One at the easier end of the spectrum today, I thought, although solvers who don’t have a nodding acquaintance with Middle Eastern currencies may have had to trust to definition and cross checkers at 8ac.
18dn kept me guessing for a while, but other than that I found it relatively plain sailing with some neat surfaces to enjoy along the way.
Thanks to Flamande for an enjoyable puzzle.
Definitions underlined: DD = double definition: anagrams indicated by *(–): omitted letters indicated by {-}
| Across | |
| 3 | Illegal occupier of property is more stocky (8) |
| SQUATTER – DD | |
| 7 | Some Europeans hurry round Northern Ireland (6) |
| DANISH – DASH (hurry) goes ’round’ NI (Northern Ireland) | |
| 8 | Plain gold coin used in Kuwait and Yemeni capital (8) |
| ORDINARY – OR (gold) + DINAR (coin used in Kuwait – and in other Middle East countries for that matter) + Y (Yemeni capital) | |
| 9 | Turning thin wood mostly is a piece of cake (4) |
| SLAB – Most (all bar the last letter) of BALS{A} (thin wood) reversed (turning) | |
| 10 | Race for all to see in Navy (3) |
| RUN – U (for all to see – referencing the censor’s rating applied to films) ‘in’ RN (Navy) | |
| 11 | A joke drowned by microphone, briefly? Great! (8) |
| MAJESTIC – A JEST (a joke) covered by (drowned by) MIC (microphone briefly – i.e. short form) | |
| 13 | Sign to approve credit (4) |
| TICK – DD – the second being the usage of “getting something on tick”, a phrase that was widely used when I was growing up but which doesn’t seem to crop up that much these days | |
| 15 | Still sick, accepting these? (4) |
| ILLS – Cryptic definition with the answer hidden inside (accepting) stILL Sick | |
| 17 | Father’s prenatal exercising (8) |
| PATERNAL – *(PRENATAL) with “exercising” signalling the anagram | |
| 19 | English bishops decline (3) |
| EBB – E (English) + BB (bishops – i.e. chess notation) | |
| 22 | Just organised projects (4) |
| JUTS – *(JUST) with “organised” signposting the anagram | |
| 23 |
View old liner finally going through a canal in S America (8) |
| PANORAMA – O (old) + R (last letter – ‘finally’ – of lineR) inside (going through) PANAMA (a canal in S America) | |
| 24 | Empty metal container covered by tax (6) |
| VACANT – CAN (metal container) ‘covered by’ VAT (tax) | |
| 25 | A. N .Other’s drunk lots of water (5,3) |
| NORTH SEA – *(A N OTHERS) with “drunk” indicating the anagram | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Prime Minister receives everyone — everyone in Westminster thoroughfare (4,4) |
| PALL MALL – P[ALL] M[ALL] – ALL (everyone) introduced into (received by) PM (Prime Minister) plus another ALL (everyone), giving us the street most people first come across by playing Monopoly | |
| 2 | Agile medic goes into river (6) |
| NIMBLE – MB (medic) ‘goes into’ NILE (river) | |
| 3 | Son given very warm drink (4) |
| SHOT – S (son) ‘given’ HOT (very warm) | |
| 4 | Insufficiently sliced steak (8) |
| UNDERCUT – If something is ‘insufficiently sliced’, it might be said to be ‘under cut’. I wasn’t familiar with the cut of meat (although it sounded sufficiently feasible for me to write it in with a high level of confidence) – apparently it’s an alternative name for what is more widely called fillet steak. | |
| 5 | Temporary accommodation receiving a new renter (6) |
| TENANT – TENT (temporary accommodation) ‘receiving’ A + N (a new) | |
| 6 | Nobleman covered in pearls (4) |
| EARL – The peer is found inside (covered in) pEARLs | |
| 12 | Important people drink endlessly, having money (3,5) |
| TOP BRASS – TOP{e} (drink endlessly) with BRASS (having money) | |
| 14 | Agnostic at sea, cruising (8) |
| COASTING – *(AGNOSTIC) with “at sea” signalling the anagram | |
| 16 | Arrange to leave (3,3) |
| SET OUT – DD | |
| 18 | Refuse to admit about a hundred in plane (6) |
| REJECT – RE (about) and C (a hundred) ‘in’ JET (plane). Took me a while to figure out what was going on here thanks to some neat misdirection by our setter. I spent some time thinking we were looking for something to be put inside a word meaning ‘refuse’, with ‘plane’ providing the definition. | |
| 20 | Tortilla and steak cook regularly supplied (4) |
| TACO – Every other letter (regularly supplied) of sTeAk CoOk | |
| 21 | Sparkling wine in the region of Virginia (4) |
| CAVA – CA (circa – in the region of) + VA (standard abbreviation of state of Virginia), giving the Spanish bubbles that are the staple sparkling option at drinks parties in our household – eminently drinkable and good value. | |
It seems to be well-established that Panama is technically part of the continent of North America although some sources add the rider that it may be considered by some as part of South America because it is closer culturally etc to the South. I don’t know why the setter didn’t just write Central America as there’s no doubt at all that that’s where it is.
Edited at 2017-07-12 08:05 am (UTC)
10 minutes on the nail.
COD 3ac SQUATTER WOD PALL MALL home to Robson Lowe
29:00 was slowed by putting SA for South America, discounting Panama which is definitely not in South America.
PlayUpPompey
I don’t understand all you youngsters who regularly solve on your devices – I found it extraordinarily unsatisfying, with no pen to twiddle, no doodling, and above all no sense of the geography of the puzzle or how one is progressing. And then when you finish, instead of being able to read the clues back and admire the setter’s work, the whole damn thing just disappeared with a “congratulations” message!
Back to pen and paper tomorrow!
Fun puzzle anyway and an excellent blog, thanks both
Templar
horryd Shanghai
horryd Shanghai
Thought we might be on for a pangram after the early q and j.
Completed in 16 minutes.