After yesterday’s struggle I was fearing the worst, but it proved otherwise; I whizzed through this in 15 minutes (probably 3 Verlaines) with most of it write-in material. 22a and 14d required a minute or two of thought to sort out the ‘why’.
And my tablet SIM has suddenly decided to run at warp speed (H+) after two weeks of grinding along on E, (apparently worse than 1G) so I apologise to Senor Vodafone. Keep those shares, I’ll be munching through those expensive Gigabytes now.
And my tablet SIM has suddenly decided to run at warp speed (H+) after two weeks of grinding along on E, (apparently worse than 1G) so I apologise to Senor Vodafone. Keep those shares, I’ll be munching through those expensive Gigabytes now.
Across | |
1 | BANANA REPUBLIC – BAN = forbid, (ARENA)*, PUBLIC; D weak state. |
9 | ENIGMATIC – (MAGNETIC)* around I; D puzzling. Not for long. |
10 | DWELL – D(ays), WELL = spring; D have one’s home. A chestnut, quickie style. |
11 | DAISY – DAIS = platform, Y = fourth letter of Marylebone; D composite. |
12 | THE RIVALS – DD; Play by Sheridan. |
13 | NUGATORY – NUG = weapon, to the left; A TORY; D futile. |
15 | STATIC – STIC(K) = nearly all stand, around AT; D stable. |
17 | BODKIN – BOD = person, KIN = relations; D needle. |
19 | CRANKPIN – CRANK = nut, PIN = fasten; D part of engine. |
22 | TARDINESS – Insert DINES (eats) into TARS for sailors; D no quality in fast food, you want it sooner not later. |
23 | CUBIC – CUB young bear, IC(E) nearly frozen; D like solid. |
24 | ELFIN – Strip two words; (S)ELFI(E), (O)N(E); D charming. |
25 | TOMATILLO – TO MILL = to grind, insert A T(ime), O = round; D fruit from Mexico. |
26 | HENLEY-ON-THAMES – (HE THE MANLY ONES)*; the place for rowing, indeed. |
Down | |
1 | BREAD AND BUTTER – Sounds like BRED = mated, AND = with, BUTTER = goat; D routine. |
2 | NAILING – SAILING has S changed to its opposite; D tacking. |
3 | NIMBY – NIM is a game, that annoying one where you try to be the one to take the last bit. BY = in reserve; D one wanting to protect area, acronym for Not In My Back Yard. |
4 | ROTATORY – ROT (rubbish), AT, O(old), RY (railway); D turning. |
5 | PACKET – A PLACKET is an opening or slit in a garment, it could be the entry to a pocket; remove the L; D a lot of money. But not necessarily a pretty penny. |
6 | BADMINTON – BAD for offensive, as in smell; MINTON posh china; D game. Once I’d been through and past MATE and PAL it clicked. |
7 | INEXACT – I NEXT (succeeding), insert AC; D lax. |
8 | CLASS CONSCIOUS – CLASS = group of students, CONSCIOUS = reasoning; D knowing where one stands. A bit obvious. |
14 | TUITIONAL – Know your crossword birds and antelopes! A TUI is a NZ bird, TONAL = using keys, insert I = current; D teaching’s style. |
16 | FRESHMAN – FRESH = somewhat forceful, and cool; MAN = staff, as verb; D first-year student. |
18 | DURUFLE – (FLEUR DU)*, nice anagrist ‘mal’; D French composer, of whom I had heard. |
20 | PABULUM – (UP ALBUM)*; anagrist ‘ripping’; D bland stuff. From Latin for food. |
21 | SENTRY – S(TUCK) = S (no tuck = without food); ENTRY = way in; D picket. |
23 | CATCH – CAT = lash, C, H; D problem being concealed. Topical surface, if not difficult. |
I’m pretty sure I’ve come across the tui before, actually.
Presumably the travel company is named after the bird. Edit: no, it isn’t. It’s TUI, not Tui, and it stands for Touristik Union International.Edited at 2016-02-03 02:16 pm (UTC)
But all fair and above board.
Australia got tuitioned by the Kiwis today, so I’ll make that COD.
Thanks setter and Pip.
One of those days where starting at the end, as I do, probably had its drawbacks.
Vardy, wow! the dream continues. Celebrating that last night probably cost me a few minutes this morning.
The Foxes should roll over Arsenal, mind…
Fun to solve, though, and all the above gettable.
I went up every blind alley and down every garden path going and couldn’t call to mind things I knew like tui and the play.
I though the definition for tardiness was flaky and there were some mighty clunky surfaces knocking around.
You have my sympathy Janie, I expected to have the letters in the wrong order for either (or both!) Durufle and pabulum and was ready to cry foul.
Edited at 2016-02-03 02:38 pm (UTC)
http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/leeci_unet/composite.html
Not helped by managing only about 30% of the answers and then read the word “easy” on this blog.
HENLEY is 3 miles downstream from me so a write-in. DURUFLE on the other hand was a complete unknown to me, despite being a Classic FM listener, but forced it out. Others pleasant but not wow moments.
CRANKPIN, although familiar enough, took me an age to see as my LOI. A pleasant solve, though.
Oh, and thanks for explaining ELFIN, which I simply couldn’t see until I read this blog entry. (Doh!)
Edited at 2016-02-03 11:17 pm (UTC)
I was looking forward to complaining about the obscurity of whatever word was the answer to 14d, but now see that it is the completely reasonable and gettable TUITIONAL, so I am denied even that crumb of consolation.