An absolute delight of a challenge from WANDERER this Friday, with some refreshingly new devices in play. Thanks WANDERER.
FF: 10 DD: 7. Starting this week, I will also mark my FOI and my LOI clues.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | LEADING LIGHT | Outstanding person, a shining example in 7 and 10, but not 26 (7,5) |
| cryptic references to the solutions of 7d ( LIGHT-hearted ) and 10d ( LIGHT brigade ) but not 26ac ( angel of LIGHT ) | ||
| 8 | IGNORES | Passes by Italian man when cycling (7) |
| SIGNORE ( italian man, with the ‘S’ moving to the end ) | ||
| 9 | APPAREL | Look less English, after putting on the Spanish clothes (7) |
| APPeAR ( look, without E – English ) EL ( the, spanish ) | ||
| 11 | HOLDALL | Real leather or artificial leather? Both satisfy the requirements for this bag (7) |
| cryptic def; “..reAL Leather..” and “artificiAL Leather..” both HOLD the word ALL | ||
| 12 | HASHTAG | One identifying Twitter topic that has Henry reeling, aghast (7) |
| H ( Henry ) [ AGHAST ]* | ||
| 13 | HANDY | Near neighbours buried in churchyard (5) |
| cryptic def; referring to H AND Y in “churcHYard” | ||
| 14 | TABLE SALT | Formally present sailor as one on board that’s seasoned? (5,4) |
| TABLE ( formally present ) SALT ( sailor ) | ||
| 16 | ANTIPASTO | A new clue a setter’s trying out, for starters or an appetizer (9) |
| A N ( new ) TIP ( clue ) ASTO ( “..A Setter’s Trying Out..”, starting letters ) | ||
| 19 | SITAR | “One with long neck and rounded body” only partially describes it, arguably (5) |
| hidden in “..describeS IT ARguably” – indian musical instrument | ||
| 21 | TENURED | Having an office under the vacated complex (7) |
| [ UNDER ThE ( vacated, i.e. without inner letters ) ]* | ||
| 23 | SPARING | Economical health resort used by band (7) |
| SPA ( heath resort ) RING ( band ) | ||
| 24 | DEIFIES | Worships one getting into beards (7) |
| I ( one ) in DEFIES ( beards ) | ||
| 25 | ANISEED | Some Arak, if an odd bit of it gets Denise drunk (7) |
| An ( odd bit of ) [ DENISE ]*; the A could also be interpreted as either of the two A’s in the odd positions of ArAk | ||
| 26 | ANGEL OF LIGHT | A broken leg? No getaway for Lucifer (5,2,5) |
| A [ LEG NO ]* FLIGHT ( getaway ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | LANOLIN | Fatty substance natural ovine sources supply in all cases (7) |
| NO ( “..Natural Ovine..”, starting letters ) in [ IN ALL ]* | ||
| 2 | ALREADY | Meal setter put away, prepared beforehand (7) |
| meAL ( without ME – setter ) READY ( prepared ); my LOI | ||
| 3 | INSULATES | Top off Alan’s suite with scatter cushions (9) |
| [ aLAN’S ( top off , without first letter ) SUITE ]* | ||
| 4 | GRAPH | Admiring Raphael’s representation of a relationship (5) |
| hidden in “..admirinG RAPHael’s..” – my FOI | ||
| 5 | IMPASSE | Deadlock when one politician confronts idiot online (7) |
| I ( one ) MP ( politician ) ASS ( idiot ) E ( ~online ) | ||
| 6 | HERB TEA | Bad breath: has taken tablet or tisane? (4,3) |
| [ BREATH ]* containing E ( tablet, Ecstacy ) | ||
| 7 | LIGHT-HEARTED | Carefree as a glamper appears to be (5- 7) |
| cryptic def; reference to LAMP ( light ) at the heart of gLAMPer | ||
| 10 | LIGHT BRIGADE | Girl, 8, unhappy with bad charging unit (5,7) |
| [ GIRL EIGHT BAD ]* | ||
| 15 | BOOKSTALL | Retail outlet applying charges by type of story? (9) |
| BOOKS ( charges ) TALL ( type of story ) | ||
| 17 | TENSION | Anxiety is rising in one part of joint (7) |
| SI ( reverse of IS ) in TENON ( part of joint ) | ||
| 18 | PORCINE | Piggy, initially patronised on requesting conch, is nobbled eventually (7) |
| starting letters of “..Patronised On Requesting Conch Is Nobbled Eventually..” | ||
| 19 | SHAVING | Seconds? Eating a thin slice (7) |
| S ( seconds ) HAVING ( eating ) | ||
| 20 | TRIDENT | Weapon detective found upside-down in river (7) |
| ID ( reverse of DI, detective ) in TRENT ( river ) | ||
| 22 | DISCO | What might get you jiggling two bits in nudist colony? (5) |
| split parts ( two bits ) of “..nuDISt COlony” | ||
Another excellent crossword by Wanderer. As usual, I had a slow start and couldn’t get a foothold until SITAR in the SE corner. Everything somehow fell into place. Favourites were IGNORES, APPAREL, HANDY, ANTIPASTO, and GRAPH. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog and for parsing HOLDALL and LIGHT-HEARTED. By the way, what “new devices” did you observe in this puzzle?
