ST 4251 (Sun 18 Nov) – Dessert storm

Solving time: 6:39 (one mistake – 13dn).

Yet another anagram error in this puzzle (16dn). Also a missing letter in the online version.

* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.

Across
1	LOST CAUSE; (CAST)* in LOUSE
8	ROU(TIN)E – but ‘every day’ needs to be hyphenated (or even one word) to define ‘routine’ (as an adjective).
9	CO(LOG)NE – my last entry, and I nearly rushed into ‘Bologna’.
11	ICE-SKATER; SKATE in (RICE)* – perhaps the best clue in the puzzle, referring to John Curry (who in 1976 won the fourth of Great Britain’s 7 Winter Olympics gold medals) with ‘Curry’ cunningly placed first to disguise the question mark.
13	SAO PAULO; (OPAL A SOU)* – ‘real’ here is the Brazilian currency, as opposed to ‘sou’ which is an old French coin. Quite a wordy clue but I like it. Just realised that I misspelt this as ‘Sao Paolo’ when solving – very careless.
14	RHODES; “ROADS”
17	ENDORSE; (NOD)* in ERSE
19	A + RM (= ‘jolly’) + ADA – standard treatment.
25	DEEP SOUTH; (PET HOUSED)* – not ‘West Coast’, which I rushed into initially.
27	D,E + LIVER
28	RO(I)STER

Down
1	OR + CHEST + RA
2	A(U)CTION
3	PIG (rev. of I in G.P.) + HEADED
5	TROUSERS – as in the expression ‘to wear the trousers’.
6	A + VOCA[l] + DO
7	SINCERE (hidden) – nicely concealed, shame about the superfluous ‘bowl’.
12	CO,RON (= ‘businessman’) + ET (= ‘and continental’) – a Guardianesque clue, wihch requires ‘businessman’ to be split for the wordplay.
15	HEPATITIS; (PIE THAT IS)* – what is ‘about’ doing in this clue? Also a typo in the online version, with ‘complaint’ missing its initial ‘C’.
16	SEDENTARY; (ANY DESSERT)* [sic] – perhaps this was meant to say ‘desert’ rather than ‘dessert’. Whoever’s fault, it’s another dreadful error.
18	N + A + POLE + ON (= ‘riding’) – a pig in George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
20	ROE + DEER (= “DEAR”)
21	APPLIED; P[unishment] in (rev. of PA, + LIED)
22	M(A GENT)A
24	S(HERR)Y

2 comments on “ST 4251 (Sun 18 Nov) – Dessert storm”

I had to go with ‘sedentary’ because everything apart from that extra S fit. There have been times when I’ve sworn the setter/typesetter got something wrong, only to figure out the right approach, but this one I decided, nope I AM RIGHT.

There is an extra S in 16d. The alternative “Any desert could make you inactive (9)” has an equally good or perhaps better surface if the desert is a hot one?

It is a mistake, a typo perhaps, but is it really dreadful?

Five “easies” with no mistakes detected in the clues.

10a (Chat) about (the)* shimmering axe (7)
HATCHET

23a Caper spiced up (dace) with (peas)* (8)
ESCAPADE. A combined clue and culinary suggestion. Smaaklik.

26a Distinguished what belongs to me in hospital department (7)
E. MINE N.T.

29a Wisely change for (Lent? Dry up!)*
PRUDENTLY. Setters can put as many punctuation marks in their anagram fodder as they like without complaint it seems. Just desserts.

4d I left with fast pulse (6)
LENT I L

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