It’s 2am, it’s so cold that it’s been snowing in London, we’ve done the best we can. Nice crossword, thanks CRUX!
This seemed more effort than a Monday morning FT normally entails, though that was not helped by writing in LOOK SHARP for 23a.
Almost a slurring Nina through the middle for what was consumed during Paddy’s day!
Anyway, a fun crossword.
Apologies for 10A not appearing in the grid, there was a gremlin in the blogging tool that we use.
Across
1 Socialist, a good sort, wouldn’t apply to Oxbridge (8)
REDBRICK
RED (socialist) + BRICK (a good sort, old bean) (red-brick being a term used to describe more modern Universities, unlike Oxford or Cambridge, although they have their fair share of concrete monstrosities)
5 A lodge that’s possibly pre- Roman? (3-3)
AGE-OLD
(A LODGE)* (*possibly)
9 Leading lady from the upper classes, most likely (4.4) 10 A short La Scala production made her name, appropriately (6)
HEAD GIRL
Cryptic definition (“upper classes” meaning the higher years at school)
10 A short La Scala production made her name, appropriately (6)
CALLAS
(LA SCAL[a] (short))* (*production) &lit (Maria Callas, a soprano)
12 Cancel almanac, it has omitted article (5)
ANNUL
ANNU[a]L (annual (almanac) omitting a (article))
13, 25 Replace, at all costs, her right to a theatre seat (9,5)
ORCHESTRA STALL
(AT ALL COSTS HER R (right))* (*replace)
14 A team’s mutterings to the ref? (6)
ASIDES
A + SIDES (team’s)
16 Jerome and Eric get trapped wind (7)
MEANDER
[jero]ME AND ER[ic] (trapped)
19 Like some rare coins, possibly, or a wallflower! (7)
UNDATED
Double definition (no dates for a wallflower (a shy or excluded person at a dance or party, especially a girl without a partner))
21 English name associated with love-charm (6)
ENDEAR
E (english) + N (name) associated with DEAR (love)
23 Hurry up and get dressed properly (4,5)
LOOK SMART
Double definition
25 See 13
26 Beginning or end of samurai spirit (6)
ORIGIN
OR + [samura]I (end of) + GIN (spirit)
27 Guaranteed to give meaning without it (8)
DEFINITE
DEFINE (give meaning) without IT
28 What little birds do, loudly, on the window-sill, say (6)
FLEDGE
F (loudly) + LEDGE (window-sill)
29 Engine is not broken up for scrap (8)
JETTISON
JET (engine) + (IS NOT)* (*broken up)
Down
1 Except for west weather surprisingly warm again (6)
REHEAT
([w]EATHER)* (except for W (west)) (*surprisingly)
2 Identified disease doctors initially agonised about (9)
DIAGNOSED
(D[octors] (initially) AGONISED)* (*about)
3 Genuine, good-hearted and majestic (5)
REGAL
G (good) inside (hearted) REAL (genuine)
4 They’re supposed to encourage vegetables (7)
CARROTS
Double definition (the carrot or the stick)
6, 25 Unsocial hours working in the cemetery? (9,5)
GRAVEYARD SHIFT
Double definition (or is it crypt-ic?)
7 Pussycat’s shipmate when young (5)
OWLET
Reference to The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear – pass the bong tree
8 Becomes discouraged when couples follow diets, oddly (8)
DESPAIRS
PAIRS (couples) follow D[i]E[t]S (oddly)
11 Scot’s taken up the fiddle (4)
SCAM
MACS< (Scots, taken up)
15 Teed off with pain, being unable to stand (9)
DETESTING
(TEED)* (*off) + STING (pain)
17 Over-emotional displays, often amateur (9)
DRAMATICS
Double definition (amateur dramatics)
18 Start the game without Hector? (5-3)
BULLY OFF
Double definiton (how to re-start a game of jolly hockey, also bully = hector, without = off)
20 Face heads of department in actual lessons (4)
DIAL
D[epartment] I[n] A[ctual] L[essons] (heads)
21 Exorbitant tip (7)
EXTREME
Double definition
22 This is one at home to put in the picture (4,2)
CLUE IN
CLUE (this is one) + IN (at home)
24 Female duck not recorded (5)
OLIVE
O (duck) + LIVE (not recorded)
25 See 6
Thanks Crux and Teacow. I, too, was held up a little at the end by having put LOOK SHARP at 23ac.
Not as much snow up here as there appears to be some 400 miles south. We will need to export you some gritters!!
Thanks Crux and Teacow
I liked the different take on a MEANDER clue!
Thank you CRUX for a very enjoyable crossword.
I also had “look sharp”; so didn’t get “extreme”.
I didn’t get “owlet” either. So thank you Teacow for your wonderful explanations.
(It would have been easier if you’d been down The Traf though! lol)
Thanks to Crux and Teacow. I did get LOOK SMART but, though I did parse it, did not understand BULLY OFF and missed the carrot-stick reference.
Thanks Crux and Teacow
Enjoying this setter of late – always expect something a little easier for some reason but find that he does stretch me with a number of his clues. Am sure that it must have been used before, but the clue for Maria CALLAS was a gem. UNDATED was very good as well I thought.
Hadn’t heard of the REDBRICK term before. Finished in the SE corner with DRAMATICS, JETTISON and ENDEAR the last few in.