A brisk BRADMAN challenge this Friday.
FF: 8 DD: 7
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ARGUMENT |
Feud, with a charge about to stick (8)
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[ A RENT ( charge ) ] around GUM ( stick ) |
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| 5 | SPARED |
After spring left-winger is forgiven (6)
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SPA ( spring ) RED ( left winger ) |
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| 9 | PENTAGON |
Something used for writing label on figure (8)
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PEN ( something used for writing ) TAG ( label ) ON |
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| 10 | TINSEL |
Christmas decoration from department in Selfridges (6)
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hidden in "..departmenT IN SELfridges" |
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| 12 | CORPS |
One body or another seen to be inadequate (5)
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CORPSe ( body , inadequate i.e. without last letter ) – liked this clue! |
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| 13 | LOOK SMART |
Organise room with talks – be quick about it! (4,5)
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[ ROOM TALKS ]* |
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| 14 | BLOCKS |
Second-rate security devices in accommodation units? (6)
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B ( second-rate ) LOCKS ( security devices ) |
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| 16 | PLEADER |
Quiet piece by editor who makes an appeal? (7)
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P ( quiet ) LEADER ( piece by editor ) |
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| 18 | VERANDA |
A minister goes back – and appears in that porch (7)
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AND in reverse of [ A REV ( minister ) ] |
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| 20 | DESCRY |
Spy making some in Paris weep (6)
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DES ( some , french ) CRY ( weep ) |
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| 22 | RECOILING |
Shrinking away from girl I once fancied (9)
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[ GIRL I ONCE ]* |
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| 23 | MIMER |
This writer resides in Russian community? One has nothing to say (5)
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ME ( this writer ) in MIR ( russian community ) |
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| 24 | ANIMAL |
Brute has knocked over plate (6)
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reverse of LAMINA ( plate ) |
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| 25 | EASTERLY |
Wind – see plant being sheltered (8)
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ASTER ( plant ) in ELY ( see ) |
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| 26 | THEFTS |
The newspaper’s illegal acts (6)
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THE FT'S ( newspaper's ) |
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| 27 | DEFRAYED |
Female with a hint of sunshine in performance will be paid (8)
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[ F ( female ) RAY ( hint of sunshine ) ] in DEED ( performance ) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ASPECT |
A religious group gathered round piano, look (6)
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[ A SECT ( religious group ) ] around P ( piano ) |
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| 2 | GENERAL PRACTICE |
Replacing ear etc – that could be a branch of medicine (7.8) (15)
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[ REPLACING EAR ETC ]* |
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| 3 | MEANS |
Intends to have financial resources (5)
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double def |
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| 4 | NOODLES |
Bits of food – unspecified number? Lots! (7)
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N ( unspecified number ) OODLES ( lots ) |
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| 6 | PRIESTESS |
Holy woman that is on street beset by crowd (9)
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[ IE ( that is ) ST ( street ) ] in PRESS ( crowd ) |
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| 7 | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
This county produces whisky: you’d see dry Scotsman roar otherwise! (4,3,8)
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[ DRY SCOTSMAN ROAR ]* |
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| 8 | DILATORY |
A hat raised over politician wasting time (8)
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reverse of [ A LID ( hat ) ] TORY ( politician ) |
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| 11 | POMP |
The old man getting married in ceremony (4)
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POP ( old man ) containing M ( married ) |
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| 15 | CONFIDANT |
In fact, nod excitedly as one listening to confession? (9)
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[ IN FACT NOD ]* |
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| 17 | OVERCAST |
Done with actors being gloomy (8)
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OVER ( done ) CAST ( actors ) |
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| 19 | AGIO |
A soldier getting nothing as a fee (4)
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A GI ( soldier ) O ( nothing ) |
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| 20 | DOGBANE |
Plant in marsh European, says Spooner (7)
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spoonerism of BOG ( marsh ) DANE ( european ) |
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| 21 | PRAYED |
Padre troubled about army finally addressed the Almighty (6)
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[ PADRE ]* around Y ( armY, last letter ) |
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| 23 | METER |
Instrument to measure a distance, reportedly (5)
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sounds like METRE ( distance ) |
It was indeed a brisk solve and one of my quickest all week. A lovely way to round off the week, too, with some great surfaces such as 7d and a straight-forward Spoonerism among my favourites.
