A solid challenge from SOLOMON which was a lot of fun.
FF: 10 DD: 9
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FLOWER |
It might be Amazon that distributes perfume (6)
|
| cryptic def; amazon referring to the river, something that flows | ||
| 4 | STARSHIP |
Jason’s core sailors in vessel travelling far (8)
|
| S ( jaSon, core ) TARS ( sailors ) HIP ( in ) | ||
| 10 | ICE HOCKEY |
Play featuring Puck (3,6)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 11 | VOICE |
Cut the edges off box held in gripping tool, say? (5)
|
| O ( bOx, without edges ) in VICE ( gripping tool ) | ||
| 12 | YAHOO |
Youth Agency’s leaders lift the end of bonnet and search engine (5)
|
| YA ( Youth Agency, starting letters ) HOOd ( bonnet, without its end ) | ||
| 13 | LITTLE TOE |
Housebound pig allowed to go in reconfigured toilet (6,3)
|
| LET ( allowed ) in [ TOILET ]* | ||
| 14 | ANALYST |
Six-footer, drunk, lays inside — one’s bound to ask questions (7)
|
| [ LAYS ]* in ANT ( six footer ) | ||
| 15 | TREACLE |
Tree containing a measure of liquid that’s sticky (7)
|
| [ A CL ( measure of liquid ) ] in TREE | ||
| 17 | MADISON |
Commercial is being shown after mass cycle race (7)
|
| M ( mass ) AD ( commercial ) IS ON ( being shown ) | ||
| 19 | ARSENAL |
Team from Northern Amateur League behind at first (7)
|
| ARSE ( behind ) NAL ( Northern Amateur League ) | ||
| 21 | SOAP OPERA |
Show regularly screened at a popular time? (4,5)
|
| &lit; SO ( ShOw, regularly ) A POP ( popular ) ERA ( time ) | ||
| 24 | PLUMP |
Fat board-member, under suspicion, beginning to panic (5)
|
| PL ( board member ) UM ( suspicion ) P ( Panic, first letter ) | ||
| 26 | INDIA |
i is irrational, and 2 is (5)
|
| [ AND II ( 2 ) ]* | ||
| 27 | SCARECROW |
Brainless character stupidly races around bank (9)
|
| [ RACES ]* C ( around ) ROW ( bank ) | ||
| 28 | NORTH SEA |
Thrones destroyed by a division in Cnut’s empire? (5,3)
|
| [ THRONES ]* A | ||
| 29 | TERROR |
Fear to make mistake within the first part of recital (6)
|
| [ ERR ( make mistake ) in TO ] R ( Recital, first letter of ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FAIRY |
Fine, sprightly elf (5)
|
| F ( fine ) AIRY ( sprightly ) | ||
| 2 | OVERHEARD |
More than one group of cows outside getting caught (9)
|
| OVER ( more than ) [ HERD ( group of cows ) around A ( one ) ] | ||
| 3 | ECONOMY |
Online company working to return Solomon’s wealth (7)
|
| E-CO ( online company ) NO ( reverse of ON, working ) MY ( solomon’s ) | ||
| 5 | TRYST |
Meeting holy man after event leading to conversion (5)
|
| TRY ( event leading to conversion, rugby ) ST ( holy man ) | ||
| 6 | REVOLVE |
Spin LP by the Beatles, not Queen (7)
|
| REVOLVEr ( lp by the beatles, without R – queen ) | ||
| 7 | HOIST |
I shot Dicky and Jack (5)
|
| [ I SHOT ]* | ||
| 8 | PIECEMEAL |
Song, perhaps by Meatloaf? Or by Steps? (9)
|
| PIECE ( song, perhaps ) MEAL ( meatloaf ) | ||
| 9 | SKELETON |
Cut up leeks (100) as small as possible (8)
|
| [ LEEKS ]* TON ( 100 ) | ||
| 14 | ADMISSION |
Price paid once private investigator’s left operation (9)
|
| AD [ pAiD, without PI – private investigator ) MISSION ( operation ) | ||
| 15 | TEARAWAY |
Ruffian’s refreshment still to be prepared? Yes (8)
|
| TEA ( refreshment ) RAW ( still to be prepared ) AY ( yes ) | ||
| 16 | CONQUEROR |
Hoax in Castile that leads king to join old King William? (9)
|
| CON ( hoax ) QUE ( that, french ~ in castile ) [ R ( king ) O ( old ) R ( king ) ] | ||
| 18 | STOMACH |
Integrated food pouch attaches to machine-washable trousers (7)
|
| hidden in “..attacheS TO MACHine-washable..” | ||
| 20 | SUPREME |
Motown singer with American backing band seen in gym (7)
|
| SU ( reverse of US, american ) [ REM ( band ) in PE ( gym ) ] | ||
| 22 | ADDER |
Animal native to Britain in summer? (5)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 23 | ENSUE |
Follow topless blokes at the head of charge? (5)
|
| mEN ( blokes, without starting letter ) SUE ( charge ) | ||
| 25 | POWER |
One in debt is under pressure, right? (5)
|
| P ( pressure ) OWER ( one in debt ) |
Good blog. Not the easiest puzzle.
24A: I thought “board-member, under suspicion” was a reference to Professor PLUM in Cluedo.
16D: Castile is in Spain, so “Spanish.”
Some clues were missing from the PDF.
First time I’ve come here for clues rather than solutions! The online/PDF is missing the down clues 23 and 25. 🤦🏻♀️
Good puzzle and blog. I agree with Cineraria @1 re plump although not a classic clue. Much to like including North Sea. Thanks both.
As Cineraria @1, I too took 21A to be a reference to Professor Plum. And I came here thinking to see a comment that it wasn’t the little toe that was housebound but the second. Then the penny dropped.
Is 22D a cryptic definition? Summer is adder(sum it up/add it up).
Thanks Solomon and Turbolegs. No thanks to whoever lost the last two clues from the PDF.
24ac: I agree with others about the reference to Cluedo.
26ac: I think the anagram fodder is “and 2 is” meaning AND + two copies of the letter I. Taking 2 as the Roman numeral seems to leave the last word of the clue doing nothing.
Agree with PB @6 that India = (and + i +i)*, but, bdg @4, I can’t find that penny: i still think it’s the second-littlest toe who’s housebound …
grantinfreo@7: This little piggy cried “Wee! Wee! Wee!” all the way home = bound for home, or cryptically “housebound”
Of course, aging brain, now I remember, it’s the big toe you start with so it’s the littlest that’s homeward bound, thanks you guys.