A bit of arcane vocab, a bit of sciency stuff, a few Latiny words – just the sort of fare you’d expect from the Thunderer.
Nothing much to scare the horses here – I came in in a smidgen over 14 minutes, so we can expect times starting with the digit 3 from the speedsters.
A black mark against the setter, though, for the easy clueing of the minor Old Testament prophet. I’m trusting it was just a blip, and we’ll be getting a juicy anagram next time.
| Across | |
| 1 | Judge introducing this writer’s form of jazz (4) |
| JIVE – J (judge) I’VE (this writer’s) | |
| 4 | Scottish citizen’s unfortunate gag in Wales (10) |
| GLASWEGIAN – anagram* of GAG IN WALES; before I go, I expect neither of these countries to be part of the union | |
| 9 | She succeeds in a woman’s current arts, we hear (10) |
| INHERITRIX – IN HER I (current) sounds like TRICKS (arts – as in dark arts) | |
| 10 | A blow for the party! (4) |
| BASH – double definition (DD) | |
| 11 | Quantity army doctor injected into relative (6) |
| AMOUNT – MO (Medical Officer) in AUNT | |
| 12 | Reportedly publicise weaving machine, something long in the family (8) |
| HEIRLOOM – sounds like AIR (publicise) LOOM (weaving machine) | |
| 14 | Greek character leaves wine, being not in favour (4) |
| ANTI -[chi]ANTI | |
| 15 | English youth cutting borders in Florida marshes (10) |
| EVERGLADES – E + LAD in VERGES; glad they are still there, alligators and all | |
| 17 | Fellow outside acknowledges wife, an oppidan (10) |
| TOWNSWOMAN – OWNS (acknowledges) W (wife) in TOM (random fellow) AN (from the clue); from Latin oppidum = town | |
| 20 | Intimidate learner in loose hood (4) |
| COWL – COW L; I’ll be wearing a horrid KF94 mask instead of a cowl with my robe for this weekend’s five performances of Carmina Burana with the Hong Kong Phil and Hong Kong Ballet | |
| 21 | Shrub in French art, one less colourful on the outside? (8) |
| ESPALIER – ES (French for are as in you (singular) are, or art in old money) I (one) in PALER (less colourful) | |
| 23 | Neat woman’s brief description of a certain acid? (6) |
| OXALIC – OX (neat, as in cowlike thing) ALIC[e] (the random woman is in brief form) | |
| 24 | Intrepid bachelor leaving for party (4) |
| RAVE – [b]RAVE | |
| 25 | Fellow pupil’s swimming group taking winning position (10) |
| SCHOOLMATE – SCHOOL (swimming group of fish) MATE (winning position in chess) | |
| 26 | Old friