Another pleasant but undemanding Wednesday puzzle, which took me 16 minutes. I liked the Moby Dick clue.
Definitions underlined in bold, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, anagrinds in italics, [deleted letters in square brackets].
| Across | |
| 1 | The only soldier without a grave (6) |
| SOLEMN – SOLE = the only, M[A]N = soldier without a. | |
| 4 | Flounce downstairs after no end of rage (8) |
| FURBELOW – FUR[Y], BELOW = downstairs. | |
| 9 | Predicted month no way looking hot (7) |
| AUGURED – AUGU[ST] = month, no ST (way); RED = hot. | |
| 11 | Taser which is initially fired into one getting tanned (7) |
| STUNNER – Insert T, the initially letter of TASER, into SUNNER one getting tanned. From the wordplay I was looking at inserting the F of FIRED but SFUNNER is not a word. | |
| 12 | Pack turning towards vermin (5) |
| TAROT – TO RAT reversed (turning). | |
| 13 | Discuss terms say on new set of books I took in (9) |
| NEGOTIATE – N[ew], EG (say), OT (set of books) I ATE (I took in). | |
| 14 | Be busy skewering folly and cruelty (10) |
| INHUMANITY – HUM (be busy) inside INANITY = folly. | |
| 16 | Flower shirts (4) |
| TEES – double definition, the River Tees and tee shirts. | |
| 19 | It’s bloody to travel by train (4) |
| GORY – GO (travel), RY (railway). | |
| 20 | I break into office cabinet, delaying speech (10) |
| FILIBUSTER – I BUST (I break) inside FILER = office cabinet. | |
| 22 | Savoury mince of game the hotel put out (9) |
| CROQUETTE – CROQUET the game, T[h]E. | |
| 23 | Objection chapter is tough (5) |
| BUTCH – BUT (objection), CH[apter]. | |
| 25 | Spots long tie being knotted (7) |
| LENTIGO – (LONG TIE)*. In my opinion, lentigo is singular, the plural is lentigines, so the definition should be SPOT. | |
| 26 | Industrial plant gave off stench: years, on and off (7) |
| SMELTER – SMELT = gave off stench, [y]E[a]R[s] = years on and off. | |
| 27 | Unconcerned being unable to drive round rear of village (8) |
| CARELESS – CARLESS = unable to drive, insert E the end of village. | |
| 28 | Angled strike and cut on back of leg (6) |
| GLANCE – [le]G, LANCE = cut. A cricketing term. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Remarkable time bird is around (9) |
| STARTLING – STARLING with T[ime] inserted. | |
| 2 | King’s up for a drink (5) |
| LAGER -REGAL = king’s, reversed. | |
| 3 | Start of month: occasion for going to sea (8) |
| MARITIME – MAR[ch] I = 1st of March, TIME = occasion. | |
| 5 | View audience has in burst of sun shows displeasing quality (13) |
| UNSIGHTLINESS – SIGHTLINE, the view the audience has, inside (SUN)*. | |
| 6 | Youngster holds search, not the first, for reward (6) |
| BOUNTY – BOY (youngster) has [h]UNT inserted. | |
| 7 | Keen to take in one nearly new feature (9) |
| LINEAMENT – LAMENT (keen) has I (one) NE[w] inserted. | |
| 8 | Was sporting about loss eventually, having come off this? (5) |
| WORSE – WORE = was sporting (clothes), insert S the end of loss. | |
| 10 | Acted in unison to scupper public attacks (13) |
| DENUNCIATIONS – (ACTED IN UNISON)*. | |
| 15 | Marx, at a single reading initially, who aimed to finish Moby Dick (9) |
| HARPOONER – HARPO ( a Marx brother) ONE (a single) R[eading]. | |
| 17 | Brat, not at home, collared by policeman informally for a fine perhaps (9) |
| SURCHARGE – URCH[in] = brat not ‘at home’, inside SARGE a policeman. | |
| 18 | Weight of stupid one out of three authors? (8) |
| DUMBBELL – DUMB = stupid, BELL = pseudonym used by the Bronté sisters. | |
| 21 | Stalin’s colleague left to introduce uranium for energy, his final farewell? (6) |
| BURIAL – Lavrentiy BERIA was a crony of Stalin, change the E to a U and add L for left. | |
| 22 | Wind timepiece up briefly that one’s broken (5) |
| COLIC – CLOC[k] reversed, with I inserted. | |
| 24 | Giant bird given a name (5) |
| TITAN – TIT (a bird), A, N[ame]. | |
A bit late but 23.17. Done after returning from a thoroughly entertaining Magic Flute at Glyndebourne. Bonkers but the singing was superb, the humour engaging and the sets and costumes stunning.
Way too erudite and difficult for me: several DKNs (FURBELOW,BERIA, that sense of CROQUETTE, LENTIGO). Wish certain Mephisto solvers would refrain from saying puzzles are a breeze, when they’re clearly not.