Another reasonably gentle, enjoyable Wednesday, which took me fifteen minutes and then a few more to make sure I’d parsed everything for the blog. Lewis Carroll’s lesser known works and obscure board games might be a stretch for some, but the wordplay is generous. No hidden words today. I liked “rose water”.
Definitions underlined in bold, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, anagrinds in italics, DD = double definition, [deleted letters in square brackets].
| Across | |
| 1 | A large bay or a roomy one? (6) |
| ALCOVE – A, L[arge], COVE = bay. | |
| 4 | Special importance of piano in arrangement of Messiah (8) |
| EMPHASIS – P in (MESSIAH)*. | |
| 10 | Not unusual to secure college fellowship (9) |
| COMMUNION – UNI (college) inside COMMON = not unusual. | |
| 11 | Flap as clumsy oaf falls into lake after lake (5) |
| LAPEL – L[ake], APE, L[ake]. A bit harsh on apes, generally, I thought. | |
| 12 | Resort mail, unwanted mostly (3) |
| SPA – SPA[M]. | |
| 13 | Your position located: success! (5,3,3) |
| THERE YOU ARE – double definition. | |
| 14 | Run through offer that is something players of course want (6) |
| BIRDIE – BID (offer) I.E. (that is), insert R. A golf thing. | |
| 16 | Take the air, on going in to swim (7) |
| BREATHE – BATHE = swim, insert RE = on, about. | |
| 19 | One wise man is heard in long periods (3,4) |
| ICE AGES – I (one), sounds like SAGE IS (wise man is) | |
| 20 | Wrong people close to you are understood (4,2) |
| SINK IN – SIN (wrong), KIN (people close to you). The syntax seemed odd here, but I think it works e.g. “the facts are understood / the facts sink in”. | |
| 22 | Liberal rector opens part of abbey (5,6) |
| POETS CORNER – (RECTOR OPENS)*, as in Westminster Abbey. | |
| 25 | I say “Love” (3) |
| EGO – E.G. (say), O (love). | |
| 26 | One’s holding in stomach around teacher (5) |
| SWAMI – all reversed, I’S (one’s) with MAW inserted. | |
| 27 | At first rub over with brine, not a perfume (4,5) |
| ROSE WATER – R[ub], O[ver], SEA WATER (brine) loses (not) A. | |
| 28 | Regularly ties up thick boxes to distribute (8) |
| DISPENSE – [t]I[e]S[u]P ->ISP, inside DENSE = thick. | |
| 29 | Nastily scornful, like a creature hunted in fits? (6) |
| SNARKY – As a Lewis Carroll aficionado, this was a write-in for me, although I do find The Hunting of the Snark a bit weird. The poem was subtitled An Agony, in eight Fits. It’s worth a go, just for the equally weird illustrations by Henry Holiday. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | What solicitor does: bill charges (6) |
| ACCOST – AC (bill) COST (charges). | |
| 2 | Thoroughly search local, not initially confrontational (9) |
| COMBATIVE – COMB (thoroughly search), [N]ATIVE. | |
| 3 | Boast unit has avoided 50 per cent in tax (5) |
| VAUNT – UN[it] inside VAT (value added tax). | |
| 5 | Kinsmen use boys to run underhand dealings (6,8) |
| MONKEY BUSINESS – (KINSMEN USE BOYS)*. | |
| 6 | Shortly permitted to stuff bird, as there may be a party tonight? (9) |
| HALLOWEEN – ALLOWE[d] inside HEN a bird. | |
| 7 | Seafood I cooked with peas (5) |
| SEPIA – (I PEAS)*. Another name for a cuttlefish, or squid ink. | |
| 8 | Joined and served in the army, having lost heart (8) |
| SOLDERED – SOLDIERED loses its heart, viz. I. | |
| 9 | What might be played in saloon car shared by baseball team? (4,4,6) |
| NINE MENS MORRIS – well, even I know there are nine men in a baseball team, because they have nine innings (inningses?), and a Morris is an old British car marque. It’s a board game for two players, apparently dating back to Roman times, I’ve never tried to play it. | |
| 15 | Gives diet out relating to processing of food (9) |
| DIGESTIVE – (GIVES DIET)*. | |
| 17 | Several months sewing border into canopy (9) |
| TRIMESTER – RIM (border) inside TESTER. A tester is a canopy over a bed. | |
| 18 | Inclined to scorn attitude taken by daughter (8) |
| DISPOSED – DIS (to scorn), POSE (attitude), D[aughter]. | |
| 21 | Ancient city blessed hosts on a regular basis (6) |
| HOURLY – UR inside HOLY. | |
| 23 | One dumped manuscript containing answer papers (5) |
| EXAMS – EX (one dumped), MS (manuscript) insert A for answer. | |
| 24 | Horse circling wide tree (5) |
| ROWAN – W inside ROAN. | |
I’d heard of both NINE MEN’S MORRIS and the Hunting of the Snark, so no problem there. Then somehow I managed to type COMPATIVE with a P instead of a B. Ooops. For some reason, even with all the checkers, it took me ages to see THERE YOU ARE as my LOI.
Only recently discovered this site, which I’m much enjoying! Just one thing – I think that COD is clue of the day, NHO is never heard of, but not sure of FOI/LOI (First of / Last Of ?) ?
Welcome! You’re right about COD and NHO.
FOI – First one in
LOI – Last one in
There’s a glossary here: https://timesforthetimes.co.uk/glossary
Thanks!
47:30 for the solve. As per others last twelve mins spent on NINE-MINS-MORRIS and getting bored and looking at the phone!