Solving time: lost, but I think it was about 5 mins. I think 9ac was the most time-consuming entry as I was looking for an alternative.
Thanks very much to Peter for blogging last Sunday in my absence.
* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.
| Across |
| 1 |
CHEER + LESS |
| 6 |
PROOF (double definition) |
| 9 |
RA + IS + A – I didn’t know this name, but this has exposed a gap in my sporting trivia armoury: Raisa Smetanina was the first woman to win 10 Winter Olympic gold medals, and in 1992 was (at the time) the oldest woman to win a Winter Olympic gold. Mikhail Gorbachev’s wife was also called Raisa. |
| 14 |
TERRENE; ERR in rev. of (E + NET) |
| 19 |
C + OFFERS |
| 21 |
SOLE + SUP + PORTER |
| 24 |
FIRST + RATE (= ‘levy’) – but this should be (5-4), not (9). |
| 26 |
ADIEU – barely a cryptic clue, but I’ll forgive it as the surface is so marvellous. |
| 27 |
SI + EVE – not keen on ‘is rejecting’ for IS. |
| 28 |
DISMISSED; (S + MISS) in DIED |
| Down |
| 1 |
CHROMATYPE; (CHARM POET + Y[our]) |
| 3 |
REALM; R + (MEAL)* |
| 4 |
EXPERIENCES; (EPIC SEX RENE) – racy surface. |
| 5 |
SIR (hidden) |
| 6 |
PIKE + S + TAFF – as in ‘as plain as a pikestaff’. |
| 7 |
O(VERSE)E |
| 8 |
FAST (double definition) – but ‘can’t move’ isn’t the same as ‘fast’. |
| 12 |
HELICOPTERS; (PILOTS CHEER)* – a well-deserved question mark… |
| 13 |
[t]ASKS + A ROUND |
| 15 |
E + PAULETTE |
| 20 |
EN + TAILS – what is ‘being provided for’ doing here? |
| 22 |
OKAPI (hidden) – a better hidden clue than 6dn, having no superfluous words, but this is an old chestnut. |
| 23 |
EFTS (hidden) – I’m afraid my knowledge of newts isn’t sufficient to comment on whether this is a good &lit or not (‘Cleft sticks hold them?’). |
My time was probably around 10x that of O Senhor Talbinho.
There are 7 “easies” not in the blog:
10a Birds (a rat keeps)* worrying (9)
PARAKEETS
11a (Promise Thomas)* unusual change of form (13)
METAMORPHOSIS
16a Casual shoes put out (for sale)* (7)
LOAFERS
17a (A crop is)* knocked flat (7)
PROSAIC
2d He may put out the last champion (7)
E VICTOR
18d Remark in words that may be (verbose)* (7)
OBSERVE
25d Give more, to become a theologian (3)
A D.D.