Well, almost live. I started this in hospital, but didn’t get much chance to look at it, got maybe 5 answers. My wife had an accident on Monday and tore a knee ligament, so she’s on crutches. That meant I’ve been working from home all week, and as we’re really busy at the moment I lost my usual commuting time for crosswords, so I haven’t done any at all. I’ve only just finished this one (took approximately 20 minutes, but I didn’t set the stopwatch).
BTW, there’s no possible reason for the big gap between the acrosses and downs – it just came out like that today, same template used as always, so must be a weird LJ bug.
Across |
1 |
Sort of publishing editor back, stuck on outside with chief (7) |
DESKTOP – ED reversed + S(tuc)K + TOP (chief). |
5 |
Project by kid describing knight’s battle in the main (7) |
JUTLAND – JUT (project) + LAD (kid) around N (knight – chess notation). Not our finest hour. |
9 |
High-flier‘s diatribe against my doctor (9) |
CORMORANT – RANT (diatribe) next to COR (my) + M.O. (doctor) |
10 |
Relation‘s wife regularly dividing money (3-2) |
TIE-IN – (w)I(f)E inside TIN (money). |
11 |
Cold in command to dog that’s brought back worm (5) |
LEECH – C(old) inside HEEL (command to dog) reversed. |
12 |
Soldiers breathed heavily a long time, reflecting service? (9) |
TABLEWARE – T.A. (Territorial Army, soldiers) + BLEW (breathed heavily) + ERA (a long time) reversed. |
14 |
Architectural feature in the air, just alongside some thatch (6,8) |
FLYING BUTTRESS – FLYING (in the air) + BUT (just) + TRESS (some thatch). |
17 |
Cardinal perhaps a tormentor holding religious scholar underground (5-3-6) |
CLOAK-AND-DAGGER – CLOAK (cardinal perhaps) + NAGGER (a tormentor) around DD (Doctor of Divinity, religious scholar). |
21 |
Sculptors work with this muscle when involved in recast (9) |
ALABASTER – AB (muscle) + AS (when) inside ALTER (recast). |
23 |
Crushing defeat engulfs team leader returning to coach (5) |
TUTOR – ROUT (crushing defeat) reversed around T(eam). |
24 |
Business acquires area rearmost to house potter’s work surface (5) |
BAIZE – BIZ (business – it’s official now) around A(rea) + (hous)E. O’Sullivan rather than Wedgwood, obviously! |
25 |
Sally joins staff wearing otherworldly gear (9) |
EQUIPMENT – QUIP (sally) + MEN (staff) inside ET (Extra-Terrestrial, otherworldly). |
26 |
Meet celebrity coming over to embrace chosen one (7) |
ELECTEE – hidden reversed inside “meet celebrity”. |
27 |
What are you going to do about that drunkard present? (2,5) |
SO THERE – SOT (drunkard) + HERE (present). |
Down |
1 |
Married one leaves abode that’s easy to manage (6) |
DOCILE – M(arried) + I (one) removed from DOMICILE (abode). |
2 |
Bizarre sport going up river disturbs aquatic mammal (7) |
SURREAL – RU (rugby union, sport – the only one crossword setters care about!) reversed + R(iver) inside SEAL (aquatic mammal). |
3 |
First item of travel kit pooch utilised — a canine-cleaning device? (9) |
TOOTHPICK – T(ravel) + (kit pooch)*. |
4 |
House key carried by factory representative (11) |
PLANTAGENET – E (key) inside PLANT AGENT (factory representative). |
5 |
Scrap ancient fencing our side dismissed (3) |
JOT – JOUST (ancient fencing) without US (our side). |
6 |
Tips to help each avoiding fifty percent tax (5) |
TITHE – take away 50% of TI(ps) T(o) HE(lp). |
7 |
It’s common to state how old one is (7) |
AVERAGE – AVER (to state) + AGE (how old one is). |
8 |
She takes steps, travelling Andes with practice (8) |
DANSEUSE – (Andes)* + USE (practice). |
13 |
Clumsy person reported vehicle after slip (11) |
BLUNDERBUSS – sounds like “bus” (vehicle) after BLUNDER (slip). Not according to Chambers, which only gives the usual definition of a gun. Not according to Collins either, but I eventually found it in the OED as “a talkative or blundering person”. |
15 |
Fix hose on grass (5,4) |
TIGHT SPOT – TIGHTS (hose) + POT (grass). |
16 |
Car’s unusual emblem losing ends in motorsport event (8) |
SCRAMBLE – (cars)* + (e)MBLE(m). |
18 |
Old pasty keeps in whitish glass (7) |
OPALINE – O(ld) + PALE (pasty) around IN. |
19 |
Most remote motorway seen in paper, apparently (7) |
EXTREME – M(otorway) inside EX-TREE (paper, apparently). “Ex-tree” – Love it! Seen it before, but still love it! |
20 |
Decline, as partner finally rises to do the twist? (6) |
WRITHE – WITHER (decline) with the R (last letter of partner) going up. |
22 |
Expert: central feature of academy training (5) |
ADEPT – (ac)ADE(my) + P.T. (training). |
25 |
Organ definitely heard (3) |
EYE – sounds like AYE (definitely). |
Not a difficult puzzle but I was tempted by the momble TABLEWAGE for 12A, which fitted the wordplay but left me with the definition of “reflecting service?” – I wondered if this might be a word related to tipping, but then I saw the light.
The second part of the 22D clue (“Expert: central feature of academy training (5)”) seems to have been screwed up by the colon.
Hope Mrs Linxit is on the mend – does she do cryptics? If not, a good time to start while she’s hors de combat.
“a woman’s short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century”
I think we can safely file it under “useful for crosswords”.
20 minutes here. ‘fraid I remember nothing other than trying out a couple of different spellings on PLANTAGENET.
Best wishes to your better half, Linxit. I don’t know what your cooking is like but I hope it’s survivable, for her sake.
Didn’t know BLUNDERBUSS as person. Can’t think at this moment of an example where “but” and “just” are interchangeable (14ac).