Needed Turbolegs to confirm the unknown 19d and to underline the beauty of 12a which I hastily guessed at – thanks for the bright and early appearance.
Thanks also to Bradman for a most enjoyable interlude.
Very enjoyable. I even got 7d — eventually — quite an accomplishment for someone on the other side of the world, methinks!
Thanks to Bradman and Turbolegs. Enjoyable, As a plant illiterate I took a while figuring out DOGBANE and even with all the crossers took more time getting 8 down than with the rest of the puzzle.
Anyone with a computer programming background will delight in ARGUMENT (from former physicist Bradman) and PARAMETER (from former astrophysicist Phi) a delightful coinicidence.
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
Certainly at the easier end of this setter’s difficulty spectrum and done well inside average time. No real holdups and nice to see AGIO make an appearance – it is a word embedded in my early days of solving straight crosswords where it seemed to pop up every week. There were quite a number of other ‘old favourites’ sprinkled around the grid as well.
Finished in the right hand side with EASTERLY, DEFRAYED and ROSS AND CROMARTY the last few in.
A pleasant solve with no real problems although it took us longer to see POMP than it should have done, and we needed Chambers to confirm AGIO, got from wordplay. Not sure how 21dn will go down with US solvers.
Thanks, Bradman and Turbolegs.
Very quick solve, though I had to Google AGIO and MIR to verify that I had them right. I was a bit uneasy about 23a; isn’t someone who mimes a MIME rather than a MIMER? Those two were my last ones in. Thanks, Bradman and Turbolegs.
allan_c@6, I think you meant 23d METER.
Geoff Down Under@2, I’m across the water, too, and had no problem with 7d ROSS AND CROMARTY, as it is the home of (among many others) Glenmorangie and Dalmore, two of my favourite Highland single malts.
Thanks Bradman for the smooth and witty puzzle and Turbolegs for the blog.
cellomaniac @8
Which Glenmorangie? Original, Lasanta, Quinta Ruben, Nectar D’or or Extremely Rare (18 year old), all of which I have in my collection. If you haven’t already tried it, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Nectar D’or, in my opinion the very best of the five.
[ Thanks for the recommendations, Gaufrid – I’ll search out the Nectar D’or if it is available in Ontario. I didn’t even mention my most favourite from the region – Talisker (mainly because I think of it as an Island malt, rather than a Highland). The 10 year old is all we can get here, but I have sampled the 16 year old which is other-worldly. ]
cellomaniac @10
[Talisker is the one malt that I cannot tolerate. I was given a bottle by my brother and, when sampled, hated it. Fortunately I was able to pass on the rest of the bottle to a colleague for whom it was his favourite tipple.]
[ Gaufrid@11, that’s one thing I love about single malt – there’s a style for every taste.
I lean towards the smoky, peaty Islay style, but I must say that I’ve never met a single malt that I didn’t like. On the non-peaty side, Dalmore 12, Macallan 12, Royal Brackla 12 and A’bunadh give me great pleasure.
Unfortunately the Nectar D’or is not available here, but some of the others you mentioned are, so I will search them out. ]
Clearly, if I’m to succeed with crosswords, I’ll need to cultivate a liking for whisky!
Geoff: I promise you it will not do you any harm, and it just might give you a different perspective on life.
That’s not what my doctor tells me. Last time I saw him I promised I’d only drink on days ending in ‘y’.
Geoff, if you need moral support for your pledge, I’m here for you. Be strong.