A bit stiff for a Tuesday from Neo, but no complaints from me.
No theme as far as I can see but a few intresting bits of geography. A decent wokout. Thanks, Neo.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ALBANIA | State embargo inter alia? (7) |
| BAN (‘embargo’) in ALIA. | ||
| 5 | BOMBARD | Attack persistently dismal crowd in retreat (7) |
| Reversal (‘in retreat’) of DRAB MOB (‘dismal crowd’). | ||
| 9 | SOUND | Complete report (5) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 10 | GREENWICH | Fresh crank’s dismissed new London borough (9) |
| GREEN (‘fresh’) + WInCH (‘crank’) without N[ew] | ||
| 11 | LABYRINTH | Briny solution in building material for complex construction (9) |
| Anagram (‘solution’) of BRINY in LATH (‘building material’). | ||
| 12 | ALARM | Fear – that’s Capone’s weapon! (5) |
| AL (Capone) + ARM (‘weapon’). | ||
| 13 | Messages in echo Irishman sent back (1-4) | |
| E[cho], in radio code, + LIAM (‘Irishman’), reversed. | ||
| 15 | UPCOUNTRY | Reckoning track is needed on hike inland (9) |
| COUNT (‘reckoning’) + R[ailwa]Y (‘track’) after UP (to ‘hike’). | ||
| 18 | ABDOMINAL | Angry man I left after fuss about breadth of belly (9) |
| Anagram (‘angry’) of MAN I + L[eft] follow ADO (‘fuss’) around B[readth]. | ||
| 19 | EARTH | Scarcity has many leaving planet (5) |
| dEARTH (‘scarcity’) minus its D (500 in Latin = ‘many’). | ||
| 21 | GABON | No particular interest shown around republic (5) |
| Reversal (‘around’) of NO + BAG (‘particular interest’). | ||
| 23 | ANIMATION | Without oxygen, maintain lively energy (9) |
| Anagram (‘lively’) of MAINTAIN around (‘without’) O[xygen]. | ||
| 25 | BERNOULLI | Physicist’s hesitant refusal to get into bunk with one (9) |
| ER, NO (a ‘hesitant refusal’) in BULL (’bunk’) + I, for the chap who worked out the equations re the lateral pressure of moving gases & liquids, thus ensuring planes stay up. | ||
| 26 | BWANA | Pasty consumed by graduate master in Africa (5) |
| BA (’graduate’) surrounds WAN (‘pasty’). | ||
| 27 | AGELESS | Eternal promise of face-cream factors? (7) |
| Cryptic: use their products and you’ll ’age less’. | ||
| 28 | TARWEED | Watered jungly plant (7) |
| Anagram (‘jungly’) of WATERED. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ABSOLVE | Seaman loves concocting excuse (7) |
| AB[le seaman] + anagram (‘concocting’) of LOVES. | ||
| 2 | BLUEBEARD | Lady-killer – indecent animal – died (9) |
| BLUE (‘indecent’) + BEAR (‘animal’) + D[ied]. | ||
| 3 | NADIR | Deepest point in Mahanadi river (5) |
| Inclusion in ’mahaNADI River’. | ||
| 4 | ALGONQUIN | Answer long rambling question in native language (9) |
| A[nswer] + anagram (‘rambling’) of LONG + QU[estion] + IN. | ||
| 5 | BEECH | It has branches in Strand we hear (5) |
| Homophone of ‘beach’ (‘strand’). | ||
| 6 | MINIATURE | Grow up around home with single baby (9) |
| MATURE (‘grow up’) around IN + 1. | ||
| 7 | ANITA | Female in Northern Ireland with time in AA (5) |
| N[orthern] I[reland] + T[ime] in AA. | ||
| 8 | DAHOMEY | Old country house secured in 24 hours (7) |
| HOME (‘house’) in DAY (’24 hrs’). | ||
| 14 | LEMON SOLE | Fish something worthless on its own? (5,4) |
| LEMON (‘something useless’) + SOLE (‘on its own’). | ||
| 16 | CALVINIST | Protestant man is appearing in court (9) |
| ALVIN (a ‘man’) + IS in C[our]T | ||
| 17 | TERMINATE | Stop unpleasant characters barring entrance in gallery (9) |
| vERMIN (‘unpleasant characters’ minus V, their ‘entrance’) in TATE (‘gallery’). | ||
| 18 | ALGEBRA | Beer supporter drinks gallon in search for unknown (7) |
| ALE includes G[allon] then BRA (‘supporter”). | ||
| 20 | HANSARD | Report from German traders – leaders in Reichstag debate (7) |
| HANSA (‘German traders’, as in Hansiatic League) plus ‘leaders’ in R[eichstag] D[ebate]. | ||
| 22 | BARGE | Lighter pole used by extremists in Guadeloupe (5) |
| BAR (‘pole’) + ‘extreme’ letters of G[uadeloup]E. | ||
| 23 | ATLAS | Hold-up man from great LA suburb (5) |
| Inclusion in ‘greAT LA Suburb’, with cryptic definition of mythical supporter of the heavens. | ||
| 24 | AMBER | Golden award framed by retro artist (5) |
| MBE (‘award’) in reversed RA (‘artist’). | ||
*anagram
Much better than Tees yesterday.
That was great. At first pass I thought I was going to draw a blank, then all gradually fell into place. Just as I like it. Tiny quibble, is a pole a bar? Thanks to Neil and to Grant.
Neo. Dreaded autocorrect.
Trickier than one might have expected from Neo but a very enjoyable time was had. I particularly liked the ‘hold-up man’
Thanks to Neo and Grant
Thanks Neo and Grant
A good challenge that took a couple of sittings to get out. Finished up in the SW corner with GABON (didn’t know ‘bag’ was a term for one’s particular interest), BERNOULLI (a mathematician who I studied many years ago) and the very clever ATLAS as the last and my favourite one to be entered.
Neo twisting the knife today. Maybe Easter didn’t go so well?
Very strong challenge for a Tuesday, but no complaints from me either. A genuinely thorny puzzle with the characteristic neatness retained.
Thanks Neo and Grant.
thanks to Neo and Grant.
I’m not a strong solver, not at all, and I am surprised to read this puzzle described as difficult. I didn’t find it hard.
I solved it using the new tool which unlike any other online gadget I’ve seen, presents the clues alongside the grid in hangman form. It’s therefore possible to solve the puzzle in its entirety without looking at the grid. The hangman gets populated with the crossers automatically. I have a theory that this makes solving much easier (for me, anyhow) and I would like to know if anyone else has a similar gut feeling.
I hope this message isn’t read as crowing, God we’re all hopefully well past that
Hi baerchen, nor me, if not a breeze! And your tool, if you’ll pardon me, sounds like fun.
Unbelievably tight construction and nice ideas throughout.
Thanks both.
Thanks to Neo and Grant. I proceeded slowly over the course of a day and would have finished except that i entered Teaweed instead of TARWEED and as a result never got AMBER. Still, an enjoyable challenge.