I liked this grid with words all the way round the border, it is a long while since I saw one of these. Good to have the minimum of black space on the grid, value for money!
There are a couple of clues where I don’t quite get the wording, even though I’m sure I have the correct answer. Thanks to Hypnos for an enjoyable Sunday solve.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GILLIAN ANDERSON |
Actress is landing a role that alters end of western (7,8)
(IS LANDING A ROLE)* anagram=that alters then westerN (end of) – aka Special Agent Danna Scully
|
| 9 | VANCOUVER |
Advantage with college mostly open for French speakers in Canadian city (9)
VAN (advantage, tennis) with C (college) OUVERt (open in French, mostly)
|
| 10 | PRISM |
Gentleman held back during afternoon source of colourful viewing? (5)
SIR (gentleman) reversed (held back) in PM (afternoon)
|
| 11 | RASTA |
A celebrity cycling is religious follower (5)
A STAR (celebrity) with letters cycled one place (so back letter moves to the front)
|
| 12 | CLAMOROUS |
Noisy pair of clerics disrupting room in Australia (9)
CLerics (pair of letters from) ROOM* anagram=dirupting in AUS (Australia)
|
| 13 | OLIVER |
One taking pride in food right to back fruit (6)
R (right) behind (to back) OLIVE (fruit) – Jamie Oliver?
|
| 14 | ALOE VERA |
Drug kept by a boyfriend, say, with a cosmetic preparation (4,4)
E (drug) inside (kept by) A LOVER (boyfriend say) with A
|
| 17 | GREAT TOE |
Digit at top end of the scale? (5,3)
why? I know a toe is a digit but there must be more than this.
|
| 19 | STUDIO |
Boss I love in film company (6)
STUD (boss) I O (love)
|
| 22 | NUT BUTTER |
Foreign character with illness, say, that’s spread (3,6)
NU (Greek letter, foreign character) with TB (illness) than UTTER (say)
|
| 24 | ERATO |
Artistic inspiration embodied by singer at opera (5)
found in (embodied by) singER AT Opera
|
| 25 | ROUND |
Get applause in golf (5)
double definition? One can have a round of applause and a round of golf, but I can’t quite explain the wording of the clue.
|
| 26 | GALLIPOLI |
I see plunder largely reflected in battle site (9)
I LO (see) PILLAGe (plunder, largely) all reversed (reflected)
|
| 27 | LIBERAL DEMOCRAT |
Cable, say, displaced or trim lead with cable? (7,8)
anagram (displaced) of OR TRIM LEAD with CABLE – Vince Cable
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | GOVERNOR GENERAL |
A long green Rover transported Commonwealth official (8,7)
(A LONG GREEN ROVER)* anagram=transported
|
| 2 | LANDSLIDE |
Shifting of ground in overwhelming electoral victory (9)
double definition
|
| 3 | ISOLATE |
Campbell, perhaps, wearing a tie that’s frayed and cut off (7)
SOL (Sol Campbell perhaps, footballer) inside (wearing) (A TIE)* anagram=that’s frayed
|
| 4 | NOVICE |
Rookie without a deputy? (6)
NO VICE (without a deputy)
|
| 5 | NORMALLY |
Wisdom, maybe, shown by friend in standard fashion (8)
NORM (Norman Wisdom, maybe) then (shown by) ALLY (friend)
|
| 6 | EXPLORE |
Investigate former place with product of mine (7)
EX (former) PL (place) with ORE (product of mine)
|
| 7 | SLIGO |
Southern language, not northern, found in county (5)
S (southern) LInGO (language) missing N (northern)
|
| 8 | NUMISMATOLOGIST |
One whose expertise has developed in bits? (15)
cryptic definition – bits are coins
|
| 15 | ENDEAVOUR |
Effort shown in some bowls continually, we’re told (9)
END (some bowls, a game of bowls) EAVOUR sounds lime (we are told) “ever” (continually)
|
| 16 | PORTUGAL |
Country drink attracting posh woman (8)
PORT (drink) with (attracting) U (posh) GAL (woman)
|
| 18 | THUNDER |
Rail times hopelessly at first below par (7)
Times Hopelessly (first letters of) UNDER (below par, golf)
|
| 20 | TREVINO |
Old golfer from Italian city switching direction (7)
TREVIsO (Italian city) with N (north) repacing S (south, direction) – Lee Trevino
|
| 21 | GRILSE |
Young fish in Greek isle cooked (6)
GR (Greek) than ISLE* anagram=cooked
|
| 23 | THUMB |
Indicate need for lift in Northumberland (5)
found in norTHUMBerland
|
*anagram
definitions are underlined
definitions are underlined
Argh! I totally failed to get 13ac last week, and now I see it was because I’d managed to misspell 1dn, with an ‘e’ instead of an ‘o’. And once I think I’ve solved a clue, I don’t go back and check.
I couldn’t parse 22ac, so thanks for the explanation. I can’t see what 17ac is getting at, either.
Thanks, PeeDee. I enjoyed this, as I usually do with Hypnos.
GILLIAN ANDERSON is indeed best known for playing Dana Scully, but she’s recently done some acclaimed stuff on stage too.
I took GREAT TOE to be the fact that our big toe is, well, the biggest – so ‘at the top end of the scale’. Not perhaps the best clue in the puzzle, unless we’re all missing something.
FWIW when I were nobbut a lad, in our house it was always called your ‘great toe’, so the clue is perfectly straightforward.
Just my $0.02 worth.
If you stand on a scale to weigh yourself, your big toe will be at the top. Unless, of course, you stand on your hands.
Hi Conrad – ‘perfectly straightforward’ was what was bothering me – it seemed too straightforward to be in this puzzle. I like Quaiteaux’s idea – I could not say of it is correct or not but it is cyptic.