A delightful and difficult challenge from Alberich today. Classic pareto solve for me – last 20% of the clues took 80% of the solve time.
FF:9 DD:9
I had to use the internet to get over in a couple of places.
| Across | ||
| 1 | STRAIT | Soprano with characteristic sound (6) |
| S (soprano) TRAIT (characteristic) | ||
| 5 | MESSIAEN | Muddle that is surrounding a new French composer (8) |
| MESS (muddle) [ IE (that is) around A] N (new) | ||
| 9 | FALSTAFF | Fat knight’s first to swim in a couple of rivers (8) |
| S (first letter of Swim) in [FAL TAFF (two rivers)] | ||
| 10 | ANNOYS | Sent back section of glossy on nasty bugs (6) |
| hidden reversed in “..glosSY ON NAsty..” | ||
| 11 | BATHOS | British mountain provides disappointment (6) |
| B (british) ATHOS (mountain) | ||
| 12 | OVERRATE | Estimate too highly the frequency of deliveries? (8) |
| cryptic def; read as OVER RATE (frequency of deliveries, cricket terminology) | ||
| 14 | TAUTOLOGICAL | Hit out at sound that’s repetitive (12) |
| [OUT AT]* LOGICAL (sound) | ||
| 18 | LUNCHEON MEAT | Spam? Dodgy mail I deleted on cue then (8,4) |
| MAiL ON CUE THEN* (without I) | ||
| 22 | HIPSTERS | Clothes for trendy people (8) |
| double def | ||
| 25 | ADROIT | Nowadays cobblers will keep one handy (6) |
| AD (nowadays) [ ROT (cobblers) containing I (one) ] | ||
| 26 | MILIEU | Mike needs one place setting (6) |
| M (mike) I (one) LIEU (place) | ||
| 27 | EMOTICON | Poet penning chapter on the end of George Smiley? (8) |
| [ MOTION (poet, andrew) containing C (chapter)] after E (end of georgE) | ||
| 28 | VEHEMENT | Violent English border guards let out? On the contrary (8) |
| VENT (let out) containing [ E (english) HEM (border) ] | ||
| 29 | REWARD | Repay one signing cheque on return (6) |
| reverse of DRAWER (one signing cheque) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | TRAJAN | Emperor needs to beat overwhelming sovereignty (6) |
| TAN (beat) containing RAJ (sovereignty) | ||
| 3 | AESTHETIC | Concerned with beauty, I cast thee out! (9) |
| I CAST THEE* | ||
| 4 | TRANSMUTE | Saying nothing after Stan drunkenly pockets right change (9) |
| MUTE (saying nothing) after [STAN* containing R (right)] | ||
| 5 | MAFIOSO | So if American returns, ring mobster (7) |
| [ reverse of {SO IS AM (american)} ] O (ring) | ||
| 6 | STALE | Tired of Street-Porter? (5) |
| ST (street) ALE (porter) | ||
| 7 | INNER | Intimate meal with no starter (5) |
| dINNER (meal, no starter) | ||
| 8 | EGYPTIAN | Earl messed up, taping last bit of Antony and Cleopatra? (8) |
| E (earl) [ TAPING* containing Y (last bit of antonY) ] | ||
| 13 | RAG | Regularly arrange student charity event (3) |
| aRrAnGe (regularly = alternate letters) | ||
| 15 | OPERA GOER | Met patron perhaps, since in Queens after work (4-5) |
| [AGO (since) in ER ER (queens)] after OP; an unfortunate mistake in the enumeration of the clue | ||
| 16 | INTERVIEW | Soccer team compete with audience (9) |
| INTER (soccer team) VIE (compete) W (with) | ||
| 17 | PUNITIVE | Ripped invite up – that’s harsh (8) |
| INVITE UP* | ||
| 19 | HAT | Maybe Balmoral talks will be endless (3) |
| cHATs (talks, endless) | ||
| 20 | NASCENT | Note a bouquet is budding (7) |
| N (note) A SCENT (bouquet) | ||
| 21 | RIGOUR | Austerity in dress runs for short time (6) |
| RIG OUT (dress, with R – runs replacing T – time, in short) | ||
| 23 | SNIPE | Tot is grabbed by wings of shore bird (5) |
| NIP (tot) in SE (end letters of ShorE) | ||
| 24 | ELUDE | Avoid kid, missing first daughter (5) |
| dELUDE (kid, without the first D – daughter) | ||
*anagram
Thanks to Alberich and Turbolegs. A struggle for me. I did not parse HAT or RIGOUR and did not get BATHOS (I was fixated on dashes or bashes). Still, an enjoyable exercise.
Thanks for the blog, Turbolegs.
A delightful puzzle indeed. Lovely surfaces throughout, as always: I particularly enjoyed STRAIT, FALSTAFF, ADROIT, STALE, OPERA GOER, SMILEY and LUNCHEON MEAT [double tick for that].
[With an excellent Picaroon puzzle in the Guardian, I feel thoroughly spoilt today.]
Many thanks to Alberich for a most enjoyable puzzle [and a mnemonic for the spelling of the composer – if I can just remember the clue!].
Thanks for the blog.
I was really enjoying this at first, having filled in the top half quite quickly, and then having a smile with LUNCHEON MEAT & EMOTICON…
However, I ended up losing my temper with 14, 21, & 28 so failed to complete, I’m afraid.
Many thanks to both but the numbering of 15d stumped me completely. The rest had moments but were definitely gettable. Obviously I am not thinking flexibly enough.
Thanks Alberich and Turbolegs
Found this quite tough taking 3-4 sessions throughout Saturday to complete. The French composer was the only unknown and needed help to ‘remember’ the Roman emperor. So the toughness was really created by the tricky wordplay and helped along by the even trickier error with the enumeration of 15d.
Enjoyed it nonetheless with similar favourites as Eileen and maybe EGYPTIAN as well.
Finished with that OPERA GOER (when it finally the NY Met (rather than any underground rail system) dawned on me and realised the error) and then ADROIT. Only saw in my final check through that I had only the MESSI-E- of the composer at 5a and was able to find him before coming here.
After being stuck for an age with only one clue in, it all suddenly flowed out, despite 15d.
@Turbolegs – you have a slight error in your solution for 5d. Should READ …SO IF AM…