Guardian 24,198/Brendan – ABBA Father

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Solving time: 4:27

Another cracking construction from Brendan, with the rotationally symmetric across clues forming pairs where the first is of the form AB and the second BA, e.g. SIDE ROAD/ROADSIDE and SAUNAS/NASSAU. This puzzle was worth solving for 5dn alone.

Music (20ac): The Hours by Philip Glass.

* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.

Across
1 SIDE ROAD; rev. of (DA + OR + ED + IS)
9 A + C(TO)UT
11 T + URN’S + AB + OUT
12 S(A)UN + AS – my slowest solve. An as was a Roman copper coin.
14 EYEGLASS (cryptic definition) – this is half of a slightly anomalous pair in that the split does not occur in the middle of the word.
15 SEA + RED
17 RED SEA; “READ C”
20 GLASS + EYE – the composer is Philip Glass.
23 ABOUT-TURNS; (BATS RUN OUT)* – this clue seems to lack an anagram indicator.
24 GA(O)L; &lit
25 OU (‘where’ in French) + TACT – superbly worded.
26 [b]ROADSIDE
Down
1 MIS(LEAD)S
2 F + ETA; semi-&lit
3 CORTES; ESCORT – Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs.
4 LAY SIEGE; EG in (EASILY)*
5 STABILISES – absolutely brilliant clue (“Is a bit less wobbly”).
6 QUEUES; “CUES”
8 DORSET; rev. of ROD, + SET
13 NEAR SQUEAK (two defs, one cryptic)
16 EDENTATE; (A DETENTE)*
18 ANACONDA; ON (= ‘possible’) in (CANADA)*
22 NOS + OAP – an Americanism; apparently ‘soap’ used to mean ‘money’. See here.
24 G + ASH

6 comments on “Guardian 24,198/Brendan – ABBA Father”

  4. Finished this one quite easily, but I’m still not quite sure about 4d – why is “Makes investment” LAY SIEGE?

  5. 4dn (LAY SIEGE) – Chambers gives ‘investment’ as meaning ‘blockade’ in the military sense.

    23ac – is ‘could get’ really an anagram indicator? I suppose it’s no worse than ‘possibly’.

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