A gentle Armonie offering to start the week…
Nothing terribly taxing here, though we seemed to spend yonks in the SW corner – not sure why.
All jolly good fun of course. Thanks ARMONIE!
Across
1 Rest of soldiers introduced to swimmer (8)
BREATHER
RE (soldiers) introduced to BATHER (swimmer)
5 Charlie in a panic? That’s uncommon! (6)
SCARCE
C (Charlie) in SCARE (panic)
9 Oscar set puzzle for philosopher (8)
SOCRATES
(OSCAR SET)* (*puzzled)
10 Somebody keeps boy punctual (2,4)
ON TIME
ONE (somebody) keeps TIM (boy)
12 Hibernian flag by hospital (5)
IRISH
IRIS (flag, type of iris flower) + H (hospital)
13 Commitments to curb corrosion by temperature are most reliable (9)
TRUSTIEST
TIES (commitments) to curb RUST (corrosion) + T (temperature)
14 Run from large snake (6)
LADDER
L (large) + ADDER (snake)
16 King Edward is erudite (7)
LEARNED
LEAR (king) + NED (Edward)
19 Sailor eating jam caught in vehicle (7)
TRAMCAR
TAR (sailor) around (eating) (RAM (jam) + C (caught))
21 Threaten workers’ champion (6)
MENACE
MEN (workers) + ACE (champion)
23 Performing a poor role unfavourably (2,3,4)
IN BAD PART
Double definition
25 Give rise to the initial Saxony hock (5)
SPAWN
S[axony] (initial) + PAWN (hock)
26 Tory leader’s lecherous? That’s problematical! (6)
THORNY
T[ory] (leader) + HORNY (lecherous)
27 Philanthropy is a liberal axiom (8)
ALTRUISM
A + L[iberal] + TRUSIM (axiom)
28 Edith concocted recipe for stew (6)
DITHER
(EDITH)* (*concocted) + R (recipe)
29 Ale there brewed to be heavenly (8)
ETHEREAL
(ALE THERE)* (*brewed)
Down
1 No bias deployed in this European region (6)
BOSNIA
(NO BIAS)* (*deployed)
2 Trainee in hacienda cooked food (9)
ENCHILADA
L (trainee) in (HACIENDA)* (*cooked)
3 Team leader spots rubbish (5)
TRASH
T[eam] (leader) + RASH (spots)
4 Equestrian always covers slit in jacket (7)
EVENTER
EER (always) covers VENT (slit in jacket)
6 Force prisoners on coach (9)
CONSTRAIN
CONS (prisoners) + TRAIN (coach)
7 Put up and soundly knock down (5)
RAISE
sounds like “RAZE” (knock down)
8 Still on course at dusk (8)
EVENTIDE
EVEN (still) on TIDE (course)
11 Warm wine in study (4)
MULL
Double definition
15 Corruption of French intonation (9)
DECADENCE
DE (of, French) + CADENCE (intonation)
17 Fruit aren’t nice, unfortunately (9)
NECTARINE
(AREN’T NICE)* (*unfortunately)
18 Said scripture is included? It’s barred! (8)
STRIATED
RI (scripture, religious instruction) in (included) STATED (said)
20 Brazilian currency is genuine (4)
REAL
Double definition
21 Sailor gives lashings in support of officer (7)
MATELOT
LOT (lashings) under (supporting) MATE (officer)
22 The Castilian retains reputation for fast finish (6)
ENAMEL
EL (the, Spanish) around (retains) NAME (reputation)
24 Head of school puts on footwear in lift (5)
BOOST
BOOT (footwear) around (puts on) S[chool] (head)
25 Confident in holding girl in a rush (5)
SURGE
SURE (confident in) around (holding) G (girl)
Poor Chiffers is not attracting any comments so far so I will agree with this being a very neatly constructed puzzle.
Like a “green” slope in powder snow.
Thanks Teacow and Armonie.
Thanks to Armonie and Teacow. I was not sure that jam = ram or lashings = lot but I suspect that various dictionaries will support the connections. A good start to the week that I enjoyed.
ACD, we think jam/ram is ok, and lashings meaning “a lot” seems ok, though that is perhaps based on an over-exposure to Famous Five books, or perhaps the Comedy Strip pastiche!
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
A puzzle that was fairly quick to solve, but one that you have to admire the subtle nuances of definitions that he uses in both answers and word play elements. For example, the ‘warm wine’ = MULL as a verb, the RAM / JAM meanings of “roughly forcing something into place” and ‘hock’ = PAWN. The ability to often make the word in a surface look like a noun when in fact it needs to be a verb or adjective!
Finished in the SW corner with STRIATED and IN BAD PART the last couple in.
Thanks Teacow and Armonie.
Quite neat I’d say except for “in” for performing in 23a…though a batsman is in and a show is on.
Loved ENAMEL SPAWN and BOOST
Favorite was 2D. Growing up on the Mexican border they we’re my comfort food, first meal after a bout of the stomach flu.
ilippu @ 5
Sorry, I don’t understand your comment. “Performing a poor role” = “In bad part” = “Unfavourably”. I don’t see where batting comes into it, but maybe I’m being dim.
Simon S @ 7
My apologies. I was not familiar with the phrase “In bad part”…
I tied bad part to poor role, and assigned “in” to performing and went into
a ‘in’ vs ‘on’ loop…I am wrong. Sorry.