Liari’s fourth puzzle here I think
Quite, to me, a gentle Sunday puzzle which is no bad thing, thanks Liari
ACROSS
1. Dance round home gym backward (3-4)
ONE-STEP
O – round shape & NEST – home & PE – gym reversed
5. Shout at last shattered glass (7)
CRYSTAL
CRY – shout & a shattered LAST
9. Name of bird with large plumage in the back (5)
TITLE
TIT – a bird & L(arge) & end of plumagE
10. Listen in on what happens in “The Fall” after lead character goes missing (9)
EAVESDROP
In Autumn or “the fall” to Americans (L)EAVES DROP
11. Peak rates upset flyers (9)
PARAKEETS
12. Mushroom found in jalapeno kimchi (5)
ENOKI
Hidden in JalopENO KImchi, mostly used in Asian cookery
13. A lot of shrimp and urchin (5)
SCAMP
Most of SCAMP(i) – shrimp
15. Wrapping up small bundle containing tail of striped fish (9)
SWADDLING
S(mall) & end of (stripe)D in WAD – bundle & the fish LING
18. One pecan crushed with head of round kitchen tool (3-6)
CAN-OPENER
[ONE PECAN]* crushed & head of R(ound)
19. Unknown number in German boat (5)
YACHT
Y = unknown in algebra & ACHT – eight in German
21. Superior evening meal starting late (5)
UPPER
23. Charmed by European with desire in bed (9)
BEWITCHED
E(uropean) & W(ith) & ITCH – desire all in BED
25. Positioned select group around planet’s second moon (9)
SATELLITE
SAT – positioned & second letter of pLanet in ELITE – select group
26. Papa in old picture (5)
PHOTO
P – papa & HOT – in & O(ld)
27. Fall back on side of ladder at recess (7)
RELAPSE
RE – on & L(adder) & APSE – recess
28. Doctor having difficulties, missing medium bandages (7)
DRESSES
DR – doctor & M(edium) missing from (m)ESSES – difficulties
DOWN
1. Company overthrown by top U.S. Army figure? (7)
OCTOPUS
Bad pun time, CO(mpany) & TOP reversed & US – it has plenty of arms or tentacles – it’s arm-y
2. Please go in vehicle right away (9)
ENTERTAIN
ENTER – go in & R(ight) taken from T(r)AIN
3. Lacking energy after tango and twist (5)
TWEAK
T(ango) & WEAK – lacking energy
4. A response about training period (9)
PRESEASON
5. Young animals abandoning large underground areas (5)
CAVES
L(arge) removed from CA(L)VES – young animals
6. Very recently in the past you strayed carelessly (9)
YESTERDAY
YE – in the past “you” & STRAYED* carelessly
7. Approximately under end of elephant’s trunk (5)
TORSO
elephanT & OR SO – approximately
8. Friend climbing up to capture grand bird (7)
LAPWING
PAL – friend – reversed & WIN – capture & G(rand)
14. Apple reduced price abroad for piece of office equipment (5,4)
PAPER CLIP
[Most of APPL(e) PRICE]* abroad
16. A river bank had traps close to shore, illustrating hunter’s point? (9)
ARROWHEAD
A & R(iver) & ROW – bank & end of shorE is trapped by HAD
17. Old American comedians working together (2,7)
IN CAHOOTS
INCA – old American & HOOTS – comedians
18. Hunter who gives a damn about nothing! (7)
COURSER
O – nothing in CURSER – one who says “damn” say
20. Playing outside is tiring (7)
TEDIOUS
22. Softly lifted dead part of flower (5)
PETAL
P – softly & LATE – dead – reversed
23. Pickle and cheese sandwiches back in fashion (5)
BRINE
24. Tent cut in the back with sword (5)
TEPEE
End of (cu)T & EPEE – sword
Enoki sounded like a thing right, like shitake, but I don’t know if jalopenos go in kimchi 🙂 . The hooting Incas were fun, but yes the GoD (groan of the day) goes to the army octopus. All good fun, ta Liari and flashling.
I enjoyed it and got most of the grid in time. Only 13a SCAMP and 8d LAPWING, my last ones in, made me struggle more. I got lucky by guessing the C in SCAMP, then failed with the fourth letter, then only just remembered that SCAMPI was a thing. Then for some reason I mistakenly put LAPPING because pinning someone _kind of_ means capturing them, but didn’t realize that WIN works better.
I like:
– 10a EAVESDROP (creative cluing)
– 26a PHOTO (short and sweet)
– 1d OCTOPUS (misdirection with “Army figure”)
– 2d ENTERTAIN (misdirection with “go in”. Short and sweet too)
– 16d ARROWHEAD (misdirection with “traps”)
Thanks for these Liari and flashling!
[There’s A TWEET (from the LAPWING?) in the centre column.]
[…or the TIT, PARAKEETS and Latin plural AVES (x2)]
I don’t think I ve solved a Liari before but I loved this one.
Agree with Flashling, it was relatively gentle but the surfaces were very smooth throughout and the parsing very inventive.
I will look forward to the next one.
Thanks all.
13a Scampi are neither prawns nor shrimp.
@6
Chambers loosely supports it:
Really enjoyed this, is Liari Filbert in disguise? Same concise clueing and smooth surfaces.
I had similar ticks to @2 Strobelite: EAVESDROP which was a great spot, PHOTO is just a concise beautiful surface, same for OCTOPUS, great misdirection too, but also loved 20d TEDIOUS, another great spot and smooth surface, and my favourite today 23d BRINE, just a perfect example of a well-constructed surface.
It was all over far too soon, can’t wait for another Liari. Thanks Liari and Flashling.
A lovely puzzle, gentle but some fantastic surfaces and plenty of smiles. BRINE, ARROWHEAD, and OCTOPUS were my picks.
Thanks both.
Enjoyed that. Struggled in a few places mostly through my ignorance. Had not encountered the TEPEE spelling of the tent before. OCTOPUS I am ashamed to admit got fooled by the misdirection and I had come across two-step but not a ONE-STEP. Otherwise pretty smooth sailing and some nice surfaces:
Favs: BEWITCHED, EAVESDROP,
Think this is my first Liari.
Thanks blogger and setter
Thank you to flashling for the blog and to everyone for the nice comments. 🙂