Solving time: 14:52
Fast start, including the big central down. Then struggled a bit, especially in the South East corner.
Although it took me a long time to see, I was amused by the audacity of indicating VAN DALI as a Dutch surrealist.
I am afraid it is a rather hasty analysis, as I have a particularly busy day. If there are any questions outstanding (or need to edit in corrections), I shall try to get back and respond this evening.
Across
1 | P-LOVER – enjoyed this clue, though I am not sure one can be romantically involved with a coin. Perhaps I lack imagination. |
5 | (s)PECULATE |
9 | MAGNUM OPUS, being (SUMMON UP A G)* |
10 | R OUT, ie “right out” contrasted with “left in” |
11 | NEGATIVE – two meanings, one photographic |
12 | C.H. + ALKY – I think Chalky is Dusty’s companion only because dust is associated with chalk in chalk-dust, but perhaps I am missing something |
13 | A STI(ff) |
15 | AIRW + OMAN, AIRW being (WAR I)* |
21 | LESS ON, whereas today I am an idiot apparently having less availability in diary (5). |
23 | E + L(EG)ANCE |
25 | (j)IFFY |
27 | B(R)OOKLET |
28 | SCHOOL – not sure about “of” in this clue. “or” would work better in the cryptic reading |
Down
3 | VAN DALI + S(ell) M(ore) |
6 | CASH CARD, being an anagram of DRACHMAS with the M replaced by another C |
8 | TRUNK CALL, this is some way beyond a simple cryptic def, with an extra layer of indirection to make up for the familiar pun |
14 | SPO(KEN + F)OR |
16 | OOMPAH-PAH, being (HAP, HAP (fortunes) + MOO (low)) (all rev) |
17 | CAN(NIB)AL, gruesome &lit that I was determined was going to use GUT rather than CANAL |
20 | DEBRIS, being (SIR + BED)(all rev) |
24 | C(RED)O – took me too long to see this, and then some time afterwards to confirm that CObalt is a poison (On edit: with thanks to the first commenter below, the poison is obviously (now) Carbon Monoxide (=CO)) |
–ilan
This is one time I ought to be solving in pencil – if I had been, I’d have rubbed out TRUMP CALL, which might just have saved me.
Stormed away on this today but stalled with three in NE corner unsolved and had to kick-start using a solver on 8D. Kicked myself because I had already thought of elephants and considered CALL for the second word. CHALKY and MULE then fell into place.
Looked further and apparently it was MULE!
Couldn’t for the life of me see why.
Many seconds of headscratching before I realised Mule is a sandal and Mule is also a cross between a horse and a donkey. I wish I knew how my brain worked.
But I loved the Vandalism one.
18a Slimy individual seeks actors for beach feature (4,4)
WORM CAST. I know it is a surface and all that but what is the “seeks” doing in there?
19a Cross on foot? (4)
MULE. As described above a mule can be a shoe or a cross-breed.
26a One’s living the lives of others? (10)
BIOGRAPHER
2d Holiday in desert (5)
LEAVE. Not a week at Sharm-el-Sheikh.
4d Stay with (marine)* at sea (6)
REMAIN
5d Closely beaten by seed? (6,2,3,4)
PIPPED AT THE POST
7d Grub particuLAR VAgrant’s eaten (5)
LARVA
22d OK, for example, like this (3-2)
SAY SO