The puzzle can be found here.
A quick solve with a good variety of devices, and some clever clues, my favourites being 25a, 26a and 8d.
On the other hand, there were a couple of chestnuts in there as well (STATE and LOCO), and I also had issues with 11ac and 4dn (see the blog below and let me know if you agree or correct me if I am wrong).
Thanks, Mudd
| Across | ||
| 1 | PESTILENT | Off-piste, fast – and deadly (9) |
| *(piste) + LENT (“fast”) | ||
| 6 | BASRA | Retired horse touring southern Iraqi city (5) |
| <=ARAB (retired “horse”) touring S(outhern) | ||
| 9 | NERVE | Bottle, the transmitter of a message (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | EYESTRAIN | Difficulty seeing English tutor, certainly previously (9) |
| E(nglish) + YES (“certainly”) + TRAIN (“tutor”) | ||
| 11 | CENTIMETRE | Heart-breaking period in a small measure (10) |
| CENTRE (“heart”) with TIME (“period”) breaking
This one doesn’t work for ma, as I read the clue as suggesting that CENTRE should be breaking TIME, rather than the other way round required for the solution to work. |
||
| 12 | MENU | Name between setter and solver in list (4) |
| N(ame) between ME (“setter”) and U (you, so “solver”) | ||
| 14 | DIARIST | One making a record in seedy joint, did we hear? (7) |
| Homophone of DIRE WRIST (“seedy joint”) | ||
| 15 | MIRACLE | Extraordinary thing, vehicle reversing into the distance (7) |
| <=CAR (“vehicle”, reversing) into MILE (“distance”) | ||
| 17 | SHELLAC | Inside container, fire down below producing resin (7) |
| Inside SAC (“container), HELL (“fire down below”), so S(HELL)AC | ||
| 19 | EPIGRAM | Something witty, joke ultimately on farm animals (7) |
| (jok)E on PIG and RAM (“farm animals”) | ||
| 20 | IOTA | Part read in Riot Act – just a bit (4) |
| Hidden in “rIOT Act” | ||
| 22 | INACCURATE | Am I able to lie back with clergyman? That’s wrong! (10) |
| <=CAN I (“am i able to”, back) with CURATE (“clergyman”) | ||
| 25 | SUBWOOFER | Part of a loudspeaker, the underdog? (9) |
| SUB (“under”) + WOOFER (“dog”) | ||
| 26 | ATLAS | Global plans in the end, cut (5) |
| AT LAS(t) (“in the end”, cut) | ||
| 27 | LOTTO | Private location hositng races, a game of chance (5) |
| LOO (“private location”) hosting TT (Tourist Trophy “races”) | ||
| 28 | ROTTERDAM | Port dreamt about on bunk (9) |
| *(dreamt) on ROT (“bunk”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PANIC | Image encapsulating an uncontrolled, anxious state (5) |
| PIC (“image”) encapsulating AN | ||
| 2 | SHRINKAGE | Loss having replaced her gains with investment of a grand (9) |
| *(her gains) with investment of K (“a grand”) | ||
| 3 | INELIGIBLE | Unqualified man ultimately involved in big lie, doubly unsettled (10) |
| (ma)N involved in *(big lie lie) | ||
| 4 | EVEREST | Mountain the most difficult, if peak reached? (7) |
| (s)EVEREST Don’t quite understand why “reached” would mean removal of the initial lettter? | ||
| 5 | THEOREM | The raw material required, heading for majority rule (7) |
| THE ORE (“raw material”) + M(ajority) | ||
| 6 | BUTT | Bottom, on the other hand, top of tree (4) |
| BUT (“on the other hand”) + T(ree) | ||
| 7 | STATE | Nation, say (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | AD NAUSEAM | A sundae ordered in the morning, enough to make you sick? (2,7) |
| (a sundae) in A.M. (“morning”) | ||
| 13 | ARTICULATE | Craftsmanship taken over a clue, it turning out as eloquent (10) |
| ART (“craftmanship”) over *(a clue it) | ||
| 14 | DISMISSAL | Grey bags in several shades, each starting out as sacking (9) |
| DISMAL (“grey”) bags initial letters of In Several Shades (indicated by each starting out) | ||
| 16 | CURTAILED | Scoundrel followed, getting cut off (9) |
| CUR (“scoundrel”) + TAILED (“followed”) | ||
| 18 | CONIFER | Tree to discuss, one to cut through (7) |
| CONFER (“discuss”) with I (“one”) cut through | ||
| 19 | EXCERPT | Some work from goalkeeper finally inspired by save (7) |
| (goalkeepe)R inspired by EXCEPT (“save”) | ||
| 21 | TIBET | Disputed territory lay south of Thai borders (5) |
| BET (“lay”) south of T(ha)I | ||
| 23 | EPSOM | Surrey town where rising moon eclipses sun at first (5) |
| <=MOPE (rising “moon”) eclipses S(un) | ||
| 24 | LOCO | Cracked engine (4) |
| Double definition | ||
*anagram
Comments are closed.