Time: 11 minutes
Music: None, outdoor porch solve
No, the correct answer is Personal Best. I was really on the wavelength for this one, and unlike all those maddening puzzles where you put in all the answers but two in ten minutes, and then end up taking eighteen, I was able to finish what I started. I don’t know what the SNITCH will say, but this one is definitely quite easy, and I will invite the beginners to have a go when the Quickie blog comes up.
Naturally, there were lots of chestnuts and write-ins, and you could probably biff a fair number of answers. I would think that under 3 minutes might be achievable by our very top solvers. For me, single digits on a 15 x 15 are still out of reach, and I would be very lucky to get there.
| Across | |
| 1 | Shield quickly attached to vehicle (8) |
| CARAPACE – CAR + APACE, a write-in. A naturally occurring shield | |
| 5 | Free renegade held by US soldiers (6) |
| GRATIS – G(RAT)IS. | |
| 10 | Close lit up (5) |
| TIGHT – Double definition, a simple one. | |
| 11 | Powerful weaponry, ominous positioned in middle of major road (9) |
| ARTILLERY – ART(ILL)ERY, where ill is ominous as in an ill omen. | |
| 12 | Flag: change motif, perhaps incorporating name (3,6) |
| RED ENSIGN – REDE(N)SIGN. | |
| 13 | Exercise self-control lacking in others (5) |
| TRAIN – [res]TRAIN[t], a rather tricky cryptic for an obvious answer. | |
| 14 | Mate ringing wife, good for gossipy conversation (7) |
| CHINWAG – CHIN(W)A + G. Never assume it must be -ing if a word ends in G. | |
| 16 | Various kingfishers, maybe (6) |
| DIVERS – Double definition, one relying on British spelling. | |
| 18 | Like a squirrel checking its tail in light fall of snow? (6) |
| FLURRY – F([squirre]L)URRY. | |
| 20 | Clever reply from Republican that is shown round office (7) |
| RIPOSTE – R + I(POST)E. | |
| 22 | Capital outlay initially required to make Don Juan? (5) |
| ROMEO – ROME + O[utlay]. | |
| 23 | One travelling to Saturn? (9) |
| ASTRONAUT – A + anagram of TO SATURN, an &lit. | |
| 25 | Replacement policy and stuff (9) |
| SUBSTANCE – SUB + STANCE. | |
| 26 | Lyric poem about a concert hall (5) |
| ODEON – ODE + ON. | |
| 27 | Exceptional boy, very likely to succeed (4-2) |
| ODDS-ON – ODD SON, a chestnut. | |
| 28 | Period of history, period enthralling one (5,3) |
| STONE AGE – ST(ONE)AGE. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | New picture frames charged firstly at a reduced rate (3-5) |
| CUT-PRICE – Anagram of PICTURE + C[harged]. | |
| 2 | Inflexible, doctor over papers (5) |
| RIGID – RIG + I.D. | |
| 3 | Make favourable mention of what one may have done here? (3,2,1,4,2,3) |
| PUT IN A WORD OR TWO – Double definition, one jocular. I hope you put in all the words! | |
| 4 | Constant irrational hunger (7) |
| CRAVING – C + RAVING. | |
| 6 | What that might be? (8,7) |
| RELATIVE PRONOUN – One use of THAT, the other being a demonstrative. | |
| 7 | Book the man’s found in house (9) |
| THESAURUS – T(HE’S)AURUS, an astrological house. | |
| 8 | Motto, for example, popular with Guides, primarily (6) |
| SAYING – SAY + IN + G[uides]. | |
| 9 | Made up for deficiencies, perhaps, of sound in commercial (6) |
| ATONED – A(TONE)D. | |
| 15 | I harshly criticise a poor Asian capital (9) |
| ISLAMABAD – I SLAM A BAD, another chestnut. | |
| 17 | Feeling upon missing one’s verdict (8) |
| SENTENCE – SENT(i)ENCE. A sentence is not, of course, a verdict, but it’s close enough. | |
| 19 | Yen merits getting longs (6) |
| YEARNS – Y + EARNS. | |
| 20 | Give ground on the subject of indulgence (7) |
| RETREAT – RE TREAT. | |
| 21 | Heading for Newport having left English city suddenly (6) |
| PRESTO – PRESTO[n[ewport]]. | |
| 24 | Indefinite number in parish theatre (5) |
| ARENA – ARE(N)A. A parish is indeed an area, but this verges on DBE. | |
Ged