[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
As the warm British summer threatens to come to and end, it’s time for another duel with Anax which takes ones mind of the atrocities going on around the world.
Always an enjoyable solve, with nothing ever quite as you first imagine the clue is constructed – 7dn took me some time to work out that cyclist wasn’t some word order changing indicator; 16ac defined by the first word but not when I first read it; 18ac seemed to be defined by the last word initially and not the first three; 19dn took some time even though the answer had to be a bird and 26ac again where the definition was the last 2 words when they are commonly used in the construction of the answer.
12 ac was probably my favourite clue as it had me convinced for some time that it was an Oasis song !
I did really enjoy this and whilst 4dn and 14ac I don’t quite feel a parsed to completion, there was no ambiguity in the answer and it was a welcome respite from the images on the news in the week that we remembered the start of the war to end all wars.
As to anything hidden in the grid – nothing that I could see but that really doesn’t mean that nothing is actually there.
Thanks Anax for a really pleasant diversion.
Key;
* Anagram; DD Double definition; Rev. reverse
ACROSS
1 In Australia, worked out sign from the same person (10)
Aus (Australia) around (out)* + logo(sign) = AUTOLOGOUS
6 Old Liberal leaders for whom House is grateful (4)
Whom House Is Grateful = WHIG
10 Old medicine – after swallowing I cry (9)
Later (after) around I + mew (cry) = LIMEWATER
11 Fried potatoes have run out, and mix has run out(5)
RO (run out_ + stir(mix) – r (run out) = ROSTI
12 Classic Oasis tune, and mostly huge falling out (8, 7)
(Oasis tune and hug)* = THOUSAND GUINEAS (Horse race)
13 Saw ‘bass’ rejected from ‘base’ (5)
Rev. motto (saw) + b (bass) = BOTTOM
14 Service that’s not so fast (6, 2)
DD?? STEADY ON
16 Dog & Partridge carrying Saturday Independent (8)
Alan (Alan Partridge) around Sat (Saturday) + I (independent) = ALSATIAN
18 She loves it fairly quiet in big city house (6)
Mp (fairly quiet) in NY (New York) + ho(house) = NYMPHO
21 About Conservative rank, admits glorious President (6, 9)
Over (above) + c (conservative) + level (rank) in grand (glorious) = GROVER CLEVELAND
23 Turned eccentric, like a loner? (5)
Rev odd (eccentric) + as (like) = SADDO
24 Swimmer drinks a lot, given a soft drink (4, 5)
Cod (swimmer) around reams (a lot) + a = CREAM SODA
25 Public display on old chamber (4)
Ex (old) + Po (chamber) = EXPO
26 A shy girl holds on to me (10)
Per (a) + sally (shy girl) around on = PERSONALLY
DOWN
1 A raised fee for ration (5)
A + rev toll (fee) = ALLOT
2 Writer’s initially eager to interrupt solicitor’s short break (4-3)
Tout (solicitor) around I’m (writer?) + e (initially eager) = TIME-OUT
3 Rubbish Suffolk resort hotel with covers band (6,2,3,3)
Lowestoft (Suffolk resort) + h (hotel) + w (with) around ELO (band – Electric Light Orchestra) = LOWEST OF THE LOW
4 Go to Texas with an old gypsy (6)
Git (Go to?) + an + o (old) = GITANO
5 17 Members shut out, old maid let in (8)
(shut)* around prig (old maid) = UPRIGHTS
7 Cyclist across street, not in sister’s underwear (7)
Hoy (as in Chris Hoy – cyclist) around sister – st (street) = HOSIERY
8 Run of notes signals playing the same again (9)
(signals)* + do (the same again) = GLISSANDO
9 One whose work should be plain sailing? (8, 6)
Cryptic definition ORDINARY SEAMAN
13 Somehow get abuse before end of one kind act (4, 5)
(get abuse)* + e (end of one) = BEAU GESTE
15 Bunch of footballers – hard to abandon stupid clichés (8)
FA (Bunch of footballers) + (clichés-h)* = FASCICLE
17 Didn’t appear to be washed (5, 2)
DD STOOD UP
19 Bird training a fellow bird (7)
Pe (training) + a + f(fellow) + owl (bird) = PEAFOWL
20 Swedish manager’s bagged Euro game (6)
Sven’s (As in Goran Eriksson) around e (euro) = SEVENS
22 Amateur work includes extremely amateur record of events (5)
DIY (amateur work) around ar (extremely amateur) = DIARY
Thanks twencelas and Anax,
I think STEADY ON is stead (service) + yon (that).
re GITANO – GIT = “go” for someone from Texas (“to Texas”).
I don’t understand STOOD UP – how does “to be washed” indicate a second definition?
3 dn and 16 ac were very nice.
Muffyword – On of the definitions of ‘wash’ in Chambers is to ‘stand the test’ hence it’s double definition. I think you’re right with your other two points – Thanks
Muffyword – an example of “wash=stand up” would be something like evidence presented in court that doesn’t pass muster, in other words it doesn’t wash/stand up.
I couldn’t parse the “git” element of GITANO or STEADY ON, so thanks for that.
My only quibble is that, to me at least, the clue for GROVER CLEVELAND reads like GRAND should be inside (admits glorious) the rest of the answer, not outside it. I’m sure somebody will be able to tell me why I’m wrong.
Thanks twencelas and Andy B @ 3 and 2 irrespectively. Those explanations certainly wash.
Andy B @3, I think in 20ac, the comma allows “glorious” to be the subject of the verb “admits”.
Thanks twencealas and Muffyword we needed you both today as we could not parse 14ac. We hadn’t thought of YON and did not know the archaic meaning of STEADY. We should have checked the dictionary!
Many thanks to Anax too.
Thanks Muffyword@5. I didn’t think about the significance of the comma.
Well, I did think of a possible significance of the comma. But then we should have “Above Conservative rank, glorious admits”. Or do we have to read clues from right to left nowadays? 🙂
For me, the one unsatisfying clue in an otherwise excellent puzzle (as we’ve come to expect from Anax, of course).
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find 26ac as I thought 19d was “peacock”. I didn’t take ‘fellow’ as part of the construction but ‘fellow bird’ as ‘also a/another bird’.
Strange word, peafowl, but alas.
Many thanks twencelas for your blog.
A most enjoyable puzzle. It took me a while, but a steady solve, though I was also held up for some time by casually entering PEACOCK at 19 down. At the back of my mind I knew the ‘fellow’ was in there for a reason, but it was only when I despaired of finding any word with a K in it that fitted 26A that I actually thought to look at the clue again and it fell into place.
I also wasn’t happy with the parsing of 14A for a while but I did eventually dredge up ‘yon’ as ‘that’ and had an ahhhh… moment. I agree that 21A was an awkward parsing, but it was clear enough not to leave any doubt in my mind, which is what matters in my view.
I enjoyed some clues very much, especially 11,12and 13ac. Also queried the same two parsings but they had to be. FOI 13d, LOI 7d.
Thx both
Very quick thanks to twenceslas and commenters. Am on hols in Italy but internet connection here in campsite bar is dodgy, keeps cutting off every 5 mins or so.
Hope you all enjoyed the puzz. No theme, just playfulness! Having a fantastic time here with daughter, managing to almost completely avoid crosswordland. Back in about a week.