A good, moderately challenging puzzle with some clues that required a bit of effort to parse. I liked 7 down for the neat double use of drink. 8 down could be considered quite topical after recent events.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Following inquest, use lab experimentally(13) | ||
| Subsequential | (Inquest use lab)* | ||
| 9. | Best to let go of tool(7) | ||
| Pickaxe | Pick + axe | ||
| 10. | In retrospect, civic amenity site’s flash place for waste(7) | ||
| Cesspit | (Tip’s + sec(ond))<, flash used as in "I'll be back in a flash" | ||
| 11. | State radio was not totally needed(4) | ||
| Iowa | Hidden in radIO WAs | ||
| 12. | Religious texts on church I mark as ‘C’(10) | ||
| Centigrade | NT on CE + I grade | ||
| 14. | Name European in court that’s dtold stories#d(6) | ||
| Yarned | N(ame) E(uropean) inside Yard | ||
| 15. | Exercising: one path to get in good shape(8) | ||
| Heptagon | (One path)* around G. This one caused me the most trouble after I became convinced the answer was pentagon, with the exercising being PE and path to get in good being being tao around G. | ||
| 17. | Computing system you might find on chopper(8) | ||
| Calculus | DD – calculus has several meanings including the system of computation invented by Newton among others and a deposit on teeth (tartar) | ||
| 18. | Dynastic members, son and daughter involved in defeat must return(6) | ||
| Tudors | (S(on) + d(aughter) in rout)< | ||
| 21. | Adoring tour, do sail around(10) | ||
| Idolatrous | (Tour do sail)* | ||
| 22. | Pine store’s not opened(4) | ||
| Ache | [C]ache | ||
| 24. | Cursed pupils not working(7) | ||
| Blinded | DD – as in effing and blinding | ||
| 25. | Call for tiresome person to be expelled is justified(4,3) | ||
| Bore out | DD/CD – call for bore to leave is “bore out” | ||
| 26. | Prince admitting one groupie heartlessly hit kisser(7,6) | ||
| Georgie Porgie | George around I + (gro[u]pie)* | ||
Down |
|||
| 1. | Outwardly cunning, work on Greek character with sentimentality(7) | ||
| Soppily | Sly around op + Pi | ||
| 2. | Conservative to support campaign with Germany – can monarch?(8-7) | ||
| Backward looking | Back + war + D + loo + king | ||
| 3. | Prefer to have head slightly down for dash(4) | ||
| Elan | Lean with L moved down | ||
| 4. | New first lady wearing French article is odd(6) | ||
| Uneven | N(ew) + Eve in Un | ||
| 5. | Tick seen creeping around clothing(8) | ||
| Neckties | (Tick seen)* | ||
| 6. | Shrewd partners due to leave summit after one(10) | ||
| Insightful | NS (bridge partners) + [r]ightful after I | ||
| 7. | ‘Drink, drink’ chanted goon with such swaggering(7,8) | ||
| Lapsang Souchong | Lap + sang + (goon such)* | ||
| 8. | Waters around river rising north spread(6) | ||
| Strewn | (Wets around R(iver))< + N | ||
| 13. | Stand accompanying bongo, saving good Parisian’s energy(3-2-3-2) | ||
| Get up and Go | Get up + and + [bon]go | ||
| 16. | Pull up outside university and worry one protecting property(5,3) | ||
| Guard dog | Drag< around U + dog | ||
| 17. | Not posh in suit, instead I’m revealing shins(6) | ||
| Climbs | Clubs with I’m replacing U | ||
| 19. | Third of sackings in one month concerning staff(7) | ||
| Sceptre | C (third letter of sackings) in Sept + re(=concerning) | ||
| 20. | Book’s precis should have length cut, the French murmur(6) | ||
| Burble | B[l]urb + le | ||
| 23. | Perhaps elder said to be superior to old for some performers(4) | ||
| Trio | Hom of tree + O(ld) | ||
More like an easy Monday puzzle than some we’ve had recently, imho; some answers were almost write-ins but there were others that required a bit of thought. 10ac was one of my last ones in; I had —-PIT right from the start and thought it must be CESSPIT, but couldn’t see how to parse it. (Btw the blog has CESSPOOL as the answer although the parsing’s correct). CALCULUS was my CoD.
Thanks, eXternal and NealH.
The red ink seems wayward today: 10a and 7d Lapsang Souchong. Thanks to both.
eXternal 2-0 Kathryn’s Dad today. I failed on HEPTAGON and BURBLE (putting in PENTAGON and MUMBLE even though they didn’t parse, just for the pleasure of having a filled grid).
I liked GEORGIE PORGIE today for its pleasing memory of a nursery rhyme that I haven’t heard for years and years. And thanks to Neal for parsing CALCULUS.
As per ksd thanks Neal didnt know the teeth calculus link although the calcium link should have twigged.
Thanks for parsing 6d – we can see how it now works although it seems a little forced in our humble opinion. We often find that there are a few clues that are written in from the definition and/or enumeration before parsing but today there were more than usual.
Thanks eXternal for a good start to the week.
Thanks again for the blog NealH.