Thanks to Vulcan for a smooth Monday offering.
Once again I’m off to hills, aiming to bag my hundredth Munro (this one) so won’t be able to respond to comments till later.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | FLIP-FLOP | Wearing this, somersault a failure (4-4) FLIP (somersault) + FLOP (failure) |
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| 6 | MUGGLE | Simpleton with broken leg he can’t magically fix (6) MUG (simpleton) + LEG*. Muggles are non-wizards in the world of Harry Potter |
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| 9 | SPOT-ON | Something to eat with tea say coming in? Exactly (4,2) T (sounds like “tea”) in SPOON (something to eat with). I tried to make tea=POT work for a while |
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| 10 | MARINADE | Pelting rain made a liquid mixture over some food (8) (RAIN MADE)* |
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| 11 | RELAY RACE | One may start this contest, but one won’t finish (5,4) The person who starts in a relay race will not finish it |
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| 13 | FREED | Fine supplier of venison returns, out of jail (5) F[ine] + reverse of DEER (the unwilling “supplier” of venison) |
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| 15 | TALENT | Story books, a special gift (6) TALE + NT (New Testament, books) |
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| 17 | FLY-TIP | End of insect: illegally dispose of it (3-3) The end of an insect could be a FLY TIP |
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| 18 | RENDER | Hand over a first thin coat (6) Double definition |
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| 19 | BARREL | Large quantity of beer over which one is powerless (6) Double definition – if someone has you over a barrel then you’re powerless |
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| 21 | MARSH | On planet, hot waterlogged area (5) MARS + H[ot] |
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| 22 | WOLVERINE | Drunken wine lover is a glutton (9) (WINE LOVER)* – Chambers doesn’t mention the “glutton” sense, but the French for wolverine is glouton |
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| 25 | INCIDENT | As part of detective force, sent first off to disturbance (8) IN CID (part of detective force) + [s]ENT |
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| 26 | DAMAGE | Barrier to become weaker perhaps, a likely result of crash (6) DAM *barrier) + AGE (to become weaker, perhaps) |
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| 28 | CRISES | Crucial moments for which Charlie gets up (6) C[harlie] RISES |
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| 29 | BERGAMOT | Essential oil for a car test on mass of ice (8) BERG (mass of ice) + A MOT (test of a car) |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 2 | LAP | Part of body disappearing as one stands (3) I think I’ve seen this idea as a children’s riddle: What part of your body disappears when you stand up? Your lap! |
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| 3 | PITTA | Bread is mine, thank you (5) PIT (mine) + TA (thank you) |
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| 4 | LONE RANGER | Wild West law enforcer, one separating two hands with fury (4,6) ONE between L and R, plus ANGER. My hero in the 1950s, when I used to go to my Granny’s house on Saturdays to watch the programme before we had a TV at home |
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| 5 | PUMICE | Abrasive, turned up with computer peripherals (6) Reverse of UP + MICE (computer devices) |
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| 6 | MARE | Horse that appears on the moon (4) Double definition – a Mare is one of the “seas” on the moon |
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| 7 | GENERATOR | Shivering, got nearer source of energy (9) (GOT NEARER)* |
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| 8 | LED ZEPPELIN | Band of light aircraft (3,8) L.E.D. (light) + ZEPPELIN (airship) |
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| 12 | ENTERTAINER | Somehow retrain teen for job in showbiz (11) (RETRAIN TEEN)* |
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| 14 | EL SALVADOR | Salad lover moved to the country (2,8) (SALAD LOVER)* |
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| 16 | LANDSLIPS | Naturally, they may fall off a cliff (9) A not-very-cryptic definition |
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| 20 | HOT TUB | Centre installs unwarranted bath (3,3) OTT (over-the-top, unwarranted) in HUB |
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| 23 | RUMBA | A Cuban export, strong drink, going by airline (5) RUM + BA (British Airways) |
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| 24 | MEWS | Ponder aloud in old stables (4) Sounds like “muse” (to ponder) |
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| 27 | GOO | Sticky stuff not entirely satisfactory (3) GOO[d] |
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Yes, I tried to get tea=pot into SPOT ON (and GUM as the sticky stuff, until the second crosser was in). Found LANDSLIPS disappointing: I’d hoped there might be more to it than the rather feeble CD. however, I liked the other CDs BARREL and LAP, also LED ZEPPELIN and FLY TIP. Glutton as a synonym for WOLVERINE crops up quite often – I’m surprised that it isn’t in Chambers.
Like the Vulcans of old. Barely any resistance but enjoyable nonetheless. The Munro will be more challenging.
A good start to the week. I liked LED ZEPPELIN, EL SALVADOR and MUGGLE.
Thanks Vulcan and I hope it went well Andrew.
Shot through this with the exception of RENDER which took some thinking. Quite a lot fitted those checking letters.
Did have to think about LANDSLIPS. It seemed, as the blogger says, not very cryptic plus having already put in an incorrect LANDSLIDE i did wonder if there was more that fitted.
Enjoyed INCIDENT, EL SALVADOR and BARREL (I’m sure I’ve used the clue as an excuse to my wife)
Thanks Andrew (enjoy your hike) and Vulcan.
Tricky in parts and mildly enjoyable.
Favourites: SPOON, LED ZEPPELIN, MUGGLE.
New for me: LANDSLIPS.
Good luck bagging your 100th Munro, Andrew – well done!
I do admire the elegantly economical clues such as Bread is mine, thank you that this setter so often produces.
Took an age over LOI RENDER. So many words fit R_N_E_.
Had to look up the airship band to decide on PP or LL.
Lovely start to the week, enjoy your Munro, Andrew.
16 was one of those “I know what the concept is but there isn’t enough info in the clue to tell me which word the compiler is thinking of”, and hence my LOI. Thanks Andrew and Vulcan.
Mamy thanks to setter and blogger.
I was familiar with glutton as another name for the wolverine, so I entered the answer with smug satisfaction.
RENDER was my LOI. It took me a long while – after much wrangling with wordplay – to twig that it was a DD.
The thought that tea=pot held me up for a while in the parsing of 9ac.
Congratulations on your 100th, Andrew. It is a fine peak – which I climbed with teenage friends a few days after the Chernobyl incident which dates me somewhat. I hope you enjoy(ed) your walk.
A typical Vulcan Monday – a bit of thinking around a couple of unusual anagrinds plus deciding what fitted RENDER, the only things to delay me today.
Thanks both