Very challenging and entertaining puzzle with some very clever clues. Better stop here in case I incur the wrath of this setter who did not take kindly to my comments last time
Hold cursor over any clue number to read the clue.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BRUTAL | BRUT (a brand of aftershave) ALI (The Greatest) minus I |
| 5 | See 4 | |
| 9 | SPRAINED | Ins of P (end of cap) in *(SARDINE) |
| 10 | PRUNES | dd |
| 11 | SNOT | Rev of TONS (lots, bags) for usually dry nasal mucus that is picked surreptitiously when you think nobody is looking. In the Far East, the derisive term is applied to Singapore by its larger predominantly-Muslim neighbours and to Taiwan by the PRChina |
| 12 | SINGLE FILE | Single (45 rpm vinyl record) FILE (documentary record) |
| 13 | GENEVA | ha |
| 14,25 | STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN | *(TV HIT AS A WEARY ONE) “Stairway to Heaven” is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. Note the connection to 2,22 |
| 16 | ESCAPEES | Ins of AP (first letters of Aldi promotions) in TESCO minus TO & EES (rev of SEE) |
| 19 | LIBIDO | ALIBI (excuse) minus A + DO (party) |
| 21 | FLOOD PLAIN | FLO-JO minus J (judge) + D (died) PLAIN (ugly) for an extensive level area beside a river, formed of deposits of sediment brought downstream and spread by the river in flood. Reference to Florence Griffith-Joyner (1959–1998), also known as Flo-Jo, an American track and field athlete who was a mega-star in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games |
| 23 | SOHO | First letters of sets off hounds’ onslaught for a hunting call whereas most of us associate this word with a seedy part of London |
| 24 | GODIVA | GO (run) DIVA (rev of AVID, fanatical) Lady Godiva was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, in England, in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants |
| 25 | See 14 | |
| 26 | ISOLATOR | rha |
| 27 | STEADY | Cha of S (second) *(DATE) + Y (symbol for unknown in algebra) |
| Down | ||
| 2,22 | REPONDEZ SIL VOUS PLAIT | *(SO A LeD ZEPPELIN IV TOUR’S) for the familiar RSVP at the bottom of many invitation cards … and all this while, I thought it stood for Remember Some Valuable Presents |
| 3 | TOASTIE | Ins of S (son) in TO A T (to a tee, perfect) + IE (id est, that is, that is to say) |
| 4,5A | LANDSCAPE PAINTING | *(PAGE PLANT DISC IN AN) |
| 5 | PEDANTS | Ins of ED (BALLS, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliament, thanks RogerE@17) in PANTS (underwear) My COD for a clue which could very well have come from Cyclops in the Private Eye |
| 6 | IMPEL | I (one) M (mark) PELE (famous Brazilian footballer) minus E |
| 7 | THUS FAR | Ins of SFA (Sweet Fanny Adams, nothing) in *(HURT) |
| 8 | NEEDLE AND THREAD | NEED (want) LEAN (skinny) + ins of THR (last letters of rat? Watch catcher) in DEAD (six feet under) Cannot resist going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UMGPBiaTvw to hear Skeeter Davis singing Silver Threads and Golden Needles |
| 15 | AILANTHUS | Ins of I (one) in ALAN SUGAR (a British business magnate, media personality, and political advisor) THUS (part of the answer to 7D) for a tall Asoiatic tree |
| 17 | ASOCIAL | AS (while) + ins of I (one, used third time in the same puzzle) in O CAL (zero calorie, nutritional description of water) |
| 18 | SCANTER | SCATTER (spread) with N substituted for T) |
| 20 | BUS LANE | Ins of US (America) in David BLAINE (street magician) minus I (vanishing trick essentially) Very clever construction |
| 22 | See 2 | |
Key to abbreviations
dd = double definition
dud = duplicate definition
tichy = tongue-in-cheek type
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(FODDER) = anagram
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