Time: 8 minutes. A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle from Trelawney aimed squarely at the QC market, I would suggest. 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 Caret 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 | Environment inside marsh a bit atypical (7) |
| HABITAT – Hidden [inside] {mars}H A BIT AT{ypical} | |
| 5 | Piece of music expected before end of concert (4) |
| DUET – DUE (expected), {concer}T [end of…] | |
| 7 | Somewhat overhype a nutritious edible seed (6) |
| PEANUT – Hidden in [somewhat] {overhy}PE A NUT{ritious} | |
| 8 | International organisation simply not fair (6) |
| UNJUST – UN (international organisation – United Nations), JUST (simply) | |
| 9 | Nerdy European hosting start of costly activity for couples (6,5) |
| SQUARE DANCE – SQUARE (nerdy, DAN⁁E (European) containing [hosting] C{ostly} [start of…] | |
| 10 | Winner is Frankenstein, for example (6) |
| VICTOR – Two definitions. Victor Frankenstein. | |
| 12 | It supports whitewater enthusiast? (6) |
| RAFTER – Two meanings | |
| 14 | Drinks event to secure arrival time — smart! (4,7) |
| WINE TASTING – WIN (secure) ETA (arrival time – Estimated Time of Arrival), STING (smart) | |
| 17 | Place for worshipping part of head (6) |
| TEMPLE – Two meanings | |
| 18 | Bury institution’s last trainee (6) |
| INTERN – INTER (bury), {institutio}N [’s last] | |
| 20 | Fine with duck and bovine returning (4) |
| OKAY – 0 (duck), then YAK (bovine) reversed [returning] | |
| 21 | Met hero developing proposition (7) |
| THEOREM – Anagram [developing] of MET HERO | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Shade house regularly (3) |
| HUE – H{o}U{s}E [regularly] | |
| 2 | Forbid one to leave peaceful feast (7) |
| BANQUET – BAN (forbid), QU{i}ET (peaceful) [one to leave] | |
| 3 | Coach’s expression of annoyance, alternatively (5) |
| TUTOR – TUT (expression of annoyance), OR (alternatively) | |
| 4 | He’d turn off loud noise? (7) |
| THUNDER – Anagram [off] of HE’D TURN | |
| 5 | Detective with journal primarily on French city (5) |
| DIJON – DI (detective), J{ournal} [primarily], ON | |
| 6 | Greet sage cooking seasonal treat (6,3) |
| EASTER EGG – Anagram [cooking] of GREET SAGE | |
| 9 | Phew — Rick’s sorted out disaster at sea (9) |
| SHIPWRECK – Anagram [sorted out] of PHEW RICK’S | |
| 11 | Withdraw extremely rude nurse (7) |
| RETREAT – R{ud}E [extremely], TREAT (nurse) | |
| 13 | Right to split healthier bit of fried food (7) |
| FRITTER – R (right) contained by [to split] F⁁ITTER (healthier) | |
| 15 | What a baby needs — sleep and empty potty? (5) |
| NAPPY – NAP (sleep), P{ott}Y [empty] | |
| 16 | Capture bodies of water, reportedly (5) |
| SEIZE – Aural wordplay [reportedly]: “seas” (bodies of water) | |
| 19 | Liquor and cut of beef unfinished (3) |
| RUM – RUM{p} (cut of beef) [unfinished] | |
Held up a little at the end since I didn’t know Frankenstein’s first name so I was looking for something different. Eventually I thought of VICTOR and surmised he must be VICTOR Frankenstein. 9:41 even with a minute wasted at the end.
Wrote nearly everything in first pass. Looked up at the end and couldn’t believe my eyes. 2:17, my fastest QC by nearly a minute and half.
4:38
An easy one (SNITCH currently at 65). I biffed SQUARE DANCE & WINE TASTING without reading the clues, parsed post-submission.
Yes, I read each clue and entered the answer. Then I came to Frankenstein and got stuck for a bit, before the idea that it must be a first name occurred to me.
Time: 5:14