This took me 13 minutes, three more than my target, for no easily accountable reason. There are a couple of pieces of Brit-centric general knowledge (10 and 23 across, 20 down) and more than the usual share of Double Definitions, but everything is fairly clued, with the odd smile along the way.
I haven’t yet been doing this long enough to recognise the various setter’s styles and quirks, but I enjoyed this from Teazel today, and look forward to blogging another of his puzzles in future.
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}
Across
1 Bird looking steadily round lake (8)
STARLING – STARING (looking steadily) around L{ake}
6 Let down a tiny bit(4)
DROP – Straightforward double definition
8 Racket employed in tennis camp (4)
SCAM – Hidden (employed in) {tenni}S CAM{p}
9 Computer security device will fare badly (8)
FIREWALL – anagram (indicated by badly) of [WILL FARE]
10 Unsolicited opinion one wouldn’t give tuppence for? (8)
PENNORTH – or penn’orth, a contraction of pennyworth, meaning a penny’s worth. One wouldn’t give tuppence for it because tuppence is two penn’orth, although one might give a ha’porth (half a penny worth) if one was looking to make a profit on the deal. A penn’orth is also an unsolicited opinion, as in ‘here’s my two penn’orth’
11 Yawn, opening face at last (4)
GAPE – opening is GAP and added to the last letter (at last) of {fac}E gives the answer, as in the chasm yawned / gaped before them
13 Stars one hurts in review getting angry (8,5)
SOUTHERN CROSS – anagram (indicated by ‘in review’) of [ONE HURTS] then getting CROSS (angry). With all of the checkers in place it could equally have been northern cross, but that wouldn’t have used the anagram and would have been wrong
16 In fact, fairly young leaders are risky (4)
IFFY – first letters of (leaders) I{n} F{act} F{airly} Y{oung}, IFFY being defined as dubious, uncertain, risky
17 What’s put into a turkey may be knocked out of one (8)
STUFFING – another straightforward double definition
19 A single revolutionary, look, in pub (8)
BACHELOR – the revolutionary is CHE (as in Guevara), look is nearly always LO in crosswordland, drop these into BAR (pub) and you have the unmarried man (single)
21 Abroad, I may make a miniscule amount (4)
IOTA – unless you know your Greek alphabet, this may be more difficult to parse, but IOTA is the Greek letter I, so this is a slightly less straightforward double definition
22 Error from fielder (4)
SLIP – back to more conventional double definitionism, the second being our cricket reference for today, as in slip fielder, one of the guys that stand behind the batsman (usually) on the off side, hoping to take a catch as the ball slips across the face of the bat
23 Hamlet, for example, set day for protection money (8)
DANEGELD – may be slightly obscure, but at least when I went to school, anyone who had ever had a history lesson knew that the old Brits paid this to buy off the invading Danes. Now more generally used to indicate a payment or concession to avoid trouble. Hamlet is the example DANE, followed by GEL (set) and D{ay} to indicate this spelling rather than the alternative DANEGELT.
Down
2 Marked on list and reprimanded (6,3)
TICKED OFF – yet another double definition
3 This old empire was Italian, not Italic (5)
ROMAN – nice surface and cryptic definition. Italic type is slanted and was invented by Aldo Manuzio in 1501, by which time the Roman Empire was long gone. ROMAN is also a kind of typeface, although upright, therefore not Italic.
4 Currently operating as policeman? (2,5)
IN FORCE – a policeman might be said to be in the force, and he will follow the IN FORCE standard procedures, i.e. those currently operating
5 Dressed husband, such bulk (5)
GIRTH – Dressed or clothed gives GIRT with H{usband}. GIRTH is the circumferential measure of thickness, or bulk
6 Is she a widow? Please place a bet (7)
DOWAGER – dowager is a title given to a widow. DO WAGER might be seen as a slightly rude and abrupt invitation to place a bet
7 Wise bird’s loud cry initially ignored (3)
OWL – {h}OWL (initially ignored, i.e. drop the first letter) of a loud cry
12 Plan toast to be prepared after arrival (9)
POSTNATAL – anagram (to be prepared) of [PLAN TOAST]
14 A model retail outlet (7)
TOYSHOP – a TOY can be a type of model and a SHOP is a retail outlet. Put them together and one gets a retail outlet where one can buy or sell toys. A kind of &lit clue I think.
15 Tiny particle takes strange route between two poles (7)
NEUTRON – anagram (strange) of [ROUTE] stuck between two N{orth} poles. Of course, the quantum physicists amongst us would claim that particles like NEUTRONS take every possible route when travelling between any two points, but let’s not get diverted by that.
17 Daughter, sad to say, tipped up healthy dish (5)
SALAD – D{aughter) and ALAS (sad to say) all reversed (tipped up)
18 Female (Heather)’s brief affair (5)
FLING – F{emale} and LING (the well-known heather) combine
20 A couple of pounds is everything (3)
ALL – A followed by two pounds sterling (LL). The L comes from the Latin abbreviation LSD, meaning Librae, solidi, denarii (pounds, shillings and pence)
Edited at 2016-05-19 07:24 am (UTC)
Edited at 2016-05-19 07:21 am (UTC)
Edited at 2016-05-19 10:21 am (UTC)
I had never realised that LSD came from the Latin, so thanks for adding that to my store of useless information.
PlayupPompey
GeoffH
On the plus side I was starting to get rather complacent, thinking that I’d cracked the QC so I’ll take today as a useful reality check.
penn’orth is much more commonly spelt penneth or penn’th (try googling them)
Opinion is always TWO pennorth and is not necessarily unsolicited
hap’orth should be ha’p’orth or again more commonly hapth
Any way round a very weak clue in an otherwise enjoyable crossword
Here’s my penn’orth, for what it’s worth (and it certainly isn’t worth two penn’orth).
My source of reference is the on-line version of Chambers, which includes PENN’ORTH but neither of the more common spellings that you provide. Similarly, it only supports hap’orth as a contraction of the halfpennyworth term, and neither of your versions.
Chambers isn’t infallible of course, and usage is changing every day.
Edited at 2016-05-19 03:15 pm (UTC)
When I finally got 13a from the anagrind etc I remembered Southern Cross has come up somewhere before. It is also a great song by Crosby Stills and Nash and the best version I know is the live version on YouTube; It’s great , I’ve just played it and was pleased to be reminded.
No problems with 10a in hindsight; I could see what was needed and had to guess the spelling, which I think looks fine. David