Learned a few new words this morning thanks to CRUX…
Being a Monday there was nothing terribly taxing today, though 3d, 21d and 25d were new to us.
A nice mix of clues – we particularly liked 15a, and 20a was a little quirky.
Not totally sure of the parsing of 10a (can’t really see what suggests it’s hidden inside).
Thanks CRUX!
Across
1 Instead, strangely, good woman’s seen in window (7,5)
STAINED GLASS
(INSTEAD)* (*strangely) + G(good) + LASS (woman)
10 Can Pearl do more to help create a noble title? (7)
EARLDOM
[p]EARL DO M[ore] (to help create?)
11 Old tax collector or bell-ringer, you could say (7)
TOLLMAN
Double definition
12 Girl found on the moors (5)
ERICA
Double definition
13 Puts on a performance or cancels one, it’s said (5,3)
SHOWS OFF
Double definition
15 What convicted millionaire suffered as gaolers sat around (1,5,4)
A GREAT LOSS
(GAOLERS SAT)* (*around) &lit
16 One associated with 26 starts to think seriously about revenge (4)
TSAR
T[hink] S[eriously] A[bout] R[evenge] (starts to)
18 Type of race that constrains young limbs (4)
SACK
Cryptic definition
20 Hitchcock film needs a way to show it uncut (10)
PSYCHOPATH
PSYCHO (Hitchcock film) needs PATH (a way) (psychopath being the “uncut” form of psycho)
22 Manage with little so become exhausted (3,5)
RUN SHORT
RUN (manage) + SHORT (little)
24 Trace of sulphur (low-grade) (5)
SPOOR
S (sulphur) + POOR (low-grade)
26 Cause of trouble with new head in Russian government (7)
KREMLIN
K[g]REMLIN (cause of trouble, with new head)
27 Italian city”s turbulent romance (7)
CREMONA
(ROMANCE)* (*turbulent)
28 Try reasoning, it’s good for business (3,9)
TAX DEDUCTION
TAX (try) + DEDUCTION (reasoning)
Down
2 Retire perhaps, start to read, and get a dog! (7)
TERRIER
(RETIRE)* (*perhaps) + R[ead] (start to)
3 Old trader needs a servant back in pub (8)
INDIAMAN
(MAID)< (servant, <back) in INN (pub)
4 Eels must suffer regular losses like trees (4)
ELMS
E[e]L[s] M[u]S[t] (regular losses)
5 Accept Article 18, as many do in recession (3,3,4)
GET THE SACK
GET (accept) + THE (article) + SACK (18 across)
6 Licence to indulge oneself without first wife (5)
ALLOW
[w]ALLOW (indulge oneself, without W (first letter of wife))
7 Order of 1914 battle follows tally (7)
SUMMONS
MONS (1914 battle) follows SUM (tally)
8 Popular hit of 1926 (7,6)
GENERAL STRIKE
Cryptic definition
9 Last swallow departing? (3,3,3,4)
ONE FOR THE ROAD
Cryptic definition (referring to a last drink)
14 Ban use of guns, possibly, a short distance to target (5,5)
CLOSE RANGE
Double definition
17 He goes wrong interrupting lieutenant – a matter of record (3,5)
LOG SHEET
(HE GOES)* (*wrong) interrupting LT (lieutenant)
19 Change name in secret (7)
CONVERT
N (name) in COVERT (secret)
21 Play lovinglly with a mostly gloomy basso at the end (7)
AMOROSO
A MOROS[e] (gloomy, mostly) + [bass]O (at the end)
23 He’s nearly 60 with constant wind (5)
HELIX
HE + LIX (nearly 60, ie 59)
25 Recruit wearing a light beige (4)
ECRU
[r]ECRU[it] (wearing)
*anagram
10a…bit of a stretch but maybe “Pearl do more” cans Earldom. I have only seen Romance as an anagram of Cameron rather than Cremona…must be a clue in there somewhere…Dodgy Dave takes Cremona fiddle?
Great fun — but I toiled with the SW for a long time because I was certain 23dn was COLIC (quite witty, too). Thanks Teacow and Crux.
I was a lttle surprised to find licence as a verb, rather than license in 6D.
I guess my grammar is out-of-date.
Prefer his themed puzzles. Yawned my way through this.
Thanks to Crux and Teacow. TOLLMAN as a term was new to me, and I did not get the “cut” part of PSYCHOPATH.
Thanks Crux and Teacow
In his easier persona here and no real holdups along the way.
Didn’t think that 8d was just a cd – had it as a charade of GENERAL (popular) + STRIKE (hit).
Liked PSYCHOPATH and INDIAMAN.
Finished with CONVERT and the tricky SACK.