FOI was 10ac, LOI 19d. My Clue of the Day was probably the comparatively elaborate 2dn, but for once I have an anti-COD, the slur that is the surface of 22ac. The only way I’m going to countenance “light blues good, dark blues bad!” in these parts is if it’s just an Orwellian prelude to “light blues good, dark blues BETTER!” Despite, um, the two most recent boat race results…
ACROSS
1 First stronghold to protect an indefinite number after retreat (8)
FOREMOST – FORT [stronghold] to “protect” reversed SOME [indefinite number].
5 Something surgeon provides for pain (6)
STITCH – double def
10 Artefact of Catholic priest being held? (5)
RELIC – R.C. [Catholic], ELI [priest] being “held”
11 Bound to take chaps into extraterrestrial sort of escape (9)
ELOPEMENT – LOPE [bound] to take MEN [chaps], into E.T. [extraterrestrial]
12 The fellow is entertained by Greek following rationalist philosophy? (9)
ATHEISTIC – HE IS [the fellow | is] “entertained” by ATTIC [Greek]
13 Language of love used by wise man (5)
OSAGE – O [love] used by SAGE [wise man]
14 Stand where gateman has returned (7)
ETAGERE – hidden reversed in {wh}ERE GATE{man}
16 A top man, weak initially, is getting aroused (6)
WAKING – A KING [a | top man], W [weak] initially
18 Old soldiers being gathered came to the same conclusion (6)
AGREED – AGED [old], R.E. [soldiers] being “gathered”
20 Food Rosy brought around as a possible first course? (7)
CHOWDER – CHOW [food] + reversed RED [rosy]. Soup is a good first course
22 Oxford will always be beaten (5)
LACED – double def, Oxford as in a shoe. Outrageous surface
23 Glow of one about to engage in 11? (9)
FIRELIGHT – I RE [one | about] to “engage in” FLIGHT [11 = elopement]
25 Conservative head receiving a guy who lives on an island? (9)
CARIBBEAN – C BEAN [Conservative | head] “receiving” A RIB [a | guy]; guy as in “tease”
26 Part of America with no room for trendy goddess (5)
DIANA – {in}DIANA [part of America, with “no room for” trendy = IN]
27 One going quickly turning miserable, star losing love (6)
DASHER – reversed SAD [miserable] + HER{o} [star, “losing” love = O]
28 Diner travelling in carriage prepared to talk to fellow passengers? (8)
FRIENDLY – (DINER*) [“traveling”] in FLY [carriage]
DOWN
1 Confronts having to collect ash container — they may be very hot (8)
FURNACES – FACES [confronts], having to “collect” URN [ash container]
2 Man perhaps writing half of the letters (5)
RALPH – R [perhaps writing] + ALPH{abet} [“half of” the letters]. Reading, writing and arithmetic are the “three R’s”
3 A line became hard to sort out, as only fit for computer input? (7-8)
MACHINE-READABLE – (A LINE BECAME HARD*) [“to sort out”]
4 Son — little couple’s beloved one (7)
SWEETIE – S WEE TIE [son | little | couple]
6 Mad golfer keen to wed — a temptation that should have been avoided? (4,2,9)
TREE OF KNOWLEDGE – (GOLFER KEEN TO WED*) [“mad”]
7 Parent upset over boy getting cut in the head (9)
TREPANNED – (PARENT*) [“upset”] over NED [boy]
8 Instruction to give girl corporal punishment here? (6)
HITHER – or else, HIT HER! [instruction to give girl corporal punishment]
9 Great big bully pursuing maiden in the capital (6)
MOSCOW – OS COW [great big | bully] pursuing M [maiden]
15 Cigars given out with ale and port (9)
ALGECIRAS – (CIGARS + ALE*) [“given out”]
17 Dry area sinking into sea somewhere across the Channel (8)
BRITTANY – TT A [dry | area] “sinking into” BRINY [sea]
19 Minimal length after incompetent person cut cloth (6)
DUFFEL – L [“minimal” length] after DUFFE{r} [incompetent person “cut”]
20 Investigator given a ring in awkward situation (7)
CORONER – O [a ring] in CORNER [awkward situation]
21 Not half thin, like many a birthday cake cut up (6)
SLICED – SL{im} [“not half” thin] + ICED [like many a birthday cake]
24 Delighted to take in Jehan’s last for organ (5)
GLAND – GLAD [delighted] to “take in” {jeha}N. Just discovered that Jehan Alain was a French composer and organist, which does help appreciate this clue
I did 20 mins of this with sun in my eyes and half asleep on the bus, about an hour over lunch then a further 10 sly minutes in the office to finish off the NE and SW corners . LACED was the LOI. Agree with the exegesis that this was a libellous surface, but hats off to the setter for the sneaky Oxford=Shoe definition.
Absolutely loved 2, pretty clever.
This evening I got Ximenes in the post and it’s a beautiful copy with the foreword by Colin Dexter. Read the introduction, went onto the referenced site crossword.org.uk, saw a photo of Sir Jeremy Morse, read about Word Ways on Sir Jeremy’s wiki entry, started to read an edition of WordWays, got interested in word grids, starting investigating python coding to find word grids… good grief!… I’m getting sucked down a wabbit word hole!
Thanks to all
3 Month challenge: 7/9.
WS
Entertaining puzzle that I enjoyed constructing the charades, untangling the long anagrams and especially to see through the tricksy RALPH clue.
Took about my average time (40 min), I’m not a racer, and had the same start / finish points as the blogger and one or two others by the look.
The only new term was that meaning of LACED. Remembered the town of ALGECIRAS as the launching place for a ferry from Spain across to Morocco some 20 years ago – didn’t remember the spelling though and had to confirm with references. Was pleased to remember ETAGERE at 14a and interested to find out that DUFFEL was a cloth – also had a coat of that name in school times.