I find myself without a lot to say about this one, although the cluing was up to snuff and I enjoyed myself – thanks setter! DNK 7dn – my Canadian allegiances make me unable to think of that as anything but a type of mac ‘n’ cheese dinner (another one to add to the North American flavour of this grid?), but everything else was fairly straightforward? My COD to 20ac because “one of eight at the top level of England” raised a smile and reminded me of number 8, whose portly figure stood above the entrance to my school in Chester, which he founded with his ill-gotten monastery plunder. How’d the rest of you get on?
Across
1 Bossy old man abroad, politician, one on the right wing (10)
PEREMPTORY – PERE MP TORY [old man abroad – i.e. “father” in French | politician | one on the right wing]
6 Runners embrace when the last one advances (4)
SKIS – KISS [embrace], when the last letter advances to the beginning of the word
10 Chatter behind gym, meeting American stars (7)
PEGASUS – GAS [chatter] behind P.E. [gym], meeting US [American]
11 Openings in colonnade showing dull interior (7)
STOMATA – STOA [colonnade] with MAT [dull] as its interior
12 Separate occasion around end of the month, hard to avoid (9)
DEMARCATE – DATE [occasion] around {th}E + MARC{h}
13 Progressed in game, getting century (3,2)
GOT ON – GO [game], getting TON [century]
14 Bit of a joint that’s eaten only if edges have been trimmed (5)
TENON – {ea}TEN ON{ly} after trimming away the edges
15 Place of burial ignorantly abused? Not unknown (9)
ARLINGTON – (IGNORANTL{y}*) [“abused”]. The hallowed Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.
17 Spooner’s elaborate, true bringer of a little illumination (9)
RUSHLIGHT – Spoonerised LUSH RIGHT [elaborate | true]
20 Physics unit — one of eight at the top level in England (5)
HENRY – Kings Henry I through VIII were “at the top level” in England.
21 Island‘s extremely old person (5)
WIGHT – double def, a “wight” being the old word for a person in Chaucer, etc.
23 A relation has transcendental meditation in a room (9)
APARTMENT – A PARENT [a relation] has T.M. [transcendental meditation] in
25 Happen to disagree (4,3)
FALL OUT – double def
26 Indiana native to plant willow at back of house (7)
HOOSIER – plant OSIER [willow] “at back of” HO [house]
27 Mistake, kind that has one letter wrong? (4)
TYPO – a one-letter typo for TYPE [kind]
28 Most moralistic minister enthralling every person individually (10)
PREACHIEST – PRIEST [minister] “enthralling” EACH [every person individually]
Down
1 Like certain music in tube? (5)
PIPED – double def
2 ‘Tigers’, men trained for army units (9)
REGIMENTS – (TIGERS MEN*) [“trained”]
3 Rendering error that could be made by saint, mortal sin? (14)
MISTRANSLATION – (SAINT MORTAL SIN*) [“that could be made by…”]
4 Drunk upset a little bit, wanting a bit of food (7)
TOSTADA – SOT reversed [drunk “upset”] + TAD [a little bit], wanting A
5 River, very big source of water in New Mexican city (7)
ROSWELL – R OS WELL [river | very big | source of water]
7 Paper for something like origami, we hear? (5)
KRAFT – homophone of CRAFT [something like origami, “we hear”]
8 Inactivity of party man and woman (9)
STAGNANCY – STAG [party man] + NANCY [woman]
9 Grey, like a dental amalgam with enduring quality? (4,2,3,5)
LONG IN THE TOOTH – if your dental amalgam endures, it will remain long in your tooth
14 Have kittens in small blanket, one put in at the back (5,1,3)
THROW A FIT – THROW [small blanket] + I [one] put in AFT [at the back]
16 Children eating — sadly no child wanted fruit (9)
TANGERINE – ({child}REN EATING*) [“sadly”]
18 Grand speechifier, one making concessions? (7)
GRANTER – G RANTER [grand | speechifier]
19 Technique set up to restrict pain in part of body (7)
TRACHEA – ART reversed [technique “set up”] “to restrict” ACHE [pain]
22 Dance round piano following young female (5)
GALOP – O P [round | piano] following GAL [young female]
24 Caustic about old fortune-teller’s aid
TAROT – TART [caustic] “about” O [old]
Many thanks Verlaine and setter.
Despite having heard of the Hoosier Dome and the one hit wonder eighties band The Hoosiers (Satellite their one hit) I didn’t know what a Hoosier was so happy to learn something.
Edited at 2017-05-05 07:12 am (UTC)
At least I got SAWBILL in yesterday’s FT.
Would’ve been quicker if I’d successfully memorised “osier” from past puzzles. I only recognised “stoa” when working backwards from the biff, too.
“TM” no problem for me, as someone with an interest in meditation, though it feels like US usage more than British, so perhaps that’s part of the general American theme.
I must have eaten a TOSTADA or two because that sprang to mind well enough. KRAFT and WIGHT just had to be trusted. Didn’t spot the wordplay for TANGERINE, so that was my last one in with a hopeful shrug. FOI REGIMENTS, COD TYPO.
Had to take Kraft on trust (Werked for me), as I thought comparing the processed rubbery slices to paper was unfair to paper.
I believe you could throw a fit better if you tostada…
Desktop, identical on Chrome and Edge. No problem on android app. I could easily be doing somthing stupid, of course, but other pages look normal
When ex-Friends Matt LeBlanc felt it appropriate to burn rubber in Whitehall around the Cenotaph, London’s national war memorial, as part of Top Gear, it was suggested that he try the same at Arlington National Cemetery and see what happens. Thanks setter and V
My last in by some distance was HENRY, and it induced a major self-kicking moment.
Thanks setter and v, and good weekend everyone.
Thanks Slogger
Used to have a boss who got his tarot cards out when I wasn’t in the office (actually, Portakabin in an unregistered warehouse in Lowfield Heath). No, the business – a magazine called The Cargo Herald (I jest not) – didn’t last long…
If we start with US geography, there is certainly a lot to chose from. I know my own region, but might be stumped by other parts of the country.
Clue: where Mexico, California, and Florida are? (8)
Answer: Missouri!
You could look it up….
You are correct.
Most of the rest was annoyingly easy, though initially TOSTATA came to mind for 4dn and it took little while for the wordplay to guide me to the correct answer.
No complaints though.