46:29 with quite few guesses, one of which I’m still to parse (10ac)…
This was a bit different from the most recent Friday stinkers, not in terms of difficulty – it was still hard! But there were many unusual bits of vocab in addition to fiendishly convoluted wordplay. I have a real blind spot for “find a word then subtract a bit”-type clues, and there were enough of those. Along with several words for which I had to rely heavily on the wordplay. Finally, I guessed ‘scat’ at the end, got a pink square, and returned to rethink.
Happy BH weekend, for those who get one.
Definitions underlined.
| Across | |
| 1 | Characteristic of radioactive decay found in lithium and iron (4-4) |
| HALF-LIFE – LI + FE (Li and Fe, lithium and iron, or a compound made from HALF of each) | |
| 5 | Have a go at wife leaving festive occasion (6) |
| ASSAIL – wASSAIL (festive occasion) minus (leaving) ‘w’ (wife). | |
| 9 | Water to some extent absorbs toxic compound (8) |
| PARAQUAT – AQUA (water) that PART (to some extent contains (absorbs). A weedkiller a had never heard of. | |
| 10 | Inane urban type lacking in consideration (6) |
| UNKIND – empty (inane) UrbaN + KIND (type). I DNK this definition of ‘inane’ and had to look it up. | |
| 12 | Understand the difference record margin had in cuts (12) |
| DISCRIMINATE – DISC (record) + RIM (margin) + ATE (had) which IN is contained by (cuts). | |
| 15 | Where Roman contests were seen some time back (5) |
| ARENA – AN ERA (some time) reversed (back). | |
| 16 | Celebrity to change course half-heartedly and begin again (5,4) |
| START OVER – STAR (celebrity) + TO + VeER (change course, half of the two central letters missing). | |
| 18 | Ruin dreadful couple’s adopted son (9) |
| DISREPAIR – DIRE (dreadful) + PAIR (couple) containing (adopted) S (son). | |
| 19 | Ancient ship on lake moving slowly (5) |
| LARGO – ARGO (ancient ship) on L (lake). | |
| 20 | In favour of member warning about introduction (12) |
| PROLEGOMENON – PRO (in favour of) + LEG (member) + OMEN (warning) + ON (about). Thank goodness for wordplay, eh? | |
| 24 | Complete part of joint activity (6) |
| INTACT – hidden in (part of) joINT ACTivity. | |
| 25 | Line, say, reflected poem as written (8) |
| GEODESIC – EG (say) reversed, then ODE (poem) + SIC (as written). | |
| 26 | Bloke on the radio that vents periodically (6) |
| GEYSER – sounds like (on the radio) “geezer” (bloke). | |
| 27 | Most strict testers finish off examination with a twist (8) |
| STERNEST – anagram of TESTERS + last of (finish off) examinatioN. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Expect much fancied favourite to lose every time (4) |
| HOPE – HOt (much fancied) and PEt (favourite) minus (to lose) every occurrence of ‘t’ (time). | |
| 2 | My choice of central elements in building (4) |
| LORD – L OR D, choice of central letters on buiLDing. | |
| 3 | Pay off overdue £1 charges (9) |
| LIQUIDATE – LATE (overdue), which I QUID (£1) fills (charges). | |
| 4 | Study following nomadic Africans engages British polymath (7,5) |
| FRANCIS BACON – CON (study) after an anagram of (nomadic) AFRICANS, containing (engages) B (British). | |
| 6 | Part of Egypt in Asia not entirely developed (5) |
| SINAI – anagram of (developed) IN ASIa (not entirely). | |
| 7 | Criticise an author’s publicity material (10) |
| ANIMADVERT – AN + I’M (author’s) + ADVERT (publicity material). To speak out against, another new one on me. | |
| 8 | Ideal ground secures backing for facilities (6,4) |
| LADIES ROOM – anagram of (ground) IDEAL + reversal of (backing) MOORS (secures). | |
| 11 | Staff in broadcast said to welcome argument (12) |
| DISAGREEMENT – MEN (staff) contained by (in) an anagram of (broadcast) SAID and GREET (welcome). | |
| 13 | Revolutionary movement transfers power round (10) |
| HANDSPRING – HANDS (transfers) + P (power) + RING (round). Another way to describe a cartwheel. | |
| 14 | Each point somebody thought fit to publicise? (10) |
| NEWSWORTHY – N E W and S (each point of the compass) + WORTHY (somebody). | |
| 17 | Remarkable stable state that is difficult to achieve (4,5) |
| TALL ORDER – TALL (remarkable) + ORDER (stable state). | |
| 21 | Host seems clever eliminating every other part (5) |
| EMCEE – every other letter from (eliminating every other part) sEeMs ClEvEr. | |
| 22 | Key passage in recital (4) |
| ISLE – sounds like (in recital) “aisle” (passage). | |
| 23 | The buck stops here! (4) |
| SCUT – the tail, or back end, of a deer. | |
Sunday solve. 31’18” with a long wait before I got NEWSWORTHY and HANDSPRING. Got SCUT right, but for the wrong reason. I knew it had something to do with rabbits, but thought it might be a word for the female (i.e. doe) — before which animal the buck would stop because interested in mating. Bit elaborate now I think if it.
A handspring, front or back, is not a cartwheel. The gymnast performs a handstand and a return to the vertical in a smooth movement. Cartwheels are performed sideways. Or in my case, partially, and not for many a year.
Dnf, paraquat and geodesic defeated me. Loved scut, shared it with spouse and son, both smiled patronisingly. Philistines.
This appeared in the Australian on a Thursday, appropriately. Thank you setter and blogger.