I liked this a lot. It’s a bit on the tough side but there are some very elegant clues, and cracking surfaces. There may be a few too many compound anagrams for some tastes, but it’s all good practice… 7 minutes for me.
| Across |
| 1 |
Put off after page 1 (8) |
|
POSTPONE – POST (after) + P + ONE |
| 5 |
Can Jack feel unwell (4) |
|
JAIL – J (jack) + AIL |
| 8 |
Bird, say, straddling a large egg to begin with (5) |
|
EAGLE – EG (say) ‘straddling’ A, followed by L[arge] E[gg] |
| 9 |
Sportsmen heading off demonstrators? (7) |
|
ARCHERS – [M]ARCHERS |
| 11 |
General strike half-abandoned (3) |
|
IKE – half of STRIKE. Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower obvs. |
| 12 |
Herb’s parents worried about note (9) |
|
SPEARMINT – anagram (‘worried’) of PARENTS around MI (as in do re mi) |
| 13 |
Move about with difficulty, with permit (6) |
|
WALLOW – W (with) + ALLOW |
| 15 |
Dish made of hollowed-out European elm? (6) |
|
ENTREE – EN (EUROPEAN ‘hollowed out’) + TREE |
| 18 |
Pioneer of press corporation introduces book in new genre (9) |
|
GUTENBERG – GUT (corporation) + anagram (‘new’) of GENRE with B for book inserted |
| 19 |
Hit Bill from behind (3) |
|
BAT – TAB backwards |
| 20 |
Temporary termini undergoing refurbishment (7) |
|
INTERIM – anagram (‘undergoing refurbishment’) of TERMINI |
| 21 |
Ottoman chief popular once more (5) |
|
AGAIN – AGA (Ottoman chief) + IN |
| 22 |
Maybe 100m sprint mostly flat (4) |
|
EVEN – EVEN[T] |
| 23 |
Has pyxie briefly withered with a lack of oxygen (8) |
|
ASPHYXIA – anagram (‘withered’) of HAS PYXI[E] + A |
| Down |
| 1 |
Advance showing of pupil’s first report (7) |
|
PREVIEW – P[UPIL] + REVIEW |
| 2 |
Follow on to take legal action about case of embezzling (5) |
|
SEGUE – SUE around E[MBEZZLIN]G |
| 3 |
Porters once worked somewhere in Westminster Abbey (5,6) |
|
POETS CORNER – anagram (‘worked’) of PORTERS ONCE |
| 4 |
Tidy canteen not starting shifts (6) |
|
NEATEN – anagram (‘shifts’) of [C]ANTEEN |
| 6 |
Retailer almost converted studio (7) |
|
ATELIER – anagram (‘converted’) of RETAILE[R] |
| 7 |
Composer’s catalogue delivered (5) |
|
LISZT – ‘delivered’ as in sounds like LIST |
| 10 |
Church beginning to rely on old chart and timer (11) |
|
CHRONOGRAPH – CH (church) + R[ELY] + ON + O + GRAPH |
| 14 |
Song title changed by Elvis originally (3,2,2) |
|
LET IT BE – anagram (‘changed’) of TITLE + B[Y] + E[LVIS]. Overrated Beatles song. |
| 16 |
Rubbish on site initially affecting country (7) |
|
ESTONIA – anagram (‘rubbish’) of ON SITE + A for ‘affecting’ |
| 17 |
Irishman lodging in Portlaoise amused (6) |
|
SEAMUS – hidden word |
| 18 |
Ghastly English music style (5) |
|
GRIME – GRIM + E. Ghastly indeed |
| 19 |
Reportedly what Cupid uses to shoot sweethearts (5) |
|
BEAUX – sounds like BOW |
Surprised myself by sailing through this, after a tiring day driving back from Skipton and unpacking, and finding myself 60th on the Leaderboard, despite not starting it until nearly 5pm. Must be a wavelength thing. From PREVIEW to BEAUX in 6:24. Needed GUTENBERG to correct a biffed CHRONOMETER. Off to check the QSNITCH now and then on to the 15×15. Thanks Cheeko and Curarist.
Difficult but managed all but Beaux, so a DNF.
I like the song Let It Be.
Oh well, yes, I did do French at school, I was even described as a ‘Beau’ once, long ago! But I couldn’t get past Arrow which didn’t fit or Barbs which wasn’t very convincing and didn’t end in ‘X’. So, this is my category of ‘Half-fail’ because I nearly got there. Mmm, less hard than yesterday but not by much. Thanks
10.54.
Rubbish time approaching 20mins (I also found this on the chewy side) but I got BEAUX and GRIME so feeling a few decades younger. I will take that as a win.
Thanks blogger and setter.
That’s more like it! First finish under 10 this week. Not too difficult as far as I was concerned, and lots to like inc GUTENBERG and BEAUX.
9:26 FOI Postpone LOI Wallow COD Grime – that made me 🤣
Thanks Cheeko and Curarist – I’ll go back and read everyone’s comments now
27 minute DNF.
Put JILL for JAIL and so had ETELIER for ATELIER. What an idiot I really am! Stupid schoolboy errors that demonstrate my utter incompetence.
157 minutes and 3 DNFs this week. Worse than when I began. How is that possible?
Is there really any point in carrying on with this daily torture when I get steadily worse?
I got 5 on the 15 x 15, before giving up in total disgust at my complete inability to do this. Having seen the blog, I realise how little skill I possess.
Five years of hard slog for nothing. Hardly seems fair given the endless hours I’ve put in, but there it is. I had ambitions to be a good solver once. Hard to believe now.
I enjoyed today’s puzzle and eventually worked it all out, unlike yesterday’s.
34:00 (average: 38, target: 37)
Came to the QC very late today, but glad I saved it now. Really enjoyed it. Found some clues pleasantly tricky.
Thanks Curarist for the positive write up and Cheeko for a great puzzle.
Late to the party as actually had work today. Great puzzle. NHO ATELIER but it sounded a little more likely that ALETIER. 15:54. Thanks all.
I thought Cupid was firing BLANX….
Another pile of garbage from Times.Might as well put it on the regular 15 × 15.Up yours editor,go sleep on the job!