Well, that was a fun puzzle! I have to admit that I didn’t see any of the symmetrical anagrams until well after I’d finished the puzzle and was typing it into the Crossword Club for the competition entry. I’d just done TREPAN and PARENT and thought it was a coincidence, but then I typed in SALUT and remembered TULSA, and started looking properly. So we have 7 pairs of symmetrically placed mutual anagrams in the grid:
SIGNORA / SOARING, SARTRE / ARREST, TULSA / SALUT, TREPAN / PARENT, STARTING-POINT / TRAIN-SPOTTING, OMASA / SAMOA, SUREST / RUSSET.
There’s also another symmetrical pair that could be said to be related – ROUND-UP with the palindromic ROTATOR, but I don’t think that can be counted as thematic. My solving time was 14:52, although a few went in without full understanding of the wordplay, which was quite convoluted in places.
Across |
1 |
Topless dress is to be sent back to Italy, madam (7) |
SIGNORA – (s)ARONG (topless dress) + IS, all reversed. |
5 |
Writer’s skill showcased in series regularly (6) |
SARTRE – ART (skill) inside S(e)R(i)E(s). |
8 |
What’s used for carving in the manner of turkey roaster (9) |
ALABASTER – A LA (in the manner of) + BASTER (turkey roaster). |
9 |
Suspect Democrat known to have pocketed billions (5) |
DOUBT – D(emocrat) + OUT (known) around B(illions). |
11 |
City that’s beginning to get large in America (5) |
TULSA – T(hat) + [L(arge) inside USA]. |
12 |
Conservative fool with artillery is one anticipating disaster (9) |
CASSANDRA – C(onservative) + ASS (fool) + AND (with) + R.A. (Royal Artillery). Trojan prophetess who was cursed by Apollo so that no-one ever believed her. |
13 |
Lumpy, old and mostly uninteresting in smell (8) |
NODULOSE – O(ld) + DUL(l) (mostly uninteresting), inside NOSE (smell). |
15 |
Showing cheek put back with a new cut through bone (6) |
TREPAN – PERT (showing cheek) reversed, + A + N(ew). |
17 |
Seeming not to have used any precautions initially? That’s me (6) |
PARENT – APPARENT (seeming), without A(ny) P(recautions). &lit, i.e. the whole clue is the (somewhat cryptic) definition. |
19 |
Call for rapid movement over deficit (5,3) |
TRADE GAP – PAGE (call for) + DART (rapid movement), all reversed. |
22 |
Break put to rest game point (9) |
INTERRUPT – INTER (put to rest) + RU (Rugby Union = game) + PT (point). |
23 |
University gets involved in rating your health (5) |
SALUT – U(nivesity) inside SALT (rating, i.e. sailor). |
24 |
Magnetic attraction revealed in bronze colossus (5) |
TITAN – IT (magnetic attraction) inside TAN (bronze). |
25 |
Volcano — one to throw up a lot of extra tons with sulphur about (9) |
STROMBOLI – I (one) + LOB (throw up) + MOR(e) (a lot of extra) + T(ons) + S(ulphur), all reversed. An active volcanic island near Sicily. |
26 |
Seize time for relaxation after a run (6) |
ARREST – REST (time for relaxation) after A + R(un). |
27 |
Flying high is frightening with little oxygen where it’s cold (7) |
SOARING – SCARING (frightening), with the C for cold replaced by O for oxygen. |
1 |
Celebrity can get doctor round in time for birth (8-5) |
STARTING-POINT – STAR (celebrity) + TIN (can) + GP (doctor) + O (round) + IN + T(ime). |
2 |
Rugged Derek called over (7) |
GNARLED – DEL (Derek) + RANG (called), all reversed. |
3 |
Ruminants’ stomachs like a second going over (5) |
OMASA – AS (like) + A + MO (second), all reversed. |
4 |
Classical elegance consumed endlessly, thus it elevated millions (8) |
ATTICISM – AT(e) (consumed endlessly) + [SIC (thus) + IT reversed] + M(illions). |
5 |
Most confident squirrel oddly finds a way (6) |
SUREST – S(q)U(i)R(r)E(l) + ST (street = way). |
6 |
Concerned with heads of Dorking hens exposed as foxes appear (3-6) |
RED-HAIRED – RE (concerned with) + D(orking) + H(ens) + AIRED (exposed). |
7 |
A collection of cattle made into mince that’s no good (5-2) |
ROUND-UP – GROUND UP (made into mince), without the G for good. |
10 |
Interest in people that have not gone off the rails (5-8) |
TRAIN-SPOTTING – cryptic definition. |
14 |
Lake above country house is effective at a distance (4-5) |
LONG-RANGE – L(ake) + ON (above) + GRANGE (country house). |
16 |
Star of a Roman Catholic channel backed America (8) |
ARCTURUS – A + RC (Roman Catholic) + RUT (channel) reversed + US (America). |
18 |
Turner is rubbish at men (7) |
ROTATOR – ROT (rubbish) + AT + OR (other ranks = men). |
20 |
Italian playwright’s work put on in centre of Cagliari (7) |
GOLDONI – GO (work) + [DON (put on) inside LI (centre of (Cag)LI(ari)]. Carlo Goldoni (1707-93). I’d never heard of him, but his most famous work, Servant of Two Masters, was recently adapted as One Man, Two Guv’nors and became a major success in the West End and on Broadway. |
21 |
Apple with fungal disease mostly covering batch (6) |
RUSSET – RUS(t) (fungal disease mostly) + SET (batch). |
23 |
Polynesian group dance British made into disc (5) |
SAMOA – SAMBA (dance), with the B for British changed to an O (disc). |
I did enjoy solving this one . The only thing I don’t quite understand is “people” in 10dn.
Edited at 2014-06-07 10:32 am (UTC)
Several I got from wordplay/checkers but had to subsequently validate – GOLDONI, ARCTURUS, OMASA and NODULOSE. And could not fully parse PARENT, so thanks to linxit for explaining that one.
My COD was ALABASTER, closely followed by RED-HAIRED.
Edited at 2014-06-07 10:48 am (UTC)
I guess I miss the big picture through focusing intensely on the (for me) fiendishly complex individual clues…
Every now and then I scan a puzzle for Ninas etc but I invariably pick the wrong days to do it. I think I’ve spotted about one in all the years I’ve been solving.
Nice effort with the blog title, Andy!
Nick’s comment has got me enthusiastic about getting to today’s directly.
Edited at 2014-06-07 01:09 pm (UTC)
When time allows could you please update the blogging calendar as I might forget I’m mctext sometimes as well as me.