MOO kicks off the week…
Nice gentle puzzle, with some excellent surfaces.
Thanks MOO!
ACROSS
1. Prisoner Northern Ireland returned: game over? (6)
INMATE
(NI)< (Northern Ireland, <overturned) + MATE (game over)
4. Race on your bike, with half unable to follow (8)
SCRAMBLE
SCRAM (on your bike) with [una]BLE (half) to follow
10. Duke’s wife snubbing PM once (9)
ELLINGTON
W (wife) snubbing WELLINGTON (PM once)
11. Dish consumed by ravenous US hikers (5)
SUSHI
[ravenou]S US HI[kers] (consumed by)
12. Money making you amorous? Not quite (4)
RAND
RAND[y] (amorous, not quite)
13. Careful Hindu initially avoiding Delhi rebuke (10)
DELIBERATE
DEL[h]I (H[indu] (initially) avoiding) + BERATE (rebuke)
15. A sailor caught in storm (7)
ASSAULT
"a salt" = ASSAULT (a sailor, "caught")
16. Bishop intervening in case concerning family (6)
TRIBAL
B (bishop) intervening in TRIAL (case)
19. Priest who’s obviously broken vow of celibacy (6)
FATHER
Double (cryptic) definition
21. Perhaps one denying you access to club ball (7)
BOUNCER
Double (cryptic) definition
23. Foolishly pursue hope for the Lords? (5,5)
UPPER HOUSE
(PURSUE HOPE)* (*foolishly)
25. MI6 tailing American in current circumstances (2,2)
AS IS
SIS (MI6, Secret Intelligence Service) tailing A (American)
27. Couple and son moving right into Hilton (5)
PARIS
PAIR (couple) and S (son), moving R (right)
28. Mother briefly sees unusual group engaged in hanky-panky (9)
THREESOME
(MOTHER SEE[s] (briefly))* (*unusual)
29. Model in Brest and Ardèche (8)
STANDARD
[bre]ST AND ARD[eche] (in)
30. Possible provider of cover for Dolly’s bust? (6)
LLOYDS
DOWN
1. Sweet Crimean almost completely drunk outside church (3,5)
ICE CREAM
(CRIMEA[n] (almost))* (*completely drunk) outside CE (church)
2. Trump’s wife smuggling drugs in Pacific region (9)
MELANESIA
MELANIA (Trump's wife) smuggling ES (drugs)
3. An award for Blair? (4)
TONY
Double (cryptic) definition
5. Find guilty satisfaction finally, having sex with Charlie in bed (7)
CONVICT
([satisfactio]N (finally) having VI (sex, six) with C (Charlie)) in COT (bed)
6. Self-disciplined sailor stops concealing record of indebtedness (10)
ABSTEMIOUS
AB (sailor) + (STEMS (stops) concealing IOU (record of indebtedness))
7. Horse rearing outside southern port (5)
BASRA
(ARAB)< (horse, <rearing) outside S (southern)
8. Left in high spirits after Conservative booted out (6)
EXITED
EX[c]ITED (in high spirits, after C (Conservative) booted out)
9. Confirm one might find cricket lover here (6)
ATTEST
AT TEST (one might find cricket lover here)
14. Permitted her a studio after negotiation (10)
AUTHORISED
(HER A STUDIO)* (*after negotiation)
17. Criminal admission by right-winger? Not at first (9)
ACCESSORY
ACCESS (admission) by [t]ORY (right winger?, not at first)
18. British philosopher’s ignoring learner in capital (8)
BRUSSELS
B (British) + RUSSEL[l]S (philosopher's, ignoring L (learner))
20. List includes duck and other fowl (7)
ROOSTER
ROSTER (list) includes O (duck)
21. Writer crossing street, finding place to eat (6)
BISTRO
BIRO (writer) crossing ST (street)
22. Strange cat scratching bottom, creating a disturbance (6)
RUMPUS
RUM (strange) + PUS[s] (cat, scratching bottom)
24. King wearing soldier’s coat (5)
PARKA
K (king) wearing PARA (soldier)
26. Look hungrily around for roll (4)
REEL
(LEER)< (look hungrily, <around)
Thanks both, a couple of mysteries resolved by the blog and an enjoyable puzzle. Like convict!
I agree this was gentle
Liked BASRA, ATTEST, LLOYDS, and RUMPUS
FATHER seemed a bit of a dad joke and I could not fully parse SCRAMBLE. I guess sex = six (in 5d) has precedence in New Zealand
Thanks Moo and Teacow
A criminal justice theme here – Inmate, Deliberate, Assault, Standard (of proof), Authorised (relevant to vicarious liability), Attest, Convict, Accessory…
Good to see Moo back on a Monday restoring the partnership with Teacow. Thanks both.
19ac: This calls to mind the old joke about a Catholic Priest being called “father” by everyone except his own children, who are obliged to call him “uncle”.
5dn: “sex” is Latin for six, and hence a pointer to the use of Roman numerals.
This was fun, I only came up short on a handful which is my definition of success.
I enjoyed Upper House, Ellington, Abstemious and plenty of others.
I was convinced that 30A was a Bodice, not seeing the obvious anagram – grrrr
Thanks to Moo and Teacow.
As Pelham says, Moo and Teacow always go well together and this was perfect Monday fare.
28 (a favourite) and 30 were classic Moo offerings.
Took a while to remember that ‘sex’ clued ‘vi’ rather than ‘it’ leaving me wondering for a while where the ‘v’ came from (your comment tickled me, Martyn). Other than that brief pause, this was an agreeable steady puzzle.
Thanks both.