Quite a hard one that occupied me for 50 minutes
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Hard-working boss, devoted but powerless (8) |
| STUDIOUS – STUD (boss), {p}IOUS (devoted) [powerless] | |
| 9 | 4 / checks carefully carried out for this purpose? (2,2,4) |
| TO BE SURE – A straight definition with reference to 4dn (of course), and a vaguely cryptic one. | |
| 10 | Weapon concealed by crook riskily (4) |
| KRIS – Hidden in [concealed by] {croo}K RIS{kily} | |
| 11 | Without hesitation, serial plot ruined after this? (7,5) |
| SPOILER ALERT -Anagram [ruined] of SERIAL PLOT containing [without] ER (hesitation) | |
| 13 | A maiden jumping from upstairs window, finding lover (6) |
| ADORER – A, DOR{m}ER (upstairs window) [maiden – M- jumping from] | |
| 14 | Funeral hymn by a Scotsman? (8) |
| ALASTAIR – A, LAST AIR (funeral hymn) | |
| 15 | Wild fish, heading further east, reaching Mediterranean (7) |
| UNTAMED – TUNA (fiah) with heading further west becomes UNTA, MED (Mediterranean) | |
| 16 | Bird — rail — currently seen near lake (4,3) |
| BARN OWL – BAR (rail), NOW (currently), L (lake) | |
| 20 | Think there’s mention of vacancy in rowing crew (8) |
| RUMINATE – Sounds like [there’s mention of] “room” (vacancy), IN, “eight” (rowing crew) | |
| 22 | Rock plants originally found near Bedfordshire town (6) |
| PLUTON – P{lants} [originally], LUTON (Bedfordshire town) | |
| 23 | German writer pens long hair-raising tale (5-7) |
| SPINE-CHILLER – SCHILLER (German writer) contains [pens] PINE (long) | |
| 25 | Employee encountered recurring pressure (4) |
| TEMP – MET (encountered) reversed [recurring], P (pressure) | |
| 26 | Most important daytime sleep cut short … in such surroundings? (8) |
| NOISIEST – NO 1 (most important), SIEST{a} (daytime sleep) [cut short] | |
| 27 | Fleecing customers ultimately leading to judicial inquiry (8) |
| SHEARING – {customer}S [ultimately], HEARING (judicial inquiry) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Verbally attacked fellow about inhaling pot (6,2) |
| TURNED ON – TED containing [inhaling] URN (pot), ON (about) | |
| 3 | Police commissioner finally entering nick, after police inspector’s report (12) |
| DISSERTATION – DI’S (police inspector’s), then {polic}E +{commissione}R [finally] contained by [entering] STATION (nick) | |
| 4 | Clearly prof ignoring PR lessons (2,6) |
| OF COURSE – {pr}OF [ignoring PR], COURSE (lessons) | |
| 5 | Really famous 21 wearing short garment from India (7) |
| STELLAR – TELL( 21 – archer – William) contained by [wearing] SAR{i} garment from India [short] | |
| 6 | A single live broadcast stirred up European region (6) |
| IBERIA – I (a single), BE (live), AIR (broadcast) reversed [stirred up] | |
| 7 | Report of discharge in river (4) |
| OUSE – Sounds like [report of] “ooze” (discharge) | |
| 8 | Relating to a part of class examination? (8) |
| SECTORAL – SECT (class), ORAL (examination) | |
| 12 | The French can lodge in one area of Paris (5,7) |
| LATIN QUARTER – LA (the, French), TIN (can), QUARTER (lodge) | |
| 15 | Rebellion forcing Uzbekistan’s leader to go to the front (8) |
| UPRISING – U{zbekistan} [leader], PRISING (forcing) | |
| 17 | Wine bottles from meal Paul cooked (8) |
| AMPULLAE – Anagram [cooked] of MEAL PAUL | |
| 18 | One hunts in forest without nomads being disturbed (8) |
| WOODSMAN – WO (ithout), anagram [being disturbed] of NOMADS | |
| 19 | People who discriminate are gripped by extremes of stubbornness (7) |
| SEXISTS – EXIST (are), conrained by S{tubbornnes}S [extremes] | |
| 21 | Endless stuff about female Olympic competitor? (6) |
| ARCHER – CRA{m} (stuff) [endless] reversed [about] HER (female) | |
| 24 | Bird, one going over British Isles (4) |
| IBIS – I (one), B (British), IS (isles) | |
But having done so I must say I find the whole format unnecessarily complicated and the comments section almost impossible to follow to the point at which my eyes began to hurt trying to do so. If that’s what the people who go there want and the blogging team are happy to provide it then good luck to them but I for one would have no interest in changing my contributions to TftT to fall into line with it. I can’t speak for others hereabouts.
Edited at 2017-05-20 04:12 am (UTC)