It looks like it’s over a year since I last blogged a Commoner puzzle. This one seemed eminently manageable, taking less time to finish than the rather 8 down pint of Best I chose to accompany the puzzle with.
Some nicely entertaining moments, though. 22 down in particular raised a chuckle.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MONGOOSE | Doctor certainly not about to operate on extremely savage creature (8) |
| (GO in (MO + NO)) + S[avag]E. | ||
| 5 | ABACUS | A god church rejected – this adds up (6) |
| A BAC[ch]US. | ||
| 9 | THE WEIRD SISTERS | Article writer dies travelling round southern Sweden with Scandinavian goddesses (3,5,7) |
| THE + (S in (WRITER DIES)*) + S<. | ||
| 11 | EEL | Not beginning to wind in fish (3) |
| [r]EEL. | ||
| 12 | NONVIOLENT | Using peaceful means online and on TV broadcast (10) |
| (ONLINE + ON TV)*. | ||
| 14 | TESLA | Scientist‘s impressed by revolutionary false teeth (5) |
| [f]ALSE T[eeth]<. Nikola Tesla. | ||
| 15 | CHEVALIER | Virginia to sleep with king after revolutionary French fighter (9) |
| CHE Guevara + VA + LIE + R. | ||
| 17 | BOBSLEIGH | Hope, as an example, say, to put an end to winter sport (9) |
| BOB Hope + homophone of “slay”. | ||
| 19 | ALARM | Scare with a live weapon (5) |
| A + L + ARM. | ||
| 21 | GRACE KELLY | Check regulars out in fancy gallery – a princess and a movie star (5,5) |
| C[h]E[c]K in GALLERY* | ||
| 23 | SOT | Lush photographed free of husband (3) |
| S[h]OT. | ||
| 25 | SHETLAND ISLANDS | Son handles it, turning lights on in Scottish location (8,7) |
| S + (HANDLES IT)* + LANDS. | ||
| 26 | SELLER | Sister acquires magazine from vendor (6) |
| ELLE in SR. | ||
| 27 | EGG SALAD | Dish made of the ultimate in delectable goods regrettably rejected by daughter (3,5) |
| [delectabl]E + G + G + ALAS< + D. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MOTHER-TO-BE | That woman’s in bed, rising with energy, one expects (6-2-2) |
| (HER in BOTTOM<) + E. | ||
| 2 | NEEDLES | Leaves and passes through (7) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 3 | ONE AND ALL | Everyman actor, Ryan, touring foreign land (3,3,3) |
| LAND* in Ryan O‘NEAL | ||
| 4 | SPRING CHICKEN | Coward’s next to perform a song about prince, a young one (6,7) |
| (PR in SING) + CHICKEN. | ||
| 6 | BASEL | Support student in Swiss city (5) |
| BASE + L. | ||
| 7 | CHENNAI | Enchain criminal in Indian city (7) |
| ENCHAIN*. | ||
| 8 | SO-SO | Mayday over – that’s neither good nor bad (2-2) |
| SOS + O. | ||
| 10 | SPINE CHILLING | Brief trip on ecstasy – relaxing or terrifying (5-8) |
| SPIN + E + CHILLING. | ||
| 13 | DRAMATISED | Fourth-rate art is made, badly adapted for the stage (10) |
| D + (ART IS MADE)*. | ||
| 16 | AMARYLLIS | Lily, a girl unwell, chucked up on Sunday (9) |
| A + MARY + ILL< + S. | ||
| 18 | BARBELL | One may be seen in a gym, or caught in a pub for last orders! (7) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 20 | ARSENAL | Roads soldiers go up with array of weapons (7) |
| (LANES + RA)<. | ||
| 22 | CALVE | Partial to unethical veal? Bring forth a baby cow! (5) |
| [unethi]CAL VE[al]. | ||
| 24 | ISIS | Goddess lives once, then lives again (4) |
| IS + IS. | ||
* = anagram; < = reversed; [] = removed; underlined = definition
Entertaining puzzle, with some ingenious wordplay, particularly liked SPINE-CHILLING, SHETLAND ISLANDS, ONE AND ALL.
Thanks to Commoner and Simon Harris.