16:05 for me, which is a little above my average time. An enjoyable puzzle, definitely at the easier end of Izetti’s range.
Definitions underlined, synonyms in round brackets, wordplay in square brackets and deletions in strikethrough. Anagram indicators italicised in the clue, anagram fodder indicated like (this)*.
| Across | |
| 1 | Demonstrate outside home about Northern Ireland? (8) |
| PROVINCE – PROVE (demonstrate) around [outside] IN (home) and C (about).
The question mark is because this is a definition by example. |
|
| 5 | Some mouse droppings — not fresh (4) |
| USED – Hidden in [some] |
|
| 8 | Gasp needing oxygen in family show? (5) |
| PANTO – PANT (gasp) + O (oxygen). | |
| 9 | Go into detail about former currency of UK (7) |
| EXPOUND – EX (former) + POUND (currency of UK). | |
| 11 | Salt transported to Caribbean (11) |
| BICARBONATE – (TO CARIBBEAN)*
If I remember my school chemistry, a salt is a non-charged product of an acid and a base reacting. What we know as “salt” (NaCl) is just one example. |
|
| 13 | Claim benefit around middle of March (6) |
| ASSERT – ASSET (benefit) containing [around] the middle letter of I can’t quite equate “benefit” and “asset”, but they are clearly close relatives. |
|
| 14 | Have a meal around six? Wonderful! (6) |
| DIVINE – DINE (have a meal) around VI (six). | |
| 17 | Limited space in awful camp — torment (11) |
| COMPARTMENT – (CAMP TORMENT)* | |
| 20 | Huge chaps crammed into tumbledown semi (7) |
| IMMENSE – MEN (chaps) inside [crammed into] (SEMI)*. | |
| 21 | Perspective of one of Germanic people coming to Britain (5) |
| ANGLE – A double definition.
The Angles, the Jutes and the Saxons moved into Britain after the Romans left, as every schoolchild in England is taught. |
|
| 22 | Experience negative vote being reported (4) |
| KNOW – Sounds like [being reported] “no” (negative vote). | |
| 23 | Caused to be loved over grabbing attention (8) |
| ENDEARED – ENDED (over) containing [grabbing] EAR (attention). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Very good exercises for music-maker (4) |
| PIPE – PI (very good) + PE (Physical Education; exercises).
PI for “very good” only exists in crosswords these days. |
|
| 2 | Writer after short time turning up on American vehicle (7) |
| OMNIBUS – Take MO (short time), reverse it [turning up]. Add NIB (writer) and US (American). | |
| 3 | I can run riot, somehow creating insurmountable barrier (4,7) |
| IRON CURTAIN – (I CAN RUN RIOT)* | |
| 4 | Yell having eaten that woman’s fruit (6) |
| CHERRY – CRY (yell) containing [having eaten] HER (that woman). | |
| 6 | Southern island’s device for diver (5) |
| SCUBA – S for southern, then CUBA. | |
| 7 | Old comedian Ken before start of day was unsteady (8) |
| DODDERED – Ken DODD is the comedian, then ERE (before) and start of D |
|
| 10 | Favouring vivacity and speed, grow rapidly (11) |
| PROLIFERATE – PRO (favouring) plus LIFE (vivacity) and RATE (speed). | |
| 12 | Expert countryman protecting cold bird (8) |
| DABCHICK – DAB (expert) and HICK (countryman) containing C for cold.
This was my LOI: “dab” for expert is only known to me in “a dab hand”, “hick” for “countryman” strikes me as bordering on rudeness, and I’d never heard of the bird. So not an easy clue, even with all of the crossing letters. |
|
| 15 | Perhaps one or two, say, lodging in Bury (7) |
| INTEGER – E.G. (say) inside [lodging in] INTER (bury). | |
| 16 | Broadcast terrible news about leaders of the revolution (6) |
| STREWN – (NEWS)* containing the first letters [leaders] of T |
|
| 18 | Dance in the morning stopping unruly mob (5) |
| MAMBO – AM (in the morning) inside [stopping] (MOB)*. | |
| 19 | Biblical children understand God ultimately (4) |
| SEED – SEE (understand), plus the last letter [ultimately] of |
|
Dabchick was my last in as well, was pretty sure it was correct. 3:44, which is amongst my shortest times for an Izetti puzzle. Since salts can be made from the neutralization of an acid, the salt is often referred to by the anion appropriate to that acid: bicarbonate; phosphate; fluoride etc. Hey, that chemistry degree finally came in useful!