A challenge from JASON with a wide range of clue difficulty
I needed help to get past a couple of clues so thanks to Jonathan for that.
FF: 9 DD: 9
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | LEGATE |
Papal ambassador, for example, entering behind schedule (6)
|
| EG ( for example ) in LATE ( behind schedule ) | ||
| 9 | APERITIF |
Pie-eyed pirate provided that whistle- whetter? (8)
|
| [ PIRATE ]* IF ( provided ) | ||
| 10 | BOUT |
Contest embargo which avoids shortage (4)
|
| BlackOUT ( embargo, without LACK – shortage ) | ||
| 11 | EASY STREET |
Comfort is undemanding cryptic setter (4,6)
|
| EASY ( undermanding ) [ SETTER ]* | ||
| 12 | WADI |
Dry bed? I’d a week the other way (4)
|
| reverse of I’D A W ( week ) ; guessed the solve with crossers | ||
| 13 | MAIN COURSE |
Dish which focuses concentration of student? (4,6)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 17 | MENU |
From this you get to choose gents with uniform (4)
|
| MEN ( gents ) U ( uniform ) | ||
| 18 | NICER |
Comparatively respectable northern person finishing off cake? (5)
|
| N ( norther ) ICER ( person finishing off cake, applying icing ) | ||
| 19 | DAMP |
What sets off different measure of current drizzle? (4)
|
| D ( Different, first letter ) AMP ( measure of current ) | ||
| 21 | POWER SURGE |
Those who wield influence push for a sudden uplift in load (5,5)
|
| POWERS ( those who wield influence ) URGE ( push ) | ||
| 23 | RASH |
Hives in tree beside river (4)
|
| R ( river ) ASH ( tree ) | ||
| 24 | SCOTCH EGGS |
Snacks? Pull the plug on mine second (6,4)
|
| SCOTCH ( pull the plug on ) EGG ( mine ) S ( second ) | ||
| 28 | TORY |
Blue fiction is taken away (4)
|
| sTORY ( without ‘S ) | ||
| 29 | DISAGREE |
Readies wasted getting a grip of German squabble (8)
|
| [ READIES ]* containing G ( a grip of German ) | ||
| 30 | ODDS-ON |
Rum issue is on the cards (4-2)
|
| ODD ( rum ) SON ( issue ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | RENOVATE |
Do up shabby tavern, old within and close to ramshackle (8)
|
| { O ( old ) in [ TAVERN ]* } E ( ramshacklE, last letter ) | ||
| 2 | LAST-MINUTE |
Carry on trifling at the eleventh hour? (4-6)
|
| LAST ( carry on ) MINUTE ( trifling ) | ||
| 3 | DETERMINES |
Resolves to discourage collieries (10)
|
| DETER ( discourage ) MINES ( collieries ) | ||
| 4 | LASS |
Hen is left behind (4)
|
| L ( left ) ASS ( behind ) | ||
| 5 | MESS |
Where to browse farce? (4)
|
| double def | ||
| 6 | PIER |
Pioneer’s rejected one wharf (4)
|
| PIoneER ( without ONE ) | ||
| 7 | DIVERS |
Biblically assorted cormorants or similar (6)
|
| double def; in the bible, this was used to mean DIVERSE | ||
| 14 | INCUR |
Suffer batting with rotter (5)
|
| IN ( batting ) CUR ( rotter ) ; bit of a chestnut this one | ||
| 15 | CORNER SHOP |
Local outlet dominates dance (6,4)
|
| CORNERS ( dominates ) HOP ( dance ) | ||
| 16 | UNDERSTUDY |
Relief from unconscious scrutiny (10)
|
| UNDER ( unconscious ) STUDY ( scrutiny ) | ||
| 20 | MUSHROOM |
Nouveau riche with opportunity to support schmaltz (8)
|
| MUSH ( schmaltz ) ROOM ( opportunity ) | ||
| 22 | ORCHID |
Showy flower that’s gold and about out of sight (6)
|
| OR ( old ) C ( about ) HID ( out of sight ) | ||
| 25 | TEAR |
English in hearty rush (4)
|
| E ( English ) in TAR ( hearty, sailor ) | ||
| 26 | HARK |
Pay attention and start to hear rescue vessel (4)
|
| H ( Hear, first letter ) ARK ( rescue vessel ) | ||
| 27 | GLEE |
Joy in single existence (4)
|
| hidden in “..sinGLE Existence” |
Thanks, Jason and Turbolegs!
Liked BOUT, NICER and DIVERS.
28 across, should that be”Blue fiction’s taken away”?
Only an “s” is subtracted, not an “is”.
Assumed MUSHROOM could mean “Nouveau riche” https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mushroom gives:
‘6 (obsolete, figuratively) One who rises suddenly from a low condition in life; an upstart.’ – citing 1631 Francis Bacon (FrankieB)
Assumed EGG could mean “mine” https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/egg#Noun ‘4 (military, dated) A bomb or mine.’
L2i BOUT & MESS – otherwise quite edible, not too chewy.
Thanks J&T
grahamsw @2. I didn’t like 28a either, though I think I’ve seen similar constructions before (doesn’t make it acceptable though). I would prefer something along the lines of “Blue fiction is finally taken away”.
SCOTCH EGGS – “Snacks?” – No, in the plural they’re definitely substantial meals, washed down with at least four cuppas.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/01/scotch-egg-is-definitely-a-substantial-meal-says-michael-gove
LEGATE APERITIF – BOUT EASY STREET – TEAR
Took ages to get 10ac BOUT and 28ac TORY. Agree with Grahamsw about the latter’s parsing.
Many other clues were less taxing as Turbolegs said.
Enjoyed this so thanks to Jason and Turbolegs.
I could not work out a sensible parsing for TORY. Clearly, something like [S]TORY or [HIS]TORY was intended. I thought “is” might be a typo for “his,” but that is hardly an improvement, IMHO.
Lots of variety and a wide range of difficulty for sure. Lots of meanings I had not seen before also – several mentioned by FrankieG@3. And I am afraid BlackOUT was beyond my ability to parse. I had the same thoughts as everyone above about TORY. I liked ODDS ON and DETERMINE
Thanks Turbolegs and Jason
Thanks for the blog , good puzzle with many fine clues. BOUT has been about a lot recently, especially the Guardian. Good to see hearty in the clue for TEAR, shades of Captain Pugwash . PIoneER was a clever idea.
I did wonder if “BIBLICALLY” was a homophone indicator I hadn’t met and like Martyn @8 did not parse BLACKOUT
Like everyone else puzzled over TORY.
Liked: DETERMINES, CORNER SHOP, MUSHROOM
Thanks Jason and Turbo legs
All solved correctly, although BOUT remained unparsed and I wasn’t keen on the unindicated American usage ‘ass’ for ‘behind’. I did see the parsing of TORY having encountered the device before.
Favourites included WADI, CORNER SHOP and ORCHID.
Thanks, Jason and Turbolegs.
Didn’t enjoy much and gave up with a few to go.
Either clues too easy or too hard / inexplicable. In amongst these extremes were a few gems.
Not helped by having undermined rather than determined in 3d
Ho hum
I started slow and then really started to enjoy this. I never got and never will get anything that is biblically assorted. Thought answer to 28 across was torn as in taken away and thought I didn’t understand something that had to do with porn!
There were a lot of things I couldn’t equate …
egg/mine
mushroom/nouveau riche
farce/mess
tar/hearty
Also didn’t fully parse DIVERS (my knowledge of the Bible found wanting) nor BOUT. And I thought Americans have asses, whereas we have arses?
“And I thought Americans have asses, whereas we have arses?”
GDU @14: In the end, you are correct!
🙂
@hovis “is finally taken away” would be fine (still tough).
I’m still not seeing “is” as “s”. Is it “1 s”?
grahamsw@17 – as in the blog: IS taken as ‘S – i.e. apostrophe+S