Time: 40 minutes
Music: Mahler Symphony 6, Solti/CSO.
I have to say, this is the first time ever in a Monday puzzle where I had to construct unknown words from the cryptics. In the real Mephisto, of course, you are allowed to look them up in Chambers to see if they really exist, but the daily puzzle offers no such privileges. So I did the best I could under the circumstances, and was rewarded with an all-correct grid after a little hard thinking. All things considered, I am pretty well pleased with my time. I also suspect that the SNITCH will be a bit off today, as some of the usual punters will be unable to finish, or decide to submit without leaderboard. Or maybe I am wrong, and everyone else found this one a walk in the park.
| Across | |
| 1 | Singer initially helping worker in Anglican Church ritual (9) |
| CHANTEUSE – C(H[elping],ANT)E + USE, with a specialized sense of use. | |
| 6 | Upbeat aircraftman in borders of Paraguay (5) |
| PERKY – P(ERK)Y. | |
| 9 | A northern girl at university in old French province (5) |
| ANJOU – A + N + JO + U. A region of France I have heard of. | |
| 10 | Dandy inspiring neatness in business statement (9) |
| BORDEREAU – B(ORDER)EAU. OK, it probably exists, at least the cryptic is fairly simple. | |
| 11 | Being dull, I celebrate converting road to precinct (15) |
| PEDESTRIANISING – PEDESTRIAN + I SING. | |
| 13 | Aggressive salesperson? Spooner’s fixed her (8) |
| HUCKSTER – Spooner’s version is STUCK HER, where lift and separate is required. | |
| 14 | Milk supplier crossing river leaves container, perhaps (6) |
| TEAPOT – TEA(PO)T. You should not actual leave your tea in the teapot after the two-minute brewing period, or bitter oils will emerge. I have ruined pots of expensive single-estate teas through carelessness. | |
| 16 | Comeback concerning civil wrong (6) |
| RETORT – RE TORT, a starter clue. | |
| 18 | One hangs about French department, ready at first to pen note (8) |
| LOITERER – LOI(TE)RE + R[eady] – another French department I have heard of! I was confused thinking re was the note, but then I saw it. | |
| 21 | Phlegmatic master in Devon, extremely upset when disturbed (15) |
| UNDEMONSTRATIVE – Anagram of MASTER IN DEVON + U[pse]T. | |
| 23 | Girl with capacity to contain anger about such mischief (9) |
| DIABLERIE – DI ABL(IRE backwards)E. I would have thought deviltry or diabolerie, but apparently this is a thing. | |
| 25 | Family strife involving Republican psychoanalyst (5) |
| FREUD – F(R)EUD, another starter clue. | |
| 26 | 17’s brother originally rearing flightless birds (5) |
| REMUS – R[earing] + EMUS, and you won’t even read the cryptic if you solve 17 first. | |
| 27 | Motel site sporting evergreen shrub (9) |
| MISTLETOE – Anagram of MOTEL SITE, for once not an obscure bush. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Church member keeping a prize boxer, perhaps (5) |
| CHAMP – CH (A) MP, either a world heavyweight champion or the best in show at Crufts, take your choice. | |
| 2 | Poster girls (two, we hear) ultimately tried and judged (11) |
| ADJUDICATED – AD + sounds like JUDY and KATE + [trie]D. | |
| 3 | Supporters mostly rely on directions (7) |
| TRUSSES – TRUS[t] + S + E + S. | |
| 4 | Remove load from hanger-on in a Parisian retreat (8) |
| UNBURDEN – UN (BUR) DEN, where the alternate spelling of burr is required. | |
| 5 | Listener’s problem demanding attention with chopper, briefly (6) |
| EARWAX – EAR + W/AX[e]. It would not be brief in the US. | |
| 6 | Exact force, capturing City area (7) |
| PRECISE – PR(EC)ISE. | |
| 7 | Twisted-sounding grass (3) |
| RYE – Sounds like WRY, another starter clue. | |
| 8 | Kid’s toy guns distributed with hesitation (9) |
| YOUNGSTER – Anagram of TOY GUNS + ER. | |
| 12 | Cheeky brat in hospital department, inspiring regret regularly (11) |
| IMPERTINENT – IMP ([r]E[g]R[e]T) IN ENT. | |
| 13 | Drover outside Brussels taking last of oxen beneath this (9) |
| HEREUNDER – HER(EU + [oxe]N)DER. | |
| 15 | Unavailing product of Merseyside port’s Society (8) |
| BOOTLESS – BOOTLE’S + S. I was stuck a bit, until I remembered we’ve had this one before. Experience is useful! | |
| 17 | Legendary twin’s memory, extremely useful over in America (7) |
| ROMULUS – ROM + U[sefu]L + US. | |
| 19 | Weeping after end of strict dressing-down (7) |
| TEARFUL – [stric]T + EARFUL. | |
| 20 | A new dock in part of Northern Ireland (6) |
| ANTRIM – A + N + TRIM. | |
| 22 | Last financier finally leaving to invest (5) |
| ENDUE – ENDU[r]E. Invest in its root sense, not in the specialized meaning implied by the surface. | |
| 24 | Initially achieving this writer’s goal (3) |
| AIM – A[chieving] + I’M. | |
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