7:55. Not a very difficult puzzle from Dean this week but an absolute delight. 9dn is worth the price of admission on its own.
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated like (TIHS)*, deletions like this, anagram indicators are in italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Candy store folds by spring |
| TUCK SHOP – TUCKS, HOP. | |
| 5 | Siren’s short catchphrase |
| MANTRA – MANTRA |
|
| 10 | Turner’s corrupt men |
| ROTOR – ROT, OR. | |
| 11 | Made a “thing” to pen his new single |
| FASHIONED – FAD containing (HIS)*, ONE. | |
| 12 | Texas city couple run away to hide this |
| FORT WORTH – FOR(TWO, R)TH. Slightly convoluted wordplay: ‘away’ defines FORTH and ‘this’ refers to what you get from ‘couple run’. | |
| 13 | Plot of short written work |
| TRACT – DD. | |
| 15 | Correct graph, printed or otherwise |
| RIGHT AND PROPER – (GRAPH PRINTED OR)*. | |
| 18 | Game full of action replays |
| FOLLOW MY LEADER – CD. This is a children’s game in which players copy (replay) actions performed by the leader. | |
| 22 | Bird baster gets stuffing back |
| EGRET – contained reversed in ‘baster gets’. ‘Stuffing’ here is a noun. | |
| 23 | Daring to capture aged Irish former PM |
| GOLDA MEIR – G(OLD)AME, IR. | |
| 25 | Not believing fellow is in loft |
| ATHEISTIC – AT(HE IS)TIC. | |
| 27 | Notice, and dress in, accessory |
| ADD ON – AD, DON. | |
| 28 | Ignoring cold, mountaineer is able to move supply |
| LIMBER – |
|
| 29 | Ornamental ring beloved of Hero |
| OLEANDER – O, LEANDER. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Coastal feature that grows economy |
| THRIFT – DD. I hadn’t heard of the plumbaginaceous plant. | |
| 2 | Supply column tracked vehicle |
| CATERPILLAR – CATER, PILLAR. Cue the usual surprise at the use of brand names, which have been in routine use for as long as I can remember. | |
| 3 | Spread most of the crumbs |
| STREWTH – STREW, TH |
|
| 4 | Approach from both sides of exterior |
| OFFER – OFF (from), E |
|
| 6 | One in a tank or one in an aircraft |
| AVIATOR – A, V(I)AT, OR. | |
| 7 | Upturned egg container |
| TIN – reversal of NIT. | |
| 8 | Hearing car, try to cross over |
| AUDITORY – AUDI, T(O)RY. | |
| 9 | Lily Allen’s first LP eh? Sod off |
| ASPHODEL – (A |
|
| 14 | Caught her up, put on manacles |
| APPREHENDED – APPENDED containing a reversal of HER. ‘Manacles’ is the containment indicator. | |
| 16 | Thumping a Liberal could end in injury |
| ALMIGHTY – A, L, MIGHT, |
|
| 17 | Last, despite what is expected |
| AFTER ALL – not quite a DD because AFTER ALL isn’t a dictionary-defined term for ‘last’. | |
| 19 | Giant in old hat exhales audibly |
| OUTSIZE – OUT, sounds like ‘sighs’. | |
| 20 | A story — a funny one — almost repeated |
| AGA SAGA – A GAS, A GA |
|
| 21 | Somewhat unfair, one recruits evening worker |
| IRONER – contained in ‘unfair one recruits’. That kind of ‘evening’. | |
| 24 | Where to get drink without sugar? |
| LOCAL – LO-CAL. Not quite a DD because the second meaning requires a hyphen. | |
| 26 | Half of us are smelly |
| HUM – HUM |
|
25:30
I never did parse FORT WORTH & THRIFT (DNK). NHO Lily Allen; didn’t need to, of course, but it would have added to my appreciation of the clue.
Took a while to see FORTH as “away”!
Children in the USA play “Follow the leader.”
I like the less absolute alternative better… Ha
I prefer Bob Dylan’s version.
😀