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) | |
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