Time: 7 minutes. This was my best QC solving time since my last blog a fortnight ago. How did you do?
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 |
|
|---|---|
| 7 | Is monkey allowed to eat this? (6) |
| CANAPE – CAN APE (is monkey allowed to?) | |
| 8 | A vote, initially on name for space programme (6) |
| APOLLO – A, POLL, O{n} [initially] | |
| 9 | Confirm live data needs correcting (8) |
| VALIDATE – Anagram [needs correcting] LIVE DATA | |
| 10 | Support nobleman when caught (4) |
| PIER – Aural wordplay [when caught]: “peer” (nobleman) | |
| 11 | Abandon the Sahara? (6) |
| DESERT – Two definitions, the second by example | |
| 13 | Quietly recommend expulsion (5) |
| PURGE – P (quietly), URGE (recommend) | |
| 14 | Aussie native runs round and round (3) |
| ROO – R (runs), O (round), O (round) | |
| 15 | Almost losing head at dawn? (5) |
| EARLY – {n}EARLY (almost) [losing head] | |
| 17 | Careless about failure (6) |
| REMISS – RE (about), MISS (failure) | |
| 19 | Couple I encountered on way back (4) |
| ITEM – I, then MET (encountered) reversed [on way back] | |
| 20 | Tory I rip off is most pressing concern (8) |
| PRIORITY – Anagram [off] of TORY I RIP | |
| 22 | Resident gullible about start of trouble (6) |
| NATIVE – NA~IVE (gullible) containing [about] T{rouble} [start of…] | |
| 23 | Shopkeeper selling food increasingly vulgar, I hear (6) |
| GROCER – Aural wordplay [I hear]: “grosser” (increasingly vulgar) | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Two personal assistants for old man (4) |
| PAPA – PA + PA (two personal assistants) | |
| 2 | US state harbouring resistance fighter (6) |
| MARINE – MA~INE ( US state) containing [harbouring] R (resistance) | |
| 3 | Depart NY in turmoil, splitting hairs (8) |
| PEDANTRY – Anagram [in turmoil] of DEPART NY | |
| 4 | Contact attendant at court (4) |
| PAGE – Two meanings | |
| 5 | Policeman, one managing to acquire power (6) |
| COPPER – COP~ER (one managing) containing [to acquire] P (power) | |
| 6 | No crossword setter could be so ignorant (8) |
| CLUELESS – A cryptic hint precedes the literal. | |
| 12 | Ultimate net value to be adjusted (8) |
| EVENTUAL – Anagram [to be adjusted] of NET VALUE | |
| 13 | What you might have at breakfast time in prison? (8) |
| PORRIDGE – Two meanings | |
| 16 | Last of weather holding me up (6) |
| REMAIN – R~AIN (weather) containing [holding] ME reversed [up] | |
| 18 | Former Lothario hoards red wine (6) |
| MERLOT – Hidden in [hoards] {for}MER LOT{hario} | |
| 20 | Periodically protect man of letters (4) |
| POET – P{r}O{t}E{c}T [periodically] | |
| 21 | Outsiders expelled from Athens at that time (4) |
| THEN – {A}THEN{s} [outsiders expelled] | |
Yes, nothing much to hold me up here, though I needed a few stabs before NATIVE fell.
5:13.
If you’re looking for a tougher challenge, today’s main puzzle is a little tougher than your average Monday. The last couple may prove difficult.
4:11
A gentle one–lowest SNITCH in months. A MER, though, at NATIVE; natives are not necessarily resident, nor residents native.
I agree this was pretty easy. I didn’t like porridge because the two definitions are etymologically connected. In the end, I got completely stuck on the canape/marine crossing. Yes, a monkey and an ape are technically two different things, but since I tried can and may early on I should have thought of it.
Time: 7:07
On 23/2 we have #3232, for what that’s worth which is nothing. Came in a tad under 6 having pulled the wrong rein as usual on the PIER/PEER homophone and losing a little time tracking down the error. Enjoyable QC, thanks to Pipsqueak and Jack.
Yep also brisk for me, 7.28 which I think is my personal record… and that’s after initially leading myself astray with LAUD for support/sounding like lord