This was my first go at a puzzle on MyCrossword and I found it to be fairly tricky.
Some of the surface readings were a little strained but there was good variety in the clues and a lot of unusual devices were used. I liked sometime for ex in 19A (quite a modern usage) and also EST in 29A.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | LET RIP |
Behave uncontrollably, beginning to love experience on MDMA (3,3)
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L[ove] + E trip(=experience on Ecstasy or MDMA) |
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| 5 | COLD SORE |
Heart broken by mature son with herpes infection (4,4)
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Core with (old(=mature) s{on}) inside. |
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| 9 | BALUSTER |
Graduate: one desiring support post (8)
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BA(=graduate i.e. Bachelor of Arts) + luster(=someone lusting or desiring) |
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| 10 | GARAGE |
Place to fill up kid about 10 years old? (6)
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Rag<(=kid as a verb) + age(=10 years old would be an example of an age) |
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| 11 | FOLDEROL |
File exposed bold nonsense (8)
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Folder(=file) + [b]ol[d]. A completely new word for me. |
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| 12 | WINTRY |
Hostile Welsh at home score in rugby match (6)
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W{elsh} + in(=at home) + try(=score in RU) |
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| 13 | QADI |
Judge commercial during panel show (4)
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Ad{vertisement}(=commercial) in QI(=BBC panel show currently hosted by Sandi Toksvig and previously by Stephen Fry). A qadi is an Islamic judge. |
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| 15 | AFTERSHOCK |
Reduced impact of plates moving sweet ham joint (10)
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Afters(=sweet i.e. dessert) + hock(=ham joint) |
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| 17 | PEN FRIENDS |
Refs nip out to check goal for correspondents (3,7)
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(Refs nip)* around(=check) end(=goal) |
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| 19 | EXAM |
Test sometime before 12 (4)
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Ex(=sometime, as in "sometime boyfriend") + AM(=before twelve) |
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| 20 | TOM TOM |
Revolutionary tests drum (3-3)
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MOT< twice |
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| 22 | GENDARME |
Nice police officer to stop weapon held by group of lawbreakers essentially (8)
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Not sure on this but the only thing I can think is (end(=stop) arm(=weapon)) in g{roup} [lawbr]e[akers], but the "of" seems redundant. Nice of course refers to France. |
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| 24 | PINATA |
Party figure prompting strikes? (6)
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CD |
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| 26 | TEA TOWEL |
Wet, with a lot flowing around back of tumble dryer in kitchen (3,5)
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(Wet a lot)* around [tumbl]e |
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| 27 | NEPENTHE |
Drug writer after short novel and article (8)
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(Pen(=writer) after ne[w](=shortened word for novel)) + the(=article) |
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| 28 | LATEST |
News from city: tense time in New York (6)
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LA(=city i.e. Los Angeles) + t{ense} + EST(=Eastern Standard Time, which is the time zone of New York) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 2 | ELABORATE |
Detailed when you are expected to steal beer from basement (9)
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(ETA(=expected time of arrival) + rob(=steal) + ale(=beer))<, reversal indicated by "from the basement". |
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| 3 | ROUND |
Heat drinks (5)
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DD, the first def referring to the round of a tournament and the second a round of drinks. |
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| 4 | PATERNALISM |
Authority’s excessive interference in master plan I developed (11)
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(Master plan I)* |
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| 5 | CIRCLET |
One out of order removed from new electronic band (7)
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El[e]ctr[on]ic*(letters of one removed not in order) |
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| 6 | LEG |
Sign you’ve not yet passed, say, bit of stool (3)
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I don't really get this one. Might be something to do with the leg of a race. |
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| 7 | SCRUNCHIE |
Second process that is for lockkeeper? (9)
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S{econd} + crunch(=process, as in "crunch the numbers") + i.e.(=that is). The def refers to the band used to keep hair(=locks) in place. |
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| 8 | ROGER |
We caught you on exit climbing right on top (5)
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(Re(=about) + go(=exit))< with r{ight} on top |
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| 12 | WARTS AND ALL |
Fight case to tribunal about shoe showing defects (5,3,3)
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(War(=fight) + t[ribuna]l(=case i.e. outer letters of tribunal)) around sandal(=shoe) |
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| 14 | INFATUATE |
Arouse excited auntie drinking stout (9)
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Auntie* around fat(=stout) |
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| 16 | CHARMLESS |
Unattractive Conservative posing no threat (9)
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C{onservative} + harmless(=posing no threat) |
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| 18 | NIGHTIE |
Close item worn formally? Quite the opposite! (7)
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Nigh(=close in the sense of near) + tie(=item worn formally) |
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| 21 | ON ICE |
Suspended when investigation’s head probes (2,3)
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Once(=when) with i[nvestigation] inside(=probes) |
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| 23 | ABORT |
Terminate one bribed in reports (5)
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A + hom of bought(=bribed) |
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| 25 | APT |
Fitting some cheap tiles (3)
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Hidden in cheap tiles |
The G in GENDARME is actually the abbreviation for ‘Group of’ as in G7 – the Group of Seven – and, indeed, that is the def given in Chambers so the ‘of’ is not redundant. And LEG is L – the sign that a driver has not yet passed their test – and say = EG.
TOM TOM made me smile – as, I’m afraid, did WINTRY, given the poor Welsh performance in the Six Nations.
Thanks both
Thanks for both gendarme and leg, PM @1, I just biffed them and went back to binging a mindless cop show. But agree, NeilH, a puzzle not without a bit of chew, ta Iguess.