There were a striking number of two-word answers here. I counted nine, with a few more compound words. My COD was the two word answer at 6ac. My printout also had fewer scribbles than usual. It was a smooth solve, although I seem to remember several clues where I saw the answer first, then had to tease out the wordplay.
Thanks, setter. How did you all do?
Note for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is for last week’s puzzle, posted after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on this week’s Saturday Cryptic.
Definitions are in bold and underlined. With the luxury of a week to do the blog, I can expand on the wordplay:
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- synonyms and the like appear in [square brackets]
- wordplay instructions appear thus
- anagram fodder is (THUS)*, with the anagram indicator in italics
- a ⁁ symbol indicates where text is to be inserted.
| Across | |
| 1 | Spill drops on small dish (8) |
| SPLATTER – S + PLATTER. | |
| 6 | Exactly what remains when husband and wife leave show? (4,2) |
| JUST SO – start with SHOW: take out H and W, and what are you left with? Duh … JUST S+O. Lovely clue! | |
| 9 | Powerless committee members dog can bite badly (6,7) |
| SHADOW CABINET – SHADOW [dog] + (CAN BITE)*, badly. | |
| 10 | Frightened people may get this bit of teasing (4-2) |
| WIND UP – two meanings, or a definition and a hint. | |
| 11 | Small area with gardens, bare white with patches of colour (8) |
| SKEWBALD – S + KEW [area with gardens] + BALD. | |
| 13 | Coin, reverse impressed with large stamp (5,5) |
| PENNY BLACK – PENNY [coin] + B⁁ACK [reverse] impressed with L. | |
| 15 | Irrational and ridiculous, scrapping a book (4) |
| SURD – ABSURD, scrapping A and B. The square root of two, for example, is called a surd. (Dimly remembered, at best!) | |
| 16 | Eat out and so on at hotel (4) |
| ETCH – ETC + H. | |
| 18 | Policeman about to go into inner working of old scientist (10) |
| COPERNICAN – COP + CA [about] to go into ERNI⁁N [(INNER)*, working]. | |
| 21 | Picture biscuits straight from the oven? (8) |
| SNAPSHOT – SNAPS + HOT. | |
| 22 | Mostly drunk portrait painter is alone (6) |
| SOLELY – SO [SOT, mostly] + LELY. | |
| 23 | Ugly deodorant sprayed in amicable manner (4-9) |
| GOOD NATUREDLY – (UGLY DEODORANT)*, sprayed. | |
| 25 | Creator of Big Brother’s fully behind men (6) |
| ORWELL – OR [men, as opposed to officers] + WELL [fully]. | |
| 26 | Quietly snobby about Yankee resembling young boxer? (8) |
| PUPPYISH – P [quietly] + UPP⁁ISH [snobby] about Y. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Old hat worn by one very reluctant to get involved (7) |
| PASSIVE – PASS⁁É worn by IV [one + very]. | |
| 3 | In shop ordered to follow a group safety directive (7,4) |
| ABANDON SHIP – A + BAND [group] + (IN SHOP)*, ordered. | |
| 4 | Not very good time to put up several patrols (5) |
| TROOP – POOR T [time], put up (backwards, in this down clue). | |
| 5 | Transport old phones (not black) and have half disconnected (7) |
| RICKSHA – BRICKS [old phones, without the B] + HA |
|
| 6 | Perhaps one unemployed comedian keeps bees for a change (9) |
| JOBSEEKER – JO⁁KER keeps (BEES)*, for a change. | |
| 7 | Object of pagan worship endlessly hymned (3) |
| SUN – SUNG, endlessly. | |
| 8 | Immigrant in centre of village I must welcome (7) |
| SETTLER – SETT⁁ER [I, the crossword setter] must welcome L [the centre of vilLage]. | |
| 12 | Tours having time off now as airline grounded over a year (8,3) |
| BASTILLE DAY – BA STILLED [British Airways, grounded] + A + Y [year]. “Stilled” more or less fits “grounded” when discussing airline operations. The definition is a national holiday, in Tours and throughout the rest of France. |
|
| 14 | Drunken reveller returned to speak, obsessively controlling (9) |
| BACCHANAL – BACCH [sounds like “back” (to speak)] + ANAL [obsessively controlling]. | |
| 17 | Adolescent drops seed, husked, for a songbird (7) |
| TANAGER – TEENAGER drops EE [seed, husked] for A. | |
| 19 | Worst and best places to break journey (3,4) |
| PIT STOP – PITS [the worst] + TOP [the best]. Neat clue. | |
| 20 | Narrow lanes keeping European extremely vigilant (3,4) |
| ALL EYES – ALLEY⁁S keeping E. | |
| 22 | Picked up sections for binder (5) |
| STRAP – PARTS picked up (backwards, in this down clue). | |
| 24 | I’m surprised, when told, to be in debt (3) |
| OWE – sounds like OH, when told. | |