I would have said medium difficulty except for there being one clue I cannot explain. Any help finishing this off would be appreciated. Thank you Wanderer.
| Across | ||
| 1 | JOHN LOGIE BAIRD | Can glib radio broadcast grab primarily enthusiastic TV man? (4,5,5) |
| JOHN (can, toilet) then anagram (broadcast) of GLIB RADIO containing Enthusiastic (primarily, first letter of) | ||
| 10 | PATIO | Courtyard piano – 8PM, here (5) |
| Just a guess. Something to do with P (piano) AT IO (ten?). Patio is a Spanish word, they are one hour ahead. Piano is Italian and in the same timezone as Spain. | ||
| 11 | AFTERGLOW | Where you might find worms in skylight after sunset? (9) |
| you might find worms after glow in the word glow-worms. A shame that “after” is used both in the definition and the solution. | ||
| 12 | INKLING | Hint: using Star Trek language’s not on (7) |
| IN KLINGon (using Star Trek language) missing ON | ||
| 13 | SCHERZI | Fantastic riches, penning first of zither movements (7) |
| anagram (fantastic) of RICHES containing (penning) Zither (first letter of) | ||
| 14 | GO RED | Liverpool player after own goal, about . . . . to do this? (2,3) |
| RED (Liverpool player) following OG (own goal) reversed (about) | ||
| 16 | ASPERSING | When Prince upset singer, making false accusations (9) |
| AS (when) P (prince) then anagram (upset) of SINGER | ||
| 19 | CUSTOMERS | Service receivers never to be found in the wrong court, with mess unfolding (9) |
| anagram (unfolding) of COURT with MESS – the customer is always right | ||
| 20 | SODAS | Drinks with lawyer, in cry for help (5) |
| DA (lawyer) in SOS (cry for help) | ||
| 22 | IMPRESS | What journo might say in print? (7) |
| a journalist might say I’M PRESS | ||
| 25 | ENTICER | Seductress flirting in Crete (7) |
| anagram (flirting) of IN CRETE | ||
| 27 | KOOKINESS | Rum showing in biscuit, said Prohibition agent (9) |
| KOOKI sounds like (said) cookie (biscuit) then NESS (Eliot Ness, prohibition agent) | ||
| 28 | RAISE | Rear light units, say (5) |
| sounds like (say) rays (light units) | ||
| 29 | NEGRO SPIRITUAL | Son with gripe about ceremonial song (5,9) |
| anagram (about) of SON with GRIPE then RITUAL (ceremonial) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | OUTSKIRTS | Fringes on women’s clothing no longer in fashion (9) |
| OUT SKIRTS would be clothing no longer in fashion | ||
| 3 | NAOMI | Ruth’s mother-in-law has complaint about setter (5) |
| MOAN (complaint) reversed (about) then I (the setter) | ||
| 4 | ORANGEADE | Drink soda? Not initially, with a green rum (9) |
| anagram (rum) of sODA (missing initial letter) and A GREEN | ||
| 5 | IOTAS | Very small bits of moon visible before day is over (5) |
| IO (moon, of Jupiter) seen before SAT (day) reversed (is over) | ||
| 6 | BAR CHARTS | Representations of data portal used in London hospital (3,6) |
| ARCH (portal) inside BARTS (St Bartholomew’s, London Hospital) | ||
| 7 | IDLER | Perhaps Eric Morecambe’s third appearance as layabout (5) |
| IDLE (Eric Idle perhaps) then moRecambe (third letter of) | ||
| 8, 21 | DOWNING STREET | Drinking on the way home? Yes, if May (7,6) |
| DOWNING (drinking) on STREET (the way) – home to Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK | ||
| 9, 19 | SPRING CHICKEN | One of the Young Ones heading up Coward season (6,7) |
| COWARD following (with…heading up) SPRING (season) | ||
| 15 | DUODECIMO | Pair playing dice more, having forgotten about writing a book (9) |
| DUO (pair) then anagram of DICEMOre missing (having forgotten) RE (about) | ||
| 17 | POSSESSOR | Someone that has other ranks to support sheriff’s men on ship (9) |
| OR (other ranks) following (to support) POSSE (sheriffs men) on SS (steam ship) | ||
| 18 | INDOCHINA | Feature among distribution of aid on Asian peninsula (9) |
| CHIN (facial feature) inside anagram (distribution) of AID ON | ||
| 19 | See 9 | |
| 21 | See 8 | |
| 23 | PRONG | Tooth with nasty smell round top of root (5) |
| PONG (nasty small) contains Root (top letter of) | ||
| 24 | SWEEP | Puppet that’s small? Small and quiet (5) |
| S (small) WEE (small) and P (piano, quiet) – Sooty and Sweep puppet characters | ||
| 26 | TAROT | Pitch first of tents below middle of scout pack (5) |
| TAR (pitch) then Tents (first letter of) following scOut (middle letter of) | ||
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
My interpretation of 10a is that the prime minister is at (number) 10, with 8 being a reference to 8d. A reference to 8,21 would be more accurate but would spoil the surface.
Thanks Hovis, 8=Downing had not occurred to me. I think you are correct but I still can’t make much sense of the clue.
Just to clarify perhaps. P for piano + ‘at 10’ Downing Prime Minister (8PM) here. I did wonder if the clue number was relevant, but decided not.
Parsing of 10ac got me too but I agree with Hovis. Nice references to current affairs given the announcement yesterday although I suppose a coincidence.
Thanks Wanderer and PeeDee
This one has hung around for a couple of weeks with 27a and 24d not filled in. This morning Eliot NESS came to mind as the Prohibition agent for the first time and immediately COOKIE for ‘biscuit’ to finally crack KOOKINESS. Even though I’d convinced myself that it must be SWEEP, it was only after googling that the Sooty Show character presented – must have had a deprived childhood or the memory has faded – still can’t remember him.
Would never have parsed PATIO – one of those really clever clues when it has been explained.
Now finally another one can be put to bed …