The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29916.
Perhaps there are a few things here (such as the wordplay for 24A AGENCY) that the setter would not try when wearing his Vulcan hat, but I completed this puzzle in good time, so it cannot have been too involved. There is no shortage of wit here, epitomised by my favourite 11D QUESTION MARK.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GO EASY ON |
Don’t be cruel to old comedian, simple at heart (2,4,2)
|
| An envelope (‘at heart’) of EASY (‘simple’) in GOON (‘old comedian’, a reference to The Goon Show). | ||
| 5 | SCOTER |
Duck as light motorcycle loses one wheel? (6)
|
| A subtraction: SCO[o]TER (‘light motorcycle’) minus an O (‘losing one wheel’; your choice of which one). | ||
| 9 | SLOPE OFF |
Leave secretly, ramp unavailable (5,3)
|
| A charade of SLOPE (‘ramp’) plus OFF (‘unavailable’). | ||
| 10 | ARGUED |
Contended resistance stops suffering from malaria (6)
|
| An envelope (‘stops’) of R (‘resistance’) in AGUED (‘suffering from malaria’). This clue became distinctly easier when I read ‘contended’ rather than contented. | ||
| 12 | ERUPT |
Go up: temperature perfect for returning (5)
|
| A reversal (‘for returning’) of T (‘temperature’) plus PURE (‘perfect’). | ||
| 13 | CRUSTACEA |
Great area on Earth’s exterior in which woodlice are found (9)
|
| A charade of CRUST (‘Earth’s exterior’) plus ACE (‘great’) plus A (‘area’), with ‘on’ giving the order of the particles in the across light. | ||
| 14 | ENT-HUSIASTIC |
Intuit a chess blunder, making up for it (12)
|
| An anagram (‘blunder’) of ‘intuit a chess’. | ||
| 18 | FUNERAL RITES |
Resentful air spoiled farewell observances (7,5)
|
| An anagram (‘spoiled’) of ‘resentful air’. | ||
| 21 | EUCLIDEAN |
Such mathematics left audience floundering (9)
|
| An anargam (‘floundering’) of L (‘left) plus ‘audience’. | ||
| 23 | DREAD |
Be terrified of judge’s pronouncement (5)
|
| Sounds like (‘pronouncement’) DREDD (‘Judge’ DREDD is a fictional character who first appeared in a comic magazine). | ||
| 24 | AGENCY |
Homeland Security for one get on closing clubs in E Coast city (6)
|
| A charade of AGE (‘get on’) plus NCY, an envelope (‘in’) of C (‘clubs’) in NY (New York, ‘E Coast city’). In the surface, is ‘get’ as a plural wrong? | ||
| 25 | VALENCIA |
In depresssed area knight spies city (8)
|
| A charade of VALE (‘depressed area’) plus N (‘knight’, chess) plus CIA (‘spies’). | ||
| 26 | LOSERS |
They are beaten less, or flogged (6)
|
| An anagram (‘flogged’) of ‘less or’. | ||
| 27 | SKITTLES |
Game that looks easy for beginners in brief sketches (8)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of TLE (‘That Looks Easy for beginners’ – ‘for’ does not sit happily here) in SKITS (‘brief sketches’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GUSHER |
Effusive person’s good conduct (6)
|
| A charade of G (‘good’) plus USHER (‘conduct’, verb). | ||
| 2 | EXODUS |
The Great Escape – film and book (6)
|
| Triple definition, although they are closely related: the flight of the Israelites from Egypt, the film based on the book by Leon Uris (involving a ship of the name), and that book or the book of the Torah and Bible. | ||
| 3 | SWEETENER |
Inducement to include small number in series (9)
|
| An envelope (‘to include’) of WEE (‘small’) plus TEN (‘number’) in SER (abbreviation, ‘series’). | ||
| 4 | OFFICE HOLDER |
Apparently warming up, beginning to harry senior minister (6,6)
|
| A charade of OFF ICE (‘apparently warming up’) plus H (‘beginning to Harry’) plus OLDER (‘senior’). | ||
| 6 | CARAT |
Weight of stone accepted in shopping basket (5)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of A (‘accepted’) in CART (‘shopping backet’). The ‘stone’ is of the precious kind. | ||
| 7 | TRUNCATE |
Honest admitting name, sort of burglar in dock (8)
|
| An envelope (‘admitting’) of N (‘name’) plus CAT (‘sort of burglar’) in TRUE (‘honest’). | ||
| 8 | RIDDANCE |
It’s good this getting shot of a pest (8)
|
| A cryptic reference to the expression “good riddance”. | ||
| 11 | QUESTION MARK |
Doubt the gospel? (8,4)
|
| A charade of QUESTION (‘doubt’) plus MARK (‘gospel’). | ||
| 15 | AMENDMENT |
What noon means to some people: time correction (9)
|
| A charade of A.M. END (‘what noon means’) plus MEN (‘some people’) plus T (‘time’). | ||
| 16 | AFTER ALL |
Coming in last, contrary to expectations (5,3)
|
| Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 17 | SNICKERS |
Batters liable to be caught in the bar (8)
|
| Double definition; the first is a cricket reference, a SNICK being an accidental shot off the edge of a bat, and the second a brand name for a chocolate bar. | ||
| 19 | PENCIL |
Drawer twice the size of another (6)
|
| I think this just says that PENCIL has 6 letters, and PEN has 3, I would like to extend this to involve C being twice L in Roman numerals, but that would leave I hanging. | ||
| 20 | IDEALS |
Highest standards of ladies’ dancing (6)
|
| An anagram (‘dancing’) of ‘ladies’. | ||
| 22 | INCUR |
Suffer, beyond medical help, disabled (5)
|
| A subtraction: INCUR[able] (‘beyond medical help’ – though palliative care may well be seen as medical help) minus ABLE (‘dis-abled’). |
Yeah was looking at involving C=2L or maybe M=2D for 19d, but I think it’s simply as you day, Peter. Dnk the comicbook judge ref, but otherwise nothing too obscure from Im, who can be scholarly at times. Good fun, thx both.