Time: 43 minutes
Music: Strauss, Don Quixote, Karajan/BPO
I rather stumbled through this one, either biffing from the literal or working exclusively from the cryptic. Either way, it was slow going. I am not too sure of the accuracy of some of the definitions, but that’s why the cryptic is there. The early rating in the SNITCH shows that some found this easy, but the first solvers are usually pretty good.
| Across | |
| 1 | Pick scruffy lovelorn Rumpole to inspire court (8) |
| PLECTRUM – Anagram of RUMP[o]LE around CT. | |
| 5 | Stars host introduction to solemn prayer (6) |
| ORISON – ORI(S)ON. For a long time, I wondered if arises was some sort of prayer. | |
| 9 | Finished training after Irish backs, past their best? (8) |
| OVERRIPE – OVER + IR backwards + PE. | |
| 10 | A broadcast outside more costly: help from abroad found? (2,4) |
| AU PAIR – A (UP) AIR. | |
| 12 | Batting ruse team judge to be disrespectful (13) |
| INCONSIDERATE – IN + CON + SIDE + RATE, and not an angram of RUSE TEAM JUDGE at all. | |
| 15 | See about, say, dedicated lines (5) |
| ELEGY – EL(EG)Y, with a detailed literal. | |
| 16 | Belted clothing needed in the middle (9) |
| CLOBBERED – CLOBBER + [ne]ED[ed]. | |
| 17 | Church of England admitting fine English cup’s a drink dispenser (9) |
| COFFEEPOT – C OF (F) E + E + POT. | |
| 19 | Bread roll: start to bake a set (5) |
| BAGEL – B[ake} + A + GEL. | |
| 20 | A hundred troops send mad ambassador to get drink (5,2,6) |
| CREME DE MENTHE – C + R.E.M.E. + DEMENT + H.E, a brilliant cryptic with an amusing surface. | |
| 22 | It keeps one blunder within range (6) |
| SIERRA – S(I ERR)A. No comment. | |
| 23 | Greek division with gunners replicated spirit (8) |
| DEMERARA – DEME + RA + RA. Demerara syrup is not actually a spirit, although it may be sold in liquor stores. | |
| 25 | Ring a power unit withdrawing capital (6) |
| OTTAWA – O + A WATT backwardds. | |
| 26 | Gas is initially escaping your tip within hearing (8) |
| ETHYLENE – E[scaping] + THY + sounds like LEAN. A total biff – I didn’t have a clue. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Foresight of French invading region (10) |
| PROVIDENCE – PROVI(DE)NCE, a little loose in the definition. | |
| 2 | Picked up second person’s stock item (3) |
| EWE – Sounds like YOU in many, but not all, dialects. | |
| 3 | Strict rule: radio has to impress Yankee (7) |
| TYRANNY – T(Y)RANNY. | |
| 4 | A foreign assassin went ahead without scruples (12) |
| UNPRINCIPLED – UN + PRINCIP + LED. Gavrilo Princip is the assassin you want – I just biffed this one. | |
| 6 | What can be a sweet Polish horse with a shed outside hotel (7) |
| RHUBARB – R(H)UB + AR[a]B. The vegetable can be used to make sweets, but is not a sweet itself, as the clue indicates. | |
| 7 | The first gag could be what unnerves performer (5,6) |
| STAGE FRIGHT – Anagram of THE FIRST GAG. | |
| 8 | Bore put up contribution to ground rent (4) |
| NERD – Backwards hidden in [groun]D REN]t. | |
| 11 | Mean sub: Connacht’s right wing he hit (5,3,4) |
| BELOW THE BELT – BELOW + [connach]T HE BELT. Not a good surface. | |
| 13 | Peacenik competent for part of term (11) |
| COEFFICIENT – C.O. + EFFICIENT, where term has its mathmatical meaning. | |
| 14 | What mature people pay to import eastern lace? (10) |
| ADULTERATE – ADULT (E) RATE, one we’ve seen before. | |
| 18 | Reported Thamessider’s cultivated fuzz (7) |
| EYEBROW – Sounds like ‘IGHBROW. | |
| 19 | On odd occasions worry with beer manufactured here? (7) |
| BREWERY – Anagram of W[o]R[r]Y + BEER. | |
| 21 | Ducks circle outskirts of small city (4) |
| OSLO – O(S[mal]L)O. | |
| 24 | Put away articles husband left out (3) |
| ATE – A + T[h]E. | |
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