Solving time: About 40 minutes again this week. I still had several left after 30 minutes.
This is probably my least favourite grid. I don’t like the way the four corners don’t intersect with each other, and I find it too easy to get stuck.
There were a couple of words I didn’t know – DACOIT & SKAT, but I got both from the wordplay. I didn’t fully understand 3 & 15a until afterwards, but both went in from the definitions.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
Across | |
---|---|
1 | GUAR(AN + TEE)D – There was an error in this clue in the morning when I printed it off, which was fixed in the afternoon. The clue read ‘Ensure’ instead of ‘Ensured’ |
8 | IS + LE |
10 | ALTARPIECE = “ALTER PEACE” |
11 | BORE – dd |
13 | FAN + TAIL – a breed of pigeon |
15 | TIM + ELY – Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol closed the book with the line ‘God bless us, every one!’, and Ely should be familiar to regular solvers as a see, or bishopric, in Cambridgeshire |
16 | T(I + D)IER |
17 | ONE OVER THE EIGHT – dd |
18 | SLIP-UP – another dd |
20 | AUGU(R)S |
21 | RE + ‘A’ LIST |
22 | hidden |
25 | RAM + SHACKLE |
26 | NO TE |
27 | DESOLATION = (ISOLATED)* + ON |
Down | |
2 | U + T |
3 | RATE – the wordplay had me puzzled for a bit, but it’s CRATE (old car) with the C removed. C being the symbol for the speed of light (the maximum speed) |
4 | NORWAY = RON rev + WAY |
5 | EXISTENTIALISTS = (LATIN IT’S SEXIEST)* |
6 | DACOIT = O + CAD rev + IT – A dacoit is an Indian bandit |
7 | DESECRATES = (SEEDS)* about CRATE |
9 | SMOKING GUN – cd |
12 | I + MP + EDI(MEN)T |
13 | F(L)AVOUR |
14 | LINE-OUT – A reversed clue where the solution contains the wordplay, so ‘Neil’ = (LINE)* or LINE OUT where OUT is an anagrind. |
15 | TROUSERING = (RIOTER + GUN’S)* |
19 | PETARD = (DEPART)* – A petard was a small bomb used to breach fortifications. Of course, if your fuse wasn’t long enough, you would be ‘hoisted by your own petard’. |
20 | ASS + AI + L |
23 | SKAT |
24 | VET + O |
I was interested to learn that dacoits are engaging in dacoity. I had heard the term before, but only in connection with Burma, not India. The link provides a useful list of recent exponents..
1. Hamlet says:
’tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard
2. The word for the small explosive is from the French verb peter.
If I remember correctly Castle = R was the cause of some upset here many years ago during a short visit from a very argumentative contributor. I tried to find it but without success.
http://times-xwd-times.livejournal.com/140612.html
I also found, much to my chagrin, that on 9th November that year I claimed never to have met the word SKAT before and Peter B kindly responded with additional information about it!