Time: 8 minutes. A very pleasant puzzle from Rongo that I hope you found easy.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I now use a tilde sign ~ to indicate an insertion point in containment clues. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Village play (6) |
| HAMLET – Two meanings | |
| 4 | Endlessly trod grassy plain (6) |
| STEPPE – STEPPE{d} (trod) [endlessly] | |
| 8 | Extreme misery of USA, nigh exploding (7) |
| ANGUISH – Anagram [exploding] of USA NIGH | |
| 10 | Take away menus with second item replaced by starter for Indian (5) |
| MINUS – MeNUS with its second item (e) replaced by I (starter for Indian) becomes MINUS | |
| 11 | Some players win, especially a scoundrel (5) |
| SWINE – Hidden in [some] {player}S WIN E{specially} | |
| 12 | Disguised by cloth with irregular patches of colour (7) |
| BLOTCHY – Anagram [disguised] of BY CLOTH | |
| 13 | Popular time traveller beginning to trust self-absorbed person (9) |
| INTROVERT – IN (popular), T (time), ROVER (traveller), T{rust} [beginning to…] | |
| 17 | Combustible rock covering a street beside the sea (7) |
| COASTAL – CO~AL (combustible rock) containing [covering] A + ST (street) | |
| 19 | Lift up one among many (5) |
| HOIST – I (one) contained by [among] HO~ST (many) | |
| 20 | “Magic” being just technology in the end (5) |
| FAIRY – FAIR (just), {technolog}Y [in the end] | |
| 21 | Russian-born author reversed vehicle across trashed book (7) |
| NABOKOV – V~AN (vehicle) [reversed] containing [across] anagram [trashed] of BOOK. ‘Russian-born’ because he became an American citizen in 1922 at the age of 23. Despite his many other achievements he probably remains most widely known as the author of Lolita, a somewhat controversial novel written in 1955. | |
| 22 | Star role in Barbie is below the usual level (6) |
| SUNKEN – SUN (star), KEN (role in Barbie). This is the second time in recent weeks that Ken has come up on my watch. | |
| 23 | Lots joining Anglican church simultaneously (2,4) |
| AT ONCE – A TON (lots), CE (Anglican church) | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Maybe nag can be heard speaking roughly? (6) |
| HOARSE – Aural wordplay [can be heard]: “horse” [nag, maybe] | |
| 2 | Facing in, aim to develop enlargement (13) |
| MAGNIFICATION – Anagram [develop] of FACING IN AIM TO | |
| 3 | Famous rapper, mostly not without heart (7) |
| EMINENT – EMINE{m} (rapper) [mostly], N{o}T [without heart]. I’ve met him in another puzzle clued as ‘rapper’ very recently so this was unexpectedly easy for me. | |
| 5 | Musical work: NY opera company raised its speed? (5) |
| TEMPO – OP (musical work) + MET (NY opera company) reversed [raised] | |
| 6 | Frantic, disorderly span in cricket (5-8) |
| PANIC-STRICKEN – Anagram [disorderly] of SPAN IN CRICKET | |
| 7 | Not all of scribes say something in writings on a subject (6) |
| ESSAYS – Hidden in [not all of] {scrib}ES SAY S{something} | |
| 9 | Under cooking surface, almost lose ability to see mischievous creature (9) |
| HOBGOBLIN – HOB (cooking surface), GO BLIN{d} (lose ability to see) [almost] | |
| 14 | Show former partner Hello! piece (7) |
| EXHIBIT – EX (former partner), HI (hello), BIT (piece). For those who may not know, Hello! is the name of a magazine. | |
| 15 | Scratches small restraints on wrists (6) |
| SCUFFS – S (small), CUFFS (restraints on wrists) | |
| 16 | Wonder who sings — that is after send-up of animal doctors (6) |
| STEVIE – VETS (animal doctors) reversed [send up], IE (that is) | |
| 18 | As of old, your meal’s half herb (5) |
| THYME – THY (as of old, “your”), ME{al} [’s half] | |
Oh MINUS beloved I wished I could remember you, and then properly appreciate TEMPO so very clever. Even SUN KEN might have sunk in eventually. Enjoyed it all today.
7:32 so indeed it was easy for me today. Quite the biff-fest in fact. LOI was BLOTCHY, with its well-disguised anagrind (I dabbled with PIED for a while). Enjoyed the surface for NABOKOV, so my COD. FAIRY also good.
Thanks Rongo and jackkt.
All ok except for sunken as have never seen film and have adult Male children
19 mins. Always consider a solve under 20 mins as a win. Well written clues, I was quick to separate the wordplay and definition, which can often be my downfall.
The reappearance of our fav Rapper, helped.
Thanks
Jack and Rongo
Introvert does not mean self-absorbed, they’re quite different. Self-absorbed means self-centered. Introvert means not out-going.
Think I would have enjoyed this without multiple annoying interruptions. Finished in 15 with an exasperated huff, poor old ‘ken’ rather adding to my irritation. Ah well, such is life.
Yet another fail.
18 mins but put STAPLE for STEPPE. Yes, that’s how bad I am. Clueless!!!
It wasn’t easy to me, but then nothing ever is where cryptic crosswords are concerned. Reading the other comments (how simple most solvers found it) makes me want to give up. What do you have that I don’t?
To compound the misery, I got little more than half on 15 x 15. Truly appalling. Another puzzle that was doubtless straightforward for most solvers. I laboured for over an hour and for no reward.
Happy us! Well out of the teens and lurking near the elusive 10.
You’ve all moved on now of course… but I will happily tell the ether what fun we had, how much we applauded the clues ( and ourselves) as we chortled through.
Thanks to all.
. . .and the void echos back 😉
Hello void! and thank you for extending our delight : )
9:47 A RST! Hoist Sunken Nabakov with difficulty.
TaJAR