Solving time: 10:20.
I got off to a flyer here, but slowed down in the middle with those long answers taking a while to piece together.
If you didn’t notice in yesterday’s comments, we lost one of the regular Times setters, David Crossland, also Dac in the Independent and Flamande in the Quick Cryptic. There’s a really good interview with him here. Cheers, Dac/Flamande/Smokey, you will be missed.
OK, I’m going to write this up and hit a late round of Halloween parties, so first definitions are underlined in the clues and away we go!
| Across | |
| 1 | Experts taking steps when power is lost (4) |
| ACES – PACES(steps) missing P(power) | |
| 4 | Sadder group collecting one prestigious award (4,6) |
| BLUE RIBAND – the sadder group are the BLUER BAND – put an I in there | |
| 9 | Hesitation shown by papa in awful divorce requiring much outlay (10) |
| OVERPRICED – ER(hesistation), P(Papa – NATO alphabet) inside an anagram of DIVORCE | |
| 10 | Old country fellow travelling round India (4) |
| SIAM – SAM(fellow) aorund I(India – more NATO alphabet!) | |
| 11 | Country character of yesteryear in small piece (not leader in Times) (6) |
|
BRUNEI – RUNE(old character) inside BIT(small piece) missing T |
|
| 12 | Desolate areas sheltering revolutionary types disinclined to act (8) |
| MOOCHERS – MOORS(desolate areas) containing CHE(revolutionary) | |
| 14 | What’s said to restrict someone in the Far East (4) |
| THAI – sounds like TIE(restrict) | |
| 15 | Get rid of religious type keeping unorthodox rite (10) |
| OBLITERATE – OBLATE(dedicated religious type) surrounding an anagram of RITE | |
| 17 | Person at concert receiving good artist, one giving coded messages? (10) |
| PROGRAMMER – PROMMER(person at concert) containing G(good), RA(artist) | |
| 20 | Measure brought by Labour leader of yesteryear (4) |
| FOOT – double definition, the Labour leader is Michael Foot | |
| 21 | Spooner’s jolly enthusiast who may operate in the underworld? (8) |
| FERRYMAN – Spoonerism of MERRY FAN | |
| 23 | Freely moving about, using a minor highway (6) |
| ABROAD – A B-ROAD(minor highway) | |
| 24 | Impulse our gentlemen must restrain (4) |
| URGE – hidden in oUR GEntlemen | |
| 25 | Sport later modified somewhere in Ireland (4,6) |
| REAL TENNIS – anagram of LATER, then ENNIS(somewhere in Ireland) | |
| 26 | Drink with politician, Left philosopher who works willingly with others? (4,6) |
| TEAM PLAYER – TEA(drink), MP(politician), L(left), then A.J. AYER | |
| 27 | Triumphs, putting out fine food (4) |
| EATS – FEATS(triumphs), missing F(fine) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Insurance — attack sum added to bill (5,6) |
| COVER CHARGE – COVER(insurance), CHARGE(attack) | |
| 3 | Place that’s holy almost has ruler drawing back (9) |
|
SHRINKING – SHRIN |
|
| 4 | Little donkey fed with Italian or Mexican food (7) |
| BURRITO – BURRO(little donkey) containing IT(Italian) | |
| 5 | Somehow doing my nut, complainer being scathing (15) |
| UNCOMPLIMENTARY – anagram of MY,NUT,COMPLAINER | |
| 6 | Survive journey away from home (4,3) |
| RIDE OUT – RIDE(journey), OUT(away from home) | |
| 7 | Proof of who you are needed in Lincoln to stay (5) |
| ABIDE – ID(proof of who you are) in ABE Lincoln | |
| 8 | Approximately five hundred turn up making public protests (5) |
| DEMOS – SOME(approximately), D(500) all reversed | |
| 13 | Share of top people who may discount religious claims? (11) |
| RATIONALIST – RATION(share) and the top people are the A LIST | |
| 16 | Address about to be given border with neighbour? Engineers brought in (9) |
| REFERENCE – RE(about) and FENCE(border with neighbour) containing RE(engineers) | |
| 18 | Endlessly praise a learner, a cadet who really made it? (7) |
|
ADMIRAL – ADMIR |
|
| 19 | Chicken maybe turning yellow with boss losing head (7) |
| ROASTER – OR(yellow) reversed, then MASTER(boss) missing the first letter | |
| 21 | One desperately wanting knowledge very quick to engage university (5) |
| FAUST – FAST(very quick) containing U(university) | |
| 22 | Charity event with endless chat and music (5) |
|
RAGGA – RAG(charity event), and GA |
|
I’d not heard of the slouchabout use of mooch until last week – in the US it means to cage, to sponge off of, or to otherwise and usually disreputably to get goods or money from someone. Plus, in the US a cadet is exclusively army, no chance of becoming an admiral. The equivalent is midshipman.