Many thanks to Monk for a super challenge.
As expected, a witty and fun start to the day. There’s a lovely symmetry to the grid (Monk usually hides something extra for us to find).
DIVER (duck) squeezes IN
Cryptic definition
A play on the dual meaning of ‘banger’, which could be a sausage or an old car
L (liberal) + (MUM’S UP)* (*for cooking)
‘Green’ usually refers to US money – their banknotes are all green
BUM (old tramp) in pursuit of PLUM (choice)
The Latin name for lead, from which is chemical symbol, Pb is derived
VIOLA[tions] (offences, half of)
ON (working) + TROT (left-winger) on THE (article)
‘Trot’ being an abbreviation for Trotskyist
(TUM ACHIER)* (*upset)
N (November); A LOG (a record) sucks
ROSE (sprung up) facing S (south)
GRANNIES* (*fighting) about [gi]N (last of)
T[rouble] (heading for) in VIRU[s] (bad program, mostly) with SO-SO< (indifferent, <backing)
GIT (unpleasant person) pinching L[arg]E (extremely)
“LACKER” (individual who wants, “outspoken”)
SORT* (*odd) entering RUM (odd)
D[rie]D (gutted); ANGLE (fish) lines
DAD (old man, cycling) in GLEN (narrow valley)
E (base, mathematical) in ([Hammon]D (bottom of) + LIVER (organ))
V (very) + A (active) + MOOSE (large deer)
(SMUG NASTY)* (*broadcast)
Nystagmus is an eye condition, i.e. complaint affecting a ‘viewer’
“RIMBAUD” (old French poet, “picked up”)
DIPS (idiots) + STICK(s) (rod, more than once – i.e. add plural S)
IN[j]URE (hurt, after J (Jack)’s lost)
(GEAR MOB)* (*distributed)
NAG (worry) about META (social media giant)
[tormen]T (end to) + REAS[s]URED (relieved, when one S (son) escapes)
ANAL (obsessive) + E.G.< (say, <over) + S[p]I[n]A[l] (bits of)
RED (bloody); VILE (shameful) cuts
S (second) + (RACE (run) inside A[fghanista]N (borders))
ILL (drained) + “BREAD” (local money, “for auditors”)
EDIT: [sw]I[ne] (essentially) + L[oca]L (drained) + “BREAD” (money, “for auditors”)
[h]ATE[r] (exposed) arrested by G-MAN (FBI agent)
[p]U[t]S [o]U[t] A (regularly) + L (large)
SPR[o]G (military recruit); getting I (one) for O (nothing)
Enjoyable and challenging.
I don’t really follow the parsing of ill bred and had idiots as the definition for dipsticks.
Liked the paired clues and Rambo
Hopefully I’ll be the first pedant to point out that the plural of virtuoso is virtuosi. 🙂
ILL-BRED
I think
Def: Uncivil
swine essentially=I
drained local=LL
money=BREAD—->BRED as in the blog.
DIPSTICKS
DIPS +TICKS(rods)??
The def in DIPSTICKS as James@1 says could be ‘idiots’.
Rod found in estate could be DIPSTICK…more than once..S
Thanks KVa @2. Your parsing for ILL-BRED is better so I will amend the blog.
Yep, idiots as def for me too. Didn’t notice the perimagrams — clever! Thx Monk and Oriel.
A struggle for me.
10(ac): does “old” actually have any relevance?
A bum is a bum.
2(d), I suppose that “active” = A in some limp acronym, but it’s weak.
Sprog, unknown to me, as defined.
NYSTAGMUS. Well, it’s one of “those”, isn’t it?
ON THE TROT…”busy”? Not for me.
It means, one after the other. As in, I disliked three clues, on the trot.
So, not so much, witty, or fun, in my book, but I will be in the minority. LUMP SUM was OK.
Thanks, Oriel
Thanks Monk and Oriel
10ac Chambers 2016 p 1193 has plumbum n (obs) lead. Monk could have given an indicator for Latin, but that would have been more of a giveaway than “old” for obsolete.
12ac: Chambers p 1673 has on the trot (inf) in succession; without a break; busy, bustling about
21ac: Chambers p 1746 has virtuoso n (pl virtuosos or virtuosi). For what it is worth, I prefer the English plural.
2dn: Chambers p 1 has a abbrev active (among many other things).
5dn: I agree with KVa@3
It is probably time for my occasional reminder that setters have access to published dictionaries but not to the preferences of individual solvers.
Very clever as usual (and nothing to do with a drink) from Monk. All those anagrams around the perimeter and a NINO down the middle to cap it off.
Didn’t know SARACEN as a ‘nomad’ or the ‘military recruit’ sense for SPROG.
Thanks to Monk and Oriel