Time: 10 minutes. Today we have a very enjoyable puzzle from Oink to mark the return of a classic QC following some of the excesses of the past week. I hope you liked it as much as I did.
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 | Second person falling for nightclub artiste? (8) |
| STRIPPER – S (second), TRIPPER (person falling) | |
| 6 | Husband withdrawn from Hunt inquiry (4) |
| CASE – C{h}ASE (hunt) [husband withdrawn from…] | |
| 8 | Member of Pride? (4) |
| LION – Cryptic with reference to the collective noun, a pride of lions. | |
| 9 | Who gets gran shot? (8) |
| GANGSTER – Anagram [shot] of GETS GRAN | |
| 10 | Australian state champion backing AI (8) |
| VICTORIA – VICTOR (champion) then AI reversed [backing] | |
| 12 | Couple of policemen I knocked over (4) |
| ITEM – MET (policemen – Metropolitan Police) + I, reversed [knocked over]. ODE: item – a couple involved in an established romantic or sexual relationship. | |
| 13 | Socialist darlings changing leader (6) |
| ENGELS – ANGELS (darlings) when changing leader can become ENGELS. Friedrich Engels (1820 – 1895). | |
| 15 | Line the pockets of Frenchmen Richelieu entertains (6) |
| ENRICH – Hidden. {Frenchm}EN RICH{elieu} [entertains]. | |
| 17 | Complain Trump is protecting Republican (4) |
| CARP – CA~P (trump) contains [is protecting] R (Republican) | |
| 19 | A little off colour, as golfer may be (5,3) |
| BELOW PAR – Two meanings, |
|
| 21 | Practise on slow-moving vehicle (8) |
| REHEARSE – RE (on), HEARSE (slow-moving vehicle) | |
| 23 | Bachelor leaving dull country (4) |
| LAND – {b}LAND (dull) [Bachelor leaving] | |
| 24 | Old man’s sons go by (4) |
| PASS – PA’S (old man’s), S (sons) | |
| 25 | Lousy ref worried solver in particular (8) |
| YOURSELF -Anagram [worried] of LOUSY REF | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 2 | Giving lessons to Inuit in trouble (7) |
| TUITION – Anagram [in trouble] of TO INUIT | |
| 3 | Pub first, then sex, right? (5) |
| INNIT – INN (pub), IT (sex) | |
| 4 | Retired GP eating last of salami? Greedy chap (3) |
| PIG – G~P reversed [retired] containing [eating] {salam}I [last of…]. Our setter’s customary porcine reference. | |
| 5 | Sound familiar, as Quasimodo should do? (4,1,4) |
| RING A BELL – The hint refers to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. | |
| 6 | I search all over the place for sack (7) |
| CASHIER – Anagram [all over the place] of I SEARCH | |
| 7 | Reportedly witnessed incident (5) |
| SCENE – Aural wordplay [reportedly]: “seen” (witnessed) | |
| 11 | Jam-maker’s disgusted utterance (9) |
| RASPBERRY – Two meanings | |
| 14 | Former journalist, say (7) |
| EXPRESS – EX (former), PRESS (journalist) | |
| 16 | French fashion designer taking new course (7) |
| CHANNEL – CHAN~EL (French fashion designer) containing [taking] N (new) | |
| 18 | Regularly agree on North American stadium (5) |
| ARENA – A{g}R{e}E [regularly], NA (North American) | |
| 20 | Mournful cries heard in the Principality (5) |
| WALES – Aural wordplay [heard]: “wails” (mournful cries) | |
| 22 | Aussie speedster married in Brussels (3) |
| EMU – M (married) contained by [in] E~U (Brussels) | |
Yes, a nice start to the week with a very friendly offering from Oink. Pretty much everything went in from definitions with the exception of ITEM, as I was thinking it might start with ‘ID’ for one of two policeman reversed before I saw the ‘couple’ meaning: a classic case of needing to lift and separate. Liked RASPBERRY and CASHIER. COD to YOURSELF.
Thanks Jack and setter.
8:34
Very slow for some reason (just about bottom o the SNITCH). I suspect that BELOW PAR (=off color) doesn’t derive from golf; a golfer shooting below par is doing well.
Quite right. I should have realised that myself!
I, too, was a quite slow on this – I should have seen answers like stripper and ring a bell instantly. Well, at least I saw and parsed item right away, but I had to leave the obvious lion until last, hoping when I came back it would be obvious – and it was.
Time: 8:24
8.27, so smack in the middle of the peloton. Had to think about GANGSTER for a while but was pleased to get VICTORIA promptly, seeing I’m sitting in it. Thanks to Jack and Oink.