Sometimes we want a quick solve because we are so short of time but we end up with a real challenge. On other occasions we want to have our minds stretched but we reach the end all too quickly. With all the gardening and other jobs that need doing at the moment, we were so pleased to have a satisfying solve that was completed quickly.
There were a couple of answers that needed checking but were clear from the word play. Lovely surface reading as always – 24 ac in particular.
Thanks Dac.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Remember everything taking place behind play area | |
| RECALL | ALL (everything) after REC (play area) | |
| 4 | Trawl netting most of favourite type of fish | |
| SEA PERCH | SEARCH (trawl) around or ‘netting’ PE |
|
| 9 | One crushed by missile, coming to grief | |
| PERISHING | I (one) inside or ‘crushed by’ PERSHING (missile) | |
| 11 | Somewhere to go: a large Canadian city | |
| LAVAL | LAV (somewhere to go) A L (large). We had to check this one. | |
| 12 | In retrospect, say, region round Virginia’s capital is nothing special | |
| AVERAGE | EG (say) AREA (region) around V (Virginia’s capital) all reversed or ‘in retrospect’ | |
| 13 | Serviceman’s uniform | |
| REGULAR | Double definition | |
| 14 | Special pianos should be properly tuned, they believe | |
| EPISCOPALIANS | An anagram of SPECIAL PIANOS (anagrind is ‘properly tuned’) | |
| 18 | Highly-strung intellectual backing painting technique | |
| TEMPERAMENTAL | MENTAL (intellectual) after or ‘backing’ TEMPERA (painting technique) | |
| 20 | Fishermen using line in French city | |
| ANGLERS | L (line) in ANGERS (French city) | |
| 22 | Short drama: Pinter’s first, a telly production | |
| PLAYLET | P (Pinter’s first) + an anagram of A TELLY (anagrind is ‘production’) | |
| 24 | Duellist initially argues about weapon | |
| SWORD | D (Duellist initially) ROWS (argues) reversed or ‘about’ | |
| 25 | Sweet stuff and grease mixed with half portion of butter | |
| BEET SUGAR | An anagram of GREASE and BUT |
|
| 26 | Lots of people, old, given hands-on experience? | |
| MASSAGED | MASS (lots of people) AGED (old) | |
| 27 | Robbery: heartless sin at church | |
| SNATCH | S |
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | I keep telling you, it’s a firearm | |
| REPEATER | Double definition | |
| 2 | Ambitious type, Conservative, always is outwardly cunning | |
| CAREERIST | C (Conservative) + EER (always) IS with ART (cunning) outside | |
| 3 | Harmful drug – not cocaine – creating a type of fever | |
| LASSA | ||
| 5 | Read all on page reproduced by this writer | |
| EDGAR ALLAN POE | An anagram of READ ALL ON PAGE – anagrind is ‘reproduced’ | |
| 6 | Old noble showing where mate’s buried | |
| PALSGRAVE | PAL’S (mate’s) GRAVE (where someone is buried). A new word for us. | |
| 7 | French musician not good for the Stones | |
| RAVEL | ||
| 8 | Girl or boy showing merriment without it | |
| HILARY | HILAR |
|
| 10 | I snack half-heartedly after catching train? Impossible to say | |
| INEXPRESSIBLE | I NIB |
|
| 15 | Man copied out summaries of works | |
| COMPENDIA | An anagram of MAN COPIED – anagrind is ‘out’ | |
| 16 | Greek character trapped in minor fire | |
| SET ALIGHT | ETA (Greek character) ‘trapped’ in SLIGHT (minor) | |
| 17 | God denied by old, clever philosopher | |
| PLUTARCH | PLUT |
|
| 19 | Plant in graduate’s workplace shooting upwards | |
| BALSAM | MA’S LAB (Graduate’s workplace) reversed or ‘shooting upwards’) | |
| 21 | Paint – gallons oddly used on front of store | |
| GLOSS | GaLlOnS (odd letters only) on S (front of Store) | |
| 23 | Article run by Sun about crime | |
| ARSON | A (article) R (run) S (Sun) ON (about) | |
Many thanks, Bertandjoyce. I could only think of Red Perch but realised it didn’t parse so needed your explanation – obvious once it was in, as was Laval – doh! Thanks to Dac for a satisfying workout on the train this morning.
I found this the usual enjoyable Dac fare. I don’t recall coming across LAVAL before but the wordplay was clear enough, and I had come across PALSGRAVE before so that one was pretty much a write-in. CAREERIST was my LOI.
All very straightforward and a pleasant way to spend a quarter of an hour. Thanks, Dac and B&J.
I hadn’t come across palsgrave, but I did know palgrave, and I see that they are alternative forms of the same word. At 19D, I was a bit confused why a Master of Arts should be working in a lab, but it seems they were. Perhaps it was a language lab! I didn’t understand the clue at 24A “sword”, but guessed the answer – thanks for the explanation, Bertandjoyce. Jolly nice, Dac, thanks.
17d: Plutarch is the only word that fitted, so I put it in. I think of Plutarch as a historian, though.
A good puzzle, much more than 15 minutes. Thanks DAC and B&J
I actually nearly finished this one today 28th of August 2019 , except for Laval. The above eggheads “a nice 15 minutes“
It took me all day on & off.