Slightly above-par 7 minutes for me in this fun but rather two-paced offering from Mara. Plenty of simple clues, but many others I parsed only afterwards. Overall, I suspect many will find this a bit of a struggle.
| Across |
| 1 |
Bird, dog also heard? (8) |
|
COCKATOO – Sounds like COCKER TOO |
| 5 |
Extra part of room, or extension (4) |
|
MORE – hidden word |
| 8 |
First of buds imminent in flower (8) |
|
BLOOMING – B for buds plus LOOMING |
| 9 |
Deer with leg cut (4) |
|
STAG – STAG[E] |
| 11 |
Tenant is upset about losing money initially — monthly payment, say? (10) |
|
INSTALMENT – anagram (‘upset’) of TENANT IS around the first letters of Losing Money. I biffed this. |
| 14 |
Filly, say, kennelling a husky (6) |
|
HOARSE – HORSE placed around A. I like ‘kennelling’ as an indicator a lot. |
| 15 |
Best or otherwise, pulsating light (6) |
|
STROBE – anagram (‘otherwise’) of BEST OR |
| 17 |
Fruity little things peeled tennis gear off (10) |
|
TANGERINES – anagram (‘off’) of TENNIS GEAR |
| 20 |
Follow four letters from the editor (4) |
|
HEED – hidden word |
| 21 |
Failing isn’t rare for device with holes (8) |
|
STRAINER – anagram (‘failing’) of ISNT RARE |
| 22 |
Assignment while filling empty truck (4) |
|
TASK – AS (while) inside T[RUC]K |
| 23 |
Clerical author, reportedly? (8) |
|
PRIESTLY – sounds like (J.B.) PRIESTLEY. An Inspector Calls and all that. |
| Down |
| 1 |
Junior reporter on a Caribbean island (4) |
|
CUBA – CUB (reporter) + A. This is a bit of a chestnut. |
| 2 |
Bird runs into bovine (4) |
|
CROW – COW with R inside |
| 3 |
Manage to move inside tram (10) |
|
ADMINISTER – anagram (‘to move’) of INSIDE TRAM |
| 4 |
Fancy bringing leader of negotiations into lecture (6) |
|
ORNATE – ORATE (lecture) with N for negotiations inside |
| 6 |
Shaped end of wood then too sharp (2,3,3) |
|
ON THE DOT – anagram (‘shaped’) of [WOO]D + THEN + TOO |
| 7 |
Mutated, the gene I figure (8) |
|
EIGHTEEN – anagram (‘mutated’) of THE GENE I |
| 10 |
Every bit of newspaper coverage ultimately in Vogue (3,3,4) |
|
ALL THE RAGE – ALL THE RAG + E (end of ‘coverage’) |
| 12 |
Talk with jazz fan about film director (4-4) |
|
CHIT-CHAT – CAT (jazz fan) outside HITCH, short for HITCHCOCK. Another biff. Hitch for Hitchcock is a bit of a stretch, imo. |
| 13 |
Easy line composed in academic success (8) |
|
PAINLESS – anagram (‘composed’) of LINE inside PASS (academic success) |
| 16 |
Freezing ale (6) |
|
BITTER – double definition |
| 18 |
Some design a tooth that bites (4) |
|
GNAT – hidden word |
| 19 |
Equine sound in chestnut about right (4) |
|
BRAY – BAY (chestnut coloured horse ) outside R |
09:05. I liked this one – the last couple really kept me going but I’m glad I persevered. COD was PAINLESS (which was painful to get and my LOI). thank you both.
Just short of 3 hours (!!!!!!) on the 15 x 15, and I was still 6 clues short.
You’ve got to give me credit for persevering, despite being so bad at this. I’m afraid my brain simply doesn’t work where cryptic crosswords are concerned.
Too many anagrams made it rather mechanical, I thought.