Jason is today's setter.
A comparatively straightforward solve with only my LOI, HIDE holding me up for any length of time, because I couldn't decide between HIDE and LINE, plumping for the former in the end.
Thanks Jason.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GASTROPUB |
Eatery where group’s tab goes bananas (9)
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*(groups tab) [anag:goes bananas] |
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| 6 | FRAUD |
Trick German’s wife and daughter (5)
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FRAU ("German's wife") + D (daughter) |
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| 9 | CUBES |
Dice young heads of early swedes (5)
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CUB ("young") + [heads of] E(arly) S(wedes) |
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| 10 | VICARIOUS |
Delegated cleric with promises (9)
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VICAR ("cleric") with IOUs ("promises" to pay one back) |
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| 11 | OBLIGATION |
Favour bingo a lot, I’ll get excited (10)
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*(bingo a lot i) [anag:'ll get excited] |
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| 12 | HIDE |
Shadow Whip (4)
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Double definition |
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| 14 | CLEARED |
Chapter by humorist edited and given the go-ahead (7)
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C (chapter) by (Edward) LEAR ("humorist") + Ed. (edited) |
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| 15 | TOADIES |
Minions to spread ideas (7)
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TO + *(ideas) [anag:spread] |
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| 17 | RANKEST |
Worst place to get a cab is in Paris (7)
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RANK ("place to get a cab") + EST ("is" in Paris) |
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| 19 | SWEATER |
Woolly sheep’s first season? Not hot (7)
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S(heep) ['s first] + WEAT(h)ER ("season", not H (hot)) |
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| 20 | URGE |
With pressure removed clear out press (4)
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(p)URGE ("clear out") with P (pressure) removed |
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| 22 | HEARTTHROB |
Hunk of brother struggling with hat (10)
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*(brother hat) [anag:struggling] |
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| 25 | CULTIVATE |
Vital changes in charming farm (9)
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*(vital) [anag:changes] in CUTE ("charming") |
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| 26 | ISLET |
Key is to give the thumbs up (5)
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IS + LET ("to give the thumbs up") |
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| 27 | EAGLE |
Dog releasing black bird (5)
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(b)EAGLE ("dog") releasing B (black) |
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| 28 | SALES TALK |
Small beer to follow pitch (5,4)
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S (small) + ALE ("beer") + STALK ("to follow") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GECKO |
Sure cold, for example, about lizard (5)
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<=(OK ("sure") + C (cold) + e.g. (for example), about) |
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| 2 | SUBALTERN |
Officer in boat to change starting from now (9)
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SUB(marine) ("boat") + ALTER ("to change") + [starting from] N(ow) |
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| 3 | ROSE GARDEN |
Feature of country house one regards differently (4,6)
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*(one regards) [anag:differently] |
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| 4 | PIVOTED |
Detective expressed an opinion, perhaps turned (7)
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PI (Private Investigator, so "detective") + VOTED ("expressed an opinion") |
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| 5 | BACK OUT |
Get cold feet in power cut if line’s out (4,3)
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B(l)ACKOUT ("power cut" if L (line) is out) |
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| 6 | FIRE |
Sack female with anger (4)
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F (female) with IRE ("anger") |
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| 7 | AIOLI |
Whisked oil into excellent mayonnaise (5)
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*(oil) [anag:whisked] into A1 ("excellent") |
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| 8 | DISPENSER |
Date one old poet, one who gives out (9)
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D (date) + I (one, in Roman numerals) + (Edmund) SPENSER ("old poet" of the 16th century) |
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| 13 | TAPESTRIES |
Record first of senior judges revealing embroidered stuff (10)
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TAPE ("record") + [first of] S(enior) + TRIES ("judges") |
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| 14 | CARBUNCLE |
Motor found by bishop, relative monstrosity (9)
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CAR ("motor") found by B (bishop) + UNCLE ("relative") |
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| 16 | INTER ALIA |
Among other things, bury answer by storyteller right away (5,4)
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INTER ("bury") + A (answer) by LIA(r) ("storyteller" with R (right) away) |
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| 18 | TOECAPS |
Opening Old Testament up you’ll find things that protect (7)
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<=(SPACE ("opening") + OT (Old Testament), up) |
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| 19 | SURREAL |
Pick up sticker on Russian cars? Truly bizarre (7)
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[pick up] <=RUS ("sticker on Russian cars") + REAL ("truly") |
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| 21 | GULAG |
Joke about upper-class and large old jug (5)
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GAG ("joke") about U (uppler-class) + L (large) |
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| 23 | BATIK |
Tackle sailor lifting fabric (5)
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[lifting] <=(KIT ("tackle") + AB (able-bodied "seaman")) |
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| 24 | DIME |
Cash in your chips clutching minute coin (4)
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DIE ("cash in your chips") clutching M (minute) |
I couldn’t solve 12a, and coming here hasn’t helped. I looked through the very long list of synonyms for “hide” in Collins, but no mention of shadow or whip. So I’m no wiser. Favour/obligation, woolly/sweater & season/weather similarly perplexing.
