I’m not sure about this one, and it took me over 30. Partly that’s because my guts are doing an audition for the remake of the Mr Creosote sketch, which is a shame because my built from scratch mushroom risotto was rather tasty. But I also had hesitations over several of the clues, though I don’t think anything was really hard. It remains to me to apologise for a slightly later post than even I manage, and for any errors that have slipped through my rather bleary edit.
Definitions underlined in italics, the rest as you find it.
| Across | |
| 1 | Man getting sack, as if Mrs Thatcher could be bothered (6,9) |
| FATHER CHRISTMAS – An anagram (could be bothered) of AS IF MRS THATCHER | |
| 9 | Stress caused by commuter journey? (5,4) |
| DRIVE HOME – A lecturer or preacher might like to emphasise some part to drive home his message. In my experience you only remember what you should have said on the homeward part of your commute. | |
| 10 | Ace to welcome having time off for match (5) |
| AGREE – A(ce) and GREEt with its T(ime) off | |
| 11 | Writer’s well popular, returning to peak! (6) |
| INKPOT – Last in, working out which bits to reverse and what abbreviations to use. Popular IN, the TO P(ea)K reversed | |
| 12 | Bird with judge in black coat, not far ahead (8) |
| NIGHTJAR -J(udge) in black NIGHT. When I think how to produce AR, I’ll post it. Right. I’ll leave that because it’s sometimes good to admit one’s puzzlement. Black coat is TAR. not far, NIGH goes ahead and both sandwich J(udge). | |
| 13 | Urban dweller to have secure fences (6) |
| TOWNIE – Chambers allows both the IE and EE endings, but here its have: OWN fenced by secure: TIE | |
| 15 | Barmaids worked on as engineer was called (8) |
| ISAMBARD – Brunel’s first name a happy anagram (worked on) of BARMAIDS | |
| 18 | Element, mostly temporary one, we must think (8) |
| ACTINIUM – No 89 on the list, so a nasty with very limited use, though I gather they’re working on it possibly for radiotherapy. Mostly temporary is ACTIN(g). one is I, and I take UM as “we must think” as in give us some time to think about that. | |
| 19 | Coming soon, Jonathan Demme’s Caged … (2,4) |
| AT HAND – I didn’t know, but film producer Demme was responsible for 1874’s Caged Heat. He cages JonAT HANDamme | |
| 21 | … Heat, note, theatre putting out first showing a third time? (8) |
| REREPEAT – This looks a little clumsy to me: HEAT is the word that loses its first, RE is the note and REP the theatre which preceeds it. | |
| 23 | Bolts entrance to storehouse after derisory comment (6) |
| SCOFFS -That meaning of bolts, and come to that scoffs. First letter (entrance) of Storehouse after SCOFF for derisory comment. | |
| 26 | Hold-up as echo’s smothered in order to be quiet (5) |
| HEIST – NATO Echo is covered by HIST for order to be quiet. | |
| 27 | Something of a catch, daughter ended single (5,4) |
| DOVER SOLE – (D(aughter) OVER for ended, and SOLE for single | |
| 28 | Such as spring camping I love that comes to bad end? (4-11) |
| WELL-INTENTIONED – I think this is an &lit, because I can’t see a separate definition apart from such as which needs the rest of the clue to make sense. Spring gives WELL, camping gives IN TENT, I and O from love, and a bad (anagrammed) END | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Follower of fashion with directions for making punch? (7) |
| FADDIST – Somehow read the direction as ADD (directions for making) in FIST (punch). | |
| 2 | Take in run, coming in second (5) |
| TRICK – R(un) comes in TICK, second of time. | |
| 3 | One’s going to sea, so it’s said — more easily with this? (3,6) |
| EYE LOTION – Ones going to gives I’LL, sea gives OCEAN, put the two together for homonym (so it’s said). I have no ideas on why eye lotion makes going to sea easier, unless sea is doing double duty for a homophone of see. | |
| 4 | Doctor Who won’t fight no dalek, ultimately! (4) |
