Time: 45 minutes.
Music: Beethoven, Piano Concerto #5, Bishop/Davis/LSO
I found this unusually hard for a Monday, and struggled a bit. It didn’t help that I didn’t know carpet rod and sea loch. Some of the cryptics were quite obscure, and I had to resort to biffing obvious answers to finish the puzzle. I also wasted a lot of time looking for a god of the sea instead of a lord of the sea. Not a sterling performance by any means, but perhaps I wasn’t on the wavelength.
I would like to thank all those who sent messages of congratulation about the new site. The last two weeks was rather like having a job again, after being retired for 8 years, and John felt the same same way. I am certainly relieved that it’s all over for now, since it’s time to get busy on gardening and such.
| Across | |
| 1 | Song, where it’s found, and how one’s done? (5,6) |
| TRACK RECORD – TRACK + RECORD, in different senses. | |
| 7 | Job cut reversed in concession (3) |
| SOP – POS[t] backwards. | |
| 9 | Complained about most of weight system providing security for climbers? (6-3) |
| CARPET-ROD – CARPE(TRO[y])D. | |
| 10 | What contributes to flight ace being held in prison (5) |
| STAIR – ST(A)IR. | |
| 11 | Scottish bay: surprised cry there after appearance of marine creature (3,4) |
| SEA LOCH – SEAL + OCH! | |
| 12 | Actual state of affairs regarding landed gentry, ultimately (7) |
| REALITY – RE + ALIT + [gentr]Y. | |
| 13 | I make a mark in logo (5) |
| IDENT – I + DENT, an answer I resisted for a long time, but eventually put in with a shrug. | |
| 15 | London district where no one returns around cocktail time (9) |
| ISLINGTON – SLING T inside NO 1 backwards. | |
| 17 | Beethoven sonata? Perform other work (9) |
| MOONLIGHT – A double definition. | |
| 19 | Stand-in minister starts to organise choir in Mass? Not all of it (5) |
| LOCUM – L(O[rganise] C[hoir])UM[p]. | |
| 20 | Hanoverian monarch — not English — leading a Eurasian country (7) |
| GEORGIA – GEORG[e] I + A. | |
| 22 | Top figure in the main almost entirely behind attitude about historic currency (7) |
| ADMIRAL – A(DM)IR AL[l], where the Deutsche Mark is meant, and behind is a location indicator. | |
| 24 | Live portrayal finally capturing one Shakespeare character (5) |
| ARIEL – AR(I)E + [portraya]L | |
| 25 | Skill acquiring information in a South American country (9) |
| ARGENTINA – AR(GEN)T + IN A. | |
| 27 | Husband is word appropriate to males (3) |
| HIS – H IS, a beginner clue. | |
| 28 | Lava turned up? Notices me after eruption (6,5) |
| PUMICE STONE – UP backwards + anagram of NOTICES ME. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Twitch, regularly observed? (3) |
| TIC – T[w]I[t]C[h], an &lit. | |
| 2 | A place for judge not left in chambers (5) |
| ATRIA – A TRIA[l]. | |
| 3 | Warning: sharp cut will lead to rueful expression (4,3) |
| KEEP OUT – KEE[n} + POUT. | |
| 4 | Attention given to item about large life-form in solar System (9) |
| EARTHLING – EAR TH(L)ING. | |
| 5 | Leader ousted from fringe organisation.(5) |
| ORDER – [b]ORDER. | |
| 6 | Scorn island lawyer in Manhattan getting involved in racket (7) |
| DISDAIN – D(IS DA)IN. | |
| 7 | Figure poor-quality stuff is involved in a lot of criticism (9) |
| STATISTIC – S(TAT IS)TIC[k]. | |
| 8 | No gin served up? One whisky short? He may be devastated! (5,6) |
| PARTY ANIMAL – NAY TRAP upside-down + I MAL[t]. | |
| 11 | Recorder of earth movement that’s wrecked gophers’ aims (11) |
| SEISMOGRAPH – Anagram of GOPHERS’ AIMS. | |
| 14 | Financial situation? Funny figures about operating after franchise’s closure (9) |
| ECONOMICS – [franchis]E + COM(ON)ICS, where the slangish meaning of economics is meant. | |
| 16 | Initially lit the cigar awkwardly without much spark (9) |
| LETHARGIC – L[it] + anagram of THE CIGAR. | |
| 18 | Fielder for one second blocking rising ball (3,4) |
| LEG SLIP – EG S in side PILL upside down. If you are an American solver who biffed this one, you have been doing English cryptics for a long time! | |
| 19 | I will avoid idiots after half-hearted expressions of sorrow (7) |
| LAMENTS – LAME + N[i]TS, parsed long after solving. Half-hearted is usually a letter removal indicator, but this time it really means half-hearted! | |
| 21 | Cause concern? The French invading might (5) |
| ALARM – A(LA)RM. | |
| 23 | Greek character providing home for popular endangered species? (5) |
| RHINO – RH(IN)O. | |
| 26 | Friend, heading off, had a meal (3) |
| ATE – [m]ATE, another escapee from the Quickie. | |
No problem with this Monday offering, though the NW resisted for a while. Once I saw and parsed CARPET ROD (I nearly put RED initially) I thought it clever, though like others, I’d only heard of stair rods. COD to PARTY ANIMAL, as I couldn’t bring myself to put it in until I had parsed it, well disguised as it was.
After last week, this was not the usual Monday fare. Completed in about 45 mins. Particularly liked CARPET ROD and EARTHLING. LOI STATISTIC, for the parsing of which thanks go to our blogger.
thank you for all the hard work. Note very large print for the aged.
Time taken; all day. It was our 19th wedding anniversary so this was a long solve, snatched clues outside charity shops and finally polished off with the help of a glass of champagne.
Last one in was admiral.
I like this sort of puzzle where so much seems opaque to begin with but slowly the whole thing clarifies with each crossing letter revealed. Thanks setter and blogger, but most of all thank you Mrs A.
What a beautiful site you have created; so clear and clean. Thank you. I don’t often comment but read, enjoy and learn every day. The site has improved me no end and I completed this puzzle in about forty minutes in a sunny garden between showers. Parsed everything except admiral.
19.29. I found this one pretty chewy and never quite felt like I’d hit the wavelength.
The new site looks great. I’m very impressed!
Unlike everybody else, it seems, I wasn’t familiar with the word ATRIA and didn’t manage SOP. Apart from that I was ok. Really just testing my ability to do the occasional post on the new website. Well done to the creators.
19.25
Late entry
Forced myself to work out CARPET ROD and managed it for a change. IDENT POI luckily sprang to mind
Belated thanks to Vinyl and setter