A pleasant puzzle from Flimsy this morning…
I’ve only blogged a Flimsy once before, so don’t yet know what the compiler’s usual style is, but this was a straightforward, if fairly unexciting, solve, with most clues lsotting in without too much delay.
My favourite clues were 1dn and 23ac in a puzzle which would maybe be a good one for beginners to tackle.
Thanks, Flimsy.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MEDIEVAL | Out of date medicine that is valued 50% off (8) |
| MED(icine) + I.E. (“that is”) + VAL(ued) | ||
| 5 | HEROES | The woman’s embracing old English men of bravery (6) |
| HER’S (“the woman’s”) embracing O(ld) E(nglish) | ||
| 9 | VACATION | Work? Love to go for a holiday (8) |
| V(o>A)CATION (“work” with O going for A) | ||
| 10 | SPEEDS | Had a leak during steamship races (6) |
| PEED (“had a leak”) during SS (“steamship”) | ||
| 12 | ERROR | Dread removing top to reveal boob (5) |
| (t)ERROR (“dread”, removing top) | ||
| 13 | DESPERATE | Hopeless repositioning tree with spade (9) |
| *(tree spade) | ||
| 14 | STUPID | Dull sanctimonious talk boring sexually active man (6) |
| PI (“sanctimonius talk”) boring STUD (“sexually active man”) | ||
| 16 | DISCUSS | Talk about athletic contest with son (7) |
| DISCUS (“athletic contest”) with S(on) | ||
| 19 | UNDRESS | Strip? Kinky nurses do, almost (7) |
| *(nurses d) | ||
| 21 | REDUCE | Lower chewing cud in grass endlessly (6) |
| *(cud) in REE(d) (“grass”, endlessly) | ||
| 23 | FANTASTIC | Commuting fat cats in capital (9) |
| *(fat cats in) | ||
| 25 | CURSE | Scoundrel, oddly withdrawn, is yet to swear (5) |
| CUR (“scoundrel”) + (i)S(y)E(t) (odd letters withdrawn) | ||
| 26 | RETAIN | Keep volunteers in check (6) |
| TA (Territorial Army, so “volunteers”) in REIN (“check”) | ||
| 27 | MODERATE | Reasonable price to follow fashion (8) |
| RATE (“price”) to follow MODE (“fashion”) | ||
| 28 | DESIGN | Editor taken aback by action plan (6) |
| <=ED(itor) by SIGN (“action”) | ||
| 29 | ENTRANCE | Coming and going in transport (8) |
| Triple definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MOVIES | Flicks mane initially over jockeys (6) |
| M(ane) O(ver) VIES (“jockeys”) | ||
| 2 | DECORATED | Coat and red pants – Edward’s dressed (9) |
| *(coat red) + ED(ward) | ||
| 3 | ENTER | Go in two parts of a hospital (5) |
| ENT (Ear Nose & Throat) + ER (Emergency Room) | ||
| 4 | AVOIDED | Stayed away from a very old fish on bottom of pond (7) |
| A V(ery) O(ld) IDE (“fish”) on (pon)D | ||
| 6 | EXPRESSED | Harassed after former lover spoke (9) |
| PRESSED (“harassed”) after EX (“former lover”) | ||
| 7 | OPERA | Time after work for musical drama (5) |
| ERA (“time”) after OP (“work”) | ||
| 8 | SUSPENSE | South American writers echo doubt (8) |
| S(outh) + US (“American”) + PENS (“writers”) + E(cho) | ||
| 11 | USED | Tickled? Am leaving, mistreated (4) |
| (am)USED (“tickled” with AM leaving) | ||
| 15 | PREPARING | Dressing and cooking before shaving? (9) |
| Double definition, and PRE (“before”) PARING (“shaving”) | ||
| 17 | UNCERTAIN | Dodgy announcer tainted, to an extent (9) |
| Hidden in “annoUNCER TAINted” | ||
| 18 | SUFFERED | Foul feud ref’s put up with (8) |
| *(feud refs) | ||
| 20 | SITE | Plot upsetting in Hamlet? I suppose (4) |
| Hidden backwards (indicated by upsetting in) in “HamlET I Suppose”) | ||
| 21 | RACCOON | Miles away from wild Moroccan animal (7) |
| *(oroccan) (“Moroccan” with M(iles) away) | ||
| 22 | SEVERE | Very bad cut on horse’s rear (6) |
| SEVER (“cut”) on (hors)E | ||
| 24 | NOTES | Observes lack of publication for teachers? (5) |
| NO (“lack of”) + T(imes) E(ducational) S(upplement) (“publication for teachers”, now more commonly known as simply TES) | ||
| 25 | CLEAR | Cordelia’s opening her father’s net (5) |
| C(ordelia) + LEAR (“her father”) | ||
*anagram
A pleasant solve for me. No real problems. I had to check PI could refer to a talk in 14a. Some nice surfaces, with 12a raising a schoolboy laugh (even though I’m 62). I noticed ‘serene’ appears along the middle row but I suspect this may be coincidental rather than a deliberate nina.
Thanks to Flimsy and loonapick.
Thanks to Flimsy and loonapick. Easy but fun. I had forgotten TES for NOTES and took a while parsing PREPARING, my LOI.
Thanks Flimsy and loonapick
Done a number of puzzles by this setter … seems more suited to a Monday slot. Straightforward, using most of the basic clue devices without any ambiguity. Having said that, I did not know of the TES publication in my last entry.
I hope that having got 12a as my first one in, is not a character indicator! Did like the gimme CLEAR.
Thanks Flimsy & loonapick.
In 21 across it took me a while to realise that a “lower” chewing the cud in grass was not a cow, as Flimsy intended I guess.