Solving time: 17:11, with about three minutes of it on the last entry, which was 19 down. I thought I was off to a good start on this one, but really slowed down for the last dozen or so answers, hunting and pecking through the alphabet. There’s a few unusual definitions here, but the wordplay is clear, although obscure in a few places. It’s been an odd week for puzzles with one most found a stinker that I breezed through, then a few more tricky ones.
I am heading out shortly after this and will not be able to edit until the morning (early afternoon UK time), so if I have an error, please check the comments. Definitions are underlined.
Away we go…
Across |
1 |
Japanese verse reporting shrill sound made by dove? (5) |
|
HAIKU – sounds like HIGH COO |
4 |
His kind goes around gaping (9) |
|
DEHISCENT – HIS with DECENT(kind) around it. I knew the verb DEHISCE, don’t think I’ve used this form before |
9 |
Southern Europeans put off trapping a bird, perhaps (9) |
|
SEEDEATER – S, E, E (two Europeans), then DETER(put off) containing A |
10 |
Trying to get hold of beams endlessly (5) |
|
AFTER – remove the ends from RAFTERS |
11 |
Anticipate former teacher’s favourite touring clubs (6) |
|
EXPECT – EX then the teacher’s PET c |
12 |
Graceful fleet regularly observed in sea (8) |
|
BALLETIC – alternating letters in fLeEt inside the BALTIC sea |
14 |
Bacteria? Poetic sort sadly harbours hundreds (12) |
|
STREPTOCOCCI – anagram of POETIC SORT cotaining two C’s(hundreds) |
17 |
Music in motet Verdi revised? (12) |
|
DIVERTIMENTO – anagram of IN,MOTET,VERDI |
20 |
European river engulfing slender shrub (8) |
|
OLEANDER – the river ODER containing LEAN(slender) |
21 |
A minister recalled in Tennessee lodging-place (6) |
|
TAVERN – A then REV reversed in TN(Tennessee, soon to be joining a periodic table near you) |
23 |
Bitter as a native of Belgrade, by the sound of it (5) |
|
ACERB – sounds like A SERB |
24 |
I sit out in court abandoned like some holidays (9) |
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TOURISTIC – anagram of I,SIT in an anagram of COURT. Had to get this one from wordplay |
25 |
Producer of rolls finally invests in a famous racehorse (5,4) |
|
SNARE DRUM – (invest)S, (i)N, A, RED RUM(racehorse) the rolls being drum rolls |
26 |
Railwaymen once given points to look after (5) |
|
NURSE – NUR(National Union of Railwaymen) then the points S and E |
Down |
1 |
He’s swallowing a novel hospital drug (8) |
|
HASHEESH – HE’S containing A, SHE(the novel that has been noticeably absent lately) then H(hospital). I don’t see that spelling often |
2 |
Bungling agent held up by one immediately following (8) |
|
INEXPERT – REP(agent) reversed in I, NEXT |
3 |
Innocent, but lacking capacity to cover special case (15) |
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UNEXCEPTIONABLE – UNABLE(lacking capacity to) containing EXCEPTION(special case). Didn’t think this could mean “innocent” but Chambers has “not liable” which is close enough |
4 |
Figures perhaps slightly raised (4) |
|
DATA – A TAD reversed |
5 |
On radio, learn of storm primarily in this area (10) |
|
HEREABOUTS – sounds like HEAR ABOUT, then S(torm)
|
6 |
Firm in Monaco quietly replaced Arab fellow? (6,9) |
|
STABLE COMPANION – STABLE(firm) in than anagram of IN,MONACO,P – the Arabs are horses here |
7 |
Object songbird found in English city (6) |
|
ENTITY – TIT(songbird) in E, NY |
8 |
Most of the people in ancient Balkan country (6) |
|
THRACE – TH(e), RACE(people) |
13 |
More sensible to engage one’s orthopaedic auxiliary (10) |
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BONESETTER – ONE’S inside BETTER(more sensible) – had to piece this together from wordplay too, the definition was not a great deal of help |
15 |
Forebear caught stabbing a wise old king (8) |
|
ANCESTOR – C inside A, NESTOR(wise old king) |
16 |
Company runs hotel in pleasant coastal road (8) |
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CORNICHE – CO, R(runs) then H inside NICE(pleasant) |
18 |
Jam Scottish girl left unfinished on ship (6) |
|
MORASS – MORA(g) on SS |
19 |
Spirit finally haunting wide Russian river (6) |
|
GENEVA – (hauntin)G, (wid)E then the river NEVA. I was worried about this – I now know that it is a type of gin. |
22 |
Sticky substance overrunning a Pacific island (4) |
|
GUAM – GUM(sticky substance) surrounding A |
About 45 minutes bar time spent on that, with ticks at 10a and 5d – I’m a sucker for well clued preposition and adverbs.
