A gentle challenge from STEERPIKE
FF: 8 DD: 7
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BROUHAHA |
Essentially thump ball around with very funny racket (8)
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reverse of [ U ( thUmp, essentially ) ORB ( ball ) ] HAHA ( very funny ) |
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| 5 | OWNS UP |
Admits taking sample from downtown supermarket (4,2)
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hidden in "..downtOWN SUPermarket" |
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| 9 | REFUTING |
Denying container is in harbour, endlessly (8)
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TIN ( container ) in REFUGe ( harbour, endlessly ) |
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| 10 | VISUAL |
Graphic travel document entertains upper-class Liberal (6)
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[ U ( upper-class ) in VISA ( travel document ) ] L ( liberal ) |
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| 12 | EXCALIBUR |
Former partner picked up quality weapon (9)
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EX ( former partner ) CALIBUR ( sounds like CALIBRE – quality ) |
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| 13 | SONAR |
Rocket engaging new navigation system (5)
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SOAR ( rocket ) containing N ( new ) |
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| 14 | PLUG |
Small dog circling large seal (4)
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PUG ( small dog ) around L ( large ) |
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| 16 | DICKENS |
Criminal investigators set about understanding Serbia’s foremost author (7)
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DI ( criminal investigators ) C ( about ) KEN ( understanding ) S ( Serbia, first letter ) |
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| 19 | IMMORAL |
Debauched model forsaken by deity (7)
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IMMORtAL ( deity, without T – model, ford car ) |
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| 21 | HOLD |
Beginning to hone ancient wrestling technique (4)
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H ( Hone, first letter ) OLD ( ancient ) |
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| 24 | AZURE |
Discovered tree behind Arizona University providing shade (5)
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AZ ( arizona ) U ( university ) RE ( tREe, discovered i.e. without end letters ) |
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| 25 | CUSTOMARY |
Established scout corrupted virgin (9)
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[ SCOUT ]* MARY ( virgin ) |
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| 27 | LEAD IN |
Opening remarks of gaunt, arresting officer (4-2)
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LEAN ( gaunt ) containing DI ( officer ) |
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| 28 | LANGUISH |
Lashing out about Unionist flag (8)
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[ LASHING ]* around U ( unionist ) |
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| 29 | DRESSY |
Formal dissertation denied top grade by doctor (6)
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DR ( doctor ) ESSaY ( dissertation, without A – top grade ) |
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| 30 | JETTISON |
Abandon aircraft before it turns south over pole (8)
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JET ( aircraft ) TI ( reverse of IT ) S ( south ) O ( over ) N ( North, pole ) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BARLEY |
Retired sailor regularly grilled last of mouldy food (6)
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BA ( reverse of AB, sailor ) RLE ( gRiLlEd, alternate letters of ) Y ( mouldY, last letter ) |
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| 2 | OFFICE |
Duty of fellow US immigration agents (6)
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OF F ( fellow ) ICE ( us immigration agents ) |
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| 3 | HOTEL |
Stolen French article turned up in lodgings (5)
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HOT ( stolen ) EL ( reverse of LE, french article ) |
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| 4 | HANDBAG |
Spooner’s outlawed witch’s accessory (7)
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spoonerism of BANNED ( outlawed ) HAG ( witch ) |
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| 6 | WHIMSICAL |
His claim about supporting wife is fanciful (9)
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W ( wife ) [ HIS CLAIM ]* |
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| 7 | SQUANDER |
Waste several soldiers patrolling northern English river (8)
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[ N ( northern ) in SQUAD ( several soldiers ) ] E ( english ) R ( river ) |
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| 8 | POLARISE |
Divide capital, holding nothing back from powerful earl (8)
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[ { O ( nothing ) L ( powerfuL, last letter ) } in PARIS ( capital ) E ( earl ) |
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| 11 | GRID |
Golf shown on free network (4)
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G ( golf ) RID ( free ) |
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| 15 | LARCENIES |
Cleaner is sacked for criminal acts (9)
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[ CLEANER IS ]* |
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| 17 | DISABLED |
Incapacitated attorney maintains Italians on vacation spilt blood (8)
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[ DA ( attorney ) containing IS ( ItalianS, on vacation, without inner letters ) ] BLED ( spilt blood ) |
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| 18 | AMPUTATE |
Cut off from boundless grounds of university gallery (8)
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cAMPs ( grounds, boundless i.e. without inner letters ) U ( university ) TATE ( gallery ) |
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| 20 | LOCK |
Securely shut up in redbrick college (4)
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hidden reversed in "..redbricK COLlege" |
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| 21 | HOSTAGE |
One who’s taken large number over long period (7)
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HOST ( large number ) AGE ( long period ) |
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| 22 | MAXIMS |
Precepts a revolutionary associate included in manuscript (6)
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[ A XIM ( reverse of MIX, associate ) ] in MS ( manuscript ) |
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| 23 | PYTHON |
Extremely pointy ends of teeth on serpent (6)
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PY ( PointY, ends of ) TH ( TeetH, ends of ) ON |
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| 26 | OUGHT |
Desperate to hug auxiliary (5)
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[ TO HUG ]* |
I went [c]ampu[s] + tate for 18d
So did I.
It took me a while to work out why OUGHT was auxiliary. My only speed bump in a very satisfying puzzle.
As a deduction clue, 18d could be many things. FWIW, I had the same parsing as Turbolegs
Today there were a lot of succinct clues – right up my alley. I found the early going very straightforward, and slowed considerably due to a few complex (and not so succinct) charades that I found challenging. I wish I had noticed it is a pangram when I was wrestling with SQUANDER.
Along the lines of succinct, I ticked LOCK, PLUG, LARCENIES, and DICKENS (not so succinct but a nice surface)
All parsed, but not being a grammarian I do not understand how OUGHT = auxiliary. One quibble: a visa is not a document (and so says SOED).
Thanks Steerpike and Turbolegs
Martyn @ 5, I found through Google AI, “ought is a modal auxiliary verb”.
Thanks GDU@6. Of course, the old modal auxiliary verb. Why did I not think of that?
I enjoyed this, esp customary, larcenies, disabled, python. Nice puzzle and blog which I needed for immoral, which is also vg.
16A: CID (criminal investigators) reversed (set about) + KEN (understanding) + first letter of (foremost [of]) S[ERBIA]
18D: I agree with grantinfreo@1.
Pangram, as noted by Martyn@5
Some of the parsing took me a bit of thought to work out.