Yes, agree that this was thoroughly enjoyable from the FOI, 1a. I was expecting something trickier on a Friday but feel very 7d as this was, for the most part, a write~in. Think I must have been on Wanderer’s wavelength today, leaving me free to enjoy a sunny afternoon.
I ticked DEIFIES, DISCO, HERB TEA and HASHTAG but a special shout-out for the ‘lights’, particularly the surface of 10d.
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs.
Like others, I really enjoyed this. In 8a, I had “by” as part of the definition. I tend to think “heart” refers to the centre, so the centre of “glamper” would be “lampe”. Enjoyed the unusual collection of clues although the construction device in 22d is, perhaps, a little too vague. Given the answer is clear, I didn’t mind it.
I did like the use of “Top off” in 3d. Many setters use this construction to mean the letter A is used in the fodder but I always felt this corresponds more with “Top of”. Thanks to Wanderer and Turbolegs.
Hovis, I thought ‘lamp’ was the heart of ‘a glam per’.
Really loved 13 across – a great clue!
Thanks Wanderer and all
Kevin. Of course! That’s much better.
Hi Tony@1,
I thought 22d was an unusual clue (and a naughty surface to boot!). 11a, while the device itself is not uncommon, was an unusual clue construct as well.
Regards,
TL
Let there be Wanderer!
Another great puzzle from Wanderer.
Among lots of great clues, I had ticks for IGNORES (I included ‘by’ in the definition, too), HANDY, DEIFIES (for the misleading ‘beards’), ANISEED, because it made me laugh, LANOLIN, for the use of ‘ovine’, because it comes from sheep.
I gave double ticks to PORCINE, for its clever synopsis of ‘Lord of the Flies’ – see here. [My grandson played Piggy in a school production.]
Many thanks to Wanderer for a fun puzzle and to Turbolegs for a great blog.
Exactly what Eileen said
Thanks to Wanderer and Tubbolegs
Your grandson too, sue? 😉
Eileen @10 I just remembered that I ought to have said that my grandson is only 7 so hasn’t played Piggy – his only acting roles so far have been twice being one of the three Kings in Nativity plays
[Sadly not this year, though. Mine will be 27 next Monday.]
Thanks for the puzzle Wanderer, and the unwrapping Turbolegs. An enjoyable late afternoon romp.
But I do have one grouch. 5d. The use of “E” in front of something to indicate it is an online version has become commonplace, but just the letter itself does not indicate online if nothing follows it. That tends to suggest the answer should have read IMPEASS. I also looked sideways at DISCO then realised it was covered by indicating two bits which gave no indication of one immediately following the other – you just had to sort out which two bits were needed and the “jiggling” was part of the definition and a misdirection as none was actually needed.
Great stuff, all hghly enjoyable. Difficult to pick a favourite but we enjoyed HASHTAG, ANTIPASTO, TENSION and the linking of the four perimeter clues. Thanks, Wanderer and Turbolegs
Supply = in a supple way. Just got it this morning. Seen it before but must remember it for next time. Couldn’t see the precise structure of 1d.
And thanks to Eileen for revealing those two animal links.
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs
This took over an hour to complete, but it was with a lot of interruptions. Started off with HERB TEA and got the first of the perimeter clues (10d) soon after, which allowed the rest of the related clues to be worked out.
Lots of interesting word play variations, especially the different treatment to the ‘hidden parts’ in 22d. Missed going back to properly parse ALREADY.
Finished down in the bottom half with DEIFIES (didn’t know that definition of ‘beard’ until looking it up) and SHAVING (with its tricky definition for EATING) as the last couple in.