[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
I wasn’t on Armonie’s wavelength this morning I’m afraid, but got there in the end.
I suspect this morning’s puzzle will have more than a few grumbles. Overall solvable and I’ve probably forgotten the fun of the first clues I solved for the pain of what felt like clutching at straws to solve the last few. I finished with MANITOBA – having difficulty with the OB(scure) element. Perhaps I’m the one having an off day, and if you disagree with any of my parsings do let me know!
Nevertheless, many thanks to Armonie.
Across
1 Last of contingent departed in frenzy for a region of Canada (8)
MANITOBA
[contingen]T (last of) + OB (departed) in MANIA (frenzy)
5 Insolvent rejected rubbish and litter (6)
DEBTOR
(ROT (rubbish) + BED (litter))< (<rejected)
9 Powerful person with a right to be in time (8)
MANDARIN
AND (with) + A + R (right) to be in MIN (time)
10 Snakes and their associates decapitated (6)
ADDERS
[l]ADDERS (their associates, decapitated)
12 Society gets profits from investment (5)
STAKE
S (society) gets TAKE (profits)
13 Bond admits a cold constitution (9)
CHARACTER
CHARTER (bond) admits A + C (cold)
14 The Parisian follows requirement for a sewer (6)
NEEDLE
LE (the Parisian) follows NEED (requirement)
16 Examines note in Italian port (7)
TRIESTE
TRIES (examines) + TE (note)
19 Even cleaner shows delicacy (7)
ROLLMOP
ROLL (even) + MOP (cleaner)
21 Material new in Greek marketplace (6)
ANGORA
N (new) in AGORA (Greek marketplace)
23 Penny’s allowed to tuck into a portion of dessert (5,4)
APPLE TART
P (penny) + LET (allowed) to tuck into A PART (a portion)
25 Lavatory beside a large waterway (5)
CANAL
CAN (lavatory) besides A + L (large)
26 Suggest gratuity’s unsatisfactory (3,3)
TIP OFF
TIP (gratuity) + OFF (unsatisfactory)
27 Merchant needed by three blind mice? (8)
RETAILER
Cryptic definition
In the nursery rhyme, the mice have their tails chopped off
28 Gangster practices continually (6)
ALWAYS
AL (gangster, Capone) + WAYS (practices)
29 Fugitive is no hunter, unfortunately (2,3,3)
ON THE RUN
(NO HUNTER)* (*unfortunately)
Down
1 End up accepting doctor’s bloomer (6)
MIMOSA
AIM< (end, <up) accepting MO’S (doctor’s)
2 Iron panel forged to unequalled standard (9)
NONPAREIL
(IRON PANEL)* (*forged)
3 Article about one old noble (5)
THANE
THE (article) about AN (one)
4 Ought children tuck into cheese and bread? (7)
BRIOCHE
O (ought) + CH (children) tuck into BRIE (cheese)
6 Delightful finale holds attention (9)
ENDEARING
ENDING (finale) holds EAR (attention)
7 Newspaper has article on robbery (5)
THEFT
FT (newspaper) has THE (article)
8 Diffident soldier was adequate (8)
RESERVED
RE (soldier) + SERVED (was adequate)
11 Shy company (4)
CAST
Double definition
15 Hold back fairy caught by cunning insect (9)
DAMSELFLY
DAM (hold back) + ELF (fairy) caught by SLY (cunning)
17 Homicide has sovereign tucking into more rum (9)
STRANGLER
L (sovereign) tucked into STRANGER (more rum)
18 Macerate badly made snack (5,3)
CREAM TEA
(MACERATE)* (*badly)
20 Coppers devise drama (4)
PLAY
P (coppers, pennies) + LAY (devise)
21 The hunter hunted for work over a long period (7)
ACTAEON
ACT (work) over A + EON (long period)
From Greek mythology
22 In favour of taking a pound in coin (6)
FLORIN
FOR (in favour of) taking L (a pound)
24 The fruit of father’s hand (5)
PAPAW
PA (father) + PAW (hand)
25 Tory’s skin problem leads to collapse (5)
CRASH
C (Tory’s, conservative) + RASH (skin problem)
Had to cheat on ACTAEON. I remembered the story once I had cheated but it was too well buried in the old grey matter. I took AEON as “a long period” rather than splitting it as A + EON but either works.
Does anybody other than setters use OUGHT for “nothing”? Up North, we are known to say “ought for naught” (more likely “owt for nowt”) where “ought” (or aught or owt) stands for “anything”. It is in Chambers, so I’m not complaining so much as wondering.
I lazily began writing in DRAGONFLY before realising my hard drive needed booting up.Its OK in an Inqy where clashes are often deliberatel like in this week’s.
I rather liked this for a Monday. Thanks all.
Sorry, Teacow, it did the opposite for me, and I laughed especially at 27ac RETAILER. But I’m very doubtful about the OUGHT as Hovis@1 points out. I too live a long way north, and have never come across it. Setters only, I reckon. Anyway, thanks to Armonie and Teacow for your great Monday efforts.
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
Think that the setter had ratcheted up the difficulty level from his normal puzzles with this one – done by taking definitions to the edge in many cases, I thought. Still it was an enjoyable solve that took around twice as long as normal to solve.
Made a meal with the parsing of DAMSELFLY – forgetting about the S and melding ELF and FLY together for the last bit. Had also initially written in an unparsed DRAGONFLY – so the clue was always destined to cause me problems.
RETAILER brought a grin as did ‘father’s hand’.
Finished in the NW corner with STAKE (where I struggled with TAKE for profit, thought that it was more about revenue), MIMOSA (a tricky reversal of word play components, similar to 5a which also caused delays) and MANDARIN (with its complex charade to be constructed).
Got to say that I did enjoy getting it out in the end.
Thanks for the blog, Teacow.
I have to agree with your opening comments.
Oddly enough, I found this to be quite accessible — MANITOBA a write-in for me for some reason. Loved the 3 blind mice clue. Was a little surprised by L=libra=pound=sovereign in STRANGLER, if that indeed is the correct chain of reasoning.
I still regard myself as a beginner: perhaps because of that, or paradoxically, I found this puzzle relatively easy. Like Ilan Caron, MANITOBA was my first in; and I too found RETAILERS brilliant. STRANGLER was also easy but I was unale to parse it because I did not know that more rum could mean STRANGER.
26ac was also nice.
Thanks to Armonie and to Teacow.
I’m with Teacow in that I was off beam the whole time, giving up for once with three to go: A slap of the forehead for 9a. Mandarin (Eureka/Duh! moment), appreciative of 11d. Cast, and would never have got 21d. Actaeon. Retailer made me laugh towards the end, which was much needed after what felt like a real slog.