Never heard of SUBALTERN, or poet Spenser, who I found online.
Doing the puzzle online, I solved but could not parse 14a which appears as …. Given the go-ahead (7) Coming here, I see the entire wordplay has been omitted. Like GDU, I was beaten by HIDE, spotting neither def. I don’t think I’ve encountered the second meaning other than in ‘given a (good) hiding’ – and I cannot imagine using the verb in that way but that’s my bad.
GASTROPUB, CUBES, CULTIVATE, ROSE GARDEN and BACK OUT were my faves.
Thanks both
I had the same online experience as PostMark@2. Still not clear about HIDE. Otherwise enjoyed it.
Thanks Jason and loonapick.
I don’t understand 12a either – I’m sure someone will explain it. Otherwise I enjoyed this – Thanks to Jason etc.
Chambers has ‘to hide’ as one of the meanings for ‘shadow’.
Ta Hovis@5
Thanks Hovis@5. I have a Chambers on the shelf but I haven’t opened it in years. Perhaps I should get it down and dust it off . . . And now I’ve looked up Whip to see how it equates to Shadow or Hide and I’m still none the wiser. I must be missing something.
Was also stumped by HIDE. Got the rest of it without too much struggle, though couldn’t parse SURREAL.
Yup hide as a dd where neither definition is that close stood out from what was otherwise fairly straightforward. Like others I only had the definition for cleared visible online.
Notwithstanding these moans this was quite fun and better for the ego than yesterday. Liked heartthrob.
Somewhere between yesterday’s level of difficulty and today’s would suit me, hide apart.
Thx both.
Eric @7. I should have also added that Chambers gives ‘to flog or whip (informal)’ as a meaning for ‘hide’. As PostMark says, it is this sense from which we get ‘hiding’ to mean ‘thrashing’.
Thanks Hovis@10. I have got my dictionary down off the shelf, dusted it off, and yes, indeed, it is as you say. I’m going to whip off now, and go into hiding . . . Words, eh?
🙂
Inter Alia, I liked INTER ALIA.
DIME: A spiritual subtext? Nirvana ‘a bit’ far. Liked the clue.
Solved this online as usual. Hit the CLEARED hurdle as others.
Thanks Jason and loonapick.
I thought of ‘hide in the shadows’ and ‘tan your hide’, neither of which were close enough really but it got me over the line.
And I was fortunate in picking up a copy of the FT today so 14A appeared in full.
‘Batik’ is actually the name given to the wax-resist technique of decorating fabric but I believe it is also used by extension to describe such patterned textiles.
I liked GASTROPUB, HEARTTHROB, ROSE GARDEN and BACK OUT (though I labored with B[L]OW OUT for a while).
A good puzzle anyhow.
Thanks Jason and Loonapick.