Good fun from Artexlen today. A relatively straightforward puzzle (for Artexlen) but with a sting in it’s tail. Thank you.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PRESS CORPS | Group of journalists gets ready to surround cross suspect (5,5) |
| PREPS (gets ready) contains (to urround) CROSS* anagram=suspect | ||
| 6 | ACNE | Spots expert pilot bearing north (4) |
| ACE (expert) contaning (bearing) N (North) | ||
| 9 | CLAVICHORD | Rich vocal broadcast accompanying daughter’s musical instrument (10) |
| (RICH VOCAL)* anagram=broadcast then D (daughter) | ||
| 10 | FIRE | Sack’s thread pulled at the centre (4) |
| FIbRE (thread) with centre missing (pulled) | ||
| 12 | SPIDER MONKEY | Rest day, important for climber (6,6) |
| SPIDER (rest, snooker) MON (day) KEY (important) | ||
| 15 | FLAGRANCY | Account about old lady being bitten by insect causes outrage (9) |
| AC (account) contains (about) GRAN (old lady) all in (bitten by) FLY (insect) | ||
| 17 | EXTRA | Swirly Artex is more than necessary (5) |
| ARTEX* anagram=swirly | ||
| 18 | EX-CON | One now unrestrained in sex conversation (2-3) |
| found in sEX CONversation | ||
| 19 | SELLOTAPE | Music shop stocking only vinyl would do this sticker (9) |
| the shop would sell no (zero) tape | ||
| 20 | MINESWEEPING | One of setter’s is in tears, disposing of previous setting work (12) |
| MINE’S (one of setters is) WEEPING (in tears) – unsetting mines | ||
| 24 | TUTU | King with posh skirt (4) |
| TUT (King Tutankhamun, abbrev) with U (posh) | ||
| 25 | CHLORINATE | Disinfect the oil-can adapted to contain last of beer (10) |
| anagram (adapted) of THE OIL CAN containing beeR (last letter of) | ||
| 26 | SUDS | Foam starts to unsettle deckhand aboard ship (4) |
| Unsettle Deckhand (starts, first letters, of) in SS (aboad a steam ship) | ||
| 27 | UTILISABLE | Fit for employment after crushing a libel suit (10) |
| (A LIBEL SUIT)* anagram=crushing | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PACE | Piano expert politely expressing disagreement (4) |
| P (piano) ACE (expert) – a word used to express polite disagreement. ACE=expert was also used in 6 across. | ||
| 2 | ESAU | Biblical man’s son entering Arab state from the south (4) |
| S (son) entering UAE (Arab state) reversed (from the south) – definition is (biblical man) | ||
| 3 | SLIPPERINESS | Nipples rise when fondled by saint: may be sign of a rascal (12) |
| (NIPPLES RISE)* anagram=when fondled then S (saint) | ||
| 4 | OOHED | That man embraced by topless dish showed pleasure (5) |
| HE (that man) in (embraced by) fOOD (dish) topless – an unusual but rather pleasing word | ||
| 5 | PORTRAYAL | Study’s doorway letting in column of light (9) |
| PORTAL (doorway) containing (letting in) RAY (column of light) | ||
| 7 | CRICKET BAT | One used for hitting creature that flies under hopper (7,3) |
| BAT (creature that flies) under CRICKET (hopping insect) | ||
| 8 | EMERY PAPER | Abrasive material damaged prepay meter, after scrubbing centrepiece (5,5) |
| anagram (damaged) of (PREPAY METER)* missing (scrubbing) T (centre, middle letter, of meter) | ||
| 11 | HOME COUNTIES | Nobleman that is in possession of properties and land around London (4,8) |
| COUNT (nobleman) IE (that is) inside (in possession of) HOMES (properties) | ||
| 13 | AFTERMATHS | Wakes too late for algebra lesson? (10) |
| double/cryptic definition – ‘wakes’ and ‘to late for algebra lesson?’. An excellent clue! | ||
| 14 | VACCINATED | Immunised cleaner can’t die sweeping (10) |
| VAC (cleaner) then (CAN’T DIE)* anagram=sweeping | ||
| 16 | NISSEN HUT | Put up popular nurse in secure metal shelter (6,3) |
| IN (popular) reversed (put up) SEN (nurse) – a prefabricated building designed in World War I | ||
| 21 | PROWL | Restlessly move around area of boat on lake (5) |
| PROW (area of boat) on L (lake) | ||
| 22 | JAMB | Give a poke to keep me partly upright (4) |
| JAB (give a poke) containing Me (first letter, part of) – a door upright | ||
| 23 | HERE | What? Given up on final clue? (4) |
| EH (what) reversed (given up) RE (regarding, on) – the final clue is here. I nearly did give up on this one! | ||
*anagram
Didn’t enter 1d because of ace / expert twice, would have expected better from him. Lots of clearly signposted anagrams made for an otherwise quick solve.
Thanks PD and eX
I agree, PeeDee: the clues at the end of today’s puzzle were quite tricky.
I didn’t expect ‘upright’ to be the definition in 22dn and I thought ‘ON=RE’
was very well disguised in 23dn.
(I’m sure you meant to parse 8dn, EMERY PAPER, as an anagram
of PREPAY METER after scratching T, the centrepiece of METER.)
Thanks for your blog and thanks, Artexlen, for today’s entertainment.
Thanks mike04, fixed now.