6 minutes and three quarters for me, so maybe not so very Fridayish as these things go. Yourselves? And am I going to see any of you in York this weekend?
ACROSS
1 Locum happy nursing in India, say (12)
SUBCONTINENT – SUB [locum] + CONTENT [happy] “nursing” IN
8 Follow after troops rush to advance (3,4)
RAT RACE – TRACE [follow] after R.A. [troops]
9 Saves signals from sappers? (7)
RESCUES – the “signals from sappers” are RE’S CUES
11 Detective ruled lines for notes concerning women (7)
DISTAFF – D.I. STAFF [detective | ruled lines for notes]
12 Whale led by pack round island (7)
MAJORCA – ORCA [whale], led by JAM reversed [pack “round”]
13 State leaders to support overseas sanction (3-2)
SAY-SO – SAY [state] + S{upport} O{verseas}
14 Destructive, and a pain, holding a night flier back (9)
CATABOLIC – COLIC [a pain], “holding” A + BAT reversed [night flier “back”]
16 Doctor’s left university for right case (9)
CARTRIDGE – CA{mb->RT}RIDGE [university, where MB (doctor) “has left for” RT (right)]
19 Headgear displayed by panto queen (5)
TOQUE – hidden in {pan}TO QUE{en}. These were completely de rigueur apparel when I lived in Edmonton, Alberta.
21 Unnaturally pale men put on list for service (7)
EMPANEL – (PALE MEN*) [“unnaturally”]
23 Harrowing account dogging Republican ruler (7)
RACKING – AC [account] “dogging” R [Republican], + KING [ruler]
24 Famous cleric by preference keeping close to bishop (7)
SPOONER – SOONER [by preference] “keeping” {bisho}P
25 On reduced allowance, writer’s become more focused (7)
SHARPEN – on SHAR{e} [“reduced” allowance], PEN [writer]
26 A fruitless mission, rum do for Arsenal (1,5,6)
A FOOL’S ERRAND – (DO FOR ARSENAL*) [“rum”]
DOWN
1 Settle for one female model returning inside (7)
SATISFY – SAY [for one], with F SIT [female | model] reversed inside
2 See trouble with British artist fronting game show? (7)
BRAVADO – V ADO [see | trouble], with B RA [British | artist] “fronting”
3 Ingenuous old bird, female, given coat (4-5)
OPEN-FACED – O PEN FACED [old | bird, female | given coat]
4 Continuous murmur from Hard Right splitting corporation (5)
THRUM – H R [hard | right] “splitting” TUM [corporation]
5 Is competent professional perhaps in audition to provide cosmetic surgery? (4,3)
NOSE JOB – homophone of KNOWS JOB [is competent professional perhaps, “in audition”]
6 Colourless individual not taking sides (7)
NEUTRAL – double def
7 Deserter acts deviously to reveal them, perhaps (5,7)
TRADE SECRETS – (DESERTER ACTS*) [“deviously”], semi-&lit
10 Software providing instruction for transport police? (6,6)
SEARCH ENGINE – transport police might get an order to search an engine, in the course of their job
15 Philosopher arousing others’ ire (9)
THEORISER – (OTHERS’ IRE*) [“arousing…”]
17 Censure for each going up top (7)
REPROOF – PER reversed [for each “going up”] + ROOF [top]
18 Current cuts are enough to fund strike (3,4)
RUN INTO – IN [current] “cuts” RUN TO [are enough to fund]
19 A need for diplomat to accommodate firm over work? (7)
TOCCATA – A TACT [a | need for diplomat] to accomodate CO [firm], all reversed [“over”]
20 Course gone round by sovereign was full of cracks? (7)
QUIPPED – PPE [course] gone round by QUID [sovereign]. Cracks as in gags or jokes
22 Primate‘s teaching is used for English (5)
LORIS – LOR{e->IS} [teaching, with “IS” used instead of E for English]
Couple of unknowns (toccata & catabolic)
Liked loris, and trade secrets wasn’t bad either
Ho hum
Sometimes you and a puzzle don’t speak the same language.
Edited at 2017-10-27 06:01 am (UTC)
I might have been somewhat faster if I hadn’t seen ‘ingenious’ where I should have seen ‘ingenuous’, but even after I looked more carefully I still didn’t understand the cryptic, so just biffed it.
The ‘cartridge’ clue was really clever, and I had to think carefully to see how it worked. I had never heard of ‘catabolic’, but it means ‘throw down’ in Greek, so it seemed likely enough.
Failed to understand QUIPPED and am still not entirely convinced by the definition at 18dn. On that one I had taken I as ‘current’ and was left wondering where the N came from.
Edited at 2017-10-27 05:18 am (UTC)
Thanks to setter and blogger.
As V says, not colourful. Spooner and Bravado probably the funniest words: don’t know why.
Mostly I liked: ‘game show’, Cartridge.
Thanks setter and V.
On short reflection, colourless is a bit mean. There are some very neat clues, e.g. 1ac (COD).
Edited at 2017-10-27 07:23 am (UTC)
Like others I was slowed down by OPEN-FACED and QUIPPED because of misreading bits of the wordplay. And I’m not sure I’ve come across OPEN-FACED meaning ingenuous (as opposed to something to do with sandwiches or mining) before. And bunging in STATE SECRETS caused me some problems.
CATABOLIC was my only unknown today. Like our blogger I am familiar with the TOQUE from exposure to Canada in general and the musical oeuvre of Bob and Doug McKenzie in particular.
Edited at 2017-10-27 07:18 am (UTC)
Catabolic – blimey, who knew?
I was slowed by many self-created booby traps.
A careless STATE SECRET @7dn my LOI with TRADE in place. 20dn QUIPPER instead of QUIPPED. 12ac MINORCA instead of MAJORCA!
FOI 15dn THEORISER
COD 26ac A FOOL’S ERRAND
WOD CATABOLIC
Talking of which I note CATALONIA is playing up. Will Real Madrid top Barca!? I sincerely hope not!
A rehearsal for WWIII? – remember Guernica….
Modo Meldrewviano
Edited at 2017-10-27 03:50 pm (UTC)
After a couple of sessions I was nearly there so just bunged in whatever words would fit to complete the puzzle. My first Friday finish and I see I got it all correct.
DNK Catabolic Racking and Toque (a dim memory perhaps and a big breakthrough which allowed 20d and 25a, my LOI).
Could not parse several so many thanks for the blog -and good luck on 4 November. David
TOCCATA and RACKING held me up (or, at any rate, were my LOsI), otherwise all quite straightforward and very enjoyable.
A bit over 40 mins, biffing RUN INTO & TOCCATA in order to get on with the day. Must remember that current is not just I for electric current.
I was a bit shocked*by the “A” at the beginning of “A FOOL’S ERRAND”. That seems to me a major defect in the grid. Why not allow A SEARCH ENGINE, THE TRADE SECRET, TO SATISFY, etc? Even plurals are deprecated, although would be tolerated.
COD: 24A for resisting temptation to include spoonerism in the clue.
Very smooth surfaces made solving some of the clues quite hard. Thanks setter, blogger and commenters.