A tough, but generally fair workout.
I say “generally fair” as I have a couple of quibbles (see 4ac and 9ac).
Other than these two examples, however, this was an enjoyable solve, with some very clever surfaces. I particularly liked 16dn, which is the best clue I’ve come across for a while.
No NINA or theme that I could spot, but my apologies if I’ve missed either.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SEDATE | Dignified lawyer close to court in York, say (6) |
| D.A. + (cour)T in SEE | ||
| 4 | SWIMWEAR | Writer in extremely shallow English river, wearing this? (8) |
| I think the parsing is
I’M in S(hallo)W + WEAR (“English river”) but if it is, it doesn’t work, because “writer” would indicate I, not I’M. |
||
| 9 | REALM | Metal detected during drowsy phase in field (5) |
| Al (Aluminium) in R.E.M.
I’m no expert, but I don’t think that R.E.M. and “drowsy phase” are synonymous, as R.E.M. is associated with deep sleep, whereas “drowsy” is more like “half asleep”. |
||
| 10 | MUSSOLINI | Passed Italian car, with poor souls crammed inside (9) |
| *(souls) in MINI | ||
| 11 | PROCTOR | University official supporting college rock (7) |
| PRO (“supporting”) + C(ollege) + TOR (“rock”) | ||
| 12 | SCEPTRE | Odd characters in secret exercises concerning staff (7) |
| SeCrEt + P.T. (“exercises”) + RE (“concerning”) | ||
| 13 | EDEN | Excited donee, not old, is promised land (4) |
| *(dnee) – “donee” without O (“old”) | ||
| 14 | HEADGEAR | Perhaps boater’s cape beginning to get attention (8) |
| HEAD (“cape”) + G(et) + EAR (“attention”) | ||
| 17 | SPATLESE | Row sheltered from wind includes vines ultimately producing this? (8) |
| SPAT (“row”) + LEE including (vine)S
Spatlese is a term for late autumn German wine. |
||
| 19 | EBRO | Current Iberian globe rotated, showing Spain at front (4) |
| E (“Spain”) + <=ORB
The Ebro is the second longest river in the Iberian, rising in Cantabria, passing through Zaragoza, and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. |
||
| 22 | AGAINST | Adjacent to cooker, tins melted (7) |
| AGA(“cooker”) + *(tins) | ||
| 24 | ORLANDO | US city joiner wears gold watch (7) |
| AND (“joiner”) in OR LO (“gold watch”) | ||
| 25 | BRIDLEWAY | Brother with lazy manner leaving trail of jumpers? (9) |
| Br. + IDLE WAY
A bridleway is a path suitable for horses. |
||
| 26 | MAORI | Ramble contrarily, having only one language abroad (5) |
| <=ROAM + 1 | ||
| 27 | TINCTURE | Small tipple can remedy stifling time (8) |
| TIN (“can”) + CURE “stifling” T | ||
| 28 | SELDOM | Rarely hose cold room – never front half (6) |
| hoSE coLD roOM – taking away the first half of each word | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SHRAPNEL | War hero may contain this silent strike by opponents on left (8) |
| SH + RAP + N + E + L
N and E are North and East, opponents in bridge. |
||
| 2 | DEACONESS | Dave’s outside with Charlie obtaining ice-cream for sister? (9) |
| D(av)E + ASS (“Charlie”) acquiring CONE (“ice cream”) | ||
| 3 | TOMATO | Infant covers mother with old fruit (6) |
| (TOT covers MA) + O | ||
| 5 | WEST SIDE STORY | Musical districts on the left and on the right? (4,4,5) |
| WEST SIDES (“districts on the left”) + TORY (“on the right”) | ||
| 6 | MIOCENE | Olympic officials probing guys taking drug for a very long period (7) |
| I.O.C. (“International Olympic Committee”) in MEN + E (“drug”)
The Miocene was a geological epoch which lasted 18 million years, so a very long period. |
||
| 7 | EDICT | Command police force during the vacuous rising (5) |
| <= T(CID)E, with TE being “the vacuous” (ie T(h)E) | ||
| 8 | RUINED | Ancient letter about Independence Day’s damaged (6) |
| (RUNE about I) + D | ||
| 10 | MARTELLO TOWER | Circular building’s telephone line over after damage by haulage vehicle? (8,5) |
| (TEL + L + O after MAR) + TOWER (“haulage vehicle” – that which tows) | ||
| 15 | ROBIN HOOD | Serial criminal cross about spike up on house (5,4) |
| ROOD about (<=NIB) + Ho. | ||
| 16 | POLONIUM | Jersey – part of UK? I’m not sure it’s an element (8) |
| POLO (“jersey”) + N.I. (Northern Ireland = “part of UK”) = UM (“I’m not sure”) | ||
| 18 | ANNULET | Gold enveloping knights allowed as heraldic emblem (7) |
| AU enveloping NN (“knights” in chess) + LET
An annulet is a small ring in heraldry. |
||
| 20 | GAMBIT | Initial strategy to take over journal had an impact (6) |
| <=MAG (“journal”) + BIT (“had an impact”) | ||
| 21 | FLAMBE | Way of cooking fat captivates male trainee at the back (6) |
| M in FLAB + (traine)E | ||
| 23 | ALIEN | Knocking back some wine I labelled “exotic” (5) |
| Hidden backwards in “wiNE I LAbelled” | ||
*anagram
Thank you loonapick, I share your doubts about 4 & 9ac (perhaps the latter should have read “The writer’s”). I wasn’t too happy with the repetition of “wear” also.
Quibbles apart I enjoyed the puzzle, thank you AARDVARK.
9ac Wikipedia says REM sleep is the most awake phase of sleep, so no quarrels from me with drowsy phase
Thanks for that, Maagran@2.
Thanks for the blog, Loonapick.
I got just over half of this, and thought it pretty poor.
The CID isn’t a police force, it’s a department – that’s what the D stands for!
Is Eden the promised land? I thought the promised land was Israel…
Surely an initial strategy is an opening gambit – a gambit is just a strategy – or even just a tactic?
Thanks Aardvark and loonapick
Found this a challenge on the last day of the Easter break with all clues holding out till the last. Agree that there were a few clues with question marks over the absolute accuracy – 4a, 9a and 13a (more so for me) – but none of them stopped me from getting the correct answer !
Didn’t parse the second part of POLONIUM which meant that I couldn’t share the appreciation of a cracker clue until coming here.
Finished in SW corner with TINCTURE (which was a hard clue – fairly loose definition and a devious word play) and GAMBIT (which took ages to guess the solution – really needed that last T – and just as long to work out what was going on with the word play).
Hard but ultimately, enjoyable !!
Thanks Aardvark and loonapick.
I found this a middling difficulty puzzle. Yes, I agree with the minor quibbles but as Bruce says – nothing to prevent me from arriving at the correct solutions.
Not being a great one for German wines, SPATLESE was new to me but readily deriveable.