I found this different to the usual IoS style, harder and less straightforward. Not a puzzle designed “to let everyone have a go” which I would say is the more normal Sunday theme.
I enjoyed this, especially the anagrams. Thanks Kairos.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BITTERN | Some beer not originally for bird (7) |
| BITTER (some beer) with Not (first letter of, originally) | ||
| 5 | WHITLOW | Trace deep source of pain (7) |
| WHIT (trace) LOW (deep) – an abcess on a finger or toe | ||
| 9 | OWLET | Anything about the Italian winger? (5) |
| OWT (anything) containing (about) LE (the, in Italian) | ||
| 10 | BLIND DATE | TV programme could get cavorting lad in debt (5,4) |
| (LAD IN DEBT)* anagram=cavorting | ||
| 11 | SEGUES | Proceeds without a pause to accommodate house guests – on the contrary (6) |
| founds inside (to accomodate) houSE GUESts | ||
| 12 | ESCHEAT | Teaches about property reverting to the Crown (7) |
| TEACHES* anagram=about | ||
| 14 | MANDELBROT | African leader abridged books about British mathematician (10) |
| MANDELa (African leader, abridged) with OT (books) containing BR (British) | ||
| 15 | SWAT | Hit heartless drip (4) |
| SWeAT (drop, heartless) | ||
| 17 | PACT | Commune excluded from brief treaty (4) |
| comPACT (brief) missing COM (commune) | ||
| 18 | STUDIO FLAT | Stupidly fail to dust apartment (6,4) |
| (FAIL TO DUST)* anagram=stupidly | ||
| 22 | TORTONI | After end of Act 1, playwright enters with ice cream (7) |
| I (1) following (after) acT (end of) containing (…enters) ORTON (Joe Orton, playwright) | ||
| 24 | REWORK | Change divinity lesson? (6) |
| RE (Religious Education, divinity) and WORK (lesson) | ||
| 26 | EXAMINERS | Analysts finding measure of radiation in old chemicals (9) |
| R (Rontgen, measure of radiation) in EX (old) AMINES (chemicals) | ||
| 27 | DELIA | Cook‘s haircut interrupted by old priest (5) |
| DA (duck’s ass, haircut) contains (interrupted by) ELI (old priest) | ||
| 28 | BUTLERS | Former Conservative minister’s servants (7) |
| Rab BUTLER’S (former Consrvative minister 1941-64) | ||
| 29 | FREEDOM | Regularly force feed tommy with permission (7) |
| FoRcE fE D tOmMy (regular selection of letters) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BLOSSOM | Growth of deficit in endless pots of money (7) |
| LOSS (deficit) in BOMb (pots of money, endless) | ||
| 2 | TELEGENIC | Set fair? (9) |
| cryptic definition – having character that suite being on television. I am impressed if anyone got this without the crossers. | ||
| 3 | EXTREME | End of unlimited messages associated with army engineers (7) |
| tEXTs (messages) missing end letters (unlimited) with REME (army engineers) | ||
| 4 | NABS | Catches North American deceptive humbug over the pond (4) |
| N (North) A (American) with BS (bullshit, deceptive humbug, American) | ||
| 5 | WHITE GOODS | Wished to go mad with domestic appliances? (5,5) |
| anagram (mad) of WISHED TO GO | ||
| 6 | INDUCT | Admit to where wires may go? (6) |
| IN DUCT (where wires may go) | ||
| 7 | LEAVE | Permission to abandon farewell holiday (5) |
| quadruple definition | ||
| 8 | WREN TIT | Flier with report of what to do with vacant property? (4,3) |
| sounds like (report of) “rent it” (what do do with vacant property) | ||
| 13 | ABSTAINERS | Saint bears tipsy Rechabites … (10) |
| (SAINT BEARS)* anagram=tipsy | ||
| 16 | WELL OILED | … drunk as they might be after much practice (4-5) |
| double definition | ||
| 17 | POTHERB | Plymouth Brethren consuming different plant (3,4) |
| PB (Plymouth Brethren) contains (consumes) OTHER (different) | ||
| 19 | OVERDUE | Old greenery rector removed behind schedule (7) |
| O (old) VERDUrE (greenery) missing R (rector) | ||
| 20 | TAKE AIM | Potentially make it a target (4,3) |
| anagram (potentially) of MAKE IT A | ||
| 21 | NOTICE | Spot bulletin (6) |
| double definition | ||
| 23 | ROAST | Bake rhubarb containing a dash of sugar (5) |
| ROT (rhubarb) containing A and Sugar (a dash of, one letter) | ||
| 25 | AS IF | Italy has to replace the French in union? Really! (2,2) |
| ASLEF (trade union) with I (Italy) replacing LE (the, French) | ||
*anagram
definitions are underlined
I have returned today for an IOS swansong wih a note that I set the first IOS puzzle (the first 1300-odd actually!). I am pleased that Kairos et al. held faith with this good newspaper after I jumped ship, and hope they will find berth in the online Indy
Not all that easy, with a few unknowns such as DA for ‘haircut’ and TORTONI. Liked TELEGENIC, the BLIND DATE anagram and the qd for LEAVE, my favourite.
I’m being thick, but the ‘on the contrary’ bit of 11? Does it just mean the clue ‘should’ read ‘House guests to accomodate proceeds without a pause’?
Thank you to PeeDee and Kairos.
WP@2: I think it means “house guests” is accommodating SEGUE and not the other way round.
WorlPlodder – exactly, it is not “proceeds”… that accommodates the guests but the contrary, house guests accommodate “proceeds…”
Thanks v. much Dormouse @3 and PeeDee @4. Yes,obvious now but I was a bit slow on the uptake.
Correction — more like 1100 (1300 is my rough total for IOS + Indy!). Thanks to Gaufrid who unlike me went back to the files!
My thanks to PeeDee for the review – hopefully there will be life on the other side with the on-line version but, if not, thanks to all who have reviewed and commented on my crosswords over the last few years.
Very challenging & most enjoyable. No problem with 27a – I’m old enough to remember when the DA was the height of fashion among Teddy Boys!