Apologies for the late blog and the short write up. Busy day today and I just managed to get to the puzzle. Thanks Bradman.
FF: 8 DD: 9
| Across | ||
| 1 | VALENCIA | An alive city initially becomes troubled city (8) |
| AN ALIVE C (City, initially)* | ||
| 6 | SPLICE | Join Labour’s leader to get into something exciting? (6) |
| L (Labour’s leader) in SPICE (something exciting) | ||
| 9 | TUT-TUT | Archbishop repeatedly falling short? That’s bad! (3-3) |
| TUTu-TUTu (archbishop, desmond tutu, repeated, without last letter) | ||
| 10 | CHAMBERS | Rooms that may be used by crossword solvers (8) |
| double def; referring to the dictionary. | ||
| 11 | WEAR | River producing erosion (4) |
| double def | ||
| 12 | COMPACTION | Firm without any engagement in process of getting crushed (10) |
| COMPany (firm, without ANY) ACTION (engagement) | ||
| 14 | PETIT MAL | Tim leapt around, being fit (5,3) |
| TIM LEAPT* | ||
| 16 | CHAW | Some munch a weird bit of tobacco (4) |
| hidden in “..munCH A Weird” | ||
| 18 | STOA | Trips to Athens may cover this (4) |
| hidden in “tripS TO Athens..”; semi &Lit? | ||
| 19 | SPIKELET | Pet likes rolling around in a bit of grass (8) |
| PET LIKES* | ||
| 21 | CATECHUMEN | Confirmation candidate Tom, maybe, joining English church with socially acceptable fellows (10) |
| CAT (tom, maybe) E (english) CH (church) U (socially acceptable) MEN (fellows) – new word for me. | ||
| 22 | AIRS | Affectations in songs (4) |
| double def | ||
| 24 | RIPARIAN | Farewell message to heretic in riverside area (8) |
| RIP (farewell message – rest in peace) ARIAN (heretic) – new word for me, again | ||
| 26 | ICE AGE | I, wise person, reported what climate change could bring (3,3) |
| sounds like I SAGE (wise person) | ||
| 27 | BEDECK | Piece of furniture – shout of annoyance when head’s been knocked off ornament (6) |
| BED (piece of furniture) hECK (should of annoyance, without starting letter) | ||
| 28 | SUMATRAN | Islander and tot taking a puff- puff, leaving island behind (8) |
| SUM (tot) A TRAiN (puff-puff, without I – island) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | AMUSE | In the first half of the day employ charm (5) |
| AM (first half of the day) USE (employ) | ||
| 3 | EXTERMINATE | Dispose of old lover, inert mate being dissolute (11) |
| EX (old lover) INERT MATE* | ||
| 4 | CATACOMB | Act, going out on a search in underground passage (8) |
| [ACT*] A COMB (search) | ||
| 5 | ACCOMPLISHMENTS | Scotsmen clap him excitedly for great deeds (15) |
| SCOTSMEN CLAP HIM* | ||
| 6 | STALAG | War-time camp has a prisoner kept below street (6) |
| ST (street) A LAG (prisoner) | ||
| 7 | LOB | Deliver cricket ball up to get wicket taken – offering this delivery (3) |
| reverse of BOwL (deliver cricket ball, without W – wicket, reversed) | ||
| 8 | CORPORATE | Expression of surprise over quiet talk relating to big business (9) |
| COR (expression of surprise) P (quiet) ORATE (talk) | ||
| 13 | TICKET AGENT | Give approving sign to Greek character, fellow who works for theatres? (6,5) |
| TICK (approving sign) ETA (greek character) GENT (fellow) | ||
| 15 | EXTRADITE | Hand over something additional tied in knots (9) |
| [ EXTRA (something additional) ] TIED* | ||
| 17 | GIANTISM | Greatness of soldier opposing shouter on parade ground? (8) |
| GI (soldier) ANTI (opposing) SM (??) | ||
| 20 | SHRINK | Hang back in silence where area is covered in ice (6) |
| SH (silence) RINK (area covered in ice) | ||
| 23 | RAGGA | Student event with good (ace) type of music (5) |
| RAG (student event) G (good) A (ace) | ||
| 25 | APE | Animal given odd bits of apple (3) |
| ApPlE, odd characters. | ||
*anagram
Vast majority filled in rapidly but the last few were a real struggle. SHRINK and BEDECK were my final two in. A few new words for me but all clued to make them pretty straightforward. The SM in 17d is surely sergeant major (shouter on parade ground). Not my favourite Bradman by a long way but you can’t please everybody all the time.
I was stuck on the same pair, Hovis. Must check @lit for the LOB clue. I liked that.
Thanks to Bradman and Turbolegs. Enjoyable. SPIKELET was new to me (though I did parse it) and I did spot the SM-sergeant major but I was stuck for a while with RIPARIAN (which I did dredge up), BEDECK, and SHRINK (where I kept trying to squeeze in an A for “area”).
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
Actually found this at the easier end of the difficulty spectrum for this setter notwithstanding a couple of new terms – CATECHUMEN and ARIAN (as heretic).
Finished in the SW corner with RIPARIAN, BEDECK and SHRINK the last few in.