One of my favourite FT setters, Armonie always has clues with clean, natural surface readings. Maybe a few too many old chestnuts (11 across, 16 across, 18 down have been seen more than a few times, I think), but many compensating clues where definition and subsidiary indication form a seamless whole. Also, I always comment on Armonie’s economy of language, but I am always impressed by it.
And 22 down is a helpful rule we all (menfolk) can live by, I think!
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SNAPPY NAP (sleep) in SPY (agent) |
| 4 | REGICIDE a nice and misleading cd |
| 10 | LOOK SHARP LOOK (inspect) S (small) HARP (instrument) |
| 11 | ARIES [c]ARIES (dental decay) |
| 12 | TIER TIE (secure) R (royal) |
| 13 | PAPER CHASE *(PACE SHERPA) |
| 15 | REELING EEL (swimmer) in RING (clink) |
| 16 | STRAND dd |
| 19 | ETHANE E (earl) THANE (Scottish noble) |
| 21 | OUT OF IT O[scar] in OUTFIT (costume) |
| 23 | IMMODERATE M (1000 and therefore “many”) MODE (fashion) in IRATE (angry) |
| 25 | BRIE hidden in GaBRIElle |
| 27 | HINDI HIND (deer) I[sland] |
| 28 | IRON CROSS IRON (smooth) CROSS (foil) |
| 29 | REASSIGN ASS (fool) in REIGN (command) |
| 30 | AMUSED *(MEDUSA) Another great surface: “Entertained Medusa unwisely,” indeed. |
| Down | |
| 1 | SOLITARY *(ROYALIST) |
| 2 | ATONEMENT A TONE (manner) MEN (people) T (initially “take”) |
| 3 | POST dd |
| 5 | EXPRESS EX (old) PRESS (reporters) |
| 6 | INACCURATE I (one) + *(CAN) + CURATE (clergyman) |
| 7 | IBIZA I (one) BIZ (profession, commonly) + A |
| 8 | ENSUED SUE (petition) in END (intention) |
| 9 | PARANG PA (father) RANG (called). A Malaysian knife, similar to a machete. |
| 14 | HIT-AND-MISS *(IS THIS DAMN) |
| 17 | NEFARIOUS *(IN OUR SAFE) |
| 18 | STRESSED DESSERTS (sweet dishes) reversed |
| 20 | EARRING A in ERRING (wrong) |
| 21 | OPTION OPERATION (surgery) minus ERA (time) |
| 22 | WITHER WIT (humour) HER (woman). “Humour woman or perish” is the amusing clue. |
| 24 | MANTA ANT (social worker) in MA (mother) |
| 26 | SCAM SCAM[p] (rascal) |
Nice smooth puzzle as you say AZ, if a little too straightforward. I start my journey in Shoeburyness and this was a Chalkwell.
My only gripe is the use of ‘unwisely’ as an anagrind….am I missing something?
I arrived at 10a in another way. Having realised the answer straight off, I hastily thought of SHARP as being a medical definition for a small instrument (as per the yellow buckets)….however, your definition makes far more sense.
Thanks Agentzero,
I arrived at 18d slightly differently and read ‘upset’ as an anagrind rather than a reverse indicator. But same result either way.
Thanks Agentzero,
This was my first try at a puzzle by Armonie and I enjoyed it. As a solver operating at the easier end of the scale, I’ll be back for more.
I too went for the medical definition of SHARP, but S + HARP sounds spot on.