Artexlen is this morning’s FT compiler.
A steady solve with a couple of tricky parsings, but an accessible and pleasant puzzle in the main with no obscure solutions. Anyone with kids or grandkids is likely to get the brand name in FRENETIC, but that was probably the most difficult clue, although DETAIL was my LOI because I just couldn’t see the (obvious) parsing for some reason.
Thanks, Artexlen
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PARSEC |
Standard unit of time and unit of length (6)
|
| PAR (“standard”) + Sec. (second, so “unit of time”) | ||
| 5 | PEDESTAL |
In part of stampede, stallions stand (8)
|
| Hidden in [part of] “stamPEDE STALlions” | ||
| 9 | OPEN BARS |
Graduate probing person about where to get free drinks (4,4)
|
| BA (Bachelor of Arts, so “graduate”) probing *(person) [anag:about] | ||
| 10 | CARESS |
Pet panics with lead moving (6)
|
| (s)CARES (“panics”) with its lead (letter) moving becomes CARES(S) | ||
| 11 | DETAIL |
Describe Greek character wearing cap backwards (6)
|
| ETA (“Greek character”) wearing <=LID (“cap”, backwards) | ||
| 12 | WHAMMING |
One overacting male in part of theatre is striking (8)
|
| HAM (“one overacting”) + M (male) in WING (“part of theatre”) | ||
| 14 | NATURE TRAILS |
They’re pleasant for those walking kind dogs (6,6)
|
| NATURE (“kind”) + TRAILS (“dogs”) | ||
| 18 | CARDINAL RULE |
Fundamental principal of theocracy? (8,4)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | GIGANTIC |
Huge concert not for agoraphobic, ultimately (8)
|
| GIG (“concert”) + ANTI (“not for”) + (agoraphobi)C [ultimately] | ||
| 25 | UNTOLD |
Countless books in university no longer current (6)
|
| NT (New Testament, so “books”) in U (university) + OLD (“no longer current”) | ||
| 26 | MENDER |
One repairing pieces with diamonds on back (6)
|
| MEN ((chess) “pieces”) with D (diamonds) + <=RE (“on”, back) | ||
| 27 | FRENETIC |
Mad name toy gun brand rejected (8)
|
| <=(CITE (“name”) + NERF (“toy gun brand”), rejected)
A Nerf gun shoots foam bullets or darts. |
||
| 28 | RECORDER |
Wind instrument Charlie secured in further purchase (8)
|
| C (Charlie, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) secured in REORDER (“further purchase”) | ||
| 29 | TASTER |
Sample kitchen appliance with nothing to lose (6)
|
| T(o)ASTER (“kitchen appliance” with O (nothing) to lose) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | APPLES |
Fruit pips oddly found in drinks (6)
|
| P(i)P(s) [oddly] found in ALES (“drinks”) | ||
| 3 | SUNTANNED |
Bronze bust a nun tends (9)
|
| *(a nun tends) [anag:bust] | ||
| 4 | CHARLATAN |
The Parisian ensnared in plan by an impostor (9)
|
| LA (“Parisian the”) ensnared in CHART (“plan”) by AN | ||
| 5 | POSTWAR |
On-line message sore to recall after conflict (7)
|
| POST (“on-line message”) + <=RAW (“sore”, to recall) | ||
| 6 | DACHA |
I see scoundrel set up country house abroad (5)
|
| <=(AH (“I see”) + CAD (“scoundrel”, set up) | ||
| 7 | SERUM |
Sewage discharged with strange liquid (5)
|
| S(ewag)E [discharged] with RUM (“strange”) | ||
| 8 | ABSENTLY |
Without paying attention knight gets trapped by beastly rogue (8)
|
| N (knight, in chess notation) gets trapped by *(beastly) [anag:rogue] | ||
| 13 | MAR |
Spoil filly endlessly (3)
|
| MAR(e) (“filly”, endlessly) | ||
| 15 | TRUCULENT |
You heard short revolutionary fast becoming hostile (9)
|
| <= (U (“you”, heard) + CURT (“short”), revolutionary) + LENT (“fast”) | ||
| 16 | ADEPTNESS |
Skill in linguistics sent pedantry soaring (9)
|
| Hidden backwards in [in…soaring] “linguisticS SENT PEDAntry” | ||
| 17 | BALINESE |
Job in HQ on island (8)
|
| LINE (“job”) in BASE (“HQ”) | ||
| 19 | INN |
Boozer at home consumes last of gin (3)
|
| IN (“at home”) consumes [last of] (gi)N | ||
| 20 | LUCIFER |
Satan cruel if provoked (7)
|
| *(cruel if) [anag:provoked] | ||
| 21 | ALPINE |
Walk without restrictions above wood in mountains (6)
|
| (w)AL(k) [without restrictions] above PINE (“wood”) | ||
| 23 | AUDIO |
Man U advisor regularly sound (5)
|
| (m)A(n) U (a)D(v)I(s)O(r) | ||
| 24 | TIRED |
Attempted uplifting one that’s bored (5)
|
| TR(i)ED (“attempted”), uplifting the I (one), becomes T(I)RED |
Solid fun. I’d say 18a is a double definition rather than a single cryptic one, and a vg clue too. No problem with frenetic here but I got stuck on Balinese. Also liked adeptness. Thanks both.
I agree with JamesP@1 on 18A, which I had marked as double/cryptic definition. I got BALINESE, but it did not leap to mind immediately.
Good blog. I am not sure whether I have mentioned this before, but when I started blogging, I must have copied/adapted your style, as (for me, anyway) striking the right balance between concision and explanation.
Reasonably straightforward, although, for me, the definition of suntanned in 3d should have been ‘bronzed.’ Thanks S and B.
Very enjoyable. Only unknowns were the Nerf gun and DACHA.
My initial thought too, Steven@3, but I think you can say “They’re bronze” to mean “They’re suntanned”.