Phew! That was quite a workout! It took me just over 1 1/2 hours. I managed only 1A, 11A and 2D on a first pass and finished with 24D and 25A. The usual esoteric vocabulary and some very clever and inventive wordplay, but I think I’ve managed to work it all out. Favourites include the word at 9A, the wordplay at 10A the combination hidden and homophone at 15A and unlikely looking 4D. I had to construct my own version to print as the online print didn’t work when the puzzle was published – I don’t know how anyone can solve these without lots of paper to work out the answers on. Thank-you clever setter. How did you all get on?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Second top growth leaves behind a S African succulent (8) |
| SPEKBOOM –S (second) PE{a}K (top) BOOM (growth) without the A. I remembered BOOM for tree from living in South Africa for 4 years when I was at primary school where a derogatory term for those unfortunates who were a little overweight was “Fatty boomsticks”. | |
| 6 | Stock bound by a hostile choreographer (6) |
| FOKINE – KIN (stock) in FOE (a hostile). I hadn’t heard of this choreographer but I’m no balletomane. | |
| 9 | We don’t believe drama with unconvincing grand opera piece not specified (13) |
| NOTHINGARIANS – NO (Japanese drama) THIN (unconvincing) G (grand) ARIA (opera piece) N/S (not specified). A neat 5-part assembly.. and a great word. | |
| 10 | Hungry Shakespearean actor wants this sausage coated with pecan (6) |
| KISHKE – Good grief! I’m not sure how I managed to work this one out! It’s PECKISH (hungry) KEAN (Shakespearean actor; this one) with PECAN outside the answer, KISHKE. Nope I hadn’t heard of him. Had you? | |
| 11 | Sacrificing the lead, queen with three of diamonds played, not in a match (8) |
| UNWEDDED – ({q}ueen w DDD)* [played]*. W = with and the “three of diamonds” DDD. | |
| 13 | Help with cost, holding note as one provides edible nuts (10) |
| CHINQUAPIN – N (note) QUA (as) in CHIP IN (help with cost). | |
| 15 | Horny beast caught in historic scene? (4) |
| ORYX -Another tricky one it’s a hidden homophone! [Caught in] hostORIC Scener, sounds like ORYX. | |
| 16 | Have will affected by contractions in stomach (4) |
| VELL – {ha}VE {wi}LL [affected by contractions]. | |
| 18 | Possible sound of typist’s beat stopping carbon copy shortage (5-5) |
| CLICK-CLACK – LICK (beat) in CC (carbon copy) LACK (shortage). | |
| 21 | Spain’s water to supply what’s wanted, endless tropical fruit (8) |
| AGUACATE – AGUA (Spain’s water) CATE{r} (supply what’s wanted) without the final letter. | |
| 22 | Prevent development of surrounding West African people (6) |
| CHOKWE – W (West) in CHOKE (prevent development). | |
| 23 | I can relate rather engaging published following lines in two notes (4,2,5,2) |
| TELL ME ABOUT IT – LL (two lines) in TE ME (two notes), OUT (published) in A BIT (rather). Rather easier to biff than to parse! | |
| 25 | Worried to splice with variable input (6) |
| TOWZED – Z (variable) in TO WED (splice). | |
| 26 | Cloth covers for head carriage, stipulation Britain backs (8) |
| KUFIYAHS – SHAY (carriage) IF (stipulation) UK (Britain) all reversed. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Bone-splicing rod to replace cap in place of femur, at the right length but missing cup? (3-4) |
| PIN-HIGH – A golfing term. PIN (bone-splicing rod) replacing the first letter of {t}HIGH (femur). | |
| 3 | Cookware equipment, one way to serve up tea cups? (11) |
| KITCHENALIA – KIT (equipment), I (one) LANE (way) upwards -> ENALI, in CHA (tea). | |
| 4 | Twisting short little bit in two ways, one of us threaded fastener (5) |
| OJIME – Another tricky one… JO{t} (little bit) [short], [twisting] -> OJ, I ME (one of us in two ways). | |
| 5 | An American independent stooge with USA’s top elected representative (7) |
| MUGWUMP – MUG (stooge) U{sa} [‘s top] MP (elected representative). | |
| 6 | Triumphed in South Carolina, within branch overworked by old writer (9) |
| FORSWONCK – A double inclusion… WON (triumphed) in SC (South Carolina), all in FORK (branch). “By old writer” indicates its an obsolete term. | |
| 7 | Acacia tree’s durable timber with raised finish (3) |
| KOA – OAK (durable timber), raising the last letter -> KOA. | |
| 8 | Café refurbished in Hornsey (7) |
| NOSHERY – (Hornsey)* [refurbished]. Phew. An easy one! | |
| 12 | Tory lord who could become very fit (11) |
| DROOLWORTHY – (Tory lord who)* [could become]. And another! | |
| 14 | Freed from spells of constant injury during nude wrestling (9) |
| UNCHARMED – C (constant) HARM (injury) in (nude)* [wrestling]. | |
| 17 | Book that is about half-forgotten Ibsen play with interior set (7) |
| EIGHTVO – IE (id est; that is) [about] -> EI, TV (set) in GHO{sts} (Ibsen play) [half forgotten]. | |
| 19 | Point raised in mostly overemotional gathering by a Pole? (7) |
| ICEPACK – CAPE (point) [raised] -> PACE, in ICK{y} (overemotional) [mostly]. | |
| 20 | Fellow wise woman apparently irritating climber (7) |
| COWITCH – CO WITCH whimsically defined as (fellow wise woman). | |
| 22 | Having lost Arabic article, cancel wholesale allowance (5) |
| CLOFF – C{al}L OFF (cancel) without the AL (“the” in Arabic; Arabic article). | |
| 24 | Bone up incomplete final part in radio series (3) |
| LUZ – ZUL{u} (last letter in the phonetic alphabet; final part in radio series), [incomplete], [up] -> LUZ. | |
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