Filbert, whose work I encounter more often on Sundays than on any other day, is filling the Wednesday slot this week.
I found this to be an entertaining, medium-difficulty puzzle, pitched at just the right level for a mid-week solve. I found that I solved a number of clues from the definition part only, supported by crossing letters, but that I struggled to parse their wordplay, e.g. at 3 and 12, although I got there in the end!
I would appreciate confirmation from fellow solvers that I have correctly parsed 11 and 17, both in respect of the definition part.
My favourite clues today were 14, for smoothness of surface; 18 and 23, both for their sports-related misdirection; and above all 13, for smoothness of surface and not immediately obvious definition. Furthermore, 27 was a new word for me, while 1D simply made me sad 🙁
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
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| 1 | FORESTALL |
Anticipate dealing with large wooded area and lake (9)
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| FORESTAL (=dealing with large wooded area) + L (=lake) | ||
| 6 | FOUND |
Institute decided after hearing evidence (5)
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| Double definition: to found is to institute, establish AND e.g. “The Court found that ….” means that the Court “decided after hearing evidence” | ||
| 9 | RESTART |
Set up again, as you might on an easel? (7)
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| Cryptically, you may well “rest art” on an easel! | ||
| 10 | DEBACLE |
Disaster as large taxi reverses into river (7)
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| BACL [L (=large, in sizes) + CAB (=taxi); “reverses” indicates reversal)] in DEE (=river, in Scotland) | ||
| 11 | GEESE |
Large flock coming back through pasture see gate (5)
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| Reversed (“coming back”) and hidden (“through”) in “pasturE SEE Gate”; the “large” of the definition presumably refers to the size of the birds rather than their number | ||
| 12 | COOPERATE |
Old queen opening supermarket had help (9)
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| ER (=old queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regine) in [COOP (=supermarket (chain)) + ATE (=had, consumed)] | ||
| 14 | SOLAR ECLIPSE |
Lighting failure only covers live bits of film (5,7)
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| [ARE (=live, exist) + CLIPS (=bits of film)] in SOLE (=only); cryptically, a solar eclipse could be described as a “lighting failure”, since the sun’s light is blocked by the moon! | ||
| 18 | ALBERT BRIDGE |
Great dribbler nearly trips crossing at Chelsea (6,6)
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| *(GREAT DRIBBLE<r>); “nearly” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “trips”; first built in 1873, the Albert Bridge across the Thames connects Chelsea with Battersea | ||
| 21 | TROUSERED |
Time to wake up showing embarrassment in pyjama bottoms? (9)
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| T (=time) + ROUSE (=to wake up) + RED (=showing embarrassment) | ||
| 23 | MANOR |
Lord’s ground‘s style given by commentator (5)
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| Homophone (“given by commentator”) of “manner (=style, way)”; cf. a manor is the ground(s) owned by a lord, as in “lord of the manor | ||
| 24 | SEMINAL |
If absent from big cup match, influential later (7)
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| SEM<i-f>INAL (=big cup match; ‘”if absent” means letters “if” are dropped); e.g. a seminal work (of literature, say) is influential later, i.e. in future developments | ||
| 26 | LARGELY |
Pants all grey except for small part (7)
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| *(ALL GREY); “pants (=rubbish)” is anagram indicator | ||
| 27 | NULLA |
Totally empty urn tipped over Indian gully (5)
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| ALL (=totally, completely) + U<r>N (“empty” means middle letter is dropped); “over” indicates reversal; in India, a nulla is a gully, ravine | ||
| 28 | DEERHOUND |
Tall dog at this point knocked over by Spooner (9)
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| Spoonerism (“by Spooner”) of “here (=at this point) + downed (=knocked over, brought down)” | ||
| DOWN
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| 1 | FARAGE |
PM potentially in distant future? (6)
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| Cryptically, “in a far age” could mean “in distant future”; the reference is to Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage | ||
| 2 | RUSSET |
Apple, America decided should support Republican (6)
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| R (=Republican) + US (=America) + SET (=decided, determined) | ||
| 3 | STAGE DOOR |
Old cracks reflected heritage part of theatre (5,4)
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| AGED (=old, elderly) in STOOR (ROOTS=heritage; “reflected” indicates reversal) | ||
| 4 | ANTECHAMBER |
College offering industrial training in an orange waiting room (11)
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| TECH (=college offering industrial training) in [AN + AMBER (=orange)] | ||
| 5/25 | LADLED |
Boy was first served from tureen (6)
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| LAD (=boy) + LED (=was first) | ||
| 6 | FIBRE |
Lie touching backbone (5)
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| FIB (=lie, untruth) + RE- (=touching, regarding); here, fibre means strength of character, hence “backbone” | ||
| 7 | UNCLASPS |
During a French lesson, head of physics relaxes (8)
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| P<hysics> (“head of” means first letter only) in [UN (=a French, i.e. a French word for a) + CLASS (=lesson)]; to unclasp is to loosen one’s grip on, relax | ||
| 8 | DEEPENED |
English writer into action took on mystery (8)
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| [E (=English) + PEN (=writer)] in DEED (=action) | ||
| 13 | OVERINDULGE |
Baby girl due, first half of November chaotic (11)
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| *(GIRL DUE + NOVE<mber>); “first half of” means first four of eight letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “chaotic”; to baby is to pamper, cosset, hence “overindulge” someone | ||
| 15 | LAGOMORPH |
Hare or rabbit running through lavish promo gallery set up (9)
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| Vertically reversed (“set up”) and hidden (“running through”) in “lavisH PROMO GALlery” | ||
| 16 | PARTISAN |
Guerrilla skilfully made top for percussion caps (8)
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| P<ercussion> (“top for” means first letter only) + ARTISAN (=skilfully made, made by traditional craftsmen) | ||
| 17 | ABNORMAL |
Special case of Lambrusco barman presented as something else (8)
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| *(L<ambrusc>O + BARMAN); “case of” means first and last letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “presented as something else”; special here means unusual, peculiar, hence “abnormal” | ||
| 19 | INGENU |
Guy terribly green, syringe nurse is holding? (6)
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| Hidden (“is holding”) in “syrINGE NUrse” | ||
| 20 | FRAYED |
Beam held by iron band finally coming apart (6)
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| RAY (=beam) in [FE (=iron, i.e. chemical symbol) + <ban>D (“finally” means last letter only)]; in respect of cloth, say, frayed means coming apart, disintegrating | ||
| 22 | SANTA |
Generous chap who visits everyone in hospital much appreciated (5)
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| SAN (=hospital, i.e. sanatorium) + TA (=much appreciated, i.e. thank you) | ||
| 25 |
See 5
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