ACROSS
1 Prevent Chopin initially plugging one of his compositions? (8)
PRECLUDE – C in PRELUDE. Here’s one that was so nice that Mangy Benditoy nicked it.
5 Fluid movement popular woman talked of (6)
INFLOW – IN FLO. Who, but who, is called Flo these days, pray?
10 Terribly sad, to marry and scorn an old county (4,3,8)
ROSS AND CROMARTY – anagram* of SAD TO MARRY SCORN. Terrific name for a region that has had more identities than Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets.
11 Former writer’s ultimately excessive outlay (7)
EXPENSE – EX PENS E
12 Accountant keeping a set of books at work (7)
CANTATA – A NT AT in CA. Here’s a nice one from Johann Sibelius Bach.
13 Convenient-sounding cover for the Grand National for example (8)
HANDICAP – sounds like HANDY CAP
15 Source of light say backing sort of shelf (5)
LEDGE – LED EG reversed
18 Verse from sacred song mostly used in school class (5)
RHYME – HYM[n] in RE (Religious Education, bless it). Did you know that John Steinbeck always spelled this ‘ryme’? I know this and many other useless facts about the man those who knew how to criticise but didn’t know how to write something people wanted to read hated, and fully intend to spend a holiday in Salinas and the surrounding area boring the pants off fellow Steinbeck aficionadi, as we argue about all manner of things, not least whether aficionadi is a real word resulting from a genius for coinage (the Master was very keen on this) or just a silly affectation by those with more enthusiasm than learning.
20 Character by river absorbing current source of nourishment (8)
NUTRIENT – NU I in TRENT (river somewhere in the centre of England)
23 Learner kept by Aussie mate, one getting down to work at last? (7)
COBBLER – I liked this. L in COBBER. G’day to all the Bruces and Sheilahs out there! Oh, yes, in case you were wondering a shoemaker (Schumann was his name) works at a last.
25 Get boat refurbished in part of workshop (7)
BOTTEGA – GET BOAT*
26 Do what’s required, as distributors should (7,3,5)
DELIVER THE GOODS – Boom! Boom!
27 Spirit served by club employee in part of UK (6)
DJINNI – DJ IN NI (Nr’n Ir’n – capital Belfast)
28 Fish is available outside entrance to regimental HQ (8)
GARRISON – R in GAR IS ON
DOWN
1 Stitch finally made runner fall (6)
PURLER – PURL (knitting thingie) [mad]E R. I’ve heard of come a cropper, but not come (or make) a purler. Maybe it’s a northern thing. Talking of which, here’s Giggsie scoring an absolute pearler. And what a rug!
2 Docile pet initially not minding a walk in the park (4-5)
EASY-PEASY – EASY (as in ‘easy to control’) P EASY (as in ‘I’m easy’)
3 Erudite king with study facing north (7)
LEARNED – LEAR DEN reversed
4 Daughter feeding magistrate’s duck (5)
DODGE – D in DOGE (the head honcho in Venice)
6 Trivial old bird in northern lake (7)
NOMINAL – O MINA in N L
7 Female councilLOR NAttering in the centre (5)
LORNA – hidden in the chirpy councillor
8 Foot-traveller means to get on river (8)
WAYFARER – WAY FARE (‘how did you fare, my doge?’) R
9 Eccentric person’s first-class pool (8)
CRACKPOT – CRACK POT (as in a lottery)
14 Perverse artist in land without university (8)
CONTRARY – RA in CO[u]NTRY. ‘Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, but yet in love he sought me; and on his shoulder gently laid, and home, rejoicing, brought me.’ Now there’s poetry!
16 Day a surgeon flapped, posing risk (9)
DANGEROUS – D + A SURGEON*
17 Richly woven cloak originally worn by Catholic press chief (8)
BROCADED – C in BROAD ED
19 Wake up in French quarter — outside as it happens (7)
ENLIVEN – LIVE in EN (‘in’ in French) N (quarter)
21 Number in which vocalist misses start, holding note (7)
INTEGER – TE in [s]INGER
22 Strong man’s woman, possibly, and male issue (6)
SAMSON – SAM (as in the great Sam[antha] Stosur) SON
24 Spicy dish from US port? No more (5)
BALTI – BALTI[more]. I got to series 3 of The Wire before giving up. Not sure the prog did a lot of good for Maryland tourism.
25 Sound sort of tie a chap assumed at first for tea (5)
BOHEA – sounds like BOW HE (a chap) A[ssumed]
I was quite nervous about 10a, and was grimly checking variants of substituting C,O,A and T into the last word to see what sounded best. BTW, I think it’s actually an anagram of “SAD TO MARRY SCORN”.
Was also happy that the BOHEA and BOTTEGA pair were correct, as I wasn’t sure of either.
Anyway, in deference to the author’s original verse, I have emended the quotation; while, in deference to my growing dementia, I have kept the heading as the revised version.
Edited at 2019-02-19 05:19 am (UTC)
I didn’t know PURL was spelled that way. I always assumed it was ‘pearl’.
Ah, Lorna! Teenage grammar school crush!
