The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hello all. It’s nice to see Hippogryph again and I had fun today. My picks include 13a CHIC, 19a CLOSET, 20d MASKED and 23d INEPT. My last in was 24d SILO. Thanks Hippogryph.
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 | Partner secures uncut supply just in time (8) |
| PUNCTUAL — PAL (partner) holds (secures) an anagram of (… supply) UNCUT | |
| 6a | I’m so taken aback by volume of the Universe (6) |
| COSMIC — I’M SO contained in reverse in (taken aback by) CC (volume) | |
| 9a | Embrace ten times after taking the lead (6) |
| ENFOLD — On removing the first letter (… after taking the lead) tENFOLD (ten times) | |
| 10a | Member with gold duck houses is only lasting a short time (8) |
| TEMPORAL — MP (member) with OR (gold), which TEAL (duck) contains (houses) | |
| 11a | Number one accepts erring badly will get the bird (9) |
| PEREGRINE — PEE (number one) takes in (accepts) ERRING anagrammed (badly) | |
 |
|
| 13a | Ken’s going off yellow style (4) |
| CHIC — KEN is leaving (going off) CHIC[ken] (yellow) | |
| 15a | Actor’s not Polish revolutionary (6) |
| BURTON — Backwards (… revolutionary), NOT and RUB (polish) | |
| 17a | What’s reversing behind big black car? (6) |
| HEARSE — EH (what)’s reversing + ARSE (behind) | |
| 18a | Show in Nero’s boxing champion (6) |
| WINNER — ShoW IN NERo’s surrounding (boxing) the answer | |
| 19a | What 18 didn’t do in the middle of court recess (6) |
| CLOSET — LOSE (what 18 – 18a, WINNER – didn’t do) in the middle of CT (court) | |
| 21a | Go naked to party (4) |
| RAVE — Without outer letters (… naked), tRAVEl (go) | |
| 22a | Authorises international punishment (9) |
| SANCTIONS — A double definition | |
| 25a | Deception by bowler might produce this? (3,5) |
| HAT TRICK — Two definitions in one: the first referring to the trick with a (bowler) hat and the second in which the bowler is a sportsperson | |
| 26a | Reserve trimmed steak and refreshing drink (3,3) |
| ICE TEA — ICE (reserve) + sTEAk without outer letters (trimmed …) | |
| 28a | Oddball rector interrupts wedding vow after draining wine (6) |
| WEIRDO — R (rector) goes into (interrupts) I DO (wedding vow) after removing the inner letters from (draining) WinE | |
| 29a | Provide state aid (8) |
| DONATION — DO (provide) + NATION (state) | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Link to website with pound off new vase (3) |
| URN — UR[l] (link to website) without L (with pound off) + N (new) | |
| 3d | Divided 100 by zero (5) |
| CLOVE — C (100) by LOVE (zero) | |
| 4d | In secret, run over code leaving nothing suspect (10) |
| UNDERCOVER — An anagram of (… suspect) RUN OVER C[o]DE omitting O (leaving nothing) | |
| 5d | Dormant in insect net, a locust turned up (6) |
| LATENT — This is hidden in insecT NET, A Locust reversed (turned up) | |
| 6d | Thoroughly search male nutcases (4) |
| COMB — M (male) which COB (nut) encloses (cases) | |
| 7d | Squeezes weed into cut flowers at last (9) |
| SHOEHORNS — HOE (weed) goes into SHORN (cut) + the final letter of (… at last) flowerS | |
| 8d | Doctor Watson – a nice scientist (5,6) |
| ISAAC NEWTON — Make an anagram of (doctor) WATSON – A NICE | |
| 12d | Bowler’s developing with age, experience at either end, and hard work (5,6) |
| ELBOW GREASE — An anagram of (… developing …) BOWLER’S with AGE followed by E (ExperiencE at either end) | |
| 14d | Official left “Out of Order” notice for consideration (10) |
| REFLECTION — REF (official) + L (left) + an anagram of (out of order) NOTICE | |
 |
|
| 16d | Restorer picked up French car with tax overhead reimbursed up-front (9) |
| RENOVATOR — RENO, which sounds like (picked up) RENAULT (French car), VAT (tax) and initial letters of (… up-front) Overhead Reimbursed | |
| 20d | Back in Gotham, requested description of Batman and Robin? (6) |
| MASKED — The last letter of (back in) GothaM + ASKED (requested) | |
| 23d | Elected essentially dangerous, vacuous President? Hopeless! (5) |
| INEPT — IN (elected) + the centre of (essentially) dangErous + PresidenT missing its inner letters (vacuous …) | |
| 24d | Store Greek character wants up North (4) |
| SILO — [up]SILO[n] (Greek character) lacks (wants) UP and N (North) | |
| 27d | Green manure covers hedges (3) |
| ECO — ManurE COvers surrounds (hedges) the answer | |
Found this very easy but also very entertaining. Nice, smooth surfaces are always a big tick in my book. I particularly liked the unexpected anagram of ISAAC NEWTON.
Did 10a remind anybody else of Sir Peter Viggers MP from a while back?
I can now add SPOTHARES to my list of entirely invented words, although thankfully I came to my senses and thought of ‘weed’ as a verb in the nick of time.
Good fun, with ISAAC NEWTON the pick of the bunch. I assume there’s a theme given the Filbert replacement service, but haven’t the foggiest what it could be.
I thought this was light and great fun.
The anagram component of 1a was minimal requiring just a one-letter shift.
My top picks were HEARSE, HAT TRICK, URN, CLOVE ISAAC NEWTON and INEPT.
Many thanks to Hippogryph and to Kitty.
I didn’t do this puzzle but I do enjoy reading Kitty’s blogs.
Hovis @2 – many thanks for the reminder of the hilarious saga of MPs’ expenses
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/may/11/mps-expenses-best-and-worst
and Morph’s wonderful puzzle:
https://www.fifteensquared.net/2009/06/01/independent-7059-morph/?highlight=duck%20house%2C%20MPs%20expenses
(It’s a pity there is no Independent crossword archive, as this is back in the days when we didn’t include the clues in the blog.)
Perfect Sunday puzzle altho I had to write out the fodder for Isaac and await some crossers, before unraveling the most obvious scientist ever… some nice surfaces and not too.many tricks… on balance ENFOLD was my favourite..
Thanks Hippogryph and Kitty
Always plenty of entertainment from this setter and today was no exception. My rosettes were pinned on TEMPORAL, CHIC, BURTON & MASKED. PEREGRINE sadly missed the cut because I hate that use of Number1.
Thanks to Hippogryph and to Kitty for the review. Your pusskin who doesn’t care for his ‘reflection’ obviously goes into the same clothes shops whose mirrors have almost reduced me to tears over the years!
Always plenty of entertainment from this setter and today was no exception. My rosettes were pinned on TEMPORAL, CHIC, BURTON & MASKED. PEREGRINE sadly missed the cut because I hate that use of Number1.
Thanks to Hippogryph and to Kitty for the review. Your pusskin who doesn’t care for his ‘reflection’ obviously goes into the same clothes shops whose mirrors have almost reduced me to tears over the years!