This morning’s puzzle can be printed off from here.
I don’t know if this was just a case of being on the setter’s wavelength, or if the puzzle was just very easy, but this was a write-in for me this morning. On first pass, I entered all but three across answers and every down one without having to think at all. The crossing letters gave me the missing across entries immediately, with TALL being my last one in. The parsing was extremely straightforward as well.
A good puzzle for beginners, possibly?
Thanks, Falcon.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DOROTHY BAG | By hot rod, shimmering silver accessory (7,3) |
| *(by hot rod) + Ag (“silver”)
A dorothy bag is a type of handbag. |
||
| 7 | GLAD | Happy clearing last away (4) |
| GLAD(e) (“clearing”, with its last away) | ||
| 9 | HERO | Protagonist in other opera (4) |
| In “otHER Opera” | ||
| 10 | SECOND-RATE | Other judge is poor (6-4) |
| SECOND (“other”) + RATE (“judge”) | ||
| 11 | MAYDAY | PM, extremely angry about note, makes appeal for help (6) |
| (Theresa) MAY (“PM”) + A(ngr)Y about D (“note”) | ||
| 12 | TRUE-BLUE | Extremely loyal butler worked round outskirts of Uxbridge (4-4) |
| *(butler) around U(xbridg)E | ||
| 13 | NEAR MISS | Local unmarried woman narrowly avoided collision (4,4) |
| NEAR (“local”) + MISS (“unmarried woman”) | ||
| 15 | LIDO | Hat, nothing more, for fashionable beach! (4) |
| LID (“hat”) + O (“nothing”) | ||
| 17 | NOAH | Japanese drama about a biblical character (4) |
| NOH (“Japanese drama”) about A | ||
| 19 | UP STICKS | Move on horseback, approaching hurdles (2,6) |
| UP (“on horseback”) + STICKS (“hurdles”) | ||
| 22 | CAVALIER | Devil-may-care Royalist (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | OPPOSE | Work on model’s face (6) |
| OP (“work”) on POSE (“model”) | ||
| 25 | TINSELTOWN | Went on list prepared for Hollywood (10) |
| *(went on list) | ||
| 26 | LARK | Harmless piece of mischief in 17’s vessel on lake (4) |
| ARK (“17’s (ie Noah’s) vessel”) on L(ake) | ||
| 27 | TALL | Unlikely to add up if short (4) |
| TALL(y) (“to add up”, short) | ||
| 28 | PLEASANTLY | In an enjoyable manner? Alas, plenty upset (10) |
| *(alas plenty) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | OPERATE | Manage to perform surgery (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | OVOID | Like Humpty-Dumpty, round and vacant? (5) |
| O (“round”) + VOID (“vacant”) | ||
| 4 | HISSY FIT | Is shy changing suit? Tantrum results (5,3) |
| *(is shy) + FIT (“suit”) | ||
| 5 | BACK TO SQUARE ONE | Support old-fashioned soul about to start again (4,2,6,3) |
| BACK (“support”) + SQUARE ONE (“old-fashioned soul”) about TO | ||
| 6 | GENIUS | Wizard, one in class (6) |
| I (“one”) in GENUS (“class”) | ||
| 7 | GARIBALDI | American soldier fed by a coarse Italian patriot (9) |
| G.I. (“American soldier”) fed by A RIBALD (“coarse”) | ||
| 8 | ASTOUND | Bewilder leader of traders employed by a firm (7) |
| T(raders) employed by A SOUND (“firm”) | ||
| 14 | REHEARSAL | Learns during actual practice session (9) |
| HEARS (“learns”) during REAL (“actual”) | ||
| 16 | AS SOON AS | Fool around thus, working with adults only just after (2,4,2) |
| ASS (“fool”) around SO (“thus”) + ON (“working”) with A(dults), so AS(SO-ON-A)S | ||
| 18 | OCARINA | Hammerstein perhaps dropping son at home with a wind instrument (7) |
| O(s)CAR (“Hammerstein perhaps”, dropping S(on)) + IN (“at home”) with A | ||
| 20 | KESTREL | Bird that’s seen in new trees planted in centre of Auckland (7) |
| *(trees) in (auc)KL(and) | ||
| 21 | FILLIP | Sound of boy in lift (6) |
| Homophone of PHILLIP (“boy”) | ||
| 24 | PYLON | Steel structure only demolished after pressure applied (5) |
| *(only) after P(ressure) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Falcon and Loonapick.
A very quick solve for me today with TALL also being LOI.
Thanks Falcon and loonapick. I agree that it was easy except that for 21d I was hung up believing that “sound” was the definition and “boy in a lift” was the cryptic clue! Thank you for putting me out of my misery!
Ah, those abbreviations again!
Where can I find A for ‘adults‘ (16d)? Could it be that Falcon means A for ‘adults only’ (like in film qualifications), and the definition being ‘just after’.
Enjoyable, easy puzzle in which 21d was my LOI (too much focused on a boy’s name + ‘up’).
Many thanks to loonapick & Falcon.
Thanks Falcon and loonapick
Breezed through this one as well with no holdups. FILLIP which was my last one in where I did muck around with PHIL + UP for a little while until common sense finally kicked in. Thought that BACK TO SQUARE ONE was really neatly clued, even though the enumeration made it pretty much a write-in.
Super quick solve for me too. It’s good to have ones like this every now and then to encourage one when they get harder.