The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hello everyone. Is it just me or is there a bit of a dark tone to today’s puzzle?
Regardless, an enjoyable solve which went mostly smoothly until some answers in the left hand side proved a little elusive. I have no idea why it took me so long to see the IBEXES at 12a, but much of my trouble came because I was slow to get 12d (INTOLERABLE). I needed most of the checking letters for SAMIZDAT at 17d, but had to do without the checker from the 18a dogs for which I needed them all. Standout clues for me, as often happens (I like simple perfection!) are not the most intricate ones: I liked 24a (PITIED), 3d (ANSWER) and my favourite, 4d (HAIL). Thanks Lark!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Pay them with change and compassion (7) |
| EMPATHY — PAY THEM anagrammed (with change) | |
| 5a | Emperor’s vehicle circumnavigating westward ocean (6) |
| CAESAR — CAR (vehicle) going around (circumnavigating) SEA (ocean) written from right to left (westward …) | |
| 10a | Traversing cold Antarctic sea wearing gilet top (8) |
| CROSSING — C (cold) + ROSS (Antarctic sea) + IN (wearing) + the first letter (top) of Gilet | |
| 11a | King retaining old soldier, one of the late queen’s favourites? (5) |
| CORGI — CR (King) holding (retaining) O (old) + GI (soldier) | |
| 12a | Musk’s company drones possibly gathering to pursue current prey in Africa (6) |
| IBEXES — X (Musk’s company), which BEES (drones possibly) is taking in (gathering), following (to pursue) I (current) | |
| 13a | Those at the coalface with two trainees covering for new people on the daily grind (7) |
| MILLERS — L L (two trainees) replacing (covering for) the N (new) in MI[n]ERS (people on the daily grind) | |
| 15a | Genuine amateur theatre’s somewhat revolutionary (4) |
| TRUE — Part of the reversal of (… somewhat revolutionary) amatEUR Theatre’s | |
| 16a | Immortality for every person in French church (10) |
| PERMANENCE — PER (for every), MAN (person), EN (in, French) and CE (church) | |
| 18a | Tabloid centrally features a review of very therapeutic place for dogs (5,5) |
| LHASA APSOS — The middle letter of (… centrally) tabLoid + HAS (features) + A + reversal (review) of SO (very) and SPA (therapeutic place) | |
| 20a | Good, slow down to prepare for ice (4) |
| GRIT — G (good) + RIT. (ritardando or ritenuto, slow down) | |
| 23a | Mentioning one transgression covered by tabloid (7) |
| RAISING — I (one) SIN (transgression) in (covered by) RAG (tabloid) | |
| 24a | Given 1 or 2 types of mine? (6) |
| PITIED — PIT and IED (2 types of mine). 1 is 1a, EMPATHY | |
| 26a | Vital fluid in flower ultimately halved (5) |
| BLOOD — BLOOm (in flower) with its last letter (ultimately) halved in value in Roman numerals, from M (1000) to D (500) | |
| 27a | No short release on cassette – no sound at all (3,1,4) |
| NOT A PEEP — NO + EP (short release) by (on) TAPE (cassette) | |
| 28a | Brings about new stance (6) |
| ENACTS — An anagram of (new) STANCE | |
| 29a | Express sadness about European Union returning officer’s sadism (7) |
| CRUELTY — CRY (express sadness) around (about) EU European Union backwards (returning) and LT (officer) | |
| Down | |
| 2d | French clown’s dirty broadcast on the radio (7) |
| MARCEAU — MAR (dirty) + CEAU, which here sounds like (… on the radio) SOW (broadcast) | |
| 3d | Politicians were concealing outcome of enquiry (6) |
| ANSWER — PoliticiANS WERe is concealing the answer | |
| 4d | Suffer in the wake of hot weather (4) |
| HAIL — AIL (suffer) following (in the wake of) H (hot) | |
