Filling in for Cedric this week as he swans about the globe, and he was kind enough to leave me with quite a manageable offering from Asp. I say that on the basis that I did it pre-coffee in around my median time, and on review I can’t see anything too alarming.
I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. And importantly, if late in the day we’re still talking about the crossword then it means we’ve had a seamless transition to the new hosting site. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Johninterred and others for the work they’ve done on this.
(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 | Idly, I cut off ability to think clearly (8) |
| LUCIDITY – (IDLY I CUT)* | |
| 5 | Assist Elizabeth to some extent (4) |
| ABET – Hidden (to some extent) in elizABETh | |
| 8 | Horrible to leave me filled with regrets (8) |
| GRUESOME – GO (leave) + ME “filled with” RUES (regrets) | |
| 9 | Banned university club making a comeback (4) |
| TABU – [U (university) + BAT (club)] reversed (making a comeback)
More commonly rendered as taboo these days. Apparently the tabu spelling reflects the word’s Tongan origins. |
|
| 11 | Show disapproval: it set back everyone playing (5) |
| TUTTI – TUT (show disapproval) + TI [IT reversed (set back)]
Italian for “all” or “the whole lot” but specifically used in music to indicate that everyone (the whole choir, orchestra, cast, whatever) is involved. |
|
| 12 | Uncouth learner is hard to keep out (7) |
| LOUTISH – L (learner) + IS + H (hard) “to keep” OUT | |
| 13 | Put right tune on Queen record (6) |
| REPAIR – AIR (tune) on [R (Queen) + EP (record)]
R stands for Regina, latin for queen. As it does for Rex, latin for king. |
|
| 15 | Neglect to illegally copy contract in the end (6) |
| FORGET – FORGE (illegally copy) + T [last letter (in the end) of contracT] | |
| 18 | Idle act mangled speech (7) |
| DIALECT – (IDLE ACT)* | |
| 19 | Unfashionable party cap (5) |
| OUTDO – OUT (unfashionable) + DO (party)
Cap as in to surpass or outperform. |
|
| 21 | Wickedness, as it happens, is returning (4) |
| EVIL – LIVE (as it happens) reversed (is returning) | |
| 22 | Complaint by senior teacher lacking in empathy (4,4) |
| HEAD COLD – HEAD (senior teacher) + COLD (lacking in empathy) | |
| 23 | Herb dip to go with last of meze (4) |
| SAGE – SAG (dip) + E (last of mezE) | |
| 24 | Lock up mischievous child with wrong irons (8) |
| IMPRISON – IMP (mischievous child) + (IRONS)* | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Less serious match? (7) |
| LIGHTER – Double definition
The question mark for match is there because it’s a DBE (definition by example) |
|
| 2 | Nobleman is important briefly (5) |
| COUNT – COUNT |
|
| 3 | Passed round whisky for one feeling down (10) |
| DISPIRITED – DIED (passed) round SPIRIT (whisky for one)
“for one” because it’s an example of a spirit. |
|
| 4 | Acrobat scratching bottom in awkward fall (6) |
| TUMBLE – TUMBLE |
|
| 6 | Reporter’s revealing attitude (7) |
| BEARING – Homophone (reporter’s) of BARING (revealing) | |
| 7 | Come into contact with tip of trident? That hurt! (5) |
| TOUCH – T [first letter (tip) of Touch] + OUCH (that hurt!) | |
| 10 | Not working and disorganised: unacceptable (3,2,5) |
| OUT OF ORDER – Triple definition
Ah, the nuances of the English language. |
|
| 14 | Quietly putting down orchestra’s performance? (7) |
| PLAYING – P (quietly) + LAYING (putting down)
P = Piano = soft or quietly in musical notation. |
|
| 16 | Trampled rodent running round bottom of bed (7) |
| TRODDEN – (RODENT)* round D [last letter (bottom) of beD] | |
| 17 | Type of power harnessing river current (6) |
| STREAM – STEAM (type of power) “harnessing” R (river) | |
| 18 | Compulsion to remove uniform clothing (5) |
| DRESS – DURESS (compulsion) to remove U (uniform) | |
| 20 | Implements terms officials offered loan sharks originally (5) |
| TOOLS – First letters (originally) of Terms Officials Offered Loan Sharks
A verb in the wordplay becomes a noun in the solution. |
|
10:12 today to round off a good week. Had to do well as we had a couple of lunch visitors, one of whom is a fellow QC fan and a TfTT lurker. I hope she doesn’t sue me for that reference. Her OH is not so keen: and he won’t have anything to do with it. No stand out clues today. Thanks to Galspray and Asp.
Oh my. This took me 28:18, nearly twice my average, and I came here hoping that others found it hard too, but it seems I just had an off day. Ah well, it happens. I enjoyed the challenge anyway.
Thanks to Asp and Galspray.
Enjoyed this one. Thanks for clarifying DISPIRITED galspray. Liked the surfaces for GRUESOME and BEARING. Many thanks Asp. Pleased to get onto the site first time using the link I bookmarked yesterday. Thanks to John for sorting everything out.
12:31. Spent longest on DISPIRITED and BEARING although in hindsight they were two of the clearest.
I found this hard and struggled to finish: not seen TABU before, so a DNF eventually.
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