Solving time 15:38, so about average difficulty but a very enjoyable puzzle with good surface readings thoughout and some cracking definitions, e.g. “number one fan” for EGOTIST, “one up in good time” for EARLY BIRD, “go through mood changes” for CONJUGATE. A bit of a Marmite puzzle looking at the comments on the Forum, but I love Marmite anyway.
Across |
1 |
KNEEPAD – KNEAD (massage) around PE (exercise) reversed. |
5 |
AGHAST – hidden in “scallywag has turned” |
8 |
SNOWY OWLS – SOW (pig) + YOWLS (squeals), around N (an unspecified number of). |
9 |
V-NECK – alternate letters of “event, etc, OK“. |
11 |
AMISH – HAMISH (Scotsman), without the first H. |
12 |
BOCCACCIO – BIO (life-story) around O(ld), and A (article) in a series of Cs (chapters). |
13 |
DUTCHMAN – DUN (press to pay) around (match)*. |
15 |
BARTOK – BART (Lionel Bart, writer of musicals) + OK (pass), to get Bela BARTOK, the Hungarian composer. |
17 |
AILING – A1 (excellent) + LING(o) (tongue that’s been chopped). |
19 |
TAX HAVEN – TAX (sounds like “tacks”, courses) + HAVE N(o) (almost all lack). |
22 |
EARLY BIRD – (library)* inside ED (journalist). |
23 |
SCOFF – S(mall) + COFFEE (drink) without the E’s (no drugs). |
24 |
PINKO – KO (put out), next to NIP (biting attack) reversed. |
25 |
CONJUGATE – CON (criminal) + JUG (prison) + ATE (worried). |
26 |
CONKER – sounds like “conquer”, which can mean “best” or “worst” (see Wednesday’s puzzle). |
27 |
REDDEST – RED(i)D (redecorated without I (one), + EST (time in New York, Eastern Standard Time, five hours behind GMT). |
Down |
1 |
KISS AND MAKE UP – KIND (type) around S,S (sons) + AND (with a) + MAKE-UP (slap). |
2 |
EGOTIST – (to get)* around I’S (one’s). |
3 |
PSYCH – first letters of “Perhaps Someone You Can’t Have”. |
4 |
DOWNBEAT – D(ignitary) + OWN (to have) + BE AT (to attend). |
5 |
ALSACE – ALS(o) (cut too) + ACE (fine). |
6 |
HAVE A BASH – HAVE (be constrained to) + ABASH (make shame-faced). |
7 |
STEP CUT – S(pades) + (put etc)*. Cut in step-like facets, e.g. these. New term for me, but easy to get from the wordplay. |
10 |
KNOCK-ON EFFECT – KNOCK (criticise) + ONE (person) + FF (very loudly) + ECT (electroconvulsive therapy, shocking treatment). |
14 |
HONKY-TONK – HONK (sound of horn) + Y (unknown) + TONK (hit). |
16 |
PARDONER – double definition, the second a cryptic reference to Chaucer – The Pardoner’s Tale, one of the Canterbury Tales. |
18 |
LORENZO – LORE (learning) + NO (Japanese drama) around Z (character at the end). |
20 |
VIOLATE – VIOL (intrument of long ago) + A + T(erribl)E. |
21 |
KIT CAR – (a trick)*. |
23 |
SQUAD – S(cotland) + QUAD (yard). |
Was unsure of 26 as I was unable to parse it last weekend. Wish I’d looked again before coming here today as we had a best/worst clue during the week so I might have spotted it.
Good puzzle but a tricky one.
I was a bit puzzled by 6dn. I think you have to read “have” as “be constrained”, but it seems a bit odd somehow.
Edited at 2013-11-16 05:45 pm (UTC)
On a different subject: I am in NY this week, where I learned (at the cost of the cover price) that the NY Post no longer publishes the Times crossword. Anyone have an idea as to whether there is more to that than just the cryptic not being all that attractive to a US audience?
CONJUGATE my clue of the day. Remembered old schoolboy joke about an inattentive girl pupil in the Latin class – when asked to conjugate, she declined …