) BASH ( strike ) ED ( editor ) |
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| 3 | OASIS |
Old, unchanged rock band (5)
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O ( old ) AS IS ( unchanged ) |
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| 4 | INSECTS |
What an examiner does to eliminate the first sign of potential bugs (7)
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INSpECTS ( what an examiner does, without P – Potential, first letter ) |
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| 6 | ROAST BEEF |
Travelling Boers ate fine, cooked meat (5,4)
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[ BOERS ATE ]* F ( fine ) |
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| 7 | ADIEU |
Having addressed fifty people publicly immediately after the start, I’m leaving (5)
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2nd letters of ( implied by 'after the start' ) of "hAving aDdressed fIfty pEople pUblicly.." |
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| 8 | SEA LEVEL |
Flood barriers put up to protect a lake — is it a rising concern? (3,5)
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reverse of LEVEES ( flood barriers ) containing [ A L ( lake ) ] |
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| 11 | TACT |
Diplomacy ultimately at the centre of Aussie politics? (4)
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T ( aT, ultimately ) ACT ( Australian Capital Territory, referenced by centre of aussie politics ) |
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| 15 | STARBOARD |
Leading group of directors not left out at sea! (9)
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cryptic def; read as STAR BOARD ( leading group of directors ) – right side of a ship |
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| 17 | COSTA RICA |
Country clubs close to beaches in Croatia, possibly (5,4)
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C ( clubs ) { S ( beacheS, finally ) in [ CROATIA ]* } |
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| 18 | SPACE AGE |
Sophisticated step taken by wise person (5,3)
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PACE ( step ) in SAGE ( wise person ) |
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| 20 | TEAL |
Colour of toenails occasionally (4)
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alternate letters of "..ToEnAiLs.." |
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| 21 | OTTOMAN |
Furniture got to manufacturers’ stores (7)
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hidden in "..gOT TO MANufacturer's" ; i thought this was particularly well disguised |
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| 22 | PERNOD |
Fellow sales exec up for a drink (6)
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reverse of [ DON ( fellow ) REP ( sales exec ) ] |
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| 24 | LHASA |
Capital isn’t lacking among the Spanish (5)
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HAS ( isnt lacking ) in LA ( the, spanish ) |
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| 25 | LOIRE |
Stories passed on around one area of France (5)
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LORE ( stories ) around I ( one ) |
Yes, fun was how I’d describe this puzzle from Xela with a handful of ticks.
Liked PERNOD, OASIS (for the ‘as is’), TACT (for the ‘ACT’), LEAVE, CHANTEUSE, TEAL and TREACLE (nice surface).
Completed in one pass but couldn’t parse IN DEMAND. Saw AVATAR as a dd.
Thanks Xela and Turbolegs
Thanks Xela and Turbolegs
7dn: I think “immediately” is part of the indication for specifically second letters of the first five words.
For what it is worth, I took the wordplay of 23ac as RANT about (a) CELEB = CELEB RANT as a phrase; on the other hand, in 15dn, I took STAR and BOARD as separate parts of the answer. The definition of star as an adjective meaning “leading, pre-eminent, brilliant” is in Chambers (2016, p 1518).
Completed over my morning coffee. Good fun. I liked CELEBRANT, something you might hear on a PODCAST?
I don’t think I’ve seen OFFISH without stand- before. Is that Millennial or Zoomer talk?
Challenging but gratifying; unfortunately didn’t get DREADS (put in “freaks” without parsing); didn’t parse TACT. New for me: AMBIT, TEAL, STARBOARD (for which, I’m with Pelham Barton @2), CELEBRANT. Liked OFFISH, OASIS, ADIEU (interesting clue), SEA LEVEL, SPACE AGE, LHASA. I don’t understand why NEUROSIS = “complex component”… Thanks Xela for a great puzzle and Turbolegs for the blog!