Another new setter for me, but not a debut for Peter.
Mondays were always the easy day in the Indy, but for a while that hasn’t been the case, however for me this was the easiest, most newbie friendly puzzle I’ve done for a while.
Across
1 Handed over faulty spades (6)
PASSED
a faulty SPADES*
4 American tribe ordered to capture republican judge (7)
ARBITER
A(merican) & TRIBE* ordered with R(epublican) inserted
9 Go out to have fun in good place to live, returning with foreign tan (9)
GALLIVANT
G(ood) & VILLA reversed & a foreign TAN*
10 Give birth with women’s assistance (5)
WHELP
W(omen’s) & HELP. Although women’s seems unneccessary as just the W(ith) would do.
11 Secret store of extremely soft wood (5)
STASH
extremes of S(of)T & ASH
12 Tom’s worried about centre of guttering in principal country residence (9)
HOMESTEAD
Centre of (gutt)E(ring) in TOMS* worried all in HEAD (pricipal)
13 Magnificent vehicle returning with fruit (7)
SUBLIME
BUS reversed & LIME
15 Older senator backing Republic of Ireland (6)
SENIOR
SEN(ator) & R(ebublic) O(f) I(reland) reversed
17 Fellows taken in by heap of nonsense (6)
PIFFLE
2 * F(ellow) in PILE. Shades of Boris in this word
19 Nude prepared to embrace sportsman’s partner is not getting paid (7)
UNWAGED
W(ives) A G(irlfriends) inside NUDE* prepared
22 Spend lots of money on buffet on board jet (6,3)
SPLASH OUT
LASH inside SPOUT
24 American idol losing old escort (5)
USHER
U.S. & HER(o)
26 Proverb featuring a mild oath from the east (5)
ADAGE
A & E-GAD reversed (from the east in an across clue)
27 Popular academic is retiring in heart of dreary SE Asian republic (9)
INDONESIA
IN & DON & IS reversed in (dr)EA(ry)
28 Letter about shelter leads to easing of tension between nations (7)
DETENTE
TENT inside the letter DEE
29 Innate ability exhibited in story books (6)
TALENT
TALE (story) & N(ew) T(estament)
Down
1 Drink containing herb upset fabulous horse (7)
PEGASUS
SAGE in SUP all reversed (upset)
2 Dance with tipsy lass close to orchestra (5)
SALSA
typsy LASS* & close to (orchestr)A
3 Foreign thief paid for French singer (5,4)
EDITH PIAF
a foreign [THIEF PAID]* Foreign as anagram indicator again? Hmm
4 Picture by European master is of a Greek goddess (7)
ARTEMIS
ART & E(uropean) & M(aster) & IS.
5 Crockery in which to serve game? (5)
BOWLS
Double definition
6 Signature tune of the dancing gnomes (5,4)
THEME SONG
THE & GNOMES* dancing
7 Pirate’s leader involved in surprise attacks in fast-flowing water (6)
RAPIDS
P(irate) inside RAIDS
8 Edges of path covered in European shrub (6)
DAPHNE
Edges of P(at)H inside DANE (a European)
14 Clever UK national holding large collar up (9)
BRILLIANT
L & NAIL (to collar, nick) reversed in BRIT
16 Three points seen on old coin from Pacific island (3,6)
NEW GUINEA
N.E.W. (three points) & GUINEA (old coin worth 105p)
18 Turned bee into rubber (7)
EBONITE
[BEE INTO]* turned. It’s a brand name for a very hard type of rubber
19 Slapdash DIY nut is messy (6)
UNTIDY
[DIY NUT]* messilly
20 Doctor protecting old male insect that’s hibernating (7)
DORMANT
O(ld) in D(octo)R & M(ale) & ANT
21 Drunken lads in Ibiza, for example (6)
ISLAND
[LADS IN]* drunk
23 Coating surrounding weaver’s second hank of yarn (5)
SKEIN
the second of (w)E(aver) inside SKIN
25 Has time to get ecstasy – and speed (5)
HASTE
HAS & T(ime) & E(cstacy)
Peter’s second appearance if my memory is correct. All very straightforward; I think your assessment says it all.
Thanks, Peter and flashling.
Yep, a very nice start to the week. Especially enjoyed 6d and 21d. Thanks to Peter and flashling
Late to the party, but just wanted to drop in and say that I thought this was a fine start-to-the-week puzzle. Well done, Peter, and thanks to flashling for the blog.