Filbert, whose work I encounter more often on Sundays than on any other day, is filling the Wednesday slot this week.
I found this to be an entertaining, medium-difficulty puzzle, pitched at just the right level for a mid-week solve. I found that I solved a number of clues from the definition part only, supported by crossing letters, but that I struggled to parse their wordplay, e.g. at 3 and 12, although I got there in the end!
I would appreciate confirmation from fellow solvers that I have correctly parsed 11 and 17, both in respect of the definition part.
My favourite clues today were 14, for smoothness of surface; 18 and 23, both for their sports-related misdirection; and above all 13, for smoothness of surface and not immediately obvious definition. Furthermore, 27 was a new word for me, while 1D simply made me sad 🙁
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 1 | FORESTALL |
Anticipate dealing with large wooded area and lake (9)
|
| FORESTAL (=dealing with large wooded area) + L (=lake) | ||
| 6 | FOUND |
Institute decided after hearing evidence (5)
|
| Double definition: to found is to institute, establish AND e.g. “The Court found that ….” means that the Court “decided after hearing evidence” | ||
| 9 | RESTART |
Set up again, as you might on an easel? (7)
|
| Cryptically, you may well “rest art” on an easel! | ||
| 10 | DEBACLE |
Disaster as large taxi reverses into river (7)
|
| BACL [L (=large, in sizes) + CAB (=taxi); “reverses” indicates reversal)] in DEE (=river, in Scotland) | ||
| 11 | GEESE |
Large flock coming back through pasture see gate (5)
|
| Reversed (“coming back”) and hidden (“through”) in “pasturE SEE Gate”; the “large” of the definition presumably refers to the size of the birds rather than their number | ||
| 12 | COOPERATE |
Old queen opening supermarket had help (9)
|
| ER (=old queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regine) in [COOP (=supermarket (chain)) + ATE (=had, consumed)] | ||
| 14 | SOLAR ECLIPSE |
Lighting failure only covers live bits of film (5,7)
|
| [ARE (=live, exist) + CLIPS (=bits of film)] in SOLE (=only); cryptically, a solar eclipse could be described as a “lighting failure”, since the sun’s light is blocked by the moon! | ||
| 18 | ALBERT BRIDGE |
Great dribbler nearly trips crossing at Chelsea (6,6)
|
| *(GREAT DRIBBLE<r>); “nearly” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “trips”; first built in 1873, the Albert Bridge across the Thames connects Chelsea with Battersea | ||
| 21 | TROUSERED |
Time to wake up showing embarrassment in pyjama bottoms? (9)
|
| T (=time) + ROUSE (=to wake up) + RED (=showing embarrassment) | ||
| 23 | MANOR |
Lord’s ground‘s style given by commentator (5)
|
| Homophone (“given by commentator”) of “manner (=style, way)”; cf. a manor is the ground(s) owned by a lord, as in “lord of the manor | ||
| 24 | SEMINAL |
If absent from big cup match, influential later (7)
|
| SEM<i-f>INAL (=big cup match; ‘”if absent” means letters “if” are dropped); e.g. a seminal work (of literature, say) is influential later, i.e. in future developments | ||
| 26 | LARGELY |
Pants all grey except for small part (7)
|
| *(ALL GREY); “pants (=rubbish)” is anagram indicator | ||
| 27 | NULLA |
Totally empty urn tipped over Indian gully (5)
|
| ALL (=totally, completely) + U<r>N (“empty” means middle letter is dropped); “over” indicates reversal; in India, a nulla is a gully, ravine | ||
| 28 | DEERHOUND |
Tall dog at this point knocked over by Spooner (9)
|
| Spoonerism (“by Spooner”) of “here (=at this point) + downed (=knocked over, brought down)” | ||
| DOWN
|
||
| 1 | FARAGE |
PM potentially in distant future? (6)
|
| Cryptically, “in a far age” could mean “in distant future”; the reference is to Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage | ||
| 2 | RUSSET |
Apple, America decided should support Republican (6)
|
| R (=Republican) + US (=America) + SET (=decided, determined) | ||
| 3 | STAGE DOOR |
Old cracks reflected heritage part of theatre (5,4)
|
| AGED (=old, elderly) in STOOR (ROOTS=heritage; “reflected” indicates reversal) | ||
| 4 | ANTECHAMBER |
College offering industrial training in an orange waiting room (11)
|
| TECH (=college offering industrial training) in [AN + AMBER (=orange)] | ||
| 5/25 | LADLED |
Boy was first served from tureen (6)
|
| LAD (=boy) + LED (=was first) | ||
| 6 | FIBRE |
Lie touching backbone (5)
|
| FIB (=lie, untruth) + RE- (=touching, regarding); here, fibre means strength of character, hence “backbone” | ||
| 7 | UNCLASPS |
During a French lesson, head of physics relaxes (8)
|
| P<hysics> (“head of” means first letter only) in [UN (=a French, i.e. a French word for a) + CLASS (=lesson)]; to unclasp is to loosen one’s grip on, relax | ||
| 8 | DEEPENED |
English writer into action took on mystery (8)
|
| [E (=English) + PEN (=writer)] in DEED (=action) | ||
| 13 | OVERINDULGE |
Baby girl due, first half of November chaotic (11)
|
| *(GIRL DUE + NOVE<mber>); “first half of” means first four of eight letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “chaotic”; to baby is to pamper, cosset, hence “overindulge” someone | ||
| 15 | LAGOMORPH |
Hare or rabbit running through lavish promo gallery set up (9)
|
| Vertically reversed (“set up”) and hidden (“running through”) in “lavisH PROMO GALlery” | ||
| 16 | PARTISAN |
Guerrilla skilfully made top for percussion caps (8)
|
| P<ercussion> (“top for” means first letter only) + ARTISAN (=skilfully made, made by traditional craftsmen) | ||
| 17 | ABNORMAL |
Special case of Lambrusco barman presented as something else (8)
|
| *(L<ambrusc>O + BARMAN); “case of” means first and last letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “presented as something else”; special here means unusual, peculiar, hence “abnormal” | ||
| 19 | INGENU |
Guy terribly green, syringe nurse is holding? (6)
|
| Hidden (“is holding”) in “syrINGE NUrse” | ||
| 20 | FRAYED |
Beam held by iron band finally coming apart (6)
|
| RAY (=beam) in [FE (=iron, i.e. chemical symbol) + <ban>D (“finally” means last letter only)]; in respect of cloth, say, frayed means coming apart, disintegrating | ||
| 22 | SANTA |
Generous chap who visits everyone in hospital much appreciated (5)
|
| SAN (=hospital, i.e. sanatorium) + TA (=much appreciated, i.e. thank you) | ||
| 25 |
See 5
|
|
A nice puzzle. I liked FRAYED, LADLED, SANTA. I couldn’t decide which bit of ABNORMAL was the anagrind and which the definition. I think it works either way. I didn’t look at the Puzzle Info, fully expecting Eccles and was going to comment on the trademark unusual word helpfully clued. Shows how much I know.
Thanks to setter and blogger – I agree with your parsing of both 11 and 17. I had a similar reaction to 1d: very distant if at all, I hope.
I was delighted to see Filbert’s name on a Wednesday but that high was quickly ruined by seeing another name at 1d. Potential PM just fills me with dread.
Liked the long hidden for LAGOMORPH after fruitlessly trying to squeeze game in the middle.
Not quite as tough as some of their Sunday offerings but just as fun. Ticks for OVERINDULGE, DEEPENED, ANTECHAMBER, SOLAR ECLIPSE and TROUSERED.
Thanks RR and Filbert