A splendid puzzle, this, from Gozo, with a decidedly bookish flavour (a theme which was right up my street, but may have left others tearing their hair). Technically, not a difficult solve, but a very enjoyable one, and no niggles as far as I can see (but a curious bit of double-clueing at 12,13). Thank-you, Gozo.
ACROSS
1. RACINE In [popular] within race [career]
4. STOPPARD Stop [restrain] + pard [pardner, associate in US slang]
9. BRONTE B [bishop] + anagram of tenor; “Bell” alludes to the pseudonyms adopted by the Brontes
10. RABELAIS Anagram of bails are
12. SHERIDAN She [female] + rid [did away with] + an
12, 13. (SHERIDAN) LE FANU Anagram of in half undersea
15. SHAW Sounds like shore [coastline]
16. LA FONTAINE Anagram of a tin of lean
19. BALLANTYNE Ball [delivery, in cricket] + a + N [Northern] + Tyne [river]
20. BOLT Odd letters from BoOkLeT
23. BIERCE Bier [carriage] + CE [Church (of England)]
25. DE LA MARE Anagram of lead + mare [horse]
27. SALINGER Al(e) [beer] within singer [chorister]
28. SAYERS Say [for example] + ER’s [Queen’s]
29. TENNYSON Sounds like tennis on, so Andy Murray might be playing
30. JONSON Jones [Welshman] minus E [(compass) point] + on [working]
DOWN
1. REBUSES Rebus [detective] + ES [East and South, (compass) points]
2. CLOSE CALL Double definition
3. NUTKIN Nut [head] + kin [relations]
5. THAW Anagram of what
6. PREFECTS Double definition
7. AQABA A + Q [question] + A [answer] + BA [Bachelor of Arts, graduate]
8. DISPUTE P [page] within anagram of duties
11. SAVANTS Avant [previously] within SS [i.e. on board ship]
14. BOUNCER Double definition
17. IDOLATERS Do [party] + later [afterwards] within is
18. FALCONRY Anagram of calf + on + ry [railway, tracks]
19. BABYSIT Anagram of I [one] s tabby
21. TREASON T [time] + reason [discuss]
22. DA CAPO Regular letters from DrAb ChAmPiOn
24. ELLEN LL [lines] within e’en [evening]
25. ZERO Double definition
Thanks Ringo.
From first to last this was an unalloyed joy. Wonderful surfaces and wordplay.
Right up my street too, but Gozo has helped the people you suggest mught be tearing their hair out by giving generous pointers in the definitions. US novelist. Detective writer. French fable writer. And so on.
No-one need feel excluded.
Made my day, frankly.
I agree with everything Conrad says @1 although there is one other crossword today that wins on the ‘wonderful’o-meter.
Thanks to Gozo for a great crossword and to Ringo for the explanations.
Thanks both. Good to see such unanimous poisitivity here on the FT blog!
Agreed, Conrad, the clues are never obscure or unfair.
Thanks to Gozo for a great puzzle and to Ringo for the blog.
One very slight quibble with 30A. Jones actually contains 3 ‘points’ ie n, e & s.
So the clue might have been more accurate if it had read ‘Welshman loses middle point’.
I hope that I am not been over-critical.
Thanks Gozo for an enjoyable puzzle and Ringo for the blog.
An interesting device with the double cluing of 12ac, which allowed an anagram to give us the obscure (to me, anyway) answer at 13ac.
ernie@4 re 30ac: I have on occasion complained about devices for indicating removal of only one of some letters, but “loses point” seems to me a clear indication that only one point is to be removed, leaving the solver to work out which one to remove. Of course, your alternative would also be valid and give the solver a little bit more help. It really is a matter of taste which is to be preferred.
Yes, I agree with Pelham here re. 30ac: “loses point” could apply equally, I think, to THE point or A point.
I got all the clues except for Bronte and Rebuses – Bell threw me because I didn’t know where it came from. Never heard of detective Rebus before. All in all, enjoyable.