A grid by Maize to solve today.
I’m possibly reaching the point in my life when the memory begins to fail, or I’ve done enough 15×15 posts that I’m losing track, but I had to check whether I’d done a Maize grid before: turns out, not.
Somewhat thorny in places, I couldn’t quite seem to get on Maize’s wavelength at times. Nonetheless, with head sufficiently scratched I got them all parsed (I think).
27d might have the most crossword directions in 40 characters ever!
Thank you, Maize for the grid. Definitions are underlined
Across
1/32 Some parts read in a play about people in a play (8,8)
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Anag [“play about”] SOME PARTS READ IN A
6 Part of sailing ship in which to store dry booty (6)
BOTTOM
Part of sailing ship [BOOM] in which to store [around] dry [TT]
9 Two qualities linked by special criterion (10)
TOUCHSTONE
Two qualities [TOUCH & TONE] linked by special [S]
10 Gloomy American writer with little time for his job (4)
POET
Gloomy American writer [POE = Edgar Allan] with little time [T]
11 Horse wouldn’t initially be backed into trap (6)
COBWEB
Horse [COB] wouldn’t initially [W] be backed [BE backwards]
12 Royal Navy s first cutting costs and first to suffer (8)
PRINCESS
Navy s first [N] cutting [inside] costs [PRICES] and first to suffer [S]
14 Shylock s beginning his role having lost a few pounds? (7)
SLENDER
Shylock s beginning [S] his role [LENDER]
17 Cluster of buildings in hospital unit lacking in charm (6)
HAMLET
Hospital [H] unit lacking in charm [AMULET]
18 Put boats in this Mexican sea belonging to America? (6)
MARINA
Mexican sea [MARI] belonging to America [IN A]
21 Genre of music heard in Low Country (7)
MOROCCO
Genre of music heard [ROC = sounds like Rock] in Low [MOO]
24 Soldier Soldier’s after material to suit (8)
SERGEANT
Soldier’s [ANT] after material to suit [SERGE]
26 The original stream split and re-joined anew (6)
MASTER
Anag [“split and rejoined anew”] STREAM
28 Parsonage doesn’t need fires being lit for servant (4)
PAGE
PARSONAGE
30 Emaciated type of iridescent bird gobbling vegetable peel (10)
STARVELING
Iridescent bird [STARLING] gobbling [around] vegetable peel [VEGETABLE]
31 Bring news of some peripheral damage (6)
HERALD
Hidden word [“some”] PERIPHERAL DAMAGE
Down
2 Journey north from Mexican river presumably without restraint (7)
RIOTOUS
Journey north [TO US] from Mexican river presumably [RIO]
3 Attractive Amazonian women chasing short man about (5)
MACAW
Women [W] chasing [after] short man [MA] about [CA]
4 Develop better detailed limits to designs here (4,3)
TEST BED
Anag. [“develop”] better detailed [BETTER] limits to designs [DESIGNS]
5 Duck and orange starter served in upturned bowls (5)
STOOP
Orange starter [O] served in [inside] upturned bowls [POTS backwards]
6 Superficial problem of Belgian region (Belgium not France) (7)
BLEMISH
Belgian region [FLEMISH] (Belgium not France) [replace F with B]
7 Opposite to a 6, perhaps, on a clock face? (3)
TOP
Can’t decide whether this is a direct reference to the six on a clock face, or whether this might also be “Top” being an antonym of a blemish e.g top quality. “top” is also used in this context for the 20 on a dartboard.
8 To look after Old English poetry’s boring (7)
OVERSEE
Old English [OE] poetry’s [VERSE] boring [inside]
13 Funny peculiar: 10cc eating a bit of minestrone (5)
COMIC
Peculiar [anag]: 10cc eating [around] a bit of minestrone [M]
15 Considering playing an extra shot to avoid wet spongy ground (5)
EYING
Playing an extra shot [BOGEYING] to avoid wet spongy ground [-BOG]
16 Strange spirit of small Scottish isle (3)
RUM
Double (treble?) def
19 Mean to maintain a good posture, mostly failing (7)
AVERAGE
To maintain [AVER] a good [A GOOD] posture mostly failing [POSTURE]
20 Put together a service led without Latin (7)
AMASSED
A service [A MASS] led without Latin [LED]
22 Warm cream coming thirdly on top of cold cream? (7)
REMOVER
Warm cream coming thirdly [every third letter = R E M] on top of [OVER]
23 Many island nations reflected green craze, but not Malta (7)
OCEANIA
Reflected green [ECO backwards] craze, but not Malta [MANIA]
25 Rover spaceship Martians seize from below (5)
TRAMP
Backwards hidden word [“seize from below”] SPACESHIP MARTIANS
27 Shelling eggs, including large and small in turn (5)
SALVO
Eggs [OVA] , including large [L] and small [S] in turn [backwards]
29 When one’s due in Greek hotel? (3)
ETA
Double def
ETA
Greek hotel?=Greek H (capital eta)
The blogger must have interpreted the same way, I think.
SLENDER
his role=Lending or LENDER?
TOP
Took it as a CD.
Thanks Leedsclimber and Maize.
I always struggle with Maize, but slightly made up for it by getting the theme. Thanks to Maize and to Leedsclimber for the much-needed blog!
Took TOP as antonym of 6a.
18a MAR not MARI
21a ROCC not ROC.
RUM triple definition but don’t know the Scottish Isle.
Made slow but enjoyable progress but came a cropper in NE. Should have seen BLEMISH which would then probably have gotten me home and dry.
Didn’t care for the anagram indicator in 26a. To me it suggest splitting STREAM into 2 and rejoining (in a different order).