[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
An entertaining challenge from Dac which had the right mix of clues to keep you on your toes. However, I do have one query and two small questions (19 and 21 across and 23 down).
( * = ANAGRAM (R) = REVERSAL CD = CRYPTIC DEFINITION)
ACROSS
1. CHER – C (No 1 in charts) + HER (female)
4 REPORTER – Re = about PORTER (Cole P)
9 RETROACTS – TO CARTER’S *
10 BLUE – Double definition
11 OPENED – PEN (write) inside OED (oxford English Dictionary, which I now have courtesy of Countdown!)
12 ANTELOPE – ANTE (Stake) + LOPE (To Bound) Nice surface reading.
14 DECLINE AND FALL – Cryptic def. Two synonyms of “drop”.
16 SLEEPING AROUND – LAD SEEN IN GROUP* – Nice definition = spurning high fidelity. Anagram indicator = Punk
19 ADJUTANT – My reading of this (correct me if not the case!) AD = Active Duty (not heard of abbrev. before) JUT = Project ANT = Soldier (a type of ant)
21 BLEARY – Hmmmm…. Isn’t the Minister Hazel Blears?
22 ACER – Nice surface reading ACE = One R = River ACER is, if I recall, the Latin name for the Maple.
24 ANIMALISM – MALI’S MAIN* Nice & Lit clue
25 MARY JANE – Slang name for cannabis – double def.
26 KISS KI(D) – last letter missing S S = Sunday School – cf Glaswegian/Kirkby Kiss (Slang terms for head butt)
DOWN
2 HARD PRESSED – HARD = strict PRESS-ED = Media Boss!
3 RETINOL – Single recipe containing it IT inside ONE+R (R) + L (length)
4 RACE AGAINST TIME – CE (Chief Engineer) inside MAGISTRATE IN A*
5 POSIT – How to relax = SIT after OP (R)
6 RUBELLA – Rugby = RU BELLA = I am advised by my big sister it is a ladies’ magazine.
7 ECU – E = English CU = Copper (Have seen this clue a few times before)
8 COLD SNAP – C = Caught OLD SNAP = Sepia Photo (Like it!)
13 PALINDROMES – The clue is composed entirely of palindromes! This was thevery last clue as he didn’t notice them, he said rather shame-facedly!
15 DEADBEAT – Double definition
17 EQUERRY – E = last letter of Prince R = Royal inside QUERY
18 OBELISK – OB = old Boy + LIKES*
20 AQABA – AB = sailor inside A Q A
23 CHA – CA = About (Presumably abbrev of Circa – Is this right?) with H inside
21. Yes it is BLEARS and I think that is the answer, ‘becomes watery-eyed’ is the definition rather than becomes being just a link word.
A brilliant puzzle in every repect by Dac. Tilsit need not feel too shame-faced about not seeing the PALINDROMES. I didn’t either until very late: a classic clue.
PALINDROMES was last for me too! Marvellous. The fact that all the vowels were unchecked was, with hindsight, a factor in not seeing this till the end, I think.
Re 23 down, I think you’re quite right, h in ca abbrev for circa – you see it a lot
Thanks all for the comments.