This was a mostly gentle puzzle with a few that required some work to parse them.
The puzzle was a pangram but didn't seem too forced the way pangrams sometimes are. 10A did appear to offer some possible rude solutions but turned out to be fairly wholesome. 19A was my favourite clue for the minimalist definition.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PROVERBIAL |
Archetypal bachelor pressed by heartless adversary on show (10)
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(B{achelor} in ri[v]al) on prove(=show) |
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| 6 | SEAM |
Join main motorway (4)
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Sea(=main) + m{otorway} |
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| 9 | UNBEARABLY |
Terribly posh area besieged by disorderly rabble entering city (10)
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U(=posh from U/non-U) + ((a{rea} in rabble*) in N{ew} Y{ork}) |
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| 10 | JOWL |
Jay bird’s prominent feature (4)
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J(=jay, a word sometimes used to refer to the letter) + owl(=bird). |
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| 12 | SPOKESPERSON |
Representative keeps fighting with sponsor (12)
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(Keeps sponsor)* |
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| 15 | RISTRETTO |
Playful creature finally brought teacher back for coffee (9)
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(Otter(=playful creature) + [brough]t + sir(=teacher))< |
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| 17 | KNIFE |
One pursuing Grand Knight with iron weapon (5)
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(I after (g{rand} N(=knight in chess)) + Fe(=iron in periodic table) |
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| 18 | EVICT |
Throw out scientist’s conclusion after artifice is discovered (5)
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[Scientis]t after [d]evic[e](=dis-covered artifice) |
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| 19 | INSENSATE |
Enrage four couples when speaking out? (9)
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Hom of incense eight(=four couples) |
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| 20 | HAIR OF THE DOG |
Foolishly forget Idaho contains hospital providing cure for alcoholics? (4,2,3,3)
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(Forget Idaho)* around h{ospital}. The question mark is required for the def because it's not a cure many professionals in the field would recommend. |
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| 24 | RITZ |
Hotelier picked up court orders (4)
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Hom of writs |
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| 25 | FLOUNDERED |
Creator of institution admits liberal journalist struggled (10)
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(Founder(=creator of institution) around l{iberal}) + ed{itor} |
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| 26 | SCAM |
Howl about disappearing trick (4)
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Sc[re]am. Re(=about) removed(=disappearing). |
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| 27 | SNAPDRAGON |
Perennial problem keeps retired secretary and doctor working (10)
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(Snag around (PA<(=personal assistant) + d{octo}r)) + on(=working, as in "the computer is on") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | POUT |
Regularly applying product gives you seductive look (4)
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Odd letters of product |
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| 2 | ORBS |
Balls-up in Middlesbrough! (4)
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Hidden, rev in Middlesbrough |
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| 3 | EXASPERATION |
Chagrin of former primate maintaining small allotment (12)
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((Ex(=former) + ape(=primate)) around s{mall}) + ration(=allotment) |
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| 4 | BLANK |
Empty pool bordering lake (5)
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Bank(=pool) around l{ake}. I think the meaning of bank here is in games where a player draws from a reserve (or pool) of cards or pieces which is called the bank. |
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| 5 | ALLUSIONS |
American is catching on, following everybody’s hints (9)
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((US(=American) + is) around(=catching) on)) after all(=everybody) |
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| 7 | EGOISTICAL |
Self-important GI locates bombs planted around island (10)
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(GI locates)* around i{sland} |
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| 8 | MALINGERED |
Physician, broken by stay in A&E, feigned illness (10)
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MD(=physician, short for Doctor of Medicine) around (linger(=stay) in A & E) |
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| 11 | PECKING ORDER |
Classification code originally adopted by old Beijing religious community (7,5)
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(C[ode] in Peking(=old name of Beijing)) + order(=religious community e.g. an order of monks) |
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| 13 | GREENHORNS |
Rookies putting location before brass (10)
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Green(=location, as in "village green") + horns(=brass instruments) |
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| 14 | ASPIDISTRA |
Like Pepys, essentially, diarist cultivated houseplant (10)
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As(=like) + [Pe]p[ys] + diarist* |
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| 16 | TRIATHLON |
Hearing about hollow triumph over Norway in competition (9)
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(Trial(=hearing) around t[riump]h) + o{ver} + N{orway} |
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| 21 | EQUIP |
Supply Ecstasy and crack (5)
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E{cstasy} + quip(=crack in the sense of a joke) |
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| 22 | BRAG |
Revolutionary outfit show off (4)
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Garb< |
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| 23 | ODIN |
God of childhood innocence (4)
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Hidden in childhood innocence |
Another highly enjoyable outing from Italicus.
There’s an error in the blog for 17a. Grand equates to K not G.
It took an embarrassingly long time for the penny to drop in for INSENSATE. I liked ASPIDISTRA. I only ever grow snapdragons as annuals, but, apparently, they can live a few years.
In 13d, I think GREEN is a nicely misleading “putting location” = the location on a golf course where you’d be putting rather than driving.
There seems to be an endless list of different ways to construct a cup of coffee these days and 15a was a new one to me. A few parsing hold ups elsewhere but all eventually done and dusted. Top 3 here were FLOUNDERED, SNAPDRAGON & PECKING ORDER.
Thanks to Italicus and to NealH for the review.