Orense is up today in the FT.
A very straightforward puzzle where I got about 60% of the answers immediately on a first run through which gave me more than enough crossers to complete it on the second.
One of those crosswords that takes longer to blog than to solve.
There were a few good clues in here, but nothing that I gave a tick to for being especially brilliant. Overall, this was a vanilla kind of puzzle, with my only quibble being the repetition of COVER (“without cover” in 6dn and “uncovered” in 8dn) and CROSS (“crossing’ in 22dn and “must cross” in 18ac) as in both cases, they are carrying out the same duty.
Maybe a good puzzle for a beginner, otherwise.
Thanks, Orense
| Across | ||
| 1 | SCOURGES | Switches bottle, needing no answer in case of shingles (8) |
| COUR(a)GE (“bottle” needing no A (answer)) in [case of] S(hingle)S | ||
| 6 | SLACKS | Son has no trousers (6) |
| S (son) + LACKS (“has no”) | ||
| 9 | BLOTTO | Student coming in almost last, drunk (6) |
| L (learner, so “student”) coming in [almost] BOTTO(m) (“last”) | ||
| 10 | ROULETTE | Rent during course is a risky game (8) |
| LET (“rent”) during ROUTE (“course”) | ||
| 11 | ABERRATION | Planning a near orbit must be an anomaly (10) |
| *(a near orbit) | ||
| 12 | TEST | Put back time trial (4) |
| <=SET (“put” back) + T (time) | ||
| 13 | RANCID | Off colour initially in fixing drain (6) |
| C(olour) [initially] in *(drain) | ||
| 15 | EXPOUNDS | Illustrates old stamps (8) |
| EX (“old”) + POUNDS (“stamps”) | ||
| 18 | STEWARDS | Cooks must cross a road for high-flying workers (8) |
| STEWS (“cooks”) must cross A Rd. (road) | ||
| 20 | ALKALI | Talk a little about a remedy for acid (6) |
| Hidden in “tALK A LIttle” | ||
| 21 | STAR | Lead shot originally used with pitch (4) |
| S(tar) [originally] used with TAR (“pitch”) | ||
| 23 | SPORTS CARS | Such vehicles bear the marks of battle (6,4) |
| SPORT (“bear”) + SCARS (“the marks of battle”) | ||
| 25 | PEDIMENT | Architectural feature may be obstacle having ignored first two letters (8) |
| (im)PEDIMENT (“obstacle” having ignored first two letters) | ||
| 26 | CARBON | Taxi working to load right element (6) |
| CAB (“taxi”) + ON (“working”) to load R (right) | ||
| 27 | REPEAL | Withdraw toll applied to soldiers (6) |
| PEAL (“toll”) applied to RE (Royal Engineers, so “soldiers”) | ||
| 28 | RESPONSE | Reaction of revolutionary press on right of choice (8) |
| *(press on e) where E = [right of] (i.e the letter on the right edge of) (choic)E | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | CELEBRANT | B-lister’s harangue at person performing priestly duties? (9) |
| CELEB (“B-lister”) + RANT (“harangue”) | ||
| 3 | UTTER | Express’s topless spread (5) |
| [topless] (b)UTTER (“spread”) | ||
| 4 | GOOSANDER | Duck slime? Smoother! (9) |
| GOO (“slime”) + SANDER (“smoother”) | ||
| 5 | SERVICE | Help in mass, for example (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | SPURN | Reject incentive, and without cover (5) |
| SPUR + (a)N(d) [without cover] | ||
| 7 | AWESTRUCK | Amazed when lorry gets both of us on board (9) |
| AS (“when”) + TRUCK (“lorry”) gets WE (“both of us”) on board | ||
| 8 | KITES | Equipment best uncovered for so-called planes (5) |
| KIT (“equipment”) + (b)ES(t) [uncovered] | ||
| 14 | COWARDICE | Gamble supporting company fight showing lack of courage (9) |
| DICE (“gamble”) supporting CO (company) + WAR (“fight”) | ||
| 16 | PRACTICES | Customs may see a bit of drama cutting costs (9) |
| ACT (“a bit of drama”) cutting PRICES (“costs”) | ||
| 17 | DELIRIOUS | Mad English composer touring carnival venue (9) |
| (Frederick) DELIUS (“English composer”) touring RIO (“carnival venue”) | ||
| 19 | SPOTTER | Person who looks small – tinker? (7) |
| S (small) + POTTER (“tinker”) | ||
| 22 | THEME | Subject of note crossing border (5) |
| TE (musical “note”) crossing HEM (“border”) | ||
| 23 | SHELL | What’s left of building after the end of this inferno? (5) |
| after [the end of] (thi)S + HELL (“inferno”) and semi &lit. | ||
| 24 | CURIO | Antique copper ring in Orkney, originally (5) |
| CU (“copper”) + R(ing) I(n) O(rkney) [originally] | ||
*anagram
Solution and parsing for 2d is missing from blog. Answer is obviously CELEBRANT although why B-lister for “celeb” rather than A-lister I couldn’t say.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick.
Hovis@1
That’s weird – will edit later.
Hovis, a B-lister might have a rant aimed at an A-lister, and therefore have a CELEB RANT.
A nice friendly crossword – I agree with Sil @3 about the ranting lister
Thanks to Orense and Loonapick
Thanks Sil. That makes sense.
Thanks both. Unlike Loonapick, I found this easy only after getting one on each side – in my case CARBON on the RHS and RANCID on the LHS.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick. I proceeded smoothly for most of this puzzle but then for a long time paused with REPEAL and SHELL.
Best for me was RESPONSE. The CELEB-RANT device I’ve seen before, I think in the DT.
Thanks Orense — this was not a breeze for me but I did finish in two sittings. Never heard of GOOSANDER, DELIUS (part of DELIRIOUS), RE (part of REPEAL), or TE (part of THEME ) I always spell that note “ti.” I had to rely on my best guesses and then read Loonapick for the parsing details. A side note — I initially had “state” for 3d instead of UTTER; I saw “estate” as a spread! The crossings cleared that up in a hurry.
Thanks Orense and loonapick
A lunchtime solve with not too many problems. Hadn’t come across the duck or the architectural PEDIMENT before but they were both gettable from the word play.
Finished in the NW corner with that GOOSANDER, SCOURGES (with the definition of ‘switch’ that I wasn’t expecting) and SERVICE (a clever dd) as the last few in.