Bradman gives us a very easy challenge today. Very straightforward cluing with an unusual number of anagrams I thought. Good fodder for solvers starting on the FT.
FF: 8 DD: 6
| Across | ||
| 1 | SAN ANDREAS FAULT | Fan ran and assaulted drunk in the break in America (3,7,5) |
| Anagram of FAN RAN ASSAULTED | ||
| 9 | AQUARIA | Places for fish as classically featured in song (7) |
| QUA (as, old) in ARIA (song) | ||
| 10 | CHOC ICE | Option for eating cold food item from the freezer (4-3) |
| CHOICE (option) containing C (cold) | ||
| 11 | YAHOO | Rude person contributing to many a hoot (5) |
| hidden in “..manY A HOOt” | ||
| 12 | TARRAGONA | Sailor joining banter on coming to a Spanish port (9) |
| TAR (sailor) RAG (banter) ON A | ||
| 13 | ABYSSINIA | An ibis, say, flying in country once (9) |
| Anagram of AN IBIS SAY | ||
| 15 | BONUS | What follows a burden or a blessing (5) |
| B (what follows A) ONUS (burden) | ||
| 16 | TOADY | A duke entertained by model, a sycophant (5) |
| [ A D (duke) ] in TOY (model) | ||
| 18 | WENT DUTCH | Travelled with wife and shared expenses (4,5) |
| WENT (travelled) DUTCH (wife) | ||
| 20 | RESISTANT | Hostile sister, unorthodox worker (9) |
| Anagram of SISTER followed by ANT (worker) | ||
| 23 | PARIS | City couples a bit confused inside (5) |
| PAIRS (couples) with I and R interchanged (bit confused inside) | ||
| 24 | INGENUE | Female who is naive and authentic, putting home to the fore (7) |
| GENUINE (authentic) with IN (home) moved to the front | ||
| 25 | ELEVATE | Haul up French pupil, heartless act having been admitted (7) |
| ELEVE (french for student) containing AcT (heartless) | ||
| 26 | RAIN CATS AND DOGS | Come down in beastly fashion (4,4,3,4) |
| cryptic clue | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SEALYHAM TERRIER | Dog has a tree merrily fouled up (8,7) |
| Anagram of HAS A TREE MERRILY | ||
| 2 | NAUGHTY | Any thug, possibly uncontrollable (7) |
| Anagram of ANY THUG | ||
| 3 | NERVOUSLY | Lovey runs off showing agitation (9) |
| Anagram of LOVEY RUNS | ||
| 4 | ROAST | Criticise the traditional Sunday fare? (5) |
| double def / cryptic def for Criticise – take your pick. | ||
| 5 | ASCERTAIN | A small son without doubt is divine (9) |
| A S (son, small) CERTAIN (without doubt) | ||
| 6 | FLORA | A Swedish boy possibly upset girl (5) |
| A ROLF (swedish boy) , all reversed | ||
| 7 | UNICORN | Topless garment with gold on knight who struggled against lion? (7) |
| tUNIC (garment, topless) OR (gold) N (knight) | ||
| 8 | THE CATS WHISKERS | Definitive items for making primitive receivers, just what you want! (3,4,8) |
| cryptic clue, referring to the old crystal radio set | ||
| 14 | NEWSAGENT | Retailer fresh on the scene, wise fellow with set of books (9) |
| NEW (fresh on the scene) SAGE (wise fellow) NT (set of books, new testament) | ||
| 15 | BEDSPREAD | Bad rep given notice at south of county — cover needed (9) |
| [PRE (anagram of REP) AD (notice) ] after (south of, in a down clue) BEDS (county) | ||
| 17 | ASSEGAI | Spear, say, used in attack, but with end falling off (7) |
| EG (say) in ASSAIl (attack, without last letter) | ||
| 19 | TORNADO | Storm rushed very quickly with commotion ensuing (7) |
| TORN (rushed very quickly) ADO (commotion) | ||
| 21 | SONIC | Travelling at about 700 mph is so pleasant for the most part (5) |
| SO NICe (pleasant, for most part) | ||
| 22 | THETA | Greek character producing article on part-time soldiers (5) |
| THE (article) TA (part-time soldiers, territorial army) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
This would be the easiest puzzle of the Don that I’ve done with no holdups anywhere along the way. It was certainly helped after the four long perimeter clues were the first in (never been able to do that before).
Still found it an enjoyable solve. Had to look up to find the nursery rhyme about the fighting between the lion and the unicorn. Had to wait until here to see the radio detector referred to as cat’s whiskers.
Ended up in the NE corner with FLORA, TARRAGONA (a new Spanish city for me) and ASCERTAIN (after initially writing in LESS at the bottom of it).
Yes, the Don was unusually kind. Like brucew I had the good fortune to fill in the four outer margins instantly, and it was downhill from there. Thanks, Bradman for the fun, and TL for the well-honed blog.
I managed three of the perimeter solutions first in. Sealyham had to wait. Fun. I put in Banns not Bonus. I was wrong of course. Fun if over too quickly. Thanks to Bradman and Turbolegs.
Many thanks Turbolegs.
CAT’S WHISKERS was also a solution in a recent Dante puzzle that I had to blog (actually, yesterday).
As I had never heard of it, I had to look it up in Collins.
It told me that ‘the cat’s whiskers’ has two meanings.
Not just the radio one but it can also mean ‘an excellent or superior person or thing’, i.e. ‘the best’.
I think therefore Bradman adds ‘just what you want!’
So, for me, like in the Dante crossword a double definition.
Thanks to Bradman for an unusually easy puzzle.
An enjoyable one, though.
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs.
I must have a brain like a sieve – THE CATS WHISKERS for a radio set was used very recently in another puzzle (thanks for the reminder Sil) and I’d re-forgotten already.
With 1ac then 1, 2 & 3 down I started to think that the Don was going for an all-anagram show – but it was not to be!