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What a pleasant, if not difficult, solve. No complaints here!
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | STIMULATION T (time) in SIMULATION (replicated environment) |
| 7 | CUP C (about) UP (finished) |
| 9 | SCOFF SC (special constable) OFF (turned, in the sense of food going bad) |
| 10 | IMPORTUNE IMPORT (bring in) UNE (a, French) |
| 11 | ENACTMENT *(TNT MENACE) |
| 12 | ADOBE AD (notice) OBE (decoration) |
| 13 | SLEIGHT homophone of SLIGHT |
| 15 | SHIP S (Bob, as in shilling) HIP (joint) |
| 18 | FARO FAR (extremely) O (old) |
| 20 | CONCEDE N CE (new church) in CODE (regulations) |
| 23 | ADORE AD (hoarding) ORE (foreign coin) |
| 24 | LARGHETTO *(GOT LATHE) |
| 26 | DESPERADO *(DOPE READS) |
| 27 | DROWN R (Romeo) in DOWN (drink) |
| 28 | RAT R (monarch) A T (a kind of bone). “Defect” as a verb. |
| 29 | DISAFFECTED *(DECIDE STAFF) |
| Down | |
| 1 | SUSPENSE US (American) P (president) in SENSE (appreciate) |
| 2 | IDOLATER I D (figure, as in Roman numeral) O (out) LATER (in time, as in “don’t bother me, I’ll get it done in time”) |
| 3 | UNFIT F (fellow) in UNIT (detachment) |
| 4 | ALIMENT LIME (fruit) in ANT (social worker). This word was clued as an anagram in the Guardian a few days ago |
| 5 | IMPETUS *(ITEMS UP) |
| 6 | NARRATION ARR (arrival) in NATION (people) |
| 7 | COUPON COUP (masterstroke) ON (feasible) I liked this one |
| 8 | PEELER dd, from the old nickname for a policeman derived from the name of Robert Peel |
| 14 | GRAPESEED APES (primates) in GREED (longing) |
| 16 | SEA TROUT SEAT (cause) ROUT (defeat) |
| 17 | RENOWNED RE (soldiers) N (Norway) OWNED (retained) |
| 19 | ORLEANS O R (operational research) LEANS (banks) |
| 20 | CART OFF CAR (vehicle) TOFF (swell) |
| 21 | PANDER AND (a joiner) in PER (person) |
| 22 | CORSET COR (French horn) SET (collection) |
| 25 | HEDGE H (hard) EDGE (trim) |
Pleasing puzzle, as you say. Not quite sure, but wonder if in 2 down ‘figure out’ = ‘do’
Nmsindy, I thought about that as well, having in mind phrases like “figure out the puzzle.” But I ultimately thought that in those contexts “do” really just means “complete.” Chambers has “complete” among the definitions of “do,” but nothing more closely approximating “figure out.”
Hi Agentzero
Sorry, but I have to agree with Nmsindy on 2d. I also parsed it as ‘do’. None of the standard references support o=out (not even in cricket terms because o=overs). However, one of the definitions for ‘do’ in Collins is “to find an answer to (a problem or puzzle)” which surely equates to ‘figure out’.
Thanks, Gaufrid. I only have Chambers, not Collins–this must be one of those occasions where they differ–but based on your quoted definition I am sure you are right.
16D Why SEAT = cause? I see no overlap in the definitions in Collins. Otherwise I found this puzzle unproblematic.