I thought this was a notch up in difficulty in comparison to the last couple of weeks. Paul McKenna has also given us a slightly different grid, 11×13 with three across answers going right across the grid.
Another pun in the top row, this time for OVERTURE.
Definitions can be confirmed in Chambers and are not always discussed – they are underlined in the clues.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | ____ is able to be seen on French green (5) |
| OVERT – O(on), VERT(French for green) | |
| 5 | Cold axeman who’s keen to get a plug, I guess (6) |
| CHEWER – C(cold), HEWER(axeman). The definition comes from one who chews tobacco which is just about the most disgusting habit I have encountered, and is unfortunately popular where I live. The school I teach at banned it about 10 years ago, but I used to have to deal with students and their revolting spit cups in class on a daily basis. Thanks for reminding me, Paul. | |
| 10 | Let Romeo tie up fallen star? (11) |
| METEOROLITE – anagram of LET,ROMEO,TIE | |
| 11 | A whiff of Mumbai? Live and die curried (5) |
| BEEDI – BE(live) and an anagram of DIE – “whiff” can mean a cigarette in Chambers. Hmm… chaw, and smokes, will there be a vape before the end of the puzzle? | |
| 12 | Old suit in lodgings daughter chucked out (5) |
| BESIT – the lodgings are a BEDSIT, remove the D(daughter) | |
| 13 | Transport integral to major orders from the east (4) |
| RO-RO – hidden reversed in majOR ORders | |
| 14 | Lake monkey, we hear, showing tender softness (7) |
| LANGUOR – L(lake) then sounds like ANGER(one of the meanings of “monkey” in Chambers) | |
| 16 | Lie about trooper, say, back to trudge around the Trossachs (6) |
| TAIGLE – TALE(lie) surrounding GI(trooper) reversed | |
| 17 | Small box close to unknown classy dog (6) |
| SHITZU – S(small), HIT(box), beside Z(unknown), U(classy) | |
| 19 | We mess up willfully still true to form (11, two words) |
| LITTER LOUTS – anagram of STILL,TRUE,TO | |
| 23 | Time to celebrate son moving in usherette, or some such (6) |
| EASTER – move the S in SEATER(usherette) | |
| 26 | Turkish commander almost let slip trumpeters (6) |
|
AGAMIS – AGA(Turkish commander), then MIS |
|
| 28 | Greetings following present Sikh guardian (7) |
| GRANTHI – HI(greetings) after GRANT(present) | |
| 29 | Core of unpretentious poems (4) |
| ODES – the middle letters of MODEST(unpretentious) | |
| 30 | Heart of harangue in proportion (5) |
| RATIO – strange to see these two clues side by side, this time it is the middle of ORATION(harangue) | |
| 31 | A deposit which gets blown — not so much about nothing (5) |
| LOESS – LESS(not so much) surrounding O(nothing) | |
| 32 | A fee piously thrown over, certainly ironically (11, three words) |
| IF YOU PLEASE – anagram of A,FEE,PIOUSLY | |
| 33 | Special hair dyes in fixed amounts (6) |
| STINTS – S(special), TINTS(hair dyes) | |
| 34 | Bette, say, axing male who can’t motivate himself (5) |
| IDLER – the actress Bette MIDLER missing M(male) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Solo players are dismal when opening ends (6) |
| OMBRES – SOMBRE(dismal) with the first letter moved to the end | |
| 2 | Without Conservatives city centre declined seemingly forever (8) |
| ETERNITY – anagram of CITY and CENTRE missing both Cs(conservatives) | |
| 3 | Flying circus pilots do this concerning fear when Baron flies (6, two words) |
| RED OUT – RE(concerning), DOUBT(fear) missing B(Baron) | |
| 4 | John finally trimmed cheap prototype (5) |
|
TOILE – TOILE |
|
| 5 | Conditions of being like Noah’s arks? (13) |
| CREATURESHIPS – the ark was a CREATURE SHIP | |
| 6 | Walk over roughly being sadly fashionable but safe anyhow (7) |
| HOBNAIL – anagram of FASHIONABLE minus SAFE | |
| 7 | English hurry writ of execution no longer (6) |
| ELEGIT – E(English), LEG IT(hurry) | |
| 8 | Eliot rocking on a rocker went pale (9) |
| ETIOLATED – anagram of ELIOT on A, TED(rocker) | |
| 9 | Retain at all times flipping wonky paper (6) |
| RETREE – RET(retain), then EER(at all times) reversed | |
| 15 | With joint shady tricks gardeners cut into stock to make this (9, two words) |
| WHIP GRAFT – W(with), HIP(joint), GRAFT(shady tricks) | |
| 18 | Come to understanding clue a tad differently (8, three words) |
| CUT A DEAL – anagram of CLUE,A,TAD | |
| 20 | Uplifting trend over blooming excise (7, two words) |
| EDIT OUT – reversal of TIDE(trend) then OUT(blooming). The wording here would only work for a down clue | |
| 21 | Pop on old fur turbans (6) |
| PAGRIS – PA(pop), GRIS(old grey fur) | |
| 22 | Film about site of early growth in Minoan trading places (6) |
| AMNION – anagram of MINOAN | |
| 24 | Drove away from Slough round a couple of roundabouts (6) |
| SHOOED – SHED(slough) surrounding O,O(roundabouts) | |
| 25 | A nark amongst Nero’s servants (6) |
| ROSSER – hidden in neRO’S SERvants | |
| 27 | Carminative “seeds” I bag in the outback? (5) |
| DILLI – DILL(carminative seeds), I | |
The definition for ‘taigle’ seems a bit off; the Dictionary of the Scots Language defines it as: “To hinder, impede (a person) in a course of action; to keep back, delay (a person).” Since I didn’t know the word, however, this wasn’t what kept me from getting the right answer.
My late father worked for a tobacco company, and dealt with their sales figures in the 1950’s and 60’s when I was growing up. Cut plug was a chewing tobacco that was favoured by sailors, and was only sold in places like Bristol and Plymouth.