Solving time: Most of a flight from Manchester to Faro
I struggled to get on the setter’s wavelength with this one, so most of it was like pulling teeth. Only much more enjoyable. Although often very frustrating. Very satisfying to eventually complete it though.
Lots of great surface readings here, which is very much Dean’s hallmark. The wonderfully imaginative 18a has to be COD, but there were many other good ones.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
Across | |
---|---|
1 | UNASSUMINGNESS = US about (SUN SIGNS MEANS)* |
9 | S + KILL |
10 | MAGNIFICO = FIN rev in MAGIC + O |
11 | DISPERSALS = DISS about PERS |
13 | FI(A)T |
15 | D(U)O |
17 | WOOD ANEMONE = WOO + (‘EM + ON) in DANE – My LOI as I didn’t know the plant so had to work it out from the wordplay. And I wasn’t entirely convinced by WOO = ‘Cultivate’ |
18 | WATER CLOSET = (C |
19 | T + AU |
20 | CRU + X |
21 | LIONHEARTS = (THE SLAIN OR)* |
24 | KINGS HEAD = (G + SHEA |
26 | MA(OR)I |
27 | PRISON CHAPLAIN = (APPROACH SIN)* about L + IN – ‘Can preacher’ is the definition. |
Down | |
1 | UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE – cd |
2 | A + MISS |
3 | SILVERWARE = (WE’RE RIVALS)* – An anagram disguised in a very natural surface |
4 | MUM – dd |
5 | NIGEL LAWSON = NOS + WALL + EG + IN all rev – I’m of a generation that still regards him as more famous than his daughter. |
6 | N(A)IL – ‘Expose’ for NAIL is another definition I can’t quite get my head around. |
7 | SPIT IT OUT = (PIT + I) in STOUT |
8 | POP THE QUESTION = POP + (QUITE HONEST)* |
12 | STOOL PIGEON = (GONE TOPSOIL)* |
14 | WEATHER MAP – cd – because it shows the rain |
16 | OUTRUNNER = (RUNT)* + N |
22 | RIOJA = OJ in AIR rev |
23 | ASKS = ASS (Behind) about K (king) |
25 | DOH – hidden |
I didn’t know CRUX as ‘puzzle’ or TAU as ‘cross’ and I’m more familiar with UPSIDE-DOWN as a pudding rather than a cake. I had no problems with NAIL (Collins has ‘expose or detect a lie or liar’) but I was a bit surprised to find that COED lists OJ as ‘Orange Juice’.
Edited at 2013-08-04 06:29 am (UTC)
Just a quick note on 18a; I wish it could be attributed to ‘genius’ but it can’t. The def was pretty much a write-in and all I needed was a well-known surname somewhere in the fodder. With most of the ex-Python’s name there I spent ages working with CLEES- but the letter balance wasn’t nice. The odd letters device was a desperate final effort, but this time the letters used in FAWLTY TOWERS just leapt out from the remainder.
Although Dave’s use of ‘obvious’ is tongue-in-cheek, in the end it really was obvious.