I’m covering for the regular blogger, so you’ve got my take on this today.
It’s always a relief when covering to get a tractable puzzle with helpful long anagrams to open up the grid, which is what we have here.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PATIENCE |
Job’s showing people this game (8)
|
| cryptic definition – from the Bible story of Job, who shows great PATIENCE in response to a series of personal disasters | ||
| 5 | GALLOP |
Move fast coming from meeting — all opposed (6)
|
| hidden text (coming from) in meetinG ALL OPposed | ||
| 10 | EMPEROR |
European parliamentarian associated with mistake disheartened ruler (7)
|
| charade of E (European) + MP (parliamentarian) + ERrOR (mistake disheartened) | ||
| 11 | REACTOR |
Almost arrive at hill’s energy facility (7)
|
| charade of REACh (almost arrive) + TOR (hill) | ||
| 12 | ALLEY |
Narrow passage in kitchen, not good (5)
|
| deletion – (not good) – gALLEY (kitchen – with the G removed) | ||
| 13 | UNCLEARED |
Not yet approved — global body was concerned about the French (9)
|
| charade of UN (global body) + CARED (was concerned) (about) with LE (the French) inserted | ||
| 14 | CARAVAN SITES |
Places to stay, vacant, as rise subject to review (7,5)
|
| anagram (subject to review) of (VACANT AS RISE)* | ||
| 18 | NONESSENTIAL |
After day in Rome, despatched — finally regularly ignored as unimportant (12)
|
| charade of NONES (days in the Roman calendar) + SENT + fInAlLy (IAL from finally regularly ignored) | ||
| 21 | TRAGEDIAN |
Specialist actor was furious after time, I advised nervously at first (9)
|
| RAGED (furious) after T (time) + I A N (from I Advised Nervously at first) | ||
| 23 | COWER |
Quail, caught by old, wide, English river (5)
|
| charade of C (caught – cricket abbreviation) + O (old) + W (wide) + E (English) + R (river – from maps) | ||
| 24 | EL GRECO |
At outset extremely loud grumbling rattles employee, company painter (2,5)
|
| acrostic (at outset) of Extremely Loud Grumbling Rattles Employee + CO (company) | ||
| 25 | TRIPLET |
Group member’s outing authorised (7)
|
| charade of TRIP (outing) + LET (authorised) | ||
| 26 | AFRESH |
Again a fight initially about quiet (6)
|
| charade of A (from the clue) + F (fight initially) + RE (about) + SH (quiet) | ||
| 27 | GRANDEUR |
Magnificence of Greece with continent following (not half!) (8)
|
| charade of GR (Greece – IVR code) + AND (with) + EUR (continent EURope, not half) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PREFAB |
Fear changes in lead house? (6)
|
| insertion of an anagram (changes) of (FEAR)* in Pb (chemical symbol for lead) | ||
| 2 | TIPPLE |
Something for Scrabble player clutching very quiet drink (6)
|
| insertion of TILE (something for Scrabble player) around (clutching) PP (very quiet) | ||
| 3 | EARLY DAYS |
Lady’s year worked out? Too soon to be sure (5,4)
|
| Anagram (worked out) of (LADY’S YEAR)* | ||
| 4 | CORRUGATED IRON |
Racer I invested in got round somehow, that’s groovy? (10,4)
|
| anagram (somehow) of (RACER I + GOT ROUND)* – the clue actually says it’s an anagram of (RACER I)* inside (invested in) an anagram of (GOT ROUND)* but I can’t see how that works, but a straight anagram does | ||
| 6 | ADAGE |
Byword of a daughter, mature (5)
|
| charade of A (from the clue) + D (daughter) + AGE (mature) | ||
| 7 | LITERATI |
Scholarly ones featuring in US volume — factoid given regular exposure (8)
|
| charade of LITER (US volume – American spelling of litre) + A T I (fAcToId – factiod given regular exposure) | ||
| 8 | PARODIST |
One sending up standard poet (8)
|
| charade of PAR (standard) + ODIST (poet) | ||
| 9 | PROCRASTINATOR |
In play actor roars “Pint!” — one to make him wait for it? (14)
|
| anagram (in play) of (ACTOR ROARS PINT)* | ||
| 15 | STANCHION |
Pole’s church welcomed by new nations (9)
|
| insertion of (welcomed in) of CH (church) an anagram (new) of (NATIONS)* | ||
| 16 | ANATHEMA |
Four articles about panjandrum ultimately one detested (8)
|
| the four articles are AN A THE A around (about) M from the last letter of panjandruM (ultimately) | ||
| 17 | ENDANGER |
Imperil objective: wrath follows (8)
|
| charade of END (objective) + ANGER (wrath) | ||
| 19 | TWELVE |
Cardinal at first toying with experimental liturgy, very ephemeral (6)
|
| acrostic (at first) of Toying With Experimental Liturgy Very Ephemeral – for a cardinal number, but the surface is suggesting us to a RC Cardinal setting up services | ||
| 20 | ORATOR |
Speaker from floor, a Tory (6)
|
| hidden (from) in floOR A TORy | ||
| 22 | EVENS |
Odds? Yes (strange as it may seem!) (5)
|
| cryptic definition – betting odds could be EVENS |
US volume = LITER is rather ironic given no-one in US seems to know what that is. I thought this was a set of mainly nice clues with good surfaces, and it turned out to be a quick solve. I usually do not think much of acrostics, but TWELVE hit the spot as the best clue. There were some nice anagrams to admire as well, although I scratched my head at CORRUGATED IRON for a while for reasons mentioned in the blog.
Even after solving from the crossers, I had to read PATIENCE three or four times before it clicked
Thanks Gurney and Shanne
A very entertaining solve. Loved anathema and many others. Thx both.