Indy regular Skinny fills our Sunday slot. Your scheduled blogger Kitty is on her holidays so I’m standing in today.
Some intricate parsings, several musical bits but not enough for a theme to me, unless you can see something – let me know.
ACROSS
1. Make facts, time and time again, the heart of science (8)
GENERATE
GEN – facts & ERA – time & T – time again & the heart of (sci)E(nce)
5. Sleuth in a deli regularly knocked back drink (3,3)
ICE TEA
‘TEC – sleuth inside A dElI regularly all reversed – knocked back.
9. Observer disheartened by hack returning to pass on material (8)
ORGANDIE
A disheartened O(bserve)R & NAG – horse – hack reversed & DIE – pass on.
10. Undermine writer’s mate (6)
IMPAIR
I’M – skinny is – PAIR – mate
12. Part of paint roller that’s beginning to work (5)
INTRO
13. Hercule Poirot originally confused after opening of shallow grave (9)
SEPULCHRE
S(hallow) & [HERCULE P(oirot)]* confused. Very nice.
14. Pretty carriage seen in race (6)
FAIRLY
AIR – one’s carriage inside FLY to race
16. Feature filled with anger regularly reveals annoyance (7)
CHAGRIN
Alternate letters of AnGeR inside CHIN – facial feature.
19. Excuses arising from training in kinky sex with me (7)
EXEMPTS
PT – excercise inside a kinky [SEX ME]*
21. Current filling subsequently rejected for sale (6)
RETAIL
I – electrical current inside a reversed LATER
23. Flower‘s bottom part raised, by the sound of it (9)
BUTTERCUP
Hmm I guess BUTTOCK UP is meant to sound like BUTTERCUP, not to me but still
25. Small birds get cold feet (5)
QUAIL
26. Slowly notice a soldier has nothing on (6)
ADAGIO
AD notice & A & GI – soldier & O nothing
27. Boxer dog I put up for sale (8)
PUGILIST
PUG – dog & I & LIST – put up for sale
28. Fine composer docked next to big city (6)
SATINY
most of composer SATI(e) & N(ew) Y(ork)
29. Famous study acquired by the Queen is sent back (8)
RENOWNED
DEN – study & WON – acquired & E.R. all reversed
DOWN
1. Coming out with economy of language (6)
GNOMIC
2. Thing jumping ahead of horse trial (9)
NIGHTMARE
A jumping THING* & MARE – horse
3. Republican Party keeps working to make musical composition (5)
RONDO
R(epublican) & DO – party with ON – working inserted
4. In need of a drink? This malt whisky, in conclusion, is about right (7)
THIRSTY
Conclusions of malT whiskY inside THIS & R(ight). [Correccted thanks]
6. Yielding excellent reversal in illness (9)
COMPLIANT
COMPLAINT with the AI – excellent – bit reversed
7. When starting to request another song, he’ll refuse (5)
TRASH
Initial letters of To Request Another Song He’ll
8. One enthralled by a simple finale of song in concert (8)
AGREEING
A & i – one inide GREEN – simple, naive & end of (son)G
11. Impressive digital photograph? (4)
EPIC
15. Glut of information, the source of which agent revealed externally (9)
REPLETION
REP – agent & the source of I(nformation) inside LET ON – revealed
17. Helping to suppress unions oddly creates havoc (9)
RUINATION
Alternate letters of UnIoNs inside RATION – helping
18. Bassline composed for gay women (8)
LESBIANS
A composed BASSLINE* {Corrected thanks}
20. Order instant tea to begin with (4)
SECT
SEC(ond) – instant & T(ea)
21. Joy has first of uncles for a break (7)
RUPTURE
RAPTURE with U(ncle) for the A
22. Torn to pieces, as a roof may be (6)
SLATED
24. Bang on about small breakfast item (5)
TOAST
S(malll) inside TO A T – bang on
25. Leave zero capital (5)
QUITO
Enjoyed. Liked everything especially GNOMIC, TOAST and RUPTURE. The blog helped e.g. ‘tec’ is new to me plus I missed the indicator ‘starting to’ yet it is very simple and obvious. Thanks to Skinny and flashling.
A minor oversight in the blog:
‘THIS (mal)T (whisk)Y’ is about ‘R(ight)’
THIRSTY
Another minor oversight: BASSLINE not BASELINE in 18d.
Pleasant way to fill in some time on a Sunday morning. REPLETION as the noun form of “replete” was new and I wasn’t familiar with the ‘economy of language’ sense of GNOMIC.
I didn’t parse 23a as I couldn’t get past ‘bottom part’ as BUTT. I think the homophone does work with your explanation, although only if said quickly. Therefore the usual “not quite the same” homophone which perversely makes it OK!
I liked the relevant surface for GENERATE.
Thanks to Skinny and flashling
Damn auto correct. Well spotted. Yeah you’re right KVA an oops silly error.
The solution to 1D was used a couple of days ago in a Financial Times cryptic. I cannot remember the exact wording but is was something along the line of “not being able to hear a singer because he had “.
I have nothing against homosexuals but I do hate the way that “gay” (18D) has been hijacked. One of my favourite songs is “When The World Was Young”. It has the glorious words “Wherever I go I’m glad that I came. The talk is quite gay, the company fine, there’s laughter and lights, and glamour and wine, and beautiful girls and some of them mine”. Not to mention Jo Stafford singing “When Our Hearts Were Young And Gay”.
Nicely done, Skinny, thank you for that.
I wasn’t overly persuaded by SATINY = fine but doubtless there’s an entry in some dictionary that would agree with you!
The simple QUAIL definitely appealed here as did the ‘almost’ homophone BUTTERCUP.
Thanks again to Skinny and also to flashling for the review. I do hope Kitty has enjoyed her holiday, I guess it’s almost over now.
Mainly enjoyable though I do feel a tad dizzy from all the reversing I had to do.
I particularly liked CHAGRIN, PUGILIST, BUTTERCUP and RUPTURE.
Thanks to Skinny and flashing.
Thanks to Flashling and all who commented.
Now – the thing about ‘gay’ – I wasn’t going to use it. It was originally going to be Greek/Mediterranean islanders until it was pointed out that Chambers doesn’t support that particular definition other than ‘Of the island’ which didn’t quite work for me. So how do you say Lesbians if you cannot say gay women? As for the word itself – I think that language is dynamic and changes. One of my favourite songs is Alone Again Naturally by Gilbert O’Sullivan – which includes the line “To think that only yesterday, I was cheerful bright and gay” – as an early 70s hit, you know it’s of its time, but now it has other meanings.
Anyhoo, it’s getting late on a Sunday, so I must to bed.
Best wishes to all,
Skinny
It is a v late comment and a minor nitpick in a delightful puzzle but the quandary in 18d could have be solved by making them SERBIANS.