Solving time: 7:52, and I think this puzzle was very much on my wavelength, almost all of the across answers went in on a first reading, and it was only two sweeps through the clues until things were slotted in. Also helped that a few more obscure words have popped up on my day to blog them.
The first definition in each clue is underlined.
Away we go!
| Across | |
| 1 | Bank agent meets huge politician, one to be entertained (10) |
| REPOSITORY – REP(agent), OS(huge), TORY(politician) containing I(one) | |
| 6 | Unpopular worker provided with cards ultimately, then taxi (4) |
| SCAB – last letter in cardS, then CAB(taxi) | |
| 9 | A Bishop observed to be half-hearted attracts church attendance? No! (7) |
| ABSENCE – A. B(bishop, chess), then SEEN(observed) missing one of the E’s in the middle, CE(church) | |
| 10 | Place of refreshment in desolate place man found heading west (7) |
| TAPROOM – MOOR(desolate place) and PAT(man) both reversed | |
| 12 | Support immoral position taken by sportsman (6,4) |
|
SECOND BASE – SECOND(support), BASE(immoral) – the name can refer to the |
|
| 13 | Commander once more abandoning home (3) |
| AGA – AGAIN(once more) missing IN(home) | |
| 15 | Hesitation about going by river? Try again (6) |
| RETEST – ER(hesitation) reversed then the river TEST | |
| 16 | It’s strange, being single, strange not to be hugged (8) |
| UNWONTED – UNWED(single) with an anagram of NOT inside. This came up once before when I was blogging, it can mean both unaccustomed to and strange | |
| 18 | Well-known female with question expressing self-doubt about honesty (8) |
| FAMILIAR – F(female), and the ungrammatical question AM I LIAR? | |
| 20 | Rare fright when cold is caught (6) |
| SCARCE – SCARE(fright) holding C(cold) | |
| 23 | Good times of quiet embraced by you and me (3) |
| UPS – P(quiet) inside US(you and me) | |
| 24 | Sailor has mishap with mind distracted (10) |
| MIDSHIPMAN – anagram of MISHAP and MIND | |
| 26 | Return of Communist fury with Russia’s leader put out, upset (7) |
| DERANGE – RED(communist) reversed then ANGER(fury) without the first letter of Russia | |
| 27 | Party in Cairo is terrific (7) |
| ROISTER – hidden in caiRO IS TERrific | |
| 28 | River not in good shape — there’s little flow here (4) |
| RILL – R(river), ILL(not in good shape) | |
| 29 | Old city that’s cheerless, in which sailor eats fish (10) |
| STALINGRAD – a double container! LING(fish) in TAR(sailor) in SAD(cheerless) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Register money being in short supply (4) |
| READ – READY(money) missing the last letter. This was my last in, as I don’t usually equate READ=REGISTER, but it does work in the context of indicate | |
| 2 | Most stylish female in office (7) |
| POSHEST – SHE(female) in POST(office) | |
| 3 | No sons of gloom will be excited by this set of love poems (4,2,7) |
| SONG OF SOLOMON – anagram of NO,SONS,OF,GLOOM | |
| 4 | Like heavy material getting thin after short time (6) |
| TWEEDY – WEEDY(thin) after T(time) – when I first read the clue I thought it said “like heavy metal”, which is not particularly TWEEDY | |
| 5 | Prepares again to control son sinking to the bottom (8) |
| RETRAINS – RESTRAIN(control) with S moving to the end | |
| 7 | Firm with nothing left — worker fluid in a hot situation (7) |
| COOLANT – CO(firm), O(nothing), L(left) and a worker ANT | |
| 8 | Soldier recalled touching book without one dull moment (10) |
| BOMBARDIER – RE(touching), B(book) containing I(one), DRAB(dull), MO(moment) all reversed. Clever wordplay! | |
| 11 | Assumption before the start (13) |
| PRECONCEPTION – PRE(before), CONCEPTION(the start) | |
| 14 | Supporting architect is more intelligent (10) |
| PROFOUNDER – PRO(supporting), FOUNDER(architect) | |
| 17 | Strongest deer passes away in shelter (8) |
| HARDIEST – HART(deer) containing DIES(passes away) | |
| 19 | Bloke lacking energy on a lake is a blow (7) |
| MISTRAL – MISTER (bloke) minus E, then A, L(lake) – a blow of wind | |
| 21 | Area covered by minister that gives power (7) |
| REACTOR – A (area) inside RECTOR(minister) | |
| 22 | Like some church services more or less hourly (6) |
| CHORAL – C(more or less, circa) HORAL(hourly) | |
| 25 | Trained as educationist with grasp of one of the basic subjects? (4) |
| BRED – the educationalist has a B. ED. Insert an R (reading, riting or rithmetic) | |
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