Scorpion has a reputation as one of the tougher Indie setters but I found this pretty easy. Good fun to solve too, which is the most important thing after all. Just two queries – 3d and 17d.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | (CO OPS ORDERS OF)* – FOOD PROCESSOR |
| 8 | DUMB[-o] |
| 9 | RES(TAUR[-e]AN)T |
| 10 | HAND,S(OM)E – “decoration” is OM, for Order of Merit. |
| 11 | TIE-DYE – sounds like “thai die” |
| 12 | BISMARCK – I don’t know many US state capitals but I do know that Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota. Bismarck – the Iron Chancellor – oversaw the unification of Germany. |
| 14 | WOO in POD< – DOO-WOP |
| 16 | hidden in “sAT ON ALuminium” – ATONAL music is that which does not have a tonal centre or key. |
| 18 | NORSEMEN – “horsemen” with the H replaced with an N. |
| 20 | BE A CON |
| 22 | TEST,ROTA< – TESTATOR. Nicely disguised definition – “one who leaves will…” |
| 24 | (IS I TROPHY L)* – HOLY SPIRIT. |
| 25 | [-a]ITCH |
| 26 | PA,(GLUCOSA[G for M]INE)* – PAUL GASCOIGNE |
| Down | |
| 1 | F(A)UN,A |
| 2 | O(M,BUDS)MAN |
| 3 | PARLOUR – I was a bit unsure about this at first but I think it’s a double def as a PARLOUR is a shop (e.g ice-cream parlour) and, in a home, a place for receiving visitors so I guess that’s where you would talk. |
| 4 | EA,KING in (SPORTSMEN)* – ON SPEAKING TERMS. |
| 5 | E(LAX<)TE,D – EXALTED. Another well hidden definition. |
| 6 | S(PR)EE – wasn’t sure about this when I filled it in but the penny’s just dropped: “Butcher’s” is SEE (from the Cockney rhyming slang for look – butcher’s hook). |
| 7 | R,(SUNNY ON E)* – RUNNY NOSE. |
| 13 | IN THE LOO,P |
| 15 | RAT in (PIGEON)* – OPERATING. |
| 17 | LO,GP in GIN (going up) – I know this is right as it fits the def and I understand all of the wordplay except GP, which looks like it must be indicated by “bones”. I know that “sawbones” is a nickname for surgeons – is this a variant of that or something completely different? |
| 19 | RI(S,OTT)O – “outrageous” is OTT or Over The Top. |
| 21 | CO(Y)P,U |
| 23 | ON CUE – OUNCE (Oz) with the U moved. Clever bit of deception in Oz. |
Do I detect a bit of a theme here, with Food Processor, Restaurant, Long Pig and (possibly Ice Cream) Parlour?
But I too found the clues for 3d and 17d less than precise. Liked 14a though, once I’d twigged pod = school (of whales, etc). And I don’t think you’d find clues like 13d in certain other papers!
I agree with you re 17 down – GP = bones (doctor). I too found this less difficult than some Scorpion puzzles in the past.
Re 3d, think French for speak – Parl