Mostly straightforward cluing and vocabulary, so most of the delays in completing this were self administered for me! Enjoyed 57A for its conciseness, however conversely 10D probably crossed the DbE line to achieve the same outcome. Question mark over cluing DI with icon in 3D, but someone may point out what I have missed.
Across | |
1 | DIGITALIS – DIGITAL for what TV now is after analogue was finally switched off, +IS for the drug |
6 | WAGERED – WAGE=pay, RED=shade of debt |
10 | BALSA – A SLAB=block, all reversed |
13 | MOMBASA – MO, MB are doctors, AS=like, A, for the port. |
14 | MONTANA – SUN is behind MON in the week! TAN = darkening of the skin, then A, for the state |
15 | SIX-PACK – tongue in cheek type clue referring to both the amount of beer, and the well honed abdomen. |
16 | CONVERSATION STOPPER – (act IV, person to person)* |
17 | TUN – TUN(e) is “short of air” |
18 | ESPRIT – E.S.P. is the strange awareness, RIT = I always assumed that it was short for RITENUTO, but looking on google there appears to be some contradiction whether it is this or RITARDANDO. Whilst they are slightly different, they do both mean slowing! |
20 | POMELO – ME=yours truly, inside POLO=game |
21 | LUNCHTIME – (let in much)*, definition is “One, possibly” |
23 | GOONEY BIRD – (on bogey)* then I RD |
25 | PAST PERFECT – if your past is perfect you have no skeletons in your closet. “Had rattled” is only an example of the tense, so quite easy to work into the surface reading ! |
29 | SAUCE – double definition |
30 | CHAMPERS – not sure the surface works so the disguise is lost, the two parts are “people who CHAMP” and “short for CHAMPAGNE” |
31 | APOSTATE – A, PO=river, STATE=say |
34 | ELEPHANT – E=ecstasy, LEANT=produced some swing, around PH=pub, for the “trumpeter” |
36 | SICILIAN – CILIA=lashes, inside SIN=crime, for the archetypal Mafioso. |
37 | OOMPH – (g)OO(d), MPH=speed, whole is “drive” |
39 | PENALTY AREA – (tape nearly)* around A, for the box. |
41 | DIE CASTING – CAS(h) = endless money, in DIETING=new year tradition |
43 | BUCKS FIZZ – BUCKS=chaps, IF=providing, reversed, ZZ=unknown couple, for the drink |
45 | ESCHEW – WEE=little, reversed around SCH=school, for “avoid” |
47 | EMBRYO – (more by)*. The definition is quite well disguised – potential issue for future offspring. |
49 | LOT – double def |
50 | NEITHER HERE NOR THERE – double def with irrelevant and position unknown as the two parts. |
52 | DIALECT – (agree)D, IT, outside ALE=beer, C=cold, for the “local terms” |
53 | REDCOAT – RED = ginger, CAT= tom around O |
54 | ORIFICE – IF = poem, inside OR=gold, and ICE=diamonds, for the opening. |
55 | GRASS – double def, the snitch and the lawn |
56 | CLEMENT – C = carbon, (e)LEMENT = carbon, possibly, de-faced |
57 | RIGHT BACK – quite liked this one, based on the fact that LIEN=right, so NEIL is right, backwards. |
Down | |
1 | DAMOCLES – DA=district attorney=legal eagle, MOLES=spies, about C=hundred |
2 | GAMIN – “leaders” doubles up here, as the first letter of Ghana, but the actual former dictator AMIN. The def is just “ones neglected”. |
3 | TRAGEDIENNE – TENNE(r) is the short note, about RAGE=fashion, DI=icon, for the actress. Not quite sure about the DI=icon bit, but I guess she was? |
4 | LIAISE – hidden word in (austra)LIA IS E(asy). I wonder whether setters give consideration to typefaces and column widths in order to make sure these hidden words fall across the two rows of text. |
5 | SEMITROPICAL – (eroticism lap)* – nice to get the whole anagram and anagrist to work together for the surface meaning, but the minute “eroticism” comes into a sentence, you sense it must be there for anagram fodder!! |
6 | WINSOME – If you dont always succeed, you only win some !! |
7 | GRASSHOPPER MIND – AS, SHOPPER=buyer, M=millions, all inside GRIND=work. Did not know this term, so held up 41A a bit by sticking in GRASSHOPPER MIST, thinking GRIST could mean work, from the mill connection. On second thoughts, the definition wouldnt quite work with mist, as it is more likely the cause of the lack of focus, rather than the thing that is lacking focus. |
8 | REASONLESS – REA(d)=short study, Henry did not get a son from CoA, so was SONLESS! |
9 | DUSTPAN – DUN=horse, around (past)* |
10 | BOXER SHORTS – BOXER=rocky, SHORTS=films, for the pants. Bit too much definition by example here, but excusable to get such a short succinct clue, I guess. |
11 | LEASTWISE – least wise = most foolish, def is “at any rate” |
12 | ASKANCE – ASK=question, (d)ANCE=topless fling, whole is indirectly. |
19 | PRODUCE – ROD=stick, inside PUCE=brownish-purple, whole is “bear” |
22 | EYE CANDY – EYE = I (said), as in homophone, the outskirts/edges of CITY are “C and Y” |
24 | DUPLICATE BRIDGE – DUE=expected, around (pile big card)* which itself is around T=time. The whole is the game. |
26 | POPINJAY – POP IN=briefly visit, JAY=bird, didnt know coxcomb, and have only ever heard the word POPINJAY uttered by Monty Burns, but checkers helped. |
27 | TEETHE – THE=article, under TEE=furthest point from the green in theory. |
28 | ASLEEP – AS=descriptive of, PEEL=strip, reversed, def = out like a light. |
32 | ALMONER – A LONER=solitary individual, around (roo)M, for the hospital official. |
33 | MINE DETECTOR – (to determine)* around C(harge) |
35 | HELLS ANGELS – fairly obvious from def, enumeration etc, but not entirely sure of the exact word play. Almighty fall suggests fall from heaven, fallen angels etc etc, so it must be right, but I dont have a definitive answer!! Maybe its just a weak inference, but from experience, I doubt that. |
37 | OPTOMETRIST – TOME=book inside (to strip)* |
38 | CRAZY HORSE – shoer is an anagram of horse – hence “crazy horse” |
40 | NICOTIANA – NANA=elderly relative, around COT=bed inside I,I=islands. |
42 | FOREDECK – FORK=split, around CEDE=surrender, reversed. |
43 | BULLDOG – BULL is worth 50 points in darts, then DOG=follow. Having put in from def, I couldnt get away from L=fifty for ages! |
44 | IDIOTIC – I DOT= one point, around I=one, then I C=one caught, all for “stupid” |
46 | CHEROOT – COOT=baldie, around HER=that woman’s |
48 | OOLONG – O,O = eggs, LONG = hunger |
51 | EVITA – (n)ATIVE = mother, missing lead, reversed for the musical. |
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