Finished this one in bang on my median time, and that’s pretty much all I have to say about that. Thank you Hurley for producing the goods yet again.
What about the rest of you lot? Let us know how you went in the comments.
(In the clues, definitions are underlined and anagram indicators are in bold italics. In the explanations (ABC)* indicates an anagram of abc. Deletions and other devices are indicated accordingly, I hope).
| Across | |
| 1 | European film, major work (4) |
| EPIC – E (European) + PIC (film) | |
| 4 | Hero‘s receding US hairstyle – Yank at heart (8) |
| SUPERMAN – SU (US “receding”) + PERM (hairstyle) + AN [middle letters (at heart) of yANk] | |
| 8 | Distribute everything on cue at the event, to begin with (8) |
| ALLOCATE – ALL (everything) + OCATE [first letters (to begin with) of On Cue At The Event] | |
| 9 | Press for outrigger to be used regularly (4) |
| URGE – alternate letters (to be used regularly) of oUtRiGgEr | |
| 10 | Reportedly plant again and withdraw (6) |
| RECEDE – Homophone (reportedly) of RE-SEED (plant again) | |
| 11 | Waterlogged turf beside lair (6) |
| SODDEN – SOD (turf) + DEN (lair) | |
| 12 | Easy to see they’re chess players (5-3-5) |
| BLACK-AND-WHITE – Double definition
“Easy to see” as in clearly distinguishable. |
|
| 16 | Sign fellow’s abandoning thesaurus (6) |
| TAURUS – HES (fellow’s) “abandoning” T |
|
| 17 | Blame Bill, copper? Snide, beginning and end (6) |
| ACCUSE – AC (bill) + CU (copper) + SE (beginning and end of SnidE) | |
| 19 | Second person, old, lodged in guest house (4) |
| THOU – Hidden (lodged) in guesT HOUse
Liked the definition, the archaic version of you (second person). |
|
| 20 | Element of intro wrong: information to follow (8) |
| NITROGEN – (INTRO)* + GEN (information) | |
| 21 | At back, chap, snake, one not worth listening to (8) |
| PRATTLER – P [last letter (at back) of chaP] + RATTLER (snake) | |
| 22 | Was familiar with novel, by the sound of it (4) |
| KNEW – Homophone (by the sound of it) of NEW (novel) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Beat or bean perhaps (5) |
| PULSE – Double definition | |
| 3 | Type of TV studio cleric condemned, following Conservative’s lead (6-7) |
| CLOSED-CIRCUIT – C (Conservative’s lead) + (STUDIO CLERIC)* | |
| 4 | Maybe halve quiet area, the last to go (5) |
| SHARE – SH (quiet) + ARE (ARE |
|
| 5 | Delighted, extremely proud about legal agreement (7) |
| PLEASED – PD [first and last letters of (extremely) ProuD] “about” LEASE (legal agreement) | |
| 6 | Outrageous neck – hold court without interruption (5-3-5) |
| ROUND-THE-CLOCK – (NECK HOLD COURT)* | |
| 7 | Female relative welcoming exotic gem’s boost (7) |
| AUGMENT – AUNT (female relative) “welcoming” (GEM)* | |
| 10 | Section of memoir I briefly make fun of (3) |
| RIB – Hidden in (section of) memoiR I Briefly | |
| 13 | Fuss about English skin product? (7) |
| LEATHER – LATHER (fuss) “about” E (English)
Not a product for skin, a product of skin. Very good. |
|
| 14 | Football team, first-class, learns afresh (7) |
| ARSENAL – A (first-class) + (LEARNS)* | |
| 15 | Observer I picked up (3) |
| EYE – Homophone (picked up) of I. | |
| 17 | Player seen in factory (5) |
| ACTOR – Hidden (seen in) fACTORy | |
| 18 | Military action, for example, close to castle is set up (5) |
| SIEGE -[EG (for example) + E (“close” to castlE) + IS] all reversed (set up) | |
A relatively speedy 8:38 here. Could have been faster but I wasted time trying to make LINAMENT work at 13d (on the basis of lament = fuss) despite it having 8 letters and actually being spelt with two Is. Ah well. LEATHER became our LOI, and my COD, after we had more checkers. Thanks, all.
PS Error 500 has definitely become tedious!
5.54
Like Plett, had no problems with this one. Thanks Galspray and Hurley.
16:28, close to PB.
Could someone explain AC as ‘bill’ and GEN as ‘information’?
They are crosswordland codes, so to speak. AC is short for “account” (I’ve always supposed) and GEN for “general information” or “general knowledge” perhaps. I had to internalize these early on in my learning.
and congratulations on your good time!
Thank you! I think I’ve come across AC/account now that you mention it, but GEN is definitely a new one
My dad (born in 1930s) would occasionally say something like “You need to gen up on that” when I didn’t know something.
7.40.
12:12. SHARE and SIEGE took longest, SODDEN my favourite.
All S-words but no love for Superman !
My last comment was a 500 victim so briefly:
Lovely QC but failed with SHAPE instead of SHARE
Thanks both
Pressing ‘post comment’ with fingers crossed.
17:20. One of my best times. About half the clues went in straight away, the others needed some thought, the two long anagrams needed pen and paper. I always feel slightly stressed on Saturday because I do this on my phone so I know I’m being timed.
15:43 on a leisurely Saturday morning. I was also misled into the “lotions and potions” meaning of “skin product”, and that gets my COD award.
Thanks to Hurley and Galspray.
Usual Saturday nightmare for me. Too embarrassed to tell you my time. Shouldn’t have tried it today as still feeling angry after yesterday’s debacle.
Took a leisurely 28:11 whilst listening to Last Night of the Proms .A couple of biffs and PRATTLER LOI. I didn’t find it as easy as most other contributers seem to have done.
Gave up yesterday because of the 500’s.
Nice steady solve except for 13d (also looking for lotions), and LOI 4d (looking for 6 letter word meaning quiet area), both elementary mistakes.
Thanks to Hurley and galspray.