On my first pass of the acrosses, I got PAPAL, RED-LETTER and PYLON, and thought I was in for a real struggle. But the down clues were friendlier, and I ended up finishing in 14:17, inside my target of 15:00. No real unknown words: the closest for me was OPTIMA, but I had the crossing A by the time I came to that for the second time, so in it went.
I’ll happily be corrected, but I think we have three &lit clues today, where the whole of the clue is both the definition and the wordplay.
Definitions underlined, synonyms in round brackets, wordplay in square brackets and deletions in squiggly brackets.
| Across | |
| 1 | They have growth and are expected to make a profit (4,5) |
| CASH CROPS – A cryptic definition to get us started. | |
| 6 | The old man repeatedly left in Vatican office? (5) |
| PAPAL – PA (the old man), twice [repeatedly], L (left). | |
| 8 | Females having rows (9) |
| OARSWOMEN – Another cryptic definition. That’s ‘having rows’ in the sense of ‘going for rows in a boat’.
To my shame, my LOI. Reason for my shame: my daughter is an oarswoman. Oops. |
|
| 9 | More than one support breaks (5) |
| RESTS – A double definition.
The example of “rest” = “support” that comes to my mind is from snooker, where the rest is a support for the cue for shots that can’t otherwise be reached. |
|
| 10 | What round Eden could be somewhat rare? (9) |
| UNDERDONE – Anagram of ROUND EDEN. Read the first five words as “What ’round Eden’ could be” to see the anagram indicator.
Izetti and I will have to agree to disagree on whether a “somewhat rare” steak is “underdone”. |
|
| 12 | Church official gets rector initially on edge (6) |
| VERGER – R{ector} [initially] on VERGE (edge). | |
| 13 | Most favourable conditions in which I am top posssibly (6) |
| OPTIMA – Anagram [possibly (or even posssibly)] of I AM TOP.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this plural before, but I knew “optimum” and it wasn’t a big leap from that to “optima”, following the pattern of minimum/minima etc. |
|
| 16 | Like an important day that’s embarrassed landlady? (3-6) |
| RED-LETTER – A landlady is a LETTER, and if she were embarrassed she might be RED. | |
| 18 | Speech indistinct — language muffled (5) |
| HINDI – hidden in [muffled [by]] {speec]H INDI{stinct}.
Proof that even the most reliable of ‘rules’ – that the answer is always at the start or the end of the clue – is more of a guideline than a rule. (With apologies to Captain Barbossa.) |
|
| 19 | What could be lasting, involving love and a touch of agony? (9) |
| NOSTALGIA – It’s a anagram of LASTING, O (love) and the first letter [a touch] of A{gony}.
And I think, for the third time, that we have an &lit: the whole clue is both the definition and the wordplay. |
|
| 21 | Tower in which may be seen some unhappy Londoners (5) |
| PYLON – Hidden in [in which may be seen some] {unhap}PY LON{doners}. | |
| 22 | Team sets time aside for refreshments (9) |
| ELEVENSES – ELEVEN (team) + SE{t}S [T for time aside]. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Resolution could be so cruel (7) |
| CLOSURE – Anagram [could be] of SO CRUEL. | |
| 2 | Walked in home counties and had purposeful step (6) |
| STRODE – TROD (walked) in SE (south-east, the south-east of England also being known as the ‘home counties’). | |
| 3 | Cringe, meeting farmyard animal with some hesitation (5) |
| COWER – COW (farmyard animal), ER (some hesitation). | |
| 4 | My, male showing a bit of resistance! (3) |
| OHM – OH (My!), M for male.
An Ohm is the SI unit of electrical resistance. |
|
| 5 | Absent Asians set out for Spanish city (3,9) |
| SAN SEBASTIAN – Anagram [set out] of ABSENT ASIANS.
I needed to do a letter count to be sure of the correct spelling of SEBASTIAN. |
|
| 6 | Tenacity that comes with each dismissal? (12) |
| PERSEVERANCE – PER (each), SEVERANCE (dismissal). | |
| 7 | Proudest drunk showed attitude (8) |
| POSTURED – Anagram [drunk] of PROUDEST. | |
| 11 | The first to be different from everyone else? (8) |
| ORIGINAL – A double definition. | |
| 14 | Prep has to be done maybe (7) |
| PERHAPS – Anagram [to be done] of PREP HAS. | |
| 15 | Males collecting English degrees (6) |
| STAGES – E for English in STAGS (males).
Nope, not M for male this time. |
|
| 17 | Eliminate periods with little energy (5) |
| ERASE – ERAS (periods) + E (little energy). | |
| 20 | Notice swedes being regularly consumed (3) |
| SEE – Remove alternate letters from S w E d E s. | |
I must admit that setting and I don’t get on. I always find them a struggle and I got to the point where if I see izetti s the setter I don’t bother.
Got all except 1A by the time my appointment with the dentist started. Totally baffled by 1A. Spent the whole time doing alphabet trawls while my dentist was drilling. No result – but hardly noticed the drilling. Then got the answer the next morning as I was beginning my morning walk. Excellent crossword.
I don’t note my times, but certainly my fastest Izetti finish. He is hard, but scrupulously fair, and elegant. To finish an Izetti puzzle is one of my minor joys. Thank you.