I give COD to BALTI on the grounds that I am getting better at spotting that sort of clue (‘no more’).
PS….Similar to the way no self-respecting Aussie (certainly of my acquaintance and experience) will drink Fosters, no Aussie I know of ever says ‘cobber’.
Mangy Benditoy is Terry Wigan’s version of the big-nosed piano playing one. Was it him or Ray Moore who dubbed one act Captain and Toenail?
Edited at 2019-02-18 03:34 am (UTC)
In Sydney when I lived there it was either VB or Tooheys. I liked Tooheys New.
The sailing club I belonged to used to give prizes for the Friday evening twilight series of races. One year third place getters received a six-pack of Fosters. They would invariably take it back to the bar to swap for something else.
Confused antipodean
Edited at 2019-02-18 03:58 am (UTC)
broad in sympathies, tastes, or understanding; liberal
Edited at 2019-02-18 04:03 am (UTC)
Did not think think to google catholic
Bind blown
No problems with DJINNI which I remembered from previous appearances. The latest I can find here was last October but I thought I had seen it more recently than that.
In the last week or so we had too many Easys today, too many Ons Friday, and too many
blows with the Blow-by-Blow last Monday, too many graduates in Mahatma, and I think I also recall a double do Dodo.
Edited at 2019-02-18 04:42 am (UTC)
COD to ENLIVEN — very neatly done
Didn’t know BOTTEGA as a workshop: wine shop, yes, and Chambers tells me it’s also an artist’s studio. Speaking of which, Chambers has four entries for PURL, potentially giving setters an unfair advantage.
Thanks for the “perverse” verse: a superior rendition of the 23rd Psalm (if occasionally a bit Yodaish: “thy rod and staff me comfort still”) and inspiration for Flanders and Swann’s “transport of delight”.
Edited at 2019-02-18 07:51 am (UTC)
COD. A photo finish – as it should be with a HANDICAP. And PRECLUDE.
My favourite tea is Lapsang Suchong.
FOI 11ac EXPENSE
I did freeze in the headlights of 1dn PURLER, my LOI
COD 24dn BALTI
WOD 10ac ROSS AND CROMARTY (Shipping Forecast, what a treat!)
(I see now that “bodega”, BOTTEGA and, more obviously, “apothecary” all come from the Greek apothēkē, a storehouse. I suppose it’s fairly stereotypical of artists to hang out wherever there’s booze and drugs :D)
I seem to be on a bit of a bad patch when it comes to finishing puzzles at the moment.
Edited at 2019-02-18 09:59 am (UTC)
Mention of the Grand National must lead to mention of Red Rum, the greatest steeplechaser of all time
Nice bit of Chopin, U, I clicked through, just to see which one you liked.
FOI ROSS AND CROMARTY – I was quite amused to discover last night that this season’s Scottish football cup final for non-Premiership clubs will see Ross County take on….errm….Connahs Quay Nomads ! Interesting concept to enter a Welsh club in Scottish competition.
LOI PURLER – knew the expression “come a PURLER” from my Northern childhood, but more often came a cropper.
COD BALTI
TIME 17:09
No problem with BOHEA which is straight out of Wodehouse. I once (for fun and friends) set a tea-themed puzzle with bohea clued as “some mumbo-jumbo health drink”.
I think Waysager comes from the old french word Paysager?
When I was but a lad, we visited Woburn, where there were signs saying ‘These animals are dangerous’. I then asked my Mum “What are dangerou’s?”
One’s an Australian marsupial and the other is a Geordie stuck in a lift.
I’m not sure I’ve come across BOTTEGA as a word before, but I recognise it from the posh Italian brand, and it’s similar to bottaga, so.
Your Steinbeck gathering sounds fascinating, U. I think I share your view of him as a writer, although it’s been a long time since I read all the books. I only know of Salinas because it features in Me and Bobby McGee, a song written by an alumnus of our common almer mata.
Edited at 2019-02-18 09:18 pm (UTC)
My Steinbeck gathering is a phantasma (I would avoid such thing like the plague). KK is very much in the Steinbeck mould – excoriated by the critics but typically embraced by those who know best, the punters. Heaven’s Gate is one of my favourite films.
Edited at 2019-02-19 03:02 am (UTC)
I learned the words to that song. It requires a very limited range so is in my small repertoire of songs to embarrass the kids with. Waltzing Matilda is another, so I’m well up on billies, jumbucks, squatters in the same way.
Happily did this one over brekkie on the weekend and was able to get it finished in 38 min – unfortunately with an error with my DJINNY (and North Yorkshire) rather than DJINNI (and Northern Ireland). Not sure why I wouldn’t have picked that up in my last sweep before coming here.
Obviously had no issues with the COBBLER (as one of the Bruces!) and it was an early entry. Did like BALTI and BROCADED (when I figured out the lower case ‘catholic’). PURLER was the only new learning – had heard of the former Scottish county, although I had to look it up again here.
Finished in the NE corner with INFLOW and NOMINAL the last couple in.
ulaca
27 mins this morning. Off to build a flying-fox!
Edited at 2019-11-30 01:55 am (UTC)