A nice workout from REDSHANK this Friday. Very enjoyable!
FF: 9 DD: 8
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | OUTFLANK |
Skirt to expose thigh? (8)
|
| OUT ( expose ) FLANK ( thigh ) | ||
| 5 | PLAGUE |
Black Death maybe switching sides in capital (6)
|
| PrAGUE ( capital, with R – right switching to L – left ) | ||
| 10 | PROFFER |
Academic and judge (ret’d) hold out (7)
|
| PROF ( academic ) FER ( judge = REF, reversed ) | ||
| 11 | INNARDS |
They could be lights in northern peninsula (7)
|
| IN N ( northern ) ARDS ( peninsula in northern ireland ) | ||
| 12 | STAMP |
Frank and Harry sat beside politician (5)
|
| [ SAT ]* MP ( politician ) – took me a bit of time to see the light | ||
| 13 | HISTOLOGY |
Study of tissue record for Republican in the past (9)
|
| LOG ( record ) replacing R ( republican ) in HISTOrY ( past ) | ||
| 14 | RETRANSLATES |
Again renders revised rentals, cutting costs (12)
|
| [ RENTALS ]* in RATES ( costs ) | ||
| 18 | CHAISE LONGUE |
Is each lounge refurbished to include one? (6,6)
|
| [ IS EACH LOUNGE ]* | ||
| 21 | MONOLOGUE |
My French poet pens ordinary speech (9)
|
| [ MON ( my, french ) LOGUE ( poet, christopher ) ] containing O ( ordinary ) | ||
| 23 | ADAGE |
Saw a daughter grow up (5)
|
| A D ( daughter ) AGE ( grow up ) | ||
| 24 | THEREAT |
Risk inhibiting Spain on that account (7)
|
| THREAT ( risk ) containing E ( spain, espana ) | ||
| 25 | LEOPARD |
Animal fat writer tucked into on way back (7)
|
| LARD ( fat ) containing reverse of POE ( writer ) | ||
| 26 | RESENT |
Dislike crack laced with other drugs (6)
|
| RENT ( crack ) containing ES ( drugs; Ecstacy ) | ||
| 27 | ASSYRIAN |
Like Welsh girl wolfing your old tongue (8)
|
| AS ( like ) [ SIAN ( welsh girl ) containing YR ( your ) ] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | OPPOSE |
Stand up to work, then sit (6)
|
| OP ( work ) POSE ( sit ) | ||
| 2 | TWO-WAY |
It’s staggering in river to and fro (3-3)
|
| WOW ( ~ its staggering ) in TAY ( river ) | ||
| 3 | LIFE PEERS |
Long-term cons welcome work-out with English lords (4,5)
|
| LIFERS ( long-terms cons ) containing [ PE ( work-out ) E ( english ) ] | ||
| 4 | NORTHERN LIGHTS |
Men the navy left in dark times producing colourful display (8,6)
|
| [ OR ( men ) THE RN ( navy ) L ( left ) ] in NIGHTS ( dark times ) | ||
| 6 | LINGO |
Rambling on a bit, in a manner of speaking (5)
|
| hidden in “..rambLING On ..” | ||
| 7 | GARROTTE |
Apply throttle, change gear, keeping right over the top (8)
|
| [ GEAR ]* containing [ R ( right ) OTT ( over the top ) ] | ||
| 8 | ESSAYIST |
Writer is in Corsica, holding sway over island (8)
|
| EST ( in corsica -> french – for ‘is’ ) containing [ SAY ( sway ) IS ( island ) ] / Thanks to the Hovis@1 for the prop up. | ||
| 9 | PINS AND NEEDLES |
Items carried by sewers creating a sensation (4,3,7)
|
| double def | ||
| 15 | LAUDATORY |
Double up with a party member expressing praise (9)
|
| [ reverse of DUAL ( double ) ] A TORY ( party member ) | ||
| 16 | SCIMITAR |
Sword wound? Setter’s taken in by it (8)
|
| SCAR ( wound ) containing [ I’M ( setter is ) IT ] | ||
| 17 | PAINTERS |
They put on coats in loco parentis (8)
|
| [ PARENTIS ]* | ||
| 19 | SAFARI |
Trip in South Africa foolishly bypassing Cape (6)
|
| semi &lit (?); S ( south ) [ AFRIcA ( without C – cape ) ]* | ||
| 20 | HEAD ON |
Female hosts a soirée without compromise (4-2)
|
| HEN ( female ) containing [ A DO ( soirée ) ] | ||
| 22 | LIE IN |
Right to retain one reward for late night? (3-2)
|
| LIEN ( right ) containing I ( one ) |
For ESSAYIST, I had EST containing SAY + IS (island).
