Solving time 19:26 in the end, but apart from 14ac I found this pretty straightforward. I was staring at that D?E? for about 7 or 8 minutes at the end, just unable to parse it.
| Across |
| 1 |
HOT UP – T.U. (Trade Union) inside HOP (bound). |
| 4 |
TASMAN SEA – (steam as an)* |
| 9 |
NARROWEST – ARROW (dart) inside NEST (retreat). The game of darts is informally also known as arrows, if anyone was wondering about the otherwise flimsy definition there. |
| 10 |
EDITH – H(usband) after EDIT (change). |
| 11 |
MANSFIELD PARK – MAN (staff) + FIELD (discipline) inside SPARK (set off). One of Jane Austen’s novels. |
| 14 |
DOER – (forewor)D + O’ER (completed for poet). My last one in by a distance. For ages I thought I was looking for the name of some obscure actor or poet. |
| 15 |
PRIMA DONNA – PRIM (proper) + ADO (commotion) + NN (knights, chess abbreviation) + A. |
| 18 |
WIDOW’S MITE – I + ‘D (one had) inside WOWS MITE (impresses small child). From Mark 12:42 – “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.” A significant contribution, as that was all she had. |
| 19 |
BERG – BE (live) + R(ecordin)G. Alban Berg (1885-1935), Austrian composer. |
| 21 |
WEATHER-BEATEN – WET (watered) HERB (plant) EATEN (worried) around A(rea). |
| 24 |
SOLTI – hidden reversed in “circuit lost”. Sir Georg Solti (1912-97), Hungarian-British conductor. |
| 25 |
INAUGURAL – IN AUG (during summer) + (r)URAL. |
| 27 |
FISHGUARD – F (fire without ire) + IS H(ot) + GUARD (mind). A port in west Wales. |
| 28 |
NAPPA – sounds like “napper” (if you have the right accent). A type of soft leather made from goatskin, usually spelt with only one P. |
| Down |
| 1 |
HAND-ME-DOWN – (damned H now)* |
| 2 |
TOR – ROT reversed. |
| 3 |
PROOFS – P(age) + ROOFS. |
| 4 |
THEREFROM – HERE (present) + FR (father, priest) + O.M. (Order of Merit, medal), all after T(ime). |
| 5 |
SATED – SLATED (put on schedule), without the L. |
| 6 |
ADELAIDE – A (article) + “delayed”. |
| 7 |
STICK INSECT – STICK (hang around) + IN + SECT (order). |
| 8 |
ACHY – AY around CH(apter). |
| 12 |
NE’ER-DO-WELLS – (old newsreel)* |
| 13 |
MARGINALIA – (alarming)* + A1 (cracking) reversed. |
| 16 |
METER MAID – ME + AID around TERM (call) |
| 17 |
TWEAKING – WEAK (poorly) inside TING (sound as a bell). |
| 20 |
REAGAN – RE (successor to do – think Julie Andrews) + AGAIN without the I. |
| 22 |
HAIFA – middle letters of the words “That gift was”. |
| 23 |
AS IF – A SIF(t). |
| 26 |
RIP – RIP(e). |
I enjoyed this one and although it took me 50 minutes to solve (without aids) I never felt stuck or short of ideas of things to try.
I was pleased to remember MARGINALIA from a few weeks ago as it caught me out on the last occasion. I didn’t understand 5dn as I’ve never heard of the required meaning. It’s not in Collins and the COED says it’s American so I don’t feel too bad about that.
I didn’t understand the RE part of REAGAN until coming here, probably because I always spell tonic note DOH. I think it’s a brilliant clue.
4dn was weakened by having ‘from’ in both clue and answer. It could easily have been avoided – ‘Coming out of’ springs to mind but I’m sure there are better alternatives.
There was nothing unknown in here for me, although I didn’t know what WIDOW’S MITE meant and NAPPA only rang a vague bell.
He’s a crossword regular but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a note of BERG’s music. I’m more familiar with the quartet named after him.
Anyone who thought this was too easy, should try today’s.
I am a deliberate solver, but reasonably good, and it took me an hour and a half. Most enjoyable. More next week.
Lots of Antipodean clues in this: Tasman Sea, Adelaide and the Adelaide suburb Mansfield Park, which the setter has put west of Adelaide in the grid . It should be placed NW of course. There was a book about it I believe.