A perfectly acceptable birthday present of a puzzle (I’m one short of the Biblical limit, unless I turn out to be strong) which I completed in a smidge over one score and 2 minutes. There was enough misdirection, or downright ambiguity, to cause a few holdups, but 6 down adequately describes the quality.
Jack initiated a consideration of the later clues in the set being rather less taxing, as if the setter was running up against a deadline, and I would stand this up as an example to verify the suggestion. Certainly the down clues (all of them) are collectively shorter than the across ones, and the last few do seem to be on the perfunctory side.
None of the vocabulary seemed to come from the deeper recesses of the dictionary, though I knew the Ethiopian King better when he was pretending to be a glass of warmed and spiced sherry. Perhaps he had a touch of the George III about him.
You have below clues, definitions, SOLUTIONS and well-intended waffle which I hope doesn’t obscure exegesis too much.
Across
1 King leaving boat in East thanks military leaders (5)
JUNTA The boat in east is JUNK, remove the K(ing) and add TA for thanks. Juntas are usually military governments following a coup, but can also be civil government agencies and such.
4 Limit placed on common use of straw hat in service (6,3)
FORAGE CAP As worn by everyone in the Walmington-on-Sea platoon except Captain Mainwaring. A common use of straw is as FORAGE, to which you add a limit in the form of a CAP. A pretty lift and separate deception.
9 Graduate takes ages, heading off for period around arrival time (9)
MATERNITY MA is the graduate, and the age taken is ETERNITY with the heading E removed
10 Business van (5)
TRUCK I might have no truck with a van being described as a – um – truck, but it’s a passable double definition
11 Conservatively speaking they lost at sea, beaten (2,3,3,5)
TO SAY THE LEAST An anagram (beaten) of THEY LOST AT SEA
14 Bad, as it happens to point the wrong way (4)
EVIL As it happens is LIVE, which then points in the opposite direction as instructed
15 Leaving money in account not collected? (3,7)
OFF BALANCE Leaving is (I’m) OFF, money in account (if you have any) is a BALANCE, and not collected is a neat misdirection, which you should take as not calm, discomforted.
18 Fifty in a hundred sacked, English included, without warning (10)
UNHERALDED Fifty is its Latin equivalent L, tucked into an anagram (sacked) of A HUNDRED, with an E(nglish) thrown in for good measure.
19 Never again paid for by church (4)
ONCE So I know CE is a common crossword abbreviation for church so I have to make paid for produce ON. Ah, ok, the Milky Bars are on me. Paying for whatever is ON C.E.
21 Extremely remote date for renewal of contract? (13)
REAPPOINTMENT This is where I lost time with a (perfectly acceptable) REARRANGEMENT. Extremely remote indicates the two ends of the word, R and E. Then think of a word for date and stick it on. Make sure the word you choose is APPOINTMENT. ASSIGNATION also works.
24 A Hebraic drink with degree of acidity (5)
ALEPH Cheeky definition requiring knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet, or of set theory in mathematics. Drink is (what better than good English) ALE, and degree acidity is defined by the PH number. Again a neat clue, the quality of drinks being measure in part by their acidity.
25 Buoyant composer reflected on complete suite, perhaps (9)
UPHOLSTER Especially because HOLST was the composer best known for The Planets Suite, this clue is well crafted. There he is feeling UP (buoyant) with on: RE “reflected”. The definition is verbal, not adjectival.
27 Specified son with copy from author caught in act (9)
DESCRIBED S(on) is attached to CRIB, or copy from author, with both placed in DEED for act.
28 Leading old African general returning from America (5)
NEGUS Arthur disguised his African roots rather well, don’t you think? In fact, Chambers describes Negus succinctly as the king of Ethiopia, noting its historic use. General just provides the abbreviation GEN to be returned, and from America provides the US.
Down
1 Article supporting politician in gaol leads UN to act prematurely (4,3,3)
JUMP THE GUN So article is THE, supporting MP for politician, placed inside JUG for gaol with UN following. Phew.
2 Head teachers getting together (3)
NUT The teachers union is also the N.U.T., source of much ribaldry amongst schoolboys everywhere.
3 Boys out of bounds in middle of narrow ravine (6)
ARROYO The (larger) middle of nARROw contains bOYs without bounds
4 Horrendous fine legal (9)
FRIGHTFUL F(ine plus RIGHTFUL. Easy once you think of the word wanted for legal, or the word wanted for horrendous.
5 Yankee in retreat used up foreign currency (5)
RIYAL Y(ankee) from NATO, in LAIR for retreat “used up”.
6 For one mounted, running battle’s a possibility (8)
GETTABLE My last in, not spotting which end the definition was. For one is EG, which is mounted (another reversal indicator, we’ve had a few) and then an anagram (running) of BATTLE.
7 Face matter better with husband absent (11)
COUNTENANCE (To) matter is (to) COUNT, and(to) better) is (to) ENHANCE. Remove the H(usband).
8 Gentle reminder acceptable during exercise (4)
POKE I’ve had some less-than-gentle pokes in my time, but it’s OK, acceptable, in PE, exercise.
12 These miners supply bits and pieces (11)
SMITHEREENS Usually very small and unidentifiable bits and pieces, but OK. An anagram (supply) of THESE MINERS
13 Sides of bridge between teeth forming bonds (10)
DEBENTURES (because indentures doesn’t work) The sides of BridgE go between the (false) teeth DENTURES.
16 Faulty line inscribed in medal I cast (9)
BLEMISHED Another time consumer for me. The Medal you want is the British Empire one, inscribe a L(ine) and add I SHED for I cast.
17 Queen under pressure to contact evangelist (8)
PREACHER Under P(ressure) goes REACH for contact, and Her Maj follows in the version of her name she uses on post-boxes.
20 Dictator‘s address cut short in error (6)
STALIN Well, if he wasn’t a dictator, what was he? Address gives TALk which is cut short, and error gives SIN. Put one in t’other
22 Choice bishop makes directly (5)
PLUMB Which works as “directly” if followed by, say, down the middle. PLUM is from choice, and B(ishop) from the chess piece. My local Bishop uses +.
23 Where you’d hope to recover charge (4)
WARD Two definitions, one rather whimsical.
26 One identifying secret agent’s features (3)
TAG Ah, right, today’s hidden, kept to the last, in secreT AGent
FOI Junta
LOI Aleph
COD Jump the gun
Today I finally managed one (almost) without aids for the first time and so thought I might just as well post a comment.
This was quite enjoyable, apart from not being too keen on making REAPPOINTMENT out of RE and APPOINTMENT.
LOI: Gettable.
Time: About an hour, which is hopefully not too much below par for a non-native speaker.
I really enjoyed this. Nearly gave up after a while but all the clues were 6dn with patience and with flexibility of thought. LOI plumb POI upholster.
Live Journal was American when we started.
I know it was (and I’m rather sad about all the subsequent developments and where it ended). But I believe that it never played a role in the English-speaking blogosphere similar to the one it had in the Russian-speaking one (but even that is almost dead now).
Eventually stumped on NHO ALEPH and ARROYO. Would have got aleph if ward had come to mind (and why did ale not come to mind with drink — — E in the grid?) but could not see the device for Arroyo.
Great puzzle that defeated me.
Thanks Z and setter
As English is not your first language, you have excelled yourself.
Keep persevering.
Privyet. Greetings from a fellow Russian speaker and crossword aficionado.
The erudition, wit and general bonhomie in these blogs make joyful reading, just as edifying as doing the crossword itself.