Jason is this morning’s setter.
I found this to be relatively straightforward to solve, possibly due to not overly challenging definitions. Most of the solutions went in without thought to parsing, which came later. My LOI was USES the definition of which I’m unsure about. My favourite clue was for NAPKIN RING – simple but clever.
Thanks, Jason,
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SCRUBS |
Brushes clean clobber for one in the theatre (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | COMPOSER |
Cop, Morse, crazy for Wagner perhaps (8)
|
| *(cop morse) [anag:crazy] | ||
| 10 | INTERVENE |
Step in to bury Venerable Bede finally (9)
|
| INTER (“bury”) + Ven. (Venerable) + (Bed)E [finally] | ||
| 11 | PLUMB |
Choice book is spot-on (5)
|
| PLUM (“choice”) + B (book) | ||
| 12 | CHOW |
Farm animal consuming hard food (4)
|
| COW (“farm animal”) consuming H (hard) | ||
| 13 | DELIBERATE |
To remove freedom that’s been gained is not impulsive (10)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | STATELY |
Majestic cunning about art gallery (7)
|
| SLY (“cunning”) about TATE (an “art gallery”) | ||
| 16 | GO-CART |
Good actor crashed vehicle (2-4)
|
| G (good) + *(actor) [anag:crashed] | ||
| 19 | DEMONS |
Devils twinkling in shelters (6)
|
| MO (very shor time, so “twinkling”) in DENS (“shelters”) | ||
| 21 | SCRUMPY |
Bond perhaps going about clubs with curious drink (7)
|
| SPY (“Bond perhaps”) going about C (clubs) with RUM (“curious”) | ||
| 23 | NAPKIN RING |
Inn with parking that’s free — it’s part of the service (6,4)
|
| *(inn parking) [anag:that’s free] | ||
| 25 | TRUE |
Plod rejecting what’s central to judges is genuine (4)
|
| TRU(dg)E (“plod”) rejecting [what’s central to] (ju)DG(es) | ||
| 27 | INGOT |
Block I put before Oxfam, say, beginning to trade (5)
|
| I put before NGO (Non-governmental Organisation, so “Oxfam, say”) + [beginning to] T(rade) | ||
| 28 | IMPASSIVE |
Stone-faced independent patient accepting mass (9)
|
| I (independent) + PASSIVE (“patient”) accepting M (mass) | ||
| 29 | MISTRESS |
Maiden, one with accent, could be a lover (8)
|
| M (maiden, in cricket) + I (one) with STRESS (“accent”) | ||
| 30 | ASIDES |
Whispers from the very best teams (6)
|
| A (“the very best”, as in A-list) + SIDES (“teams”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SLIPCASE |
Fault over lawsuit providing protection for readers? (8)
|
| SLIP (“fault”) over CASE (“lawsuit”) | ||
| 2 | RATIONALE |
The idea behind budget brew (9)
|
| RATION (“budget”) + ALE (“brew”) | ||
| 3 | BARE |
Basic boozer close to lounge (4)
|
| BAR (“boozer”) + [close to] (loung)E | ||
| 5 | OPENING |
Poor pig with none gets an opportunity (7)
|
| *(pig none) [anag:poor] | ||
| 6 | PEPPERCORN |
Trivial life — a hard thing to suffer (10)
|
| PEP (“life”) + PER (“a”) + CORN (“hard thing to suffer”) | ||
| 7 | SCUBA |
Small and young American is what you need for diving (5)
|
| S (small) + CUB (“young”) + A (American) | ||
| 8 | ROBBER |
Thief is black in dress, right? (6)
|
| B (black) in ROBE (“dress”) + R (right) | ||
| 9 | HEREBY |
As a result of this present boy loses nothing (6)
|
| HERE (“present”) + B(o)Y loses O (nothing) | ||
| 14 | NEGOTIATOR |
I bargain with blasted ingrate too (10)
|
| *(ingrate too) [anag:blasted] | ||
| 17 | REMARRIED |
United once more concerning troubled admirer (9)
|
| RE (“concerning”) + *(admirer) [anag:troubled] | ||
| 18 | PYRENEES |
Burning heap glimpsed up in mountain range (8)
|
| PYRE (“burning heap”) + <=SEEN (“glimpsed”, up) | ||
| 20 | SORTIES |
Therefore King restricts trips (7)
|
| SO (“therefore”) + R (Rex, so “king”) + TIES (“restricts”) | ||
| 21 | SUNUPS |
First lights being drawn out with you and me up (6)
|
| <=(SPUN (“drawn out”) with US (“you and me”), up) | ||
| 22 | INFIRM |
Popular business house is faltering (6)
|
| IN (“popular”) + FIRM (“business house”) | ||
| 24 | PAGES |
Attendant on top of this finally leaves (5)
|
| PAGE (“attendant”) on top of (thi)S [finally] | ||
| 26 | USES |
Fine to leave safety devices, these have advantages (4)
|
| F (fine) to leave (f)USES (“safety devices”) |
Solving this crossword I had a similar experience to the blogger with the same LOI. Brief but enjoyable; thanks Jason and loonapick.
I agree pretty much with Loonapick’s summary – it was not too stiff a challenge – and my top pick was also NAPKIN RING, along with COMPOSER which had a pleasing surface. Just SUNUPS seemed a little weak with ‘up’ being repeated in the reversed ‘spun’.
I needed the blog for my half-parsed devils as ‘mo’ from ‘twinkling’ (of an eye) simply didn’t occur to me. The answer was clear, anyhow. For 26d, I thought of use/advantage along the lines of ‘where’s the use/what’s the advantage’?
Thanks both to Jason and Loonapick.