An enjoyable challenge from eXternal today.
Nothing too challenging today thank goodness as life is a little busy. We did wonder about HAILS at first for 25d but it made no sense as far as the definition was concerned. Joyce fondly remembers making 27ac when she was younger.
Across
1 Swimming in loch, lost skimpy apparel (10)
LOINCLOTHS
An anagram of IN LOCH LOST – anagrind is ‘swimming’
6 To paint without tips is impressive (4)
EPIC
dEPICt (to paint) missing first and last letters or ‘without tips’
10 Convenient work involving nothing too active, primarily (2,3)
ON TAP
OP (work) around or ‘involving’ N T A – first letters of ‘nothing too active’
11 Training duo at nice complex (9)
EDUCATION
An anagram of DUO AT NICE – anagrind is ‘complex’
12 Be present before expert is redeployed (3-5)
PRE-EXIST
An anagram of EXPERT IS – anagrind is ‘redeployed’
13 Some colossal tyrannosaurs like pretzels, perhaps (5)
SALTY
Hidden in (‘some’) colosSAL TYrannosaurs
15 Wife in trouble, crying (7)
WAILING
W (wife) AILING (in trouble)
17 This compiler with G&T outside in control of fingers (7)
DIGITAL
I (this compiler) with GT outside and all inside DIAL (control)
19 Representation of comet, it is symbolic (7)
TOTEMIC
An anagram of COMET IT – anagrind is ‘representation of’
21 Sprouts, they’re often found in sofas (7)
SPRINGS
Double definition
22 Male with moisture around cut (5)
HEWED
HE (male) with DEW (moisture) reversed or ‘around’
24 US farmer managed borders for hoodlum in prison (8)
RANCHMAN
RAN (managed) + HM (first and last letters or ‘borders’ of hoodlum) in CAN (prison)
27 Honey-bee circling cop’s battered Scots delicacy (4,5)
DROP SCONE
DRONE (honey bee) around an anagram of COPS – anagrind is ‘battered’
28 Scratching sides, claw like a dog (5)
LAIKA
The middle letters only or ‘scratching sides’ of cLAw lIKe A
29 Food from hospital lad rejected (4)
NOSH
H (hospital) SON (lad) reversed or ‘rejected’
30 Seems snake writhing around is logical (5,5)
MAKES SENSE
An anagram of SEEMS SNAKE – anagrind is ‘writhing around’
Down
1 Illegal goods from source changing hands (4)
LOOT
ROOT (source) with R (right) changing to L (left) or ‘changing hands’
2 Prohibition popular with non-drinker hiding assorted cider (9)
INTERDICT
IN (popular) TT (non-drinker) around or ‘hiding’ an anagram of CIDER – anagrind is ‘assorted’
3 Thicket to get through carrying spades (5)
COPSE
COPE (to get through) around or ‘carrying’ S (spades)
4 First hole (7)
OPENING
Double definition
5 Tormented and chased around area (7)
HAUNTED
HUNTED (chased) around A (area)
7 Container from lodge picked up (5)
PHIAL
A homophone (‘picked up’) of FILE (lodge)
8 On boat, served fancy old sugary food (10)
CANDYFLOSS
An anagram of FANCY OLD – anagrind is ‘served’ ‘on’ SS (boat)
9 One manipulating crowd, mature Republican (8)
MASSAGER
MASS (crowd) AGE (mature) R (Republican)
14 Activated the disc, now playing (8,2)
SWITCHED ON
An anagram of THE DISC NOW – anagrind is ‘playing’
16 One mountain restricting ways forward (8)
IMMODEST
I (one) MT (mountain) around or ‘restricting’ MODES (ways)
18 African thanks relative, acquiring Zulu a home to the north (9)
TANZANIAN
TA (thanks) NAN (relative) around or ‘acquiring’ Z (Zulu) A IN (home) reversed or ‘to the north’
20 Company with diverse board somewhere in Spain (7)
CORDOBA
CO (company) and an anagram of BOARD – anagrind is ‘diverse’
21 Serious as soldiers (7)
SINCERE
SINCE (as) RE (soldiers)
23 Bowls with produce, far end of potting shed (5)
WOODS
W (with) gOODS (produce) missing or ‘shedding’ the last letter or ‘far end’ of ‘potting’
25 Rises from helipad with troubles (5)
HILLS
H (helipad) ILLS (troubles)
26 Mere mortal Hera struck infertile in the end (4)
LAKE
Last letters or ‘in the end’ of mortaL herA strucK infertilE
*anagram
Well, we can’t let this passs without comment, and agree it was an enjoyable challenge.
We too wondered about ‘hails’ at first for 25dn but then thought that eXternal was unlikely to use ‘ail’ for ‘trouble’ twice in the same crossword.
Several pleasing surfaces, for example 1ac, 13ac and 20dn. 23dn reminded one of us of some pleasant occasions on the bowling green a few years ago.
Thanks, eXternal and B&J
I was expecting this to be considerably tougher than it turned out to be. Having other things to be getting on with, I decided that for this one I’d make free use of an anagram solver. Well, there were a surprising number of those so that decision will have saved this anagram snail quite a bit of time.
Like everyone else so far I pondered HAILS at first. Have nothing else to report other than that I really enjoyed it.
Thanks eXternal and Bertandjoyce.
Just to be different, and as I hadn’t studied the clue fully, I first guessed PILES for 2dn. I’d already got 28ac.
I hesitated over Interdict as I didn’t know it as a noun, and was expecting a Q for a pangram after X and Z turned up. No J or V either as it turned out, and quite tame for a Thursday – which was a relief. Thanks to eXternal and B&J.