I have rather a stupefying cold today, so I cannot tell whether this puzzle was hard or I was enfeebled or some combination of the two.
In any event, I enjoyed this offering from Peto, which required a few bits of GK to complete.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | POPLAR |
Kind of wood panelling originally inside directly opposite (6)
|
| First letter of (originally) P[ANELLING] inside POLAR (directly opposite) | ||
| 4 | BRA STRAP |
A bit of support with money mostly to get gin (3,5)
|
| BRAS[S] (money) minus last letter (mostly) + TRAP (gin) | ||
| 9 | SWEARS |
Vows to accept damage over time on board (6)
|
| SS (“on board”) around (to accept) WEAR (damage over time) | ||
| 10 | CRIMINAL |
A short time after, the king meets international gangster? Deplorable (8)
|
| CR (the king) + I (international) + MIN (a short time) + AL [Capone] (gangster), with “after” indicating the order of the elements of the wordplay | ||
| 12 | PILASTER |
An architectural feature most unlikely to be found in bridge support (8)
|
| LAST (most unlikely) inside (to be found in) PIER (bridge support) | ||
| 13 | INSIDE |
Is Enid somehow positioned to obtain exclusive information? (6)
|
| Anagram of (somehow) IS ENID | ||
| 15 | NADA |
Tennis star ultimately departing with nothing (4)
|
| [Rafael] NADA[L] (tennis star) minus last letter (ultimately departing) | ||
| 16 | IGNOBLE |
Mean to get money once soldier returns to the front (7)
|
| GI (soldier) reversed (returns) + NOBLE (money once, i.e., “an obsolete gold coin worth approx one-third of a pound sterling”), with “to the front” indicating the order of the elements of the wordplay | ||
| 20 | AMNESTY |
General pardon from Trump at the outset welcomed by worried yes-man (7)
|
| First letter of (at the outset) T[RUMP] inside (welcomed by) anagram of (worried) YES-MAN | ||
| 21 | SOAP |
Nothing in fool’s flattery (4)
|
| O (nothing) inside (in) SAP (fool) | ||
| 25 | ATTACK |
Criticise volunteers upset by change of course (6)
|
| TA (volunteers) reversed (upset) + TACK (change of course) | ||
| 26 | PROSPECT |
Scene showing plaintiff at first overwhelmed by dull discourse at court (8)
|
| First letter of (at first) P[LAINTIFF] inside (overwhelmed by) PROSE (dull discourse) + CT (court) | ||
| 28 | DEAD BEAT |
Fear missing runs with batter exhausted (4,4)
|
| D[R]EAD (fear) minus (missing) R (runs) + BEAT (batter) | ||
| 29 | MEDICI |
Doctor on island of a once powerful Italian family (6)
|
| MEDIC (doctor) + I (island) | ||
| 30 | NONSENSE |
Bull’s balls (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 31 | CYBELE |
Somewhat racy beleaguered Phrygian goddess (6)
|
| Hidden in (somewhat) [RA]CY BELE[AGUERED] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | POSTPONE |
Delay appointment only after pressure (8)
|
| POST (appointment) + P (pressure) + ONE (only) | ||
| 2 | PRECLUDE |
Make impossible claims primarily during introduction (8)
|
| First letter of (primarily) C[LAIMS] inside (during) PRELUDE (introduction) | ||
| 3 | AT REST |
Still finding theatre staff accommodating (2,4)
|
| Hidden in (accommodating) [THE]ATRE ST[AFF] | ||
| 5 | RARE |
Unusual attention on the rise stifling resistance (4)
|
| EAR (attention) inverted (on the rise) around (stifling) R (resistance) | ||
| 6 | SEMINOLE |
The only one to assume provocative artist is Native American (8)
|
| SOLE (the only one) around (to assume) [Tracey] EMIN (provocative artist) | ||
| 7 | RANCID |
Highly unpleasant when leaked by police (6)
|
| RAN (leaked) + CID (police) | ||
| 8 | PALLET |
Dog perhaps taking in completely straw-filled bed (6)
|
| PET (dog perhaps) around (taking in) ALL (completely) | ||
| 11 | FEIGNED |
Insincere FBI agent obtaining predominating influence after Hoover finally leaves (7)
|
| FED (FBI agent) around (obtaining) [R]EIGN (predominating influence) minus (after . . . leaves) last letter of (finally) [HOOVE]R | ||
| 14 | CONTORT |
Turn violently when caught about to join revolutionary uprising (7)
|
| C (caught) + ON (about) + TROT (revolutionary) inverted (uprising) | ||
| 17 | AMICABLE |
Stadium announcer’s aid Bale smashed following a friendly! (8)
|
| A + MIC (stadium announcer’s aid) + anagram of (smashed) BALE, with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 18 | HOME SIDE |
Some die tragically after hospital trotters in Bolton (4,4)
|
| H (hospital) + anagram of (tragically) {SOME DIE}, referring to the nickname of the Bolton Wanderers Football Club | ||
| 19 | SPITFIRE |
Lasting ill-will enveloping fellow Irish chap with fierce temper (8)
|
| SPITE (lasting ill-will) around (enveloping) {F (fellow) + IR. (Irish)} | ||
| 22 | HAND ON |
Indication of agreement raised in support of Chinese delegate (4,2)
|
| HAN (Chinese) + NOD (indication of agreement) inverted (raised) | ||
| 23 | STRAIN |
Stock car eventually owned by Mark (6)
|
| Last letter of (eventually) [CA]R inside (owned by) STAIN (mark), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 24 | OSIERY |
That’s extremely risky near large patch of willows (6)
|
| OS (large) + I.E. (that’s) + outside letters of (extremely) R[ISK]Y | ||
| 27 | PASS |
Permit to go through (4)
|
| Double definition |
I found these clues much more difficult to parse than solve. In the end I got them all solved and parsed.
I did not know noble as money, the trotters at Bolton, OSIERY or SPITFIRE to mean chap with ill-temper. And I have a question: in 28 why does batter = BEAT?
I hope you get over your cold, Cineraria. Thanks for the nice blog in the face of the sickness. Thanks also to Peto
Forget the question @1 – I just realised how batter = beat. It is the verb! Nice job Peto making me think only of the noun.
Similar experience. Did half quickly then got completely stuck. Revisited it later and filled the other half in quickly. Why not all in one go?
Some nice clues: bra strap made me laugh.
Obscurities fairly clued in all cases.
A number of hidden words today: out, cod, Anne, doom, rapt, oils, stink. Are these deliberate ninas and what is Peto trying to say?
Thanks both.
Needed to cheat by putting in and testing the ct for court before finishing prospect, spitfire and soap in the SE. And totally forgot about the Trot species of revolutionary, so contort was a bung and pray. Nice puzzle Peto; hot lemon, whiskey and honey for Cineraria.