I struggled with this one. Even when I had all the answers in and thought they were correct, I still found it a stretch in some cases to reconcile the definition with the answer or parse the clue properly. Maybe I was just having one of those days when my cat’s whisker refused to get tuned in. Maybe the whole thing will seem more obvious as I write the blog. I’ll let you know. 35 long minutes to finish plus I’m still parsing a few as I do this.
Now I’ve blogged it, I wonder why it took me so long. But I was had for a 20a by 20a.
Definitions underlined, anagrinds in italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Doubly outstanding damage, superficially (6) |
| DEFACE – Outstanding in two ways, DEF(initely) and ACE a simile. | |
| 4 | Compares singular food and drink (6,2) |
| STACKS UP – S(ingular), TACK = food, SUP = drink. | |
| 10 | Serviceman stabbed by a scurrilous patriot (9) |
| GARIBALDI – RIBALD inside GI. Does ribald mean scurrilous? Thesaurus thinks so, I wasn’t so sure. | |
| 11 | Retired lawman receiving fresh commendation (5) |
| AWARD – DA the lawman receives RAW = fresh, ‘retired’. | |
| 12 | Agreed on Chinese taking part (3) |
| SET – Hiidden word CHINE(SE T)AKING | |
| 13 | Clearing books one has stopped cancelling (11) |
| NEGOTIATING – NEGATING = cancelling, insert OT, I. I can’t find in thesaurus.com where these two are synonyms, I think it must be something to do with banking, clearing cheques. | |
| 14 | Hunted species picked up by some (6) |
| SOUGHT – Sounds like SORT = species. | |
| 16 | Going round, express a word of thanks in a single go (2,1,4) |
| AT A TIME – All reversed, EMIT A TA = express a word of thanks. | |
| 19 | Stirring music from remote East introduced by devotee (7) |
| FANFARE – FAN (devotee) from the FAR E(ast),. | |
| 20 | Fish, one to be had without difficulty (6) |
| SUCKER – A double definition. Not very comfortable with this one. I can see the definition, to be ‘had’ easily, but I didn’t know there were several species of fish called suckerfish or white suckerfish until I looked them up. | |
| 22 | Project inserting second bit of tooth into spare denture (11) |
| EXTRAPOLATE – EXTRA = spare, PLATE = denture, insert O being the second letter of tooth. | |
| 25 | Provide clue for little reward (3) |
| TIP – Double definition. | |
| 26 | Bill likely to change (5) |
| ADAPT – AD = bill, APT (to ) = likely (to). | |
| 27 | Rebel comrade commandeering chief exec’s bashed vehicle (6,3) |
| DODGEM CAR – Insert DG = chief exec, into (COMRADE)*. I don’t remember seeing REBEL as an anagrind before. Does DG = Chief Exec anywhere except the BBC? | |
| 28 | Actually preferring rapper’s introduction to two lines in formal language (8) |
| LITERARY – I hadn’t worked this out until I write this blog… LITERALLY = actually, then exchange the LL for R (rapper’s introductory letter). | |
| 29 | Input device‘s phraseology almost American (6) |
| STYLUS – One for Vinyl1, this kind of input device. STYL(E) = phraseology, almost, then US. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Girton’s top dons reach conclusion on blessed fellow’s summary (6) |
| DIGEST – Took me an age to parse this. DIE = reach conclusion, insert G = Girton’s top, i.e. G ‘dons’ DIE, then ST = blessed fellow. | |
| 2 | Oldest trees divided, bushes primarily retained (9) |
| FIRSTBORN – FIRS (trees) TORN (divided), insert B(ushes). | |
| 3 | About to jettison plane’s passenger section (5) |
| CABIN – CA = circa, about, BIN = jettison, throw away. | |
| 5 | Novel outings — no parking required, with public transport available (8,6) |
| TRISTRAM SHANDY – I had to get most of the checkers first, as there are a million novels to choose from. TRIS = Trips (outings) losing its P(arking). then TRAMS = public transport and HANDY = available. | |
| 6 | Horse involved in accident after tailing vehicle (9) |
| CHARABANC – Another one to parse afterwards. ARAB is the horse, inside CHANC(E) = accident, tailed. | |
| 7 | Holy man raising current crops — for birds (5) |
| SWAMI – Reverse all; I = current, MAWS = crops for birds. | |
| 8 | Pass water round mine, on descent (8) |
| PEDIGREE – PEE = pass water, insert DIG = mine, RE = on. even when I had P+D at the begninning, it took an age to see, I wanted mine to be PIT and the definition to be a pass. | |
| 9 | Lawyer’s leader in conflict with judge — evidence of disaster in case? (6,8) |
| FLIGHT RECORDER – Insert L(awyer) into FIGHT = conflict, then RECORDER = judge, of a sort. Nice definition. | |
| 15 | Voucher for university pinched by arrogant drunk (9) |
| GUARANTOR – (ARROGANT U)*. | |
| 17 | Like Dead Ringers broadcast in dialect (9) |
| IDENTICAL – (IN DIALECT)*. | |
| 18 | Bringing up the rear, despite one’s efforts? (5,3) |
| AFTER ALL – Double definition, one literal. | |
| 21 | Radio officer finding space for recreation aboard (6) |
| SPARKS – SS = ship, insert PARK. | |
| 23 | Auditor’s monitored land area (5) |
| TRACT – Sounds like tracked, monitored. | |
| 24 | Sporting contest opening online, as it were? (5) |
| EVENT – An E-VENT could be an opening online? | |
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