SLORMGORM kicks off the week…
A good, solid, and enjoyable puzzle, with some lovely surfaces.
Thanks SLORMGORM!
ACROSS
1. Redesign of niche car will be more risky (8)
CHANCIER
(NICHE CAR)* (*redesign of)
5. Difficult at university to be skint (4,2)
HARD UP
HARD (difficult) + UP (at university)
10. Large person making dough is a trainee (7)
LEARNER
L (large) + EARNER (person making dough)
11. Contract and a game in which there is one? (7)
ABRIDGE
A + BRIDGE (a game in which there is one (contract))
12. Corrupt heavyweight probed by minister for sport (9)
BADMINTON
(BAD (corrupt) + TON (heavyweight)) probed by MIN (minister)
13. Walk better having lost a little weight (5)
AMBLE
[g]AMBLE[r] (better, having lost GR (a little weight, gram or grain))
15. Reason leading soprano will become tenor in the future? (5)
TENSE
SENSE (reason, S[oprano] (leading) will become T (tenor))
16. When elite sailor finds hazardous material (8)
ASBESTOS
AS (when) + BEST (elite) + OS (sailor)
19. What fan might do at premiere? Be in a daze! (3,5)
SEE STARS
Double (cryptic) definition
20. Some drab, undulating wilderness in South Africa (5)
BUNDU
[dra]B UNDU[lating] (some)
21. Music producer essentially raised backing pitch (5)
SITAR
([ra]IS[ed] (essentially))< (<backing) + TAR (pitch)
23. Damned gin gone off ? That’s extremely annoying! (9)
MADDENING
(DAMNED GIN)* (*gone off)
25. Old and anxious, but not very demanding (7)
ONEROUS
O (old) and NER[v]OUS (anxious, but not V (very))
27. Person taking pawn with a knight is evil (7)
UNCLEAN
UNCLE (person taking pawn) with A + N (knight)
28. Revolutionary lawyer getting sack is a shame (3,3)
TOO BAD
(DA (lawyer) getting BOOT (sack))< (<revolutionary)
29. Venomous type sadly isn’t gay, queen admitted (8)
STINGRAY
(ISNT GAY)* (*sadly), R (queen) admitted
DOWN
1. Celeb at parties hides one avoiding relations (8)
CELIBATE
(CELEB AT)* (*parties) hides I (one)
2. A group at work blokes and model neglect (11)
ABANDONMENT
A + BAND (group) at ON (work) + MEN (blokes) and T (model)
3. Tory party and Truss regularly ignored judges (9)
CONSIDERS
CON (Tory) + SIDE (party) + [t]R[u]S[s] (regularly ignored)
4. Having missed header, feel bad for winger (5)
EGRET
[r]EGRET (feel bad for, having missed header)
6. Section found in gondola or taller vessel (5)
AORTA
[gondo]A OR TA[ller] (section found in)
7. Old man is uninspiring when lacking energy (3)
DAD
D[e]AD (uninspiring, when lacking E (energy))
8. Report of armistice you heard on the radio (5)
PIECE
"peace" = PIECE (armistice, "you heard on the radio")
9. Is it possible outlaw returned one’s dope? (8)
CANNABIS
CAN (is it possible) + (BAN)< (outlaw, <returned) + IS (one's)
14. It’s a job Nigerien with OBE messed up (11)
BIOENGINEER
(NIGERIEN with OBE)* (*messed up)
16. A liberal member first to be scaremongering (8)
ALARMIST
A + L (liberal) + ARM (member) + IST (first)
17. Cloth merchant in case bound to get banged up (9)
SUBDEACON
(CASE BOUND)* (*to get banged up)
18. Buy drug around about noon in old French region (8)
BURGUNDY
(BUY DRUG)* (*around) about N (noon)
21. Film sequel primarily shown with Scream (5)
SHOOT
S[equel] (primarily) shown with HOOT (scream)
22. Wind up eating flipping joint with ordinary wine (5)
RIOJA
(AIR)< (wind, <up) eating (J (joint) with O (ordinary))< (<flipping)
24. Spot in which you and bishop will see Suspicion (5)
DOUBT
DOT (spot) in which (U (you) and B (bishop))
26. I like nothing (3)
EGO
ABRIDGE
Though we have come across the A+BRIDGE WP before, the play on ‘contract’ was good.
EGO
Simple and elegant.
ABANDONMENT
A minor point: ‘at work’=ON
TENSE
I thought…
Soprano=S, the leading/the first S in SENSE is replaced with T.
Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow.
Liked the cloth merchant, and the misspelled (or are there three esses?) Nigerien was cute. Gentlish stroll, ta S and T.
KVa @1, yes I guess so, but you have to reach for it, as in, eg,
It’s the day shift that’s currently on.
…………………………………………….. at work.