The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hi everybody. I get to blog quite a few of Filbert’s puzzles and the downside of this is that it can be hard to think of anything new to say about them. What I can say is that there is no other downside!
The only hiccups I encountered today were in the answers (9a, 14a and 20d). I liked the topical 17a, CANTANKEROUS – and could extend a theme from here into some of the answers, but won’t go there. Instead I’ll just spotlight the cleverness of the &lit at 17a. Thanks Filbert.
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 | Critical about weak golf on the back of lessons (8) |
| SCATHING — CA (circa, about), THIN (weak) and G (golf) next to (on) the last letter of (back of) lessonS | |
| 6a | Right leaving rogue aristocrat disinherited (3,3) |
| CUT OFF — R (right) leaving CU[r] (rogue) + TOFF (aristocrat) | |
| 9a | Term for singultus? Have a go at hiccup (4) |
| SNAG — The last letter of (term for) singultuS + NAG (have a go at) | |
| 10a | Tube connected back on Franco’s heart before death (4,6) |
| ANTE MORTEM — METRO (tube) and MET (connected) reversed (back) on frANco’s middle letters (heart) | |
| 11a | Volts inside transformed the inner zoo’s inescapable boundary (5,7) |
| EVENT HORIZON — V (volts) inside an anagram of (transformed) THE INNER ZOO | |
| 14a | Breakdown company tails Italian cars, ignoring Tesla (6) |
| FIASCO — CO (company) follows (tails) FIA[t]S (Italian cars), ignoring T (tesla) | |
| 16a | Highly regarded old partner rang (8) |
| EXTOLLED — EX (old partner) + TOLLED (rang) | |
| 17a | A certain (Liberal perhaps) North American to the west (8) |
| ANGELENO — ONE (a certain), L (Liberal), EG (perhaps), N (North) and A (American) going right to left (to the west). Someone from the city we are about to encounter in 24a | |
| 19a | 15 give evidence (6) |
| DEPOSE — A double definition, 15 being the answer to 15d: OVERTHROW | |
| 21a | Is oiler able to go finally, with America picking quarrels? (12) |
| CANTANKEROUS — CAN TANKER (is oiler able to) + the last letter of (… finally) gO + US (America) | |
| 24a | Last month city turned greener, to announce start of campaign (7,3) |
| DECLARE WAR — DEC (last month) + LA (city) + reversed (turned) RAWER (greener) | |
| 26a | National emblem that’s terrifying on lieutenant’s face (4) |
| LEEK — EEK (that’s terrifying) by Lieutenant’s first letter (face) | |
| 27a | Old lady spat on Republican, giving tissue (6) |
| MARROW — MA (old lady) + ROW (spat) on R (Republican) | |
| 28a | Yeti wanders around some blasted mountain wilderness (8) |
| YOSEMITE — YETI is anagrammed (wanders) around an anagram of (… blasted) SOME | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Easy to reach sister’s house where pigeon regularly nests (10) |
| CONVENIENT — CONVENT (sister’s house) in which sits (where … nests) alternate letters of (… regularly) pIgEoN | |
| 3d | Cub leader’s ramble starting late with tons to carry (7) |
| TIGRESS — Starting from its second letter (… starting late) dIGRESS (ramble) with T (tons) going on top (to carry) | |
| 4d | Turning up halfway through test panicky is not ideal (5) |
| INAPT — The answer is found in the middle of (turning up halfway through) tesT PANIcky | |
| 5d & 12/25 | Now newest yoga moves prevail (3,4,3,3) |
| GET ONE’S OWN WAY — NOW NEWEST YOGA is anagrammed (moves) | |
| 6d | Staunch Titoist cleared out communist dictator’s original closets (9) |
| COMMITTED — TitoisT on removal of inner letters (cleared out), which COMMIE (communist) plus Dictator’s initial letter (original) surrounds (closets) | |
| 7d | Stir cooking fat after hearing how long it lasts (7) |
| TURMOIL — OIL (cooking fat) after TURM, which sounds like (hearing) TERM (how long it lasts) | |
| 8d | Charge pound for love, perhaps (4) |
| FEEL — FEE (charge) + L (pound) | |
| 12d | See 5d |
| 13d | Article taken from old Iranian’s shelter hard to get rid of (10) |
| PERSISTENT — AN (article) taken from PERSI[an]’S (old Iranian’s) + TENT (shelter) | |
| 15d | Obvious method to bag runs – fielding error (9) |
| OVERTHROW — OVERT (obvious) + HOW (method) containing (to bag) R (runs) | |
| 18d | Dealing with story about case of ageism upset correspondent (7) |
| EMAILER — RE (dealing with) and LIE (story) around (about) outer letters of (case of) AgeisM all reversed (upset) | |
| 20d | Left aboard spaceship, Mike’s worry reported to Houston? (7) |
| PROBLEM — L (left) in (aboard) PROBE (spaceship) + M (mike) | |
| 22d | French bread you proved, one hears (5) |
| EUROS — Sounds like (… one hears) YOU ROSE (proved, as in dough) | |
| 23d | Giant gnome gardener keeps inside (4) |
| MEGA — We end with a hidden answer, which gnoME GArdener keeps inside | |
| 25d | See 5d |
Well, as you say Kitty, there is nothing new to say other than “yet another gem from Filbert”.
It’s just great to finish a puzzle with a smile on your face!
Thanks all.
I had to come here for 17a, I was thinking that the definition must be “A” (a chemical? a term in physics? an abbreviation?) and that it would all be backwards, so I had AN.E.ENO and was trying to think of a word meaning “Liberal perhaps” that was “E.E.” (“certainty” being “ON”), but the &Lit didn’t occur to me. Some nice clues though, good start to the day!
Not so much a theme as an aura, with a few clues hunting at the Iran situation. I liked the follower of Tito making sure there was nothing left in the closet and the pigeons in the convent.
As always, a top class, immensely enjoyable crossword from Filbert, which is why so many of us look forward to Sundays
Beautifully put together. As Kitty says, it is hard to come up with original comments; thank Goodness Filbert can come up with original cluing!
Thanks both
Brilliant as always. In a bit of a rush so will just mention my favourite today ANGELENO.
Thanks Kitty and Filbert