Solving time 26:00 exactly (although I might have added a couple of minutes to that myself). I got off to a fairly slow start, getting hardly any that crossed each other initially, so tried an experiment and noted down the order of solving each clue (the numbers in brackets to the left of the solutions). It becomes quickly obvious that I had the most trouble with the SE corner, and there are very few places where I got a block together.
| Across |
| 1 |
Painting, dull sort, capturing daughter poorly (8,4) |
|
(16) FLATFORD MILL – FLAT (dull) + FORM (sort) around D(aughter), + ILL (poorly). Famous painting by John Constable, on display at the Tate Gallery. When I was younger I had a 2000-piece jigsaw of it, so I knew it well. |
| 9 |
Spanish cheers cut short by Republican set (5) |
|
(24) RADIO – ADIO(s) (Spanish cheers cut short) next to R(epublican). |
| 10 |
Song writer with track about The Big Apple (5,4) |
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(12) PENNY LANE – PEN (writer) + LANE (track) around NY (The Big Apple). 1967 single by The Beatles. |
| 11 |
Native girl’s appearing in goal for the first time (8) |
|
(20) INHERENT – HER (girl’s) replacing the first T of INTENT (goal). |
| 12 |
Forbidding hosts English verse to read (6) |
|
(11) DEVOUR – DOUR (forbidding) around E(nglish), V(erse). |
| 13 |
Wound in hospital department treated with alcohol (8) |
|
(3) ENTWINED – ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat, hospital department) + WINED (treated with alcohol). |
| 15 |
Refuge found in shady tumulus (6) |
|
(10) ADYTUM – hidden in “shady tumulus”. Helpful clue for an unfamiliar word. |
| 17 |
Irritated Catholic rejected church omitting start of Eucharist (6) |
|
(14) CRABBY – RC (Catholic) reversed + ABB(e)Y (church, minus the E from Eucharist). |
| 18 |
The damage and risk, oddly, mounts in war (8) |
|
(17) CHARGERS – CHARGE (the damage) + alternate letters of RiSk. |
| 20 |
Guitarist celebrity Times article recalled (6) |
|
(5) AXEMAN – NAME (celebrity) + X (times) + A (article), all reversed. |
| 21 |
Do stuff with one who’s been drilled? (8) |
|
(28) JAMBOREE – JAM (stuff) + BOREE (one who’s been drilled?). Last one in, as I didn’t get the joke until I had the B. |
| 24 |
Careless sort: lacks repartee (9) |
|
(18) CROSSTALK – (sort lacks)* |
| 25 |
Very much a lack of purpose (2,3) |
|
(8) NO END – double definition. |
| 26 |
Stable lad fitting horse’s tail in joint (4-8) |
|
(25) WELL-ADJUSTED – LAD + JUST (fitting) + (hors)E, all inside WELD (joint). |
| Down |
| 1 |
Pro, slack, finds excuse (7) |
|
(15) FORGIVE – FOR (pro) + GIVE (slack). |
| 2 |
With which to deceive the solvers, etc (3,4,4,3) |
|
(19) AND WHAT HAVE YOU – AND (with) + WHAT (which) + HAVE (to deceive) + YOU (the solvers). Great clue, probably my pick of a very good bunch. |
| 3 |
Defeat in knockout stage? (5) |
|
(21) FLOOR – triple definition I think (unless “defeat in knockout” only counts as one). |
| 4 |
Locks were a big let-down for this female prisoner (8) |
|
(1) RAPUNZEL – cryptic definition for the Brothers Grimm fairytale character. |
| 5 |
Form of Celtic name carved into ceiling (4) |
|
(22) MANX – N(ame) inside MAX (ceiling). |
| 6 |
Clerical assistant using set text (3,6) |
|
(13) LAY READER – LAY (set) + READER (text). |
| 7 |
Anthem from East that’s prized strangely, without approval (5,3,6) |
|
(2) ZADOK THE PRIEST – (E that’s prized)* around OK (approval). An anthem by Handel written for the coronation of King George II in 1727. I’m not sure how I knew that, but I just did! |
| 8 |
Horse of note: the one to beat? (3,3) |
|
(9) RED RUM – RE (note) + DRUM (the one to beat?), arguably &lit (or at least it would have been in the 1970’s). Winner of the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977 (and 2nd in ’75 and ’76 too). |
| 14 |
At best I’m confused, without clue ultimately! (2,5,2) |
|
(4) IT BEATS ME – (at best I’m)* around (clu)E. This one’s definitely an &lit. |
| 16 |
Did sock initially have wrinkles, stitched all round? (8) |
|
(26) THWACKED – initial letters of Have Wrinkles, inside TACKED (stitched). |
| 17 |
Pleasant to dispatch one after tea break (6) |
|
(6) CHANCE – NICE (pleasant) minus the I (one), after CHA (tea). |
| 19 |
Place outside Palladium for follower of pop?(7) |
|
(23) STEPDAD – STEAD (place) outside PD (chemical symbol for palladium). |
| 22 |
The language of the union-bashers? (5) |
|
(27) BANTU – “Ban TU!” as union-bashers might say? |
| 23 |
Aim to get couple inside to swap, creating stir (4) |
|
(7) GAOL – GOAL (aim), with the middle letters swapped. |
Nice to see mention of Red Rum, one of the greatest horses of all time.
For what it’s worth, I had 3dn as a triple definition.
The Coronation Anthem ‘Zadok the Priest’ is instantly recognisable from countless TV documentaries about royalty past and present but whether most people who watch these would know what it’s called is another matter; fortunately I did.
Enjoyed this crossword, found it hard, and it beat me. Stymied by Flatford Mill – never heard of it, but should have been able to form it. After 40 mins gave in and looked it up then guessed MANX – didn’t know it existed, let alone it was Celtic – and finished with FLOOR (can’t see it as a triple, the first two are the same meaning) and finally INHERENT unparsed, which I should have got.
Struggled with some defs – crosstalk as repartee, floor as stage or vice-versa, whether AND WHAT HAVE YOU was actually a phrase. Strangely had no real problem with the SE – CROSSTALK’s K gave THWACKED, its D gave WELL-ADJUSTED, its U gave BANTU. Bang bang bang bang 4 straight in. STEPDAD was nearly STEP LAD – he follows pop to the new marriage? And palladium’s Pl? No!
Rob