PeeDee is away enjoying a holiday so I get a chance to return to what used to be my regular Wednesday FT slot.
A fairly straightforward solve by Aardvark’s standards though there were a few places where I questioned the definition or a synonym used as part of the wordplay. For example, in 16ac, I would not say that a placebo is a medication, however I do see that Chambers defines it as “a medicine given to humour or gratify a patient rather than to exercise any physically curative effect”.
Across
1 Bren in a sling would exemplify this closely (3,2,3)
ARM IN ARM – cryptic/double def. – the cryptic part referring to a Bren gun being cradled in the crook of an arm
5 Familiar with American poem recalled over time (4,2)
USED TO – US (American) ODE (poem) reversed (recalled) around (over) T (time)
9 Soldier is occupying banks of Danube, a place of destiny? (8)
PARADISE – PARA (soldier) IS in (occupying) D[anub]E (banks of Danube)
10 One of the comperes, I’m surprised to see, suffering outside (2-4)
CO-HOST – COST (suffering) around (outside) OH (I’m surprised)
12 Royal captures the atmosphere partly (5)
ETHER – ER (Royal) around (captures) THE
13 State monument at last seen, repeatedly wandering (9)
TENNESSEE – [monumen]T (monument at last) plus an anagram (wandering) of SEEN SEEN (seen, repeatedly)
14 Begin to like doctor touring Thailand on crusade perhaps (4,2)
WARM TO – WAR (crusade perhaps) MO (doctor) around T (Thailand)
16 Medication record brought over, expert with biro filling out (7)
PLACEBO – LP (record) reversed (brought over) ACE (expert) B[ir]O (biro filling out)
19 Audibly irritable after six deliveries supervised (7)
OVERSAW – OVER (six deliveries) plas a homophone (audibly) of ‘sore’ (irritable)
21 Old aircraft front absorbs public regularly (6)
VULCAN – VAN (front) around (absorbs) [p]U[b]L[i]C (public regularly)
23 International star in broadcast being transferred (2,7)
IN TRANSIT – INT (international) plus an anagram (broadcast) of STAR IN
25 Joe authorised clothing (5)
GILET – GI (Joe) LET (authorised)
26 Type of play breaking my code (6)
COMEDY – an anagram (breaking) of MY CODE
27 Crowd during meal turned to liqueur (8)
AMARETTO – RAM (crowd) in (during) TEA (meal) reversed (turned) TO
28 Gold bracelet initially dropped into prepared dessert (6)
SORBET – OR (gold) B[racelet] (bracelet initially) in (dropped into) SET (prepared)
29 When Noel arrives perhaps hospital unit gets offensive (8)
INDECENT – IN DEC (when Noel arrives perhaps) ENT (hospital unit)
Down
1 Software which might be put away by head of technology (6)
APPLET – APPLE (which might be put away) T[echnology] (head of technology)
2 Alice’s companion to progress at two different speeds (5,4)
MARCH HARE – MARCH HARE (to progress at two different speeds)
3 Upset state of US martial artist is rock bottom (5)
NADIR – RI (state of US) DAN (martial artist) reversed (upset)
4 Master poured over oil that’s essential for European dish (7)
RISOTTO – SIR (master) reversed (poured over) OTTO (oil that’s essential)
6 Delay progress, and do it again, grabbing single wicket (9)
STONEWALL – STALL (do it again {delay progress}) around (grabbing) ONE (single) W (wicket)
7 Rubbish beginning to damage Antarctic Sea (5)
DROSS – D[amage] (beginning to damage) ROSS (Antarctic Sea)
8 It’s informally agreed part of year without Mike finished upwards (2,3,3)
ON THE NOD – [m]ONTH (part of year without Mike) DONE (finished) reversed (upwards)
11 Break kitchenware when lifting (4)
SNAP – PANS (kitchenware) reversed (when lifting)
15 Spoil beery drink that’s short in measure (9)
MISHANDLE – SHAND[y] (beery drink that’s short) in MILE (measure)
17 English missionary uncovered better adornment for clothes (9)
EPAULETTE – E (English) PAUL (missionary) [b]ETTE[r] (uncovered better)
18 Old tart, among dissenting group, worked up into a state of collapse (2,6)
TO PIECES – O (old) PIE (tart) IN (among) SECT (dissenting group) reversed (worked up)
20 Bearing white spirit, content’s emptied fully (4)
WEST – W[hit]E S[piri]T (white spirit, content’s emptied fully)
21 Go home grabbing terrier’s bit of food (7)
VITAMIN – VIM (go) IN (home) around (grabbing) TA (terrier)
22 Extreme ‘ovel, damp with no current (6)
UTMOST – [h]UT (‘ovel) MO[i]ST (damp with no current)
24 Official recording male cutting some of wedding cake? (5)
TIMER – M (male) in (cutting) TIER (some of wedding cake)
25 Stuff alcoholic drink up cagoule, at back (5)
GORGE – GROG (alcoholic drink) reversed (up) [cagoul]E (cagoule, at back)
Thanks Gaufrid. I do agree that this has been one of Aardvark’s simpler challenges. Having said that, I still needed the blog for a couple of clues (10a and 8d).
Thanks to Aardvark for a good one.
Cheers
TL
Thanks Gaufrid and Aardvark.
He might do no-one no ‘arm but I made heavy weather of this – needing 5 sittings to finish it.
I found some of the synonyms questionable like you. For instance:
1ac I think you can sling under your arm but in it?
10ac is Cost really suffering?
16ac Placebo = Medication?
Tough – but thanks for the challenge.
Thanks Aardvark and Gaufrid
This was one from the back pile and found it a lot of fun as per normal from this setter. Not as hard as usual – it took a train ride into work and was finished off over lunch. Had similar raised eyebrows with ARM IN ARM and PLACEBO, but no real gripes.
Finished up in the SE corner with EPAULETTE, AMARETTO and GILET the last few in.