| 6d | Notice posh clubs and racist organisation infiltrating southern city (8) |
| AUCKLAND — AD (notice) with U (posh), C (clubs) and KLAN (racist organisation) going inside (infiltrating) | |
| 7d | Partners to capture freewheeling rogue operator (7) |
| SURGEON — S and N (bridge partners) taking in (to capture) an anagram of (freewheeling) ROGUE | |
| 8d | Had another look at fashionable, reputable clothing (11) |
| REINSPECTED — IN (fashionable) with RESPECTED (reputable) surrounding (clothing) | |
| 9d | Right-wing populist slogan turned angry men against legendary military leader (9) |
| AGAMEMNON — Reversal of (… turned) MAGA (right-wing populist slogan) + an anagram of (angry) MEN + ON (against) | |
| 12d | One Liberal Democrat finally breaking rank (11) |
| INTOLERABLE — An anagram of (… breaking) ONE LIBERAL and democraT finally | |
| 14d | Perhaps Wiccans’ song gets confused with paean (9) |
| NEOPAGANS — SONG is anagrammed (gets confused) together with PAEAN | |
| 17d | American uncle is reportedly meeting daughter engaged in dissident activity (8) |
| SAMIZDAT — SAM (American uncle) + IZ (IS reportedly) +D (daughter) + AT (engaged in) | |
| 19d | Song describing cut-off area in US state (7) |
| ARIZONA — ARIA (song) surrounding (describing) ZONe (area) missing its last letter (cut-off …) | |
| 21d | Intend to wear torn clothing (7) |
| RAIMENT — AIM (intend) going inside (to wear) RENT (torn) | |
| 22d | Society writer’s petition short and straightforward (6) |
| SIMPLE — S (society) + I’M (writer’s) + PLEa (petition) without the end (short) | |
| 25d | Lead beginning of sales pitch (4) |
| STAR — The first letter of (beginning of) Sales + TAR (pitch) | |
I can’t recall when I last tackled a Lark puzzle, if at all, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It took me a while to settle in on the right wavelength but then it all came together nicely and I enjoyed the solve a lot. Nice surfaces throughout.
A couple of bits of parsing took a bit of teasing out – “short release” in 27a and “engaged in” in 17d, and I’ve never heard of SAMIZDAT.
HAIL was my favourite with PITIED coming in a close second.
Many thanks to Lark and to Kitty.
Largely satisfying despite entering three unparsed, PITIED, GRIT and BLOOD which really ought to have come to me eventually were I not needing to get on with my Saturday chores.
I enjoyed LHASA APSOS when I finally twigged. Why aren’t more than one Ibex referred to as Ibeces? Probably a logical answer but the fancy took me while entering it!
Thanks Lark and Litty
A bit of a different solve to Kitty’s. IBEXES & INTOLERABLE took hardly any time at all but I ended up using a word fit to get PITIED which I nominate as my favourite.
Thanks Lark and Kitty, there is theme which will please film buffs.
Coen bros, I think?
I liked ANSWER, SURGEON and PITIED, though, like Hovis, I needed a word search to find the last one. Can’t believe I missed the theme.
This puzzle wasn’t a Lark-in-the-park, for me, but I really enjoyed the challenge and the excellent wordplays/surfaces.
IBEXES at 12(ac) grated a bit, but absolutely valid.
I prefer DOOFS version @2, IBICES. If it’s good enough for INDEX…….
I was cock-sure that 16(ac) must start “PRO”, as in “for”, so that snookered me for a long time.
I didn’t parse BLOOD, 26(ac); thanks, Kitty.
I just went for “Blood (River)”, as the flower. Doh.
I also thought RAIMENT 21(d), was a single item of clothing. Wrong again.
Basically, the setter misled me all over the place, but it’s a cracker cryptic. Best in Show, 13(ac), MILLERS: lovely setting.
Big thumbs up, Lark & Kitty, ( a deadly pairing )