Hovis@1
Your parsing looks more apt (Corsica being French).
Missed TWO-WAY and just bunged INNARDS in as the only word that fitted in with the crossers, not knowing the ‘peninsula’ in Northern Ireland or having heard of INNARDS for ‘lights’ in the crossword sense.
Otherwise all made sense. I liked SAFARI and seeing ‘wolfing’ in the surface for ASSYRIAN.
Thanks to Redshank and Turbolegs
Thanks Redshank and Turbolegs
11ac: “lights” here is in the sense – as given in Chambers 2014 – “the lungs of an animal (as lighter than the adjoining parts)”.
1dn: I think the definition here is “stand up to”, not just “stand up”.
Although, obviously, SWAY = SAY in the sense of ‘influence’, I just noticed that SWAY is S W(ith) AY, which is a little whimsical.
Lovely trio for Friday- Phi, Nutmeg and Redshank
Thanks all.
Another lovely puzzle from Redshank to end the week.
like WordPlodder, I latched onto ‘wolfing’ in 27ac (if we’re on the same wavelength? – A Level English:
‘The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold …’ )
I’m with Pelham Barton @4 re both bits of parsing – more nostalgia here in INNARDS, recalling lovely drives round the Ards Peninsula, decades ago, when we lived in Bangor.
My other favourites were FRANK and LIFE PEERS, for the surface, HISTOLOGY, CHAISE LONGUE and ESSAYIST, for the construction and, top of the lot, PAINTERS, for the brilliant anagram / indicator.
Many thanks to Redshank and Turbolegs.
Thanks for explaining how ‘lights’ = INNARDS, PB @4. I don’t think it’s anything to do with crossword ‘lights’, despite what I said earlier.
Yes, Eileen, we are on the same wavelength. I’ve remembered that first line ever since I heard it 50+ years ago and it instantly comes to mind whenever I hear the word ASSYRIAN.
A very good puzzle but it was slightly spoiled for me by having both words of the answer to 4d appear in the clue at 4a.
Sorry 11a
A good puzzle, but I wasn’ t happy with 1 across – the flank is the side of the body between the ribs and the thigh, not the thigh itself.
Generally I need more favourites than failures to enjoy a crossword. My failures (OUTFLANK, INNARDS, THEREAT, TWO-WAY) outnumbered my favourites (HISTOLOGY, PAINTERS) so I guess I’m not that thrilled with this puzzle. However, it’s been a good week in crosswordland overall so I’m not complaining. Thanks to both.
Thanks Turbolegs plus Hovis and Pelham Barton for “assists”. I didn’t know the poet but luckily the start and crossers made it clear, and still don’t really see SAY = SWAY in the 11a of 8d. Have to agree with copmus@6 as I found all 3 today to offer the right mix of challenge and enjoyment. But well spotted gsolphotog, if 4D hadn’t been one of my first in and 11a one of my last I might have noticed that and grumbled about it too. My actual last (partly down to the spelling being different to what I thought usual) and my favourite in a strong field was GARROTTE, thanks for a great start to the weekend Redshank.
Sorry Turbolegs replying to myself now for future ref – have no say/sway in the matter!
Despite the earlier comments I couldn’t equate “say” and “sway” but Gazzh’s post convinced me.
In 21A I didn’t know the poet nor “O” as an accepted abbreviation for “ordinary”.
Re 9A: I worked in the “rag trade” years ago so know that “sewers” has two meanings” those who sew and the things that take the crap away!