A breezy challenge from Peto this Friday.
FF: 8 DD: 7
| Across | ||
| 1 | LIGHTER | Not as heavy as a barge (7) |
| double definition | ||
| 5 | WROUGHT | Decorated with crude tapestries originally (7) |
| W (with) ROUGH (crude) T (Tapestries, originally) | ||
| 9 | CLEAN | In prison Ellen oddly neglected to be attentive to personal hygiene (5) |
| eLeEn (odd characters removed) in CAN (prison) | ||
| 10 | BROADSIDE | Dido bears outrageously fierce verbal attack (9) |
| DIDO BEARS* | ||
| 11 | MAKE SENSE | Forms filled in by a nurse have ultimately to be understandable (4,5) |
| charade of MAKES (forms) ENS (nurse, enrolled) E (havE, ultimately) | ||
| 12 | CREED | Daughter following Native American system of belief (5) |
| D (daughter) after CREE (native american) | ||
| 13 | BIFF | Lie about taking fellow’s sock (4) |
| BIF (lie = FIB, reversed) F (fellow) | ||
| 15 | ONCE OVER | The head boy initially missing on account of a violent beating (4-4) |
| bONCE (head, without B – Boy initially) OVER (on account of) | ||
| 18 | BEGRUDGE | Resent having to plead with Dickens character (8) |
| BEG (plead) RUDGE (dickens character) | ||
| 19 | LORE | Learning about depressed wife leaving earlier (4) |
| LOw (depressed, without W – wife) RE (about) | ||
| 22 | SADHU | Holy man unhappy with homoerotic urges at first (5) |
| SAD (unhappy) H U (Homoerotic, Urges, first letters) | ||
| 24 | STRATAGEM | Start game uncertain of plan (9) |
| START GAME* | ||
| 26 | DISPARAGE | Damage the reputation of princess’s attendant over a bit of rowdiness (9) |
| [ DIS (princess’) PAGE (attendant) ] around [A R (bit of Rowdiness) ] | ||
| 27 | AGORA | Meeting place for American soldiers in Georgia (5) |
| A (american) [ OR (soldiers) in GA (georgia) ] | ||
| 28 | OBSCENE | Disgusting display of emotion seen by former pupil (7) |
| SCENE (display of emotion) by OB (former pupil, old boy) | ||
| 29 | SPENSER | Meaning to keep page on Russia’s foremost poet (7) |
| [SENSE (meaning) containing P (page)] R (Russia’s foremost) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LOCUMS | They stand in place around front of mausoleum (6) |
| LOCUS (place) around M (front of Mausoleum) | ||
| 2 | GREEK FIRE | European enthusiasm for weapon employed in naval warfare (5,4) |
| GREEK (european) FIRE (enthusiasm) | ||
| 3 | TUNIS | It’s loosely about a French city (5) |
| ITS* around UN (a, one, in french) | ||
| 4 | ROBIN HOOD | Cross to receive bishop in house of famous outlaw (5,4) |
| ROOD (cross) receiving [ B (bishop) IN HO (house) ] | ||
| 5 | WHOLE | Complete dump by the sound of it (5) |
| sounds like HOLE (dump) | ||
| 6 | OLD SCHOOL | Favouring traditional methods of former coach (3,6) |
| OLD (former) SCHOOL (coach) | ||
| 7 | GRIME | Spain forbidding earlier form of dance music (5) |
| E (spain) with GRIM (forbidding) in front | ||
| 8 | TRENDY | Aim to block shot with it (6) |
| END (aim) in TRY (shot) | ||
| 14 | FORTUNATE | Lucky on account of letter to the head being withdrawn (9) |
| FOR (on account of) [ reverse of ETA (letter) NUT (head) ] | ||
| 16 | CHEERLESS | Depressing to find what supporters of those losing may do (9) |
| cryptic def | ||
| 17 | EGREGIOUS | Shocking for fellow taken in by Georgia over promises to pay (9) |
| [ REG (fellow) in EG (georgia = GE, reversed) ] IOUS (promises to pay) | ||
| 20 | USED TO | Familiar with American chaps ignoring Miles (4,2) |
| charade of US (american) [ ED, TOm (chaps, without M – Miles)] | ||
| 21 | IMPAIR | Damage caused by mischievous child is on display (6) |
| IMP (mischievous child) AIR (on display) | ||
| 23 | DISCS | Records showing Head of Charterhouse residing in town (5) |
| C (head of Charterhouse) in DISS (town) | ||
| 24 | SPACE | Penny joins Bill in the London area for a short time (5) |
| [ P (penny) AC (bill) ] in SE (london area) | ||
| 25 | TEASE | Make fun of supporters on the radio (5) |
| sounds like TEES (supporters, golf) | ||
*anagram
I don’t understand 17D.
The standard abbreviation for Georgia is GA (as used in 27A)
Thanks, Turbolegs.
In 11ac, I think it’s MAKES round [filled in by] SEN [State Enrolled Nurse].
AID @1: I was puzzled by that, too, and found that GE is the International Vehicle Registration for Georgia the country and GA the abbreviation for the American state.
Thanks to Peto for an enjoyable puzzle. I particularly liked the construction and surface of FORTUNATE.
Thanks Peto and Turbolegs
I read 11ac the same way as Eileen@2. For 17dn, it needs to be REG in [EG IOUS].
Very enjoyable puzzle with a number of elegant clue constructions both at surface and cryptic level. I especially liked 2d and 6d.
Thanks to Peto and Turbolegs.
I thought this was a really good puzzle – very well balanced. Thanks Peto & TL
Thanks Peto and Turbolegs
The second not so hard puzzle from Peto in a row – with no real holdups at all with this one. I’d parsed 11a and 17d as per the comments above. Interesting use of the two different Georgia’s in 27a and 17d.
Took a while to remember the BONCE term for head in my last one in.