Pleasing puzzle from Glow-worm, quite gentle Monday fare, solving time, 22 mins.
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 IDENTIFICATION 1 DENT (depression) IF 1 CAN around 1st letters of Therapy In Outpatients
10 Henrik IBSEN Alternate letters of Bimbo’s jeans
11 SPONGE BAG PONG (smell) in (B GAS E)* B = British E = engineer’s beginning
12 FREE SIA(m)
13 SCANDAL can (prison) in lads reversed
14 LASSO Hidden in DalLAS SOcialite
16 TAP DANCER (PRANCE AT D)* d = front of dais
19 SPARE TYRE Double definition ref car and overweight
20 ENSUE EN SUITE less IT
22 NEMESIS semen reversed, outer letters of Incas
25 REEL OFF Double definition, ref fishing and reciting poetry learned off for example
27 B (Baron) ALLER (vb to go in French) IN (trendy) A (American)
28 AMOUR Armour less R = rex
29 GR (grey) ASP (snake) THE NETTLE (TEETH LET N)* n = nobody initially
DOWN
2 DYSPEPSIA PEPSI in (DAYS)*
3 NO-NOS N (navy) in SOON = shortly (going up = to arise)
4 INSTANTLY cf IN(CON)STANTLY
5 ICONS CON in I’s Two clues nicely linked
6 AGGRAVATE Va (Virginia) in GRATE (grill) after Ag (silver)
7 IN (batting) BUD (partner) Good surface, suggesting cricket
8 NIGGLER GG (horse) in NILE (water ie river) R (start of race)
9 EIFFEL hidden in kerfufflE IF FELicity Eiffel Tower (la Tour Eiffel) in Paris, tour = tower in French so clever use of the cycling race in the surface
15 OVERS (many balls – cricket) LEEP (strip head to toe ie move 1st letter of peel = strip to the end)
17 PREORDAIN rd = road = highway in (OPEN-AIR)*
18 CASTOR OIL My favourite clue with surface suggesting TV soaps. CAST (actors) O (order) ROIL (create turbulence)
19 SANDBAG handbag with 1st letter changed
21 EFFORT (TRADE-OFF)* less ad = notice
23 MALT (whisky) A (1st letter of appreciate)
24 SMITH s = second m = million final letters of ennuI aT WandswortH
26 ENACT rod = cane (up) T = middle letter of rosTrum
Thanks nmsindy and Glowworm for an enjoyable puzzle.
Favourites were 2D DYPEPSIA, with its reference to the underdog rather than the usual rival, 4D INSTANTLY with its apt deletion indicator, and 15A OVERSLEEP with another apt indicator.
Thanks for the blog, nms. A steady solve today, with everything finally falling into place. I liked DYSPEPSIA too; also NEMESIS for its slight cheekiness. There were some good surfaces elsewhere, especially for SPARE TYRE with its clever use of American and British English.
And good to see the use of ‘lads’ to clue 13ac after The Lads’ crushing victory over Aston Villa on Saturday. (Sorry Gaufrid, and non-footie fans, but it’s quarter of the way through the season and it’s the first time we’ve mentioned the beautiful game …)
Good puzzle, thank you Glow-worm.
I enjoyed this a lot and loved the use of the French word tour in 9 down. I was held up a bit on 11 across after convincing myself that I’d seen a word sponge that was ancient slang for an engineer in another crossword. But eventually noticed the pong in there and realized this was complete nonsense. My only slight quibble would be with 17 down. Is the definition supposed to be “Fixed in advance closure”? Otherwise, the closure looks like it’s referring to highway, which would give a y, rather than rd.
NealH@3, I think the definition is “Fixed in advance” and “closure” is the indicator for (open-air)* closed around “highway”
A very pleasant solve over lunch. many thanks to Glow-worm and the Indy.
Took rather more than 22 mins but was trying to eat lunch as well. Took rather longer than I expected to get In Bud, just didn’t see it, trying to justify in bed, thought the well hidden Eiffel my favourite today. Otherwise a nice crossword to start the week. Thanks NMS and GW.