No time for this as I fell asleep half-way through and picked it up again later. Probably around the half-hour altogether, as I had got stuck before I dozed off. I felt it had a strangely old-fashioned feel to it, with loads of double and cryptic definition clues, and some unusual straight definitions too (e.g. ENTAILS, PERORATE, CRETACEOUS).
Across | |
1 | A black panther maybe breaks fall, making step down (8) |
ABDICATE – A + B(lack) + [CAT (panther maybe) inside DIE (fall)]. | |
5 | To fail to understand is comprehended by diplomats (6) |
CLOSED – LOSE (fail to understand) inside CD (Corps Diplomatique, diplomats). New abbreviation for me, and a hard-to-spot definition too. | |
10 | At bottom, those emotional outbursts are private (6,3,6) |
BEHIND THE SCENES – BEHIND (bottom) + THE SCENES (those emotional outbursts). | |
11 | The state of one’s belongings (10) |
MEMBERSHIP – cryptic definition, what one belongs to rather than what one owns. | |
13 | Tea and Daily… (4) |
CHAR – double definition. Strange clue as it stands, because online they never include the dots at the beginning of a clue, which 15ac requires in order for this one to make any sense. I’ve added them myself below. | |
15 | …Express: nothing in the news, read no more? (7) |
NONSTOP – O (nothing) inside N,N (news) + STOP (read no more?). | |
17 | The principal store, without exception (3,4) |
BAR NONE – or BARN ONE for the principal store. | |
18 | Exit for such healthy pursuits (7) |
OUTDOOR – double definition. | |
19 | Run out of guts, reaching limits of will (7) |
ENTAILS – R(un) removed from ENTRAILS (guts). Some kind of legal term to do with inheritance. | |
21 | Apply pressure with stick (4) |
PROD – P(ressure) + ROD (stick), &lit. (i.e. the whole clue is the definition). | |
22 | Showing skill, nice to move into surplus (10) |
PROFICIENT – (nice)* inside PROFIT (surplus). | |
25 | Uptight oneself, start to object to broadcast mistake one hears (4,2,3,6) |
SLIP OF THE TONGUE – (uptight oneself, O)*, the O as the first letter of object. | |
27 | Not a Boat Race rehearsal, then (3,3) |
DRY RUN – cryptic definition, as a Boat Race rehearsal would presumably involve water. | |
28 | If only I could manage to hold small probe (8) |
OTOSCOPE – “O TO COPE” (if only I could manage) around S(mall). |
1 | White Book seen at intervals (7) |
ALBUMEN – ALBUM (book) + (s)E(e)N. | |
2 | Note acknowledgment of stupidity (3) |
DOH – double definition, the second courtesy of Homer Simpson. | |
3 | Deceive with lie, but not in meeting (10) |
CONVENTION – CON (deceive) + (in)VENTION (lie, not in). | |
4 | Prominent at last in rising become emperor (5) |
TITUS – T (last letter of prominent) inside SUIT (become) reversed. 10th Roman emperor (79-81 AD). | |
6 | Personally clean a little paint (4) |
LICK – double definition, although surely the first only applies if you’re a cat! | |
7 | Get time together, but waste empty hour in coyness (11) |
SYNCHRONISE – (hr in coyness)*. | |
8 | Show one is worthy to leave the army? (7) |
DESERVE – if to be in the army is to SERVE, then to leave is to DE-SERVE. | |
9 | Honest, and once more responsible? (8) |
RELIABLE – similar to the last clue, if LIABLE is responsible then RE-LIABLE is responsible once more. | |
12 | Battle site partially cleared in old city for ugly skyscraper? (11) |
MONSTROSITY – MONS (battle) + [SIT (i.e. SITE partially cleared) inside TROY (old city)]. | |
14 | Roughly redesigned crease out of chalk (10) |
CRETACEOUS – C (circa, roughly) + (crease out)*. I knew this was a prehistoric period, but didn’t know it had anything to do with chalk. | |
16 | Waffle about love endlessly, then finish speaking (8) |
PERORATE – PRATE (waffle) around ERO(s) (love endlessly). Another word where I didn’t know the required meaning. | |
18 | Hostile power pretended to support NATO’s rear (7) |
OPPOSED – P(ower) + POSED (pretended), underneath O (last letter of NATO). | |
20 | Triumphant put-down of alien in Kent? (2,5) |
SO THERE – OTHER (alien) inside SE (South-East, hence Kent with the question mark). | |
23 | Old prison ships (5) |
FLEET – double definition, the first a London debtors’ prison which was closed in 1844. | |
24 | Some hint of umami in Asian dish… (4) |
TOFU – hidden in “hint of umami”. | |
26 | …sticky stuff, not quite satisfying (3) |
GOO – GOO(d) (not quite satisfying). |
I didn’t like 13ac, though I suppose it is a little better, now that I see it goes with 15ac.
A couple I struggled to parse fully (5 ac, 15 ac), so thanks for a supremely clear blog Andy.
Maybe I’m being overly picky for Crosswordland, but thought 11ac was a bit iffy in that the clue seemed to indicate a plural kind of answer?
No real standouts, but 17ac and 27ac raised a titter. And 28ac was very elegant.
Edited at 2014-05-31 10:15 am (UTC)
This took me half an hour, so it was obviously a bit tricky, but I don’t really remember anything about it.