The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29893.
A splendid puzzle, with sometimes elaborate parsing couched mostly in meaningful surfaces. I think there is a slip in 19D SIERRA, but that hardly mars the overall effect.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DRESSED |
Journalist on pills, doctors wrapped and prepared (7)
|
| A charade of DRESS, an envelope (‘wrapped’) of ES (‘pills’) in DRS (‘doctors’); plus ED (‘journalist’). | ||
| 5 | POLYGON |
No doctor around to begin with – on location, you must get into shape (7)
|
| An envelope (‘must get into’) of OLY (‘to begin with On Location You’) in PGON, a reversal (‘around’) of ‘no’ plus GP (‘doctor’). | ||
| 9 | ARTIC |
E.g. oils winch occasionally for little lorry (5)
|
| A charade of ART (‘E.g. oils’) plus IC (‘wInCh occasionally’). ‘Little’ for the abbreviation. | ||
| 10 | AFTERGLOW |
Residual radiance of surrealist art we flog (9)
|
| An anagram (‘surrealist’) of ‘art we flog’. | ||
| 11 | TIE THE KNOT |
Get married in Windsor – possibly circumventing terms of it with divorce (3,3,4)
|
| An envelope (‘circumventing’) of THE, final letters (‘terms’) of ‘iT witH divorcE’ in TIE KNOT (‘Windsor possibly’). | ||
| 12 | FAD |
This writer’s article for European Vogue (3)
|
| A substitution: FED (‘this writer’) with the E replaced by A (‘article for European’). | ||
| 14 | PRECARIOUSLY |
Faithfully taking on Park Run – straining Achilles at the start in a hazardous manner (12)
|
| A double envelope (‘taking on’ and ‘straining’ – the latter I feel a strain) of A (‘Achilles at the start’) in REC (‘park’) plus R (run’), to give RECAR, in PIOUSLY (‘faithfully’). | ||
| 18 | INCANTATIONS |
Leaders of certain African countries checking temperature after hot spells (12)
|
| A charade of IN (‘hot’) plus CANTATIONS, an envelope (‘checking’) of T (‘temperature’) in CA (‘Leaders of Certain African’) plus NATIONS (‘countries’). | ||
| 21 | NUN |
Sister removing bits from kitchen units (3)
|
| A hidden answer (‘removing bits from’) in ‘kitcheN UNits’ | ||
| 22 | SANATORIUM |
Awful trauma – so in hospital (10)
|
| An anagram (‘awful’) of ‘trauma so in’. | ||
| 25 | IMMEDIATE |
I’m referee next (9)
|
| A charade of ‘I’m’ plus MEDIATE (‘referee’, verb). | ||
| 26 | SURGE |
Get material in audition and well up (5)
|
| Sounds like (‘in audition’) SERGE (‘material’). | ||
| 27 | LACONIC |
Brief initially taking legal advice concerning our negligence in court (7)
|
| First letters of (‘initially taking’) ‘Legal Advice Concerning Our Negligence In Court’. | ||
| 28 | ASSUAGE |
Diminish link, say, bringing sons together (7)
|
| A transposition: SAUSAGE (‘link, say’) with the two letters S moved together (‘bringing sons together’). A novel device. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DEARTH |
Want daughter to join our home (6)
|
| A charade of D (‘daughter’) plus EARTH (‘our home’). | ||
| 2 | EITHER |
One of two that is reared by the King (6)
|
| A charade of EI, a reversal (‘reared’ in a down light) of I.E. (‘that is’) plus ‘the’ plus R (Rex, ‘King’). | ||
| 3 | SACCHARINE |
Criminal in car chase looking for sweetener (10)
|
| An anagram (‘criminal’) of ‘in car chase’. ‘Looking for is just connective tissue. | ||
| 4 | DRANK |
Had coffee for one day on order (5)
|
| A charade of D (‘day’) plus RANK (‘order’). ‘For one’ as the indication by example. | ||
| 5 | POTPOURRI |
Tip and pour or spread mixture (9)
|
| An anagram (‘spread’) of ‘tip’ plus ‘pour or’. | ||
