A difficult challenge from BRADMAN today made more so due to an error in grid numbering. A few new words in the puzzle to boot, made for a different solving experience than the last offering from this setter.
FF:8 DD:9
| Across | ||
| 1 | COUNTESS | Titled lady in matters involving English society (8) |
| [COUNTS (matters) containing E (english) ] S (society) | ||
| 23 | BREVE |
Note – always a particular one echoing (5)
|
| EVER (always) B ( a particular note), all reversed [Sorry about the misplaced numbering – had to edit the solve in the blogging software, and doing this was the least disruptive] | ||
| 9 | DRAGOMAN | Guide is bore, old fellow (8) |
| DRAG (bore) O (old) MAN (fellow) | ||
| 10 | BREWER | Man of fables who is appreciated by those in pub? (6) |
| cryptic def | ||
| 12 | RICIN | Poison murderer finally added to top of cake – not good! (5) |
| R (murdereR, finally) ICINg (top of cake, without G – good) | ||
| 13 | FEATHERED | Achievement by ambassador looking embarrased, owl-like? (9) |
| FEAT (achievement) HE (ambassador, His Excellency) RED (embarassed) | ||
| 14 | TROCHE | Foot inadequate? Something medically soothing required (6) |
| TROCHEe (foot, of two syllabbles, without last letter) – new word for me | ||
| 16 | HARMFUL | Henry having as much as can be carried – dangerous (7) |
| H (henry) ARMFUL ( as much as can be carried) | ||
| 18 | HEADMAN | Principal executioner? (7) |
| cryptic def | ||
| 20 | DUETTO | Musical composition that’s outstanding – overblown, on reflection? (6) |
| DUE (outstanding) TTO (overblown = OTT, Over The Top, reversed) | ||
| 22 | CONSERVED | Tory did public duty, kept out of harm’s way? |
| CON (tory) SERVED ( did public duty) | ||
| 24 | ALBEDO | Clue “doable”? Measure of reflection needed (6) |
| DOABLE* | ||
| 25 | TRIANGLE | Altering nasty shape with straight lines (8) |
| ALTERING* | ||
| 26 | SPEEDY | Fast agent crossing river to the west (6) |
| SPY (agent) across reverse of DEE (river) | ||
| 27 | STARCHED | Celebrity getting cold – he had stiffened up (8) |
| STAR (celebrity) C (cold) HED (he had) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CEDARS | Trees in arcades pollarded badly (6) |
| aRCADES* (pollarded = without first letter) | ||
| 2 | UNASCERTAINABLE | Strange tabernacle in USA that cannot be discovered (15) |
| TABERNACLE IN USA* | ||
| 3 | THORN | Old character, thunderous one given short name 4 Troublemaker and supporters being upset a bit (7) |
| THOR (thunderous one) N (name) – ole english character | ||
| 6 | CARTHORSE | Animal to pull vehicle taking that group round capital of Romania (9) |
| CAR (vehicle) [ THOSE (that group) around R (capital of Romania) ] | ||
| 7 | TOWER OF STRENGTH | Great support for the worst gent seen to be misguided (5,2,8) |
| FOR THE WORST GENT* | ||
| 8 | AIREDALE | Excellent coloured drink for dog (8) |
| AI (excellent, A1) RED ALE (coloured drink) | ||
| 11 | WASH | Clean wood topped with a bit of wax (4) |
| W (bit of Wax) ASH (wood) | ||
| 15 | COMMENDED | Firm with two thousand stopped being honoured (9) |
| CO (firm) MM ( two thousand) ENDED (stopped) | ||
| 17 | CHOCTAWS | Dogs pinning unfortunate cat in movements on ice (8) |
| CAT* in CHOWS (dogs) – new word for me | ||
| 19, 5 | NOVA SCOTIA | Vacation so fantastic in part of Canada (4,6) |
| VACATION SO* | ||
| 20 | DIDEROT | Philosopher rushed, performed the wrong way (7) |
| reverse of TORE (rush) DID (performed) | ||
| 21 | BEHELD | Seen to experience the effect of custody? (6) |
| read as BE HELD (experience effect of custody) | ||
| 23 | BLAIR | Old PM to roar audibly (5) |
| sounds like BLARE (roar) | ||
*anagram
Good puzzle – shame about the mistake. I suspect it’s a similar, but wrong, grid.
For those who haven’t had a go yet, you need to white out two black squares to make 2 down and 7 down into 15-letter lights, then renumber where necessary.
The cock-up made it more fun.I needed white letracet to polish it off!!
Good challenge with the wrong grid. Liked the clue for SNAFFLE best of all, (elf,fans, all reversed – Missing from the list above). . TROCHE was last one in. I agree with Tom’s approach.
Fortunately, the grid error was easy to handle. Lots of new words to me: TROCHE (& TROCHEE), ALBEDO, CHOCDAWS and didn’t know the person Brewer of 10a. Despite this, I completed it without any real cheating. My first guess for 18d was chactows but got it with my second guess. Felt more like a Pasquale than a Bradman – maybe he had the wrong hat on.
Thanks to Bradman and Turbolegs. I managed to work with the false numbering, but the 2 omitted spaces confused me for quite some time. My LOI was TROCHE which I did know but needed all the crossers to see it. It didn’t help my cause that at first I put COMMENDED in the wrong down slot.
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
Put off the solve because of the grid anomaly and was travelling, but enjoyed it when had that sorted. A few new words for me (DUETTO, ALBEDO, TROCHE and CHOCTAWS) and a couple that I had come across but not for a while (THORN and TROCHEE).
Finished with three of these – 14d, 24a and 17d.