Good morning Saturday solvers.
A grid by Italicus for us to get our teeth into today.
I found this a lovely puzzle to complete: nothing too obscure and some elegant clues to parse.
My favourite of all is 18a: to solve this you need a mix of well known cryptic clue types, plus a dollop of lateral thinking.
Thanks to Italicus for the grid.
Surface definitions in the clues are underlined.
ACROSS
1. Building permit essentially overlooked following bribe (8)
BUNGALOW
Permit essentially overlooked [ALLOW] following bribe [BUNG]
5. Is model stuck on pack animal’s back? (6)
ASSIST
Is [IS] model [T e.g. Ford Model ‘T’) stuck on pack animal’s [ASS]
9. Names in a post about seizing power (8)
APPOINTS
In [IN] a [A] post about [anag. POST] seizing power [placed around P]
10. Shape body and character (6)
FIGURE
Double definition clue
11. Hoarder shot on golf course by brother, say (8)
CHIPMUNK
Shot on golf course [CHIP] by brother, say [MUNK: sounds like MONK]
12. Old fashioned designer Mary claims is half forgotten (6)
QUAINT
Designer Mary [QUANT] claims [placed around] is half forgotten [IS]
14. Phenomenal adaptation of our musical (10)
MIRACULOUS
Anag. [adaptation] of OUR MUSICAL
18. Diminish power of article by discontented sceptic in Mirror (10)
EMASCULATE
Article [A] by discontented sceptic [SCEPTIC] in Mirror [EMULATE]
22. In conclusion, petition succeeded (6)
ENSUED
In conclusion [END], petition [SUE]
23. Equipment engulfed by raging water (8)
IRRIGATE
Equipment [RIG] engulfed [inside] by raging [IRATE]
24. Revolutionary spots politician in station (6)
ENCAMP
Revolutionary spots [ACNE backwards] politician [MP]
25. Absurd claim about old Tyneside pit (4,4)
COAL MINE
Absurd claim [anag. CLAIM] about [around] old [O] Tyneside [NE]
26. Stalwart editor accepting note written in pen (6)
STEADY
Editor [ED] accepting note [A] written in pen [STY]
27. Tragic lover starts to move shoulders up and down, say (8)
ANTONYMS
Tragic lover [ANTONY] starts to move shoulders [first letters: MS]
Antony and Cleopatra – Wikipedia
DOWN
1. Bishop administered church’s local office (6)
BRANCH
Bishop [B] administered [RAN] church’s [CH]
2. It protects diner from rampant beatnik panhandlers (6)
NAPKIN
Hidden word: beatnik panhandlers. I am taking “rampant” in the clue to hint at the backwards reading.
3. Military alliance besieging Rome discovered fundamental truths (6)
AXIOMS
Military alliance [AXIS] besieging [around] Rome discovered [ROME]
4. Superficial snobs mingled with elite (10)
OSTENSIBLE
Anag of SNOBS and ELITE
6. Prompt legal disputes about detaining smuggler without foundation (8)
STIMULUS
Legal disputes [SUITS] about [backwards] detaining [placed around] smuggler without foundation [MULE]
7. Attending college society and working simultaneously (2,6)
IN UNISON
Attending college [IN UNI] society [S] and working [ON]
8. Minister to periodically issue paper (8)
TREATISE
Minister to [TREAT] periodically issue [ISSUE]
13. Remarkably rotten ham sandwiches are reportedly part of range (10)
MATTERHORN
Remarkably rotten ham [anag ROTTEN HAM] sandwiches [placed around] are reportedly [R]
The Matterhorn is a mountain in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy
15. Extremely juvenile Zulu insurgents initially avoided loose women (8)
JEZEBELS
Extremely juvenile [JE] Zulu [Z] insurgents initially avoided [REBELS]
16. Slaughter 100 soldiers following Indian State uprising (8)
MASSACRE
100 [Roman num: C] soldiers [RE – Royal Engineers] following Indian State uprising [ASSAM backwards]
17. Voiced fear about morning edition supporting South Carolina (8)
SCREAMED
About [RE] morning [AM] edition [ED] supporting South Carolina [SC]
19. Canal crossing sector of industrial town (6)
RIALTO
Hidden word: industrial town
The Rialto Bridge is one of the oldest canal bridges in Venice, Italy
20. Hollowness of victory over a dumb-ass Yankee (6)
VANITY
Victory [V] over a [A] dumb-ass [NIT] Yankee [Y]
21. Controls flipping small party (6)
LEVERS
Flipping [back to front] small [S] party [REVEL]
Thanks Italicus and Leedsclimber
Fun puzzle. It’s also a pangram.
Thanks, Italicus and Leedsclimber!
Enjoyed the puzzle and the blog!
A minor point about ENCAMP
I think the def is ‘station’ (as a verb).
FIGURE
I took Shape, body and character as three definitions.
A perfect pangram to start the weekend. Not too tough, clever clueing throughout and a lot of fun along the way.
Many thanks to Italicus and to Leedsclimber.
Liked STIMULUS and MASSACRE. Agree with KVa@2 about the triple def (very nice) and ENCAMP. Excellent puzzle. Thanks Leedsclimber and Italicus.
Quite a challenge but we got there in the end; we weren’t helped by the rather solver-unfriendly grid (basically 4 mini-grids) and found the NE and SE corners the hardest. Guessing it was a pangram helped us get our last few, though.
Plenty to savour. nevertheless, including IRRIGATE, STIMULUS and MATTERHORN.
Thanks, Italicus and Leedsclimber.
I think this setter is getting tougher as he progresses but no complaints here as long as I can stay on his wavelength. I wasn’t sure about ‘station’ in 24a but I’ve never given much thought to the actual meaning, note to self – do your homework!
I agreed with our blogger and put EMASCULATE on the top step.
Thanks to Italicus and to Leedsclimber for the review.
Thanks Italicus and Leeds spotting the potential pangram helped. Back to my post dog walk pint. 🙂
My first outing on a Saturday, so many thanks to Leedsclimber for the generous blog My intentions for ENCAMP and FIGURE were as KVa parsed them. I wasn’t trying to up the difficulty level, I think the clues just fell out that way. Until next time
2d NAPKIN – I think rampant is in the heraldic sense – a lion rampant is standing up, specifically “standing on one hind foot with its forefeet in the air” – so reaching upwards or in the process of rising too. I think this makes it a pretty viable “up” indicator.