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Bluth crosses my path again. He is more than welcome to.
This one did feel slightly more straight forward that normal – or maybe I was just on the right wavelength. But there are a number of relatively simple clues to get one started.
I enjoyed 3ac (novel insertion use of ‘or’) , 10ac and 27ac for their surfaces, 16ac for its definition and 9dn for its humour
Whilst the originality of 13ac three degrees, 28ac using morse code and 2dn a misdirected without also deserve a mention.
Thanks Bluth – enjoyable as always.
Across
1 Excellent line, offhand (4)
AI (excellent) + ry (railway) = AIRY
3 Value of hotel on either side of waterfront (5)
w or t (either side of waterfront) + h (hotel) = WORTH
6 Rod Stewart’s opening band plays here (4)
s (Stewart’s opening) + pit (band plays here) = SPIT
10 Most crowded public transport, after Italy, is in France (7)
bus (public transport) + i (italy) + est (is in France) = BUSIEST
11 Space for each gold sovereign (7)
em (space) + per (for each) + or (gold) = EMPEROR
13 Relating to climate change – melt glacier with what looks like 3 degrees, symbolically (14)
(melt glacier + ooo(three degrees symbolically))* = METEOROLOGICAL
15 Feeder in love with a basket case husband (6)
trug(basket case) around o (love) + h (husband) = TROUGH
16 Problem after retirement home has very old woman collecting tax (8)
in (home) + so (very) + o (old) + ma (woman) around ni(tax) = INSOMNIA
18 Knocking back lager proved we must not appear to be too casual (8)
Rev. pils (lager) + showed (proved) – we = SLIPSHOD
20 Famous Austrian moving regularly from A to Z (6)
(fRoM + A TO Z)* = MOZART
23 In toilet, abnormally wet forehead could be a warning sign? (6,2,3,3)
in bog (toilet) (wet forehead)* = BEWARE OF THE DOG
26 Simple craft’s blocking bridge (7)
art(craft) in span (bridge) = SPARTAN
27 Ultimately Victor Mature’s struggling to accept mistake in script? (7)
(r (ultimately victor) + mature)* = ERRATUM
28 To a Morse aficionado, Endeavour’s first episode’s ending appears to be weakly affectionate (4)
dot (e(Endeavour’s first) in Morse code) + e (episode’s ending) = DOTE
29 Bug essentially caught in insect trap (5)
u (bug essentially) in moth (insect) = MOUTH
30 Bother doctor with a temperature (4)
dr(doctor) + a + T(temperature) = DRAT
Down
1 The Beatles record for example – it’s white and wants finishing touches from George Martin (5)
albumen(white) – e – n (finishing touches from George Martin) = ALBUM
2 Dish initially soaked without restraint in port? (7)
s(initially soaked) + ott(without restraint) in Rio (port) = RISOTTO
4/5 Stunned – blooming keep course fencing green (3,3,3,5)
out (blooming) + fort (keep) + hunt(course) around eco (green) = OUT FOR THE COUNT
7 Belong in forward line without wingers following Guardiola’s conclusion (7)
pert (forward) + in (line without wingers) after a (Guardiola’s conclusion) = PERTAIN
8 Articulated lorry’s shock absorber, say, and exhaust (4)
homonym of tyre (Articulated lorry’s shock absorber) = TIRE
9 Doctor gets Ant & Dec on drug (12)
(gets ant dec on)* = DECONGESTANT
12 Thoughtful sorts supply Polish shop stocking cane sugar at last (12)
(polish shop + e + r (cane sugar at last))* = PHILOSOPHERS
14 Oven bake after removing lid (4)
roast (bake) – r = oast
15 Pilot cuts Eton collars up (4)
Rev. hidden cuTS ETon = TEST
17/22 Dancer’s colleague’s drinking hot ground coffee before tango – shows start working (4,4,6)
comet (dancer’s colleague – think reindeer) around in (hot) + (coffee)* + t (tango) = COME INTO EFFECT
19 Imprecise during old routine (7)
in (during) + ex (old) + act (routine) = INEXACT
21 Examiner‘s German car parked on hill (7)
audi(German car) + tor (hill) = AUDITOR
22 See 17
24 A corporation returning to support golf range (5)
Rev. a tum (a corporation) after g (golf) = GAMUT
25 Employed American journalist (4)
us (American) + ed (journalist) = USED
A delight. Some really nice surface constructions. Didn’t know TRUG for ‘basket’ (I had ‘case’ referring to the inclusion of ‘o’ not part of definition). In 16a, MA is ‘old woman’. The blog has too many O’s.
When I started solving this I hadn’t a clue who the setter was. Less than a minute in and I was 99% certain. That’s the beauty of Bluth, there’s no one else like him.
Smiles “from A to Z”, I particularly liked INSOMNIA (though the surface doesn’t really make a lot of sense!) SLIPSHOD, the sadly topical BEWARE OF THE DOG and ALBUM. Great stuff.
Many thanks Bluth and Twencelas
What an enjoyable solve this was, and definitely at the easier end of this setter’s spectrum.
It’s probably just me, but the surface read for 4&5d is incomprehensible.
My top picks are SPIT, INSOMNIA, SLIPSHOD and BEWARE OF THE DOG.
Many thanks to Bluth and twencelas.
13a – METEOROLOGICAL – “Relating to climate” is the def – “change” is the anagrind – a nice ift-and-separate of “climate change”
…as was “basket case” in 15a TROUGH – TRUG appeared in a recent G by Soup.
27a – ERRATUM – the def is “mistake in script” – “accept” is inclusion/insertion.
Very enjoyable. I have ticks for METEOROLOGICAL because of the three degrees, PERTAIN and MOUTH. Found TRUG on Google. Thanks Bluth and Twencelas
A great crossword . I always forget about Dancer and his colleagues so that one eventually made me smile
Thanks to Bluth and twencelas
Thanks both. I didn’t work out the full parsing of ALBUM but was confident of the answer simply based on the knowledge what is referred to as The White album is named The Beatles – I am big fan of the band, so probably should have given it more thought
What crypticsue said. Lovely. Thanks, Bluth and twencelas.
I found this a bit difficult and there were three I couldn’t get, and several I couldn’t parse at the end.
Thanks Bluth. This took less effort than the recent crossword from Fed but it was equally enjoyable. I liked MOUTH, ALBUM, RISOTTO, and COME INTO EFFECT, the latter for “dancer’s colleague”. Thanks twencelas for the blog.
We sometimes struggle a bit with Bluth’s crossword but this went quite smoothly – although a few clues took a bit of working out. METEOROLOGY, MOZART and BEWARE OF THE DOG were our favourites.
Thanks, Bluth and twencelas.
Difficult parsing but actually that made it strangely easier. You know that the word play would work and no iffy cryptic ish Def’s to worry about. Thanks T&B twas fun
Thanks Twencelas – and thanks all for the comments.