As April passes its half way point Coot brings us an uplifting spring puzzle. Or that is my hope anyway.
And very up;lifting it proved to be, making a refreshing change from my last two blogs – an unnecessary reference at the start of 4dn the only exception to the fun. Oh and equating an ass to a muppet is lingusitically fine but in my head I see Kermit and crew and they are good fun.
Staying on the subject of fun – the fun clues in my view were 16dn, 4dn is a lovely construction barring the first word person, 17ac is a lovely cricket clue and 19ac had a lovely surface. Maybe 14dn was my favourite – such a smooth surface for a complex construction.
Thanks Coot.
The parsing for 11ac escapes my ageing brain
Key * anagram; Rev revrsed; DD double definition; underline definition
Across
1 Liberal spreading often a good thing for soil (5)
l (liberal) in much (often a good thing) = MULCH
4 Reason to limit beer consumption (9)
ration ale (limit beer consumption) = RATIONALE
9 Participate in part of rally led by former student (7)
ob (former student) before serve (part of rally) = OBSERVE
10 Division of Nature is sued for unoriginal publication (7)
Hidden natuRE IS SUEd = REISSUE
11 Adjoining areas where hundreds and thousands might be gathered? (2,6)
EN SUITES
12 Store mostly underwear in front of vacant repository (6)
pants (underwear) – s + ry (vacant repository) = PANTRY
14 Carmaker’s headquarters (5)
DD SEATS
15 Approaching on foot, women off for term’s opening lecture (7,2)
walking to (approaching on foot) removing w (women) for t Term’s opening = TALKING TO
17 Stokes notices Carson’s beginning to spin deliveries (1- 8)
(s + notices + c)* = C-SECTIONS
19 Bono’s second song reignited loyal hearts (5)
s(second) + on + n + y (song reignited loyal hearts) = SONNY
20 Juvenile’s released at jail (6)
immature (juvenile) – at = IMMURE
22 Gentle entertainment at river, lying around eating tree nuts (8)
Rev. at Po (at river) around (tree)* = OPERETTA
25 Strong and popular type of pain relief drug (7)
in (popular) + tens(pain relief) + e (drug) = INTENSE
26 Coot’s positive universities can provide stimulation (7)
im (Coot’s) + p (positive) + u = LSE (universities) = IMPULSE
27 Environmentally conscious film involves no finance expert (9)
eco (environmentally conscious) + mist (film) around no = ECONOMIST
28 Histrionics from a mardy bum not unknown (5)
(a mardy – y)* = DRAMA
Down
1 Student changing into top from M&S makes promiscuous one horny (5)
loose (promiscuous) swapping l(student) for m (top from M&S) = MOOSE
2 Shut, leaderless, small cafe sadly suffers blow to reputation (5,4)
close(shut) – c + s (small) + (café) = LOSES FACE
3 The Mrs and I disturbed people seeking peace and quiet (7)
(the mrs I)* = HERMITS
4 Trump experienced this therapy, one with electric charge, following stumble (2-8)
ect(therapy) + ion (electric charge) after reel (stumble) = RE-ELECTION
5 Slice of toast or not? Struggling to decide (4)
Hidden toasT OR Not = TORN
6 Folding love note after a doctor visits (7)
o (love) + mi (note) after a around rig (doctor) = ORIGAMI
7 Muppet Movie’s selling point perhaps (5)
Ass (muppet) + ET (movie) = ASSET
8 European organisation hosts jolly for all (9)
e (european) + body (organisation) around very (jolly) = EVERYBODY
13 Loud blow to indicate the start of hostilities? (10)
f (loud) + lash(blow) + point (to indicate) = FLASHPOINT
14 South American king provided crystal meth for prostitute (9)
SA (South American) + CR (king) + if (provided)+ ice (crystal meth) = SACRIFICE
16 Bits of information on European country written by local (9)
Gen (information) + Italia (European country written by local) = GENITALIA
18 American on horseback corralling soldiers in city (7)
Tonto (American on horseback) around or (soldiers) = TORONTO
19 Priest off the rails with opioid ultimately barred (7)
(priest)* + d (opioid ultimately) = STRIPED
21 Came across ducks imitating person (2-3)
met (came across) + oo (ducks) = ME-TOO
23 Theatre taking up a lot of time? (5)
Rev. an era (a lot of time) = ARENA
24 Lied about where cheese comes from? (4)
(lied)* = DELI
Morning twencelas and thanks for the early blog.
EN SUITES is aural wordplay (‘gathered’) for ON SWEETS, which is where the little coloured decorations called ‘hundreds and thousands’ may be found.
Fine puzzle as well – thanks to Coot.
Very good puzzle and blog. Thanks Coot and twencelas.
Thanks Pierre for EN SUITES (I guessed ON SWEETS, but couldn’t link ‘hundreds and thousands’ with sweets).
It’s a lovely clue.
My faves: OBSERVE, REISSUE, TALKING TO, DRAMA, FLASHPOINT, GENITALIA and STRIPED.
Excellent! This was great fun with EN SUITES my favourite of many ticked clues.
It’s not relevant in terms of solving the puzzle but I am utterly mystified by the expression “mardy bum” in the surface of 28a.
Many thanks to Coot and twencelas.
RD: a mardy bum is a Northern, especially in Sheffield, term for a grumpy or complaining person
As a kid, my favourite sweet, in the sense of pudding, was trifle …fruit jelly, custard, cream, etc.
Never complete, without a big sprinkling of hundreds & thousands on top!
ON SWEETS, is indeed, a tasty clue, alongside many others.
I Yorked at 9(ac), because “to observe” struck me as to NOT participate, but to only spectate.
But, if one observes, say, a minute’s silence, that’s to participate. Nice juxtaposition of a rare antonym/synonym clash.
I felt a few clue sentences were a tad clunky, but that’s unacceptable nit-picking.
GENITALIA 16(d), is one of the Crown Jewels. Or both.
100% Enjoyable, nicely varied, both thumbs are up for Coot & twencelas
Thanks, CS #4. Perhaps I would be one if lived in Sheffield.
Thanks both. Pleasantly entertaining, particularly the already referenced GENITALIA and EN SUITES (no intention they go together). It raised a couple of sporting questions, one being whether the serve in OBSERVE is part of a rally (AI says not, Wikipedia says it is) the other being the identity of Carson in C-SECTIONS where I might more have expected current England bowlers Carse or Curran to feature.
TFO @7 I reckon Coot is more of a Sussex fan than you. Jack’s here, and bowls offies.
Thanks Coot for the Saturday stimulation. I thought this was an excellent crossword with my favourites being SONNY, OPERETTA, INTENSE, ECONOMIST, GENITALIA (COTD), and TORONTO. I failed with EN SUITES and couldn’t fully parse several others but none of that spoiled the fun. Thanks twencelas for the blog.
Not sure that it was all fun as we struggled in places; nevertheless we finished it all. Never heard of TENS for pain relief and had to check in Chamber which tells us it’s an acronym for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, something we knew about but didn’t know that’s what it’s called.
Plenty to like, including OPERETTA, FLASHPOINT and TORONTO.
Thanks, Coot and twencelas.
Good fun, thanks Coot and twencelas. Enjoyed this puzzle, tricky in places… podium: STRIPED, HERMITS and GENITALIA.
Cheers!