| COOK – As in the books. Someone who won’t fight is a C(onscientious) O(bjector), no gives the other O, and the last letter of DaleK the K | |
| 5 | Again correct to swallow tablets to get most high (8) |
| REEDIEST – Such voices are high enough. RE-EDIT from again correct takes in ES, tablets. | |
| 6 | Writing on reflection remains a great success (5) |
| SMASH – writing is MS, then reflected, and remains is/are ASH | |
| 7 | Entering harbour, just losing way, a trip provider (9) |
| MARIJUANA – The harbour is MARINA, insert JUST without ST(reet) which gives JU, add the A | |
| 8 | Did pilot hit the roof crossing top of this? (7) |
| STEERED – Took me a while to see hit the roof as SEE RED. into which insert top of This. | |
| 14 | One having a race with a “condition” — not well at finish (5-4) |
| WATER-MILL – The water that makes the mill wheel turn is a race. W(ith) A TERM from condition, not well for ILL. | |
| 16 | One camper wandering outside turned up 19 skeletons! (9) |
| METACARPI – I think someone who has turned up is AT, the rest is an anagram (wandering) of CAMPER. 19, AT HAND gives where the bones are. | |
| 17 | Musical work, something groovy recalled with books (8) |
| TURANDOT – Another Puccini opera. Something groovy RUT, to be reversed (recalled), with gives AND (easy to miss!) and books the Old Testament. | |
| 18 | Base display of arrogance greeting native American (7) |
| AIRSHOW – Chambers gives A flying display, usually at an a airbase, but I took a while to be convinced. Display of arrogance AIRS, and the alleged native American greeting HOW. I might be persuaded to put display with the definition. | |
| 20 | Stretch one’s mind with centre for reading (7) |
| DISTEND – One’s gives IS mind gives TEND the centre of reaDing goes at the front. | |
| 22 | Bacteriologist favoured upping radiation (5) |
| PETRI – He of the dish. Favoured: PET and I(nfra) R(ed) radiation reversed (up) | |
| 24 | Show of concern? Not to women on vacation (5) |
| FROWN – So take the alternative to to from the phrase to and FRO, add empty WomeN. | |
| 25 | Fixture, not ending all square (4) |
| EVEN – Fixture EVENT, knock off the T. | |
Very late solve which failed with REREPLAY. some very dubious clues here, not my favourite
Couldn’t finish on first try, came back next morning and it all fell into place. Steered from crossers, forgot to parse it; didn’t notice sea doing double duty; and had add in fist for 1dn but F+IST is much better. I’m amongst cohort who thought: not-quite-Times-standard in places.
At least two hours, and probably a lot closer to three, this evening, but a finish of sorts, albeit with help in the NE (Nightjar) when completely stuck. And an almost plausible Eye Motion. However, given that the Snitch is currently almost 150, I’ll happily take that as an away draw. Invariant
Absolute stinker. Had to give up last night before going to bed, which I never — or rarely — do. Got up this morning and finished but only by cheating a little in the bottom left. Couldn’t get TITANIUM out of my head, though I knew it must be wrong, Likewise CHOCTAW, and then HOW for the greeting. Then TIP upwards for the FAVOURED bit of 22 down. Then I noticed something funny in 21 ac HEAT, NOTE, THEATRE PUTTING OUT FIRST … Because HEAT and NOTE (RE) are actually part of THEATRE and if you put out the first (T) you have everything. I thought this mattered. Plus I thought answer must begin with TER… or something triple-ish. Fin de compte .. bit of a sad end: 1’01’01” with one mistake EYE MOTION which I thought kind of worked.
Encouraging comments from above, so I’ll just say I had to look up a few in order to proceed at all: so didn’t really enjoy the struggle! As I read the blog I could hardly believe how anyone could parse in such a way to get the desired answers – so convoluted some clues were, and such hidden definitions to boot (“eye lotion”, “comes to a bad end” etc). Setter 1, solver 0.
中国 製 ラブドール あなたの人形とのセックス人形の想像を絶する進歩についての考察