| 6 | LARD |
It might be Hollywood Boulevard for Grease (4)
|
| LA RD (Los Angeles road, ‘it might be Hollywood Boulevard’)’ | ||
| 7 | GOLDFISH |
Or try to get fairground prize? (8)
|
| A charade of GOLD (‘or’ in heraldry) plus FISH (‘try to get’ – generally in the form “fish for”). | ||
| 8 | NOWADAYS |
A Dyson Airblade was primarily designed for the current time (8)
|
| An anagram (‘designed’) of ‘a Dyson’ plus AW (‘Airblade Was primarily’). | ||
| 13 | TOWN HOUSES |
Sandwich maybe hot – nothing goes through connected properties (4,6)
|
| A charade of TOWN (‘Sandwich maybe’) plus H (‘hot’) plus O (‘nothing’) plus USES (‘goes through’). | ||
| 15 | CHARABANC |
Coach horse cutting almost all risk (9)
|
| An envelope (‘cutting’) of ARAB (‘horse’) in CHANC[e] (‘risk’) minus its last letter (‘almost all’). | ||
| 16 | BIENNIAL |
Perhaps honesty box is originally in lane for change (8)
|
| An anagram (‘for change’) of BI (‘Box Is originally’) plus ‘in lane’. Despite the botanical name Lunaria annua, honesty or the money plant is often grown as a biennial. | ||
| 17 | ECONOMIC |
English funny about working to be profitable (8)
|
| An envelope (‘about’) of ON (‘working’) in E (‘English’) plus COMIC (‘funny’). | ||
| 19 | SIERRA |
Dossier parties surrendered before, essentially, Gerald Ford made it (6)
|
| A charade of ‘[dos]sier’ minus DOS (‘parties surrendered’) plus RA (‘essentially GeRAld’). The definition is puzzling: there are films entitled Sierra, High Sierra, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre etc., none of which was directed by John Ford nor starred Harrison Ford or Glenn Ford , nor involve any of them in any way. Unless I am overlooking something, I suspect a slip by Fed – perhaps most likely a confusion of John Ford with John Houston, the director of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. | ||
| 20 | AMPERE |
Current measure of a politician regularly missing debrief (6)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plus MP (‘politician’) plus ERE (‘regularly missing dEbRiEf’). | ||
| 23 | ARENA |
Ring some Sloane Rangers up (5)
|
| A hidden (‘some’) reversed (‘up’ in a down light) answer in ‘SloANE RAngers’. | ||
| 24 | ADEN |
Loaded without opening port (4)
|
| A subtraction: [l]ADEN (‘loaded’) minus its first letter (‘without opening’). |
SIERRA
A Ford car model
Comment #2
With KVa on Sierra, the Ford model.
Thank you PeterO, especially for ASSUAGE. I should have known/remembered the link/sausage as my father was a butcher.
GOLDFISH. I knew it had to be ”gold” something, and then got it. Not familiar with the history, or the predicament, of that poor little creature, still legal as a prize in some areas, I see.
INCANTATIONS my pick for the surface and wordplay.
I had a different interpretation of DRANK. Definition, had coffee for (link word) one day> D on (in a down clue) RANK (order). I really liked the clue, because so often ”drink” or ”drinking” or ”drank” implies alcohol consumption, without specifying it. I think we had a similar clue recently, not sure if it was Fed.
Tricky in places but fair, once you have the wordplay worked out. Liked GOLDFISH and SANATORIUM – after I’d spelled it correctly!
I was trying to think of a context where IMMEDIATE could be substituted for “next”, but the closest I could get was “immediate neighbour” and “next-door neighbour”. There’s probably something obvious but I just can’t think of it right now.
Tx.