The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hi again. I am continually impressed by this setter whose clues are inventive in ways that are always fun to figure out. Today, the earlier answers just fell into place, then I slowed somewhat but still made very good time for a Filbert. Except that I made an inexplicable howler right at the end which I’m too embarrassed to elaborate on. (And seeing that I’ve shared my difficulties with 14a, you can guess how bad it must be!) My favourite clues here are the &lit at 11a – very nearly just dismissed as a not-so-cryptic definition (you can add anagrams to the list of things I’m terrible at) – and the NY garbage collector in 18a. Thanks Filbert!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 7a | Part of Badenoch ancestry that you’ll never see! (2,6) |
| NO CHANCE — Part of badeNOCH ANCEstry | |
| 8a | Old American lift regularly expected to drop a little lower (2-4) |
| IN-CALF — INCA (old American) + LiFt regularly | |
| 10a | E.g. Lewis given wrong information, obscuring case (4) |
| ISLE — Without outer letters (… obscuring case), mISLEd (given wrong information) | |
| 11a | Turn against one? (10) |
| ANTAGONISE — Form an anagram of (turn) AGAINST ONE | |
| 12a | In your ear, pain will go quickly (6) |
| HURTLE — Sounds like (in your ear) HURT’LL (pain will) | |
| 14a | How lovely, toilet paper turned red in Spain (8) |
| GARNACHA — AH (how lovely), CAN (toilet) and RAG (paper) reversed (turned). The Spanish word for the wine grape Grenache. | |
| I expected to at least recognise the answer when I found it; instead I spent time deliberating between this and GARVALHA. I also thought we were looking for a person, a completely different red, so it’s a wonder I stumbled upon the right answer | |
| 16a | Easter’s Catholic originally, one might safely venture (3,5,2,5) |
| THE COAST IS CLEAR — An anagram of (… originally) EASTER’S CATHOLIC | |
| 18a | New York garbage collector spots 100 leather jackets (8) |
| TRASHCAN — RASH (spots) and C (100) which TAN (leather) surrounds (jackets) | |
| 20a | Clever like two thirds of private pupils (6) |
| ASTUTE — AS (like) + two thirds of TUTEes (private pupils) | |
| 21a | Marine against wearing fur appropriate for the time of year (10) |
| SEASONABLE — SEA (marine) + ON (against) in (wearing) SABLE (fur) | |
| 24a | Long hair round neck unshaven, you’d say (4) |
| RUFF — ROUGH (unshaven), soundalike (you’d say?) | |
| 26a | Notice doctor sip ale (6) |
| ESPIAL — Make an anagram of (doctor) SIP ALE | |
| 27a | Attendant first to confirm the level we’re on? (8) |
| COURTIER — The initial letter of (first to) Confirm + OUR TIER (the level we’re on) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Gallery’s shadow pointing north and south (4) |
| GODS — DOG (shadow) written upwards (pointing north) + S (south) | |
| 2d | These sick people initially suspect bugs on lamb (5,5) |
| SHEEP TICKS — An anagram of (… suspect) THESE SICK with People initially | |
| 3d | Painter entered secretly (2,6) |
| IN CAMERA — IN CAME RA (painter entered) | |
| 4d | Compact bag the smallest article fills (4) |
| NEAT — NET (bag) which A (the smallest article) goes inside (fills) | |
| 5d | Large cat cross about new delay (6) |
| LINGER — LIGER (large cat cross) around (about) N (new). | |
| I first typed in TINGON, but reconsidered as that didn’t look so likely! | |
| 6d | Picture fraudster’s brief résumé? (4) |
| ICON — I CON (fraudster’s brief résumé) | |
| 9d | Stop seeing red card become yellow? (4,5) |
| LOSE HEART — LOSE (stop seeing) + HEART (red card) | |
| 13d | With dodges Shane runs clear of tackle (9) |
| UNHARNESS — An anagram of (with dodges) SHANE RUNS | |
| 14d | Step aboard to go places (3,2) |
| GET ON — Two meanings | |
| 15d | Make similar sounds everyone repeats (10) |
| ALLITERATE — ALL ITERATE (everyone repeats). If you try to separate the two parts here to make a charade it won’t quite work | |
| 17d | Separate pilot with superior skills boards jet (5,3) |
| SPACE OUT — ACE (pilot with superior skills) goes inside (boards) SPOUT (jet) | |
| 19d | Stick with end of twisted line coming through? (6) |
| CANDLE — CANE (stick) with the end of twisteD and L (line) inside (coming through) | |
| 22d | Catch brother or sister pinching postman’s bottom (4) |
| SNIB — SIB (brother or sister) around (pinching) postmaN’s last letter (bottom). | |
| I remembered the word’s existence from previous crosswords but not really its meaning: ODE tells me it’s a chiefly Scottish and Irish word for a lock, latch, or fastening for a door or window, or the small catch on a Yale lock which holds the bolt in or out | |
| 23d | Church musician sands down middle of pew (4) |
| BACH — B[e]ACH (sands) which is missing (down) the middle of pEw | |
| 25d | Suddenly take off pound, cutting price (4) |
| FLEE — L (pound) going into (cutting) FEE (price) | |
Fortunately, I knew the grape/wine – though I still started off trying GRENACHE. Surprised to find SNIB is Scottish. As our blogger says, some lovely surfaces throughout. I did fail to parse ALLITERATE by looking for two synonyms of ‘everyone’ and ‘repeats’ as opposed to one synonym for the phrase. Almost any clue could have been a favourite: a pruned list would include NO CHANCE, IN-CALF, ISLE, COURTIER, IN CAMERA, NEAT, ICON, SPACE OUT and CANDLE – as well as Kitty’s two nominations.
Thanks both
Did the same as Kitty with ‘lav’ in 14a, but ‘can’ making it look like grenache helped decide. Yes he can be curly this bloke, like “down middle of pew” meaning “minus e” is quite sly. Very enjoyable, ta both.
The Nina was a great help to me – otherwise harder than most Filberts?
Filbert has used the perimeter of the puzzle to give us a bit of bonus loveliness.
Ooh, well spotted! Totally missed that. Will upload a grid image in a little while. Thanks.