The usual delectation of weird words (top pick 3A), witticisms (e.g. “who’ll see to plates”) and tricky wordplay (top pick 17D). It took me just under an hour and a half, so about par for an MCS for me. I needed aids beyond the dictionaries to find 1A and my LOI was 12A. Thank-you clever setter.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Recalled emotional problem but not an antique that reeks (4) |
| PUGH – An old spelling of POOH. H{an}GUP (emotional problem) reversed and without the AN. | |
| 3 | Something to chew bearing downy coat: almost 50 per cent is primarily cudweed (10) |
| GNAPHALIUM – NAP (downy coat), HAL{f} (50%) [almost]. I{s} [primarily], all in GUM (something to chew). Phew! | |
| 10 | From sister in France, taking against English jobless? (9) |
| DESOEUVRE – DE (from in French), V (against) in SOEUR (sister in French), E (English). | |
| 11 | Tough leaves rear of High Court and Britain in turn (5) |
| KUTCH – Last letter of higH, CT (court), UK (Britain), all reversed -> KUTCH. | |
| 12 | Perhaps a tiny old Burmese knife to remove limbs (7) |
| CATLING – Double definition, the first a cryptic hint. | |
| 13 | Oz writer’s heading to last lines to be safe (6) |
| AUMBRY – BAUM (writer of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), moving first letter to last -> AUMB, RY (railway; lines). | |
| 15 | A train outbound circuitously skirts old hedging (15) |
| ROUNDABOUTATION – O (old) in (A train outbound)* [circuitously]. Chambers marks the word as “facetious”. | |
| 18 | On vessel home, order one private to reverse incompletely understood implication (15) |
| SUBINTELLIGITUR – SUB (vessel) IN (home) TELL (order) I (one) GI (private) TUR{n} (reverse) [incompletely]. A 6 part charade! And an unlikely looking word. | |
| 21 | Adjutant’s augmented reality celebration (6) |
| ARGALA – AR (augmented reality) GALA (celebration. | |
| 23 | Field officer’s excellent prospect in New Zealand (7) |
| FOSSICK – FO’S (field officer’s) SICK (excellent). | |
| 26 | Language used in Bhubaneswar formerly, and also Riyadh (5) |
| ORIYA – Hidden in alsO RIYAdh. | |
| 27 | And what have you brought back to divert ancient city? (9) |
| CTESIPHON – ETC (and what have you) reversed -> CTE, SIPHON (divert). | |
| 28 | Mild-mannered, half-lost, so I’d affected primness (3-7) |
| OLD-MAIDISM – (mild ma{nnered} so I’d)* [affected]. | |
| 29 | Without emotion, protecting European rodent’s nest (4) |
| DREY – E (European) in DRY (without emotion). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Dice bananas to feed punctilious person who’ll see to plates (10) |
| PEDICURIST – Ha ha! One who’ll see plates of meat, feet. (Dice)* [bananas] in PURIST (punctilious person). | |
| 2 | Husband drops in suddenly to stop contact with red meat (5) |
| GOSHT – GHOST (suddenly stop contact with) with the H (husband) dropping -> GOSHT. | |
| 4 | Maybe Reitman upset Hollywood actor that can be directed (9) |
| NAVIGABLE – IVAN (maybe Reitman) reversed -> NAVI, GABLE) (Clark Gable; actor). | |
| 5 | Mark to enter round ahead of seeing that standing (5) |
| PRESA – PRE (ahead of) AS (seeing that) [standing] -> SA. | |
| 6 | Military in early hours supported unlimited form of hybrid combat (3,4) |
| ACK EMMA – {b}ACKE{d} (supported) without its outside letters, MMA (mixed martial arts). | |
| 7 | Prevent electronic chip in Trident failing (9) |
| INTERDICT – I.C. (Integrated circuit; electronic chip) in (Trident)* [failing]. | |
| 8 | A gazelle, a second, then 3600 of them (4) |
| MOHR – MO (a second), HR (hour; 3600 seconds). | |
| 9 | Homer’s contemporary leads for initial Simpsons episode, with his annoyed grunt wrapping up (6) |
| HESIOD – First letters in Initial Simpsons Episode, in DOH (Homer Simpson’s annoyed grunt), all reversed -> HESIOD. Clever play on Homer Simpson. | |
| 14 | Burn out, just retaining kinetic energy without interruption (10) |
| UNBROKENLY – (Burn)* [out], KE (kinetic energy) in ONLY (just). | |
| 16 | Wader in northern estuary, not the first time (5-4) |
| UMBER-BIRD – {h}UMBER (northern estuary) [not the first] BIRD (time in prison). | |
| 17 | Taking place, though for the first time, delivers elevators (9) |
| UPLIFTERS – PL (place) IF (though) replacing the first T [for the first time] in U{t}TERS (delivers). Simple word but tricky clue! | |
| 19 | It’s no good on top of extinct volcano, mostly, for NZ lizard (7) |
| NGARARA – I had trouble tracking this down as it’s only in Collins, not Chambers or ODE. NG (No Good) on ARARA{t} (extinct volcano) [mostly]. | |
| 20 | Cycled, requiring muscular part of leg (6) |
| GASKIN – ASKING (requiring) [cycled] -> GASKIN. | |
| 22 | Tart filled with large seabird (5) |
| ALCID – L (large) in ACID (tart). | |
| 24 | Discharge angelic order when one has ascended (5) |
| ICHOR – CHOIR (angelic order) with the I (one) raised -> ICHOR. | |
| 25 | Sanction former pupil over snitch (4) |
| BOKO – OK (sanction) OB (old boy; former pupil) all reversed -> BOKO. A name for the nose. | |
Thanks for explaining 17d, which was one of my last in.
I pondered for a long time over how this clue worked before the penny finally dropped.
It was my last one to parse. Very clever.