I needed 36 minutes for this one, which is not bad for me these days having slowed down a bit in recent weeks. Many of the clues are really easy, some are biffable and a couple perhaps bordering on the obscure but in most of these cases the wordplay is helpful. One exception perhaps is the composer at 20dn who I suspect very few will have heard of, but I happened to know of him; the alternative route to the answer is a science reference so it’s quite possible that some solvers may be stumped by both.
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 | Plant, where cropped, eaten by horse (7) |
| COWHERB – WHER{e} [cropped], contained [eaten] by COB (horse). I didn’t know this plant but I arrived at its name via wordplay and assumed it’s another name for “cow-parsley” with which I am very familiar, however it appears they are not even related to each other. The horse is thickset with short legs, apparently. | |
| 5 | Left-winger is distraught, ultimately leaving party (6) |
| SOCIAL – SOCIAL{ist} (left-winger) [is + {distraugh}t, ultimately leaving] | |
| 8 | Work of art futile ultimately — no good, mad (9) |
| ENGRAVING – {futil}E [ultimately], NG (no good), RAVING (mad). “Ultimately” indicating last letters in consecutive clues is a bit weak. | |
| 9 | Trips from this French city? (5) |
| TOURS – Two meanings | |
| 11 | Artist paid to pen article (5) |
| MANET – MET (paid) contains [to pen] AN (article) | |
| 12 | I repeatedly get excited, with enthusiasm about current climate (9) |
| ZEITGEIST – ZEST (enthusiasm) containing [about] anagram [excited] of I + I (repeatedly) + GET | |
| 13 | Woodman’s line of business, needing fine minerals to test (8) |
| FORESTRY – F (fine), ORES (minerals), TRY (test) | |
| 15 | Smile endlessly, repeatedly showing charm (6) |
| GRIGRI – GRI{n} + GRI{n} (smile) [endlessly] repeatedly. I didn’t know this word for an African talisman but the wordplay was helpful. | |
| 17 | Holiday month with endless rest for one imposing hard task on hero (6) |
| AUGEAS – AUG (holiday month), EAS{e} (rest) [endless]. Heracles was the hero. Augeas was the guy who had stables full of dung who set him the nigh impossible task of cleaning them out. | |
| 19 | Indication of very bad bruising on member who is unpopular worker? (8) |
| BLACKLEG – Two meanings, a literal interpretation and a figurative one with reference to a strike breaker in an industrial dispute. | |
| 22 | Brewing is to cease — before these are brought out? (3,6) |
| TEA COSIES – Anagram [brewing] of IS TO CEASE. I’d class this as &lit or semi-&lit, however the brewing doesn’t cease before these are deployed. | |
| 23 | Performer with animal has monkey around not keeping quiet (5) |
| TAMER – TAM{p}ER (monkey around) [not keeping quiet – p] | |
| 24 | Sage in Nagpur — I shine (5) |
| RISHI – Hidden in {Nagpu}R I SHI{ne}. I didn’t know this one but took on trust that it was a hidden answer. | |
| 25 | Expression of pain by one in ordeal most bad-tempered (9) |
| TOUCHIEST – OUCH (expression of pain) + I (one) in TEST (ordeal) | |
| 26 | Slow movement of a retreating old island tribe (6) |
| ADAGIO – A, then O (old) + I (island) + GAD (tribe) all reversed [retreating] | |
| 27 | You and I in style, moving in a gracious manner (7) |
| SWEETLY – WE (you and I) in anagram [moving] of STYLE | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Farm tea made special with carrot cake ingredient? (5,2,6) |
| CREAM OF TARTAR – Anagram [made special] of FARM TEA CARROT. Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, according to Wiki. It has various functions in cookery but the one that probably concerns us here is as an ingredient in baking soda products. | |
| 2 | Driver in West, a fellow doomed (7) |
| WAGONER – W (west), A, GONER (fellow doomed) | |
| 3 | Demand that performance is never to be put on again? (5) |
| EXACT – An ACT (performance) that is never to be put on again may be said to be an EX-ACT | |
| 4 | Black reptile doubling up a bit in bad weather (8) |
| BLIZZARD – B (black), LIZARD (reptile) doubles its Z-content to give us the answer | |
| 5 | Just under ten short soldiers turning up to register (4,2) |
| SIGN IN – NIN{e} (just under ten) [short] + GI’S (soldiers) all reversed [turning up] | |
| 6 | Positive guy with conceit, wealthy husband doing a bunk (9) |
| CATEGORIC – CAT (guy), EGO (conceit), RIC{h} (wealthy) [husband doing a bunk] | |
| 7 | Comic needing an act of reflection (7) |
| AMUSING – A (an), MUSING (act of reflection) | |
| 10 | Having nothing to worry about, / like a model in more ways than one? (7,6) |
| SITTING PRETTY – Two definitions, one figurative, one cryptic | |
| 14 | Period home with good taste is what I provide (9) |
| SEASONING – SEASON (period), IN (home), G (good) | |
| 16 | College room without roof — thus useless for learner to enter (3,5) |
| ALL SOULS – {h}ALL (room) [without roof], SO (thus), US (useless) which L (learner) enters. It’s a college in Oxford. | |
| 18 | Fool overwhelmed by heartless avarice must be brought down (7) |
| GRASSED – ASS (fool) contained [overwhelmed] by GR{e}ED (avarice) [heartless]. “Grass” can mean to knock or bring down an opponent in sport or to shoot down a bird. I didn’t know either of these meanings. | |
| 20 | Old English composer’s measure of brightness (7) |
| LAMBERT – Two meanings. The only English composer of this name that I could think of was Constant Lambert but as his dates were 1905-1951 I hardly think that constitutes “old”, at least as composers go. He’s perhaps most famous for his ballet music “Horoscope” which is still revived occasionally. I found there was also an English composer called George Lambert 1794-1880 but I doubt he’d be the intended reference here. | |
| 21 | Classical artist irritated about onset of impressionism (6) |
| GIOTTO – GOT TO (irritated) containing [about] I{mpressionism} [onset] | |
| 23 | Apprehending end of joke, you chuckle (2-3) |
| TE-HEE – THEE (you) containing [apprehending] {jok}E [end] | |
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