Time taken: 8:46. Given that we had three relatively straightforward puzzles this week I was prepared for a stinker, but it did not happen. There’s some good clues in here, I particularly like when words I have a habit of misspellng get clued with clear wordplay that puts every letter in place.
Well, except for 1 across, though I managed to get that correct for a change.
I hope everyone is staying safe and sane! My little town is a bit of a mess at the moment, with an influx of tourists, ans the remnants of some pretty intense protests. Asheville made the news as a place where the police destroyed medical supplies and cut up water bottles that were for protesters.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Travelling US area, Turk delivers cabbage dish (10) |
| SAUERKRAUT – anagram of US,AREA,TURK | |
| 7 | Unqualified character on the staff (4) |
| FLAT – double definition, the staff being musical | |
| 9 | Time one secures a new opening for Indian cooking (8) |
| TANDOORI – T(time), I(one) containing A, N(new), DOOR(opening) | |
| 10 | Jester initially impressing court in northern city (6) |
| YORICK – the first letters of Imperessing Court in the city of YORK | |
| 11 | Fish served by maid primarily in reception room (6) |
| SALMON – first letter of Maid inside SALON(reception room) | |
| 13 | Calming report of woman with phobia (8) |
| SOOTHING – sounds like SUE(woman) and THING(phobia) | |
| 14 | Light-bearer’s container held back by former queen (6-6) |
| CANDLE-HOLDER – CAN(container), then HELD reversed, OLD(former), ER(queen) | |
| 17 | Cuts fish by loch, adopting duke’s crooked posture (12) |
| LOPSIDEDNESS – LOPS(cuts), IDE(fish), and NESS(loch) containing D(duke) | |
| 20 | Old hat banned by doctor penning poem (8) |
| OUTMODED – OUT(banned) then MD(doctor) containing ODE(poem) | |
| 21 | Rocky island in southern Irish county (6) |
| SKERRY – S(southern) then county KERRY | |
| 22 | Hamlet’s odd theory mostly about Polonius’s entrance? (6) |
| THORPE – anagram of THEORY missing the last letter containing the first letter of Polonius. Got this from wordplay (isn’t he a swimmer?), it is an archaic name for a village | |
| 23 | Old man from the east with little desire for food? (8) |
| APPETITE – PA(old man) reversed, and PETITE(little) | |
| 25 | Contemptuous cry about Liberal claptrap (4) |
| BLAH – BAH(contemptuous cry) surrounding L(liberal) | |
| 26 | Fisher’s alarm went off at sea around east of Humber (10) |
| TRAWLERMAN – anagram of ALARM,WENT surrounding the last letter of humbeR | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Gelatinous substance produced by a fish more than once (4-4) |
| AGAR-AGAR – A, GAR(fish) repeated | |
| 3 | Journalist covering current Muslim festival (3) |
| EID – ED(jounralist) surrounding I(current) | |
| 4 | Noted canonical hour, by the sound of it (5) |
| KNOWN – sounds like NONE(canonical hour) | |
| 5 | Nob accommodating old Italian poet (7) |
| ARIOSTO – ARISTO(nob) containing O. Got this from wordplay – Ludovico ARIOSTO, author of Orlando Furioso | |
| 6 | Dog’s plaything originally designed in SW resort (3,6) |
| TOY POODLE – TOY(plaything) then the first letter of Designed in the resort POOLE | |
| 7 | Promotion of article supporting ancient city in EU country (11) |
| FURTHERANCE – THE(article) under UR(ancient city) in FRANCE(EU country) | |
| 8 | Obscure place to shop, having note for daughter (6) |
| ARCANE – ARCADE(place to shop) with N(note) replacing D(daughter) | |
| 12 | Novel 1,760-yard hike consuming a couple of days (11) |
| MIDDLEMARCH – MILE(1760 yards), MARCH(hike) containing two D’s(days) | |
| 15 | Suitable former exercise regime any number accepted (9) |
| EXPEDIENT – EX(forner), PE(exercise), DIET(regime) containing N(any number) | |
| 16 | Russian empress in dire straits over article (8) |
| TSARITSA – anagram of STRAITS followed by A(article) | |
| 18 | Popular girl to west of Ohio? (7) |
| INDIANA – IN(popular), DIANA(girl). The western border of Ohio is entirely with Indiana. Near Cincinnatti there is a three-way border with Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana | |
| 19 | In Columbus he lacked a measure of corn (6) |
| BUSHEL – hidden inside columBUS HE Lacked. Columbus is the capital of Ohio and almost directly north of where I live (highway 23 passses through Asheville and Columbus, so I can make it there in three turns) | |
| 21 | Rose’s part in Sophocles’s Antigone finally overcoming friend (5) |
| SEPAL – last letters of sophocleS antigonE then PAL(friend) | |
| 24 | Expedition missing out top of Umbrian peak (3) |
| TOR – TOUR(expedition) without the first letter of Umbrian | |
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