Definitely a challenge for me….
I just realized I forgot to say anything about yesterday (“George Cross,” eh? Hmppfff)… Today, I have to wonder aloud what “perhaps” is doing at the end of the clue for SEEDEATER.
Edited at 2018-05-03 02:59 am (UTC)
Edited at 2018-05-03 02:59 am (UTC)
Satisfying stuff for the most part, especially being able to assemble DEHISCENT with confidence once the checkers were in place, so COD to that one.
I’m off to bag some HASHEESH on the CORNICHE at a less TOURISTIC TAVERN
Edited at 2018-05-03 07:35 am (UTC)
Edited at 2018-05-03 10:39 am (UTC)
I spent far too long deciphering 6dn and eventually getting Stable. Doh! I kicked myself so hard I gave up on the DNK Dehiscent and Neva. I hadn’t got Data which made Dehiscent even harder.
Note to self: swot up on Russian rivers (while sipping gin).
Thanks setter and for explaining G.
Edited at 2018-05-03 07:40 am (UTC)
As for the bottom left, a shrub?! A Russian river (wide or otherwise) with a spiritual connection?! A Scottish girl?! What malevolent whim persuaded the setter to put that lot in one place? Two of those had wordplay which required you to take two “final” letters in succession. That’s mean.
Actually, I realise now that I’ve known the Neva as it flows through fabulous St Petersburg. If you go down to the dockside, where traditionally newlyweds break a glass on the bollard and have their picture taken, the Neva has, way out in midstream, a set of fountains whose sole purpose is to provide a rainbow background for the happy couple in the afternoon sun. Now that is soviet class of a very high order.
No problem with geneva/genever .. I am probably the only one here who remembers Nicholas Van Rijn, Poul Anderson’s swashbuckling spacefarer.. he liked genever, in massive quantities I seem to recall.
Edited at 2018-05-03 08:02 am (UTC)
Actually having done a bit of idle googling on the subject I find that even my prompted memory of racehorses only extends to Frankel and Desert Orchid, so this is definitely a subject I don’t want to see much more of!
Edited at 2018-05-03 09:45 am (UTC)
Edited at 2018-05-03 12:19 pm (UTC)
Tennessee and Monaco.
I like Geneva”.
How many tads in a smidge or is it the other way round?
No seedeaters in our garden, only nectar eaters (Tuis) and insect and fruit eaters (Fantails and Waxeyes)
41m 39s
Edited at 2018-05-03 08:53 am (UTC)
I have spent many a March day over the years on the Corniche in Cannes at the Property Festival MIPIM. Happy days.
It’s basically the most expensive pub crawl in Europe.
I went for 11 years but not recently since it has gone all PC; now they expect you to discuss work.
Edited at 2018-05-03 10:28 pm (UTC)
(chess term)
1ac HAIKU is a write -in these days but 4ac DEHISCENT isn’t nor ever will be.
FOI at thew bottom as noted as it printed out on the faithful old Epson 22dn GUM
LOI 19dn GENEVA
COD 4dn DATA!
WOD 17ac DIVERTINENTO
(Gelena instead of Geneva) – well the River Lena is at least pretty long! I am in awe of those of you who found this reasonably straightforward, and my average time is about 20 mins, but I thought this was the hardest for many months.
Her mother said “Nellie…. (that’s quite enough of that ! : Ed)
19:34 with the last three clues taking almost 4 minutes.
FOI HAIKU, but couldn’t build on it. After wandering all over the grid I hit the wall at the quarter hour mark.
The SW corner gave me the most trouble, but I eventually cracked GENEVA and BONESETTER ( didn’t care much for “one’s” if I’m going to nitpick on a generally excellent puzzle), before LOI HASHEESH, where the spelling held me up.
COD STABLE COMPANION
WOD SEEDEATER
I can’t remember the last time I was biff-free !
I’m glad I knew the gin, because I didn’t know the river. A bit mean, that one, to say the least.
I also felt glad that ‘dehisce’ (or some variant of it) has come up before, although the wordplay was pretty helpful in that case.
Red Rum is surely the *only* ‘famous racehorse’. Or maybe Lester Piggott was another… hmmmm.
I’ll throw Desert Orchid into the glue pot. And Mill Reef.
I was sure that gin got it’s name from Geneva, but apparently not, so gin will have to be added to my already extremely long list of wonderful things not invented by the Swiss. Still, they came up with the roll and the army knife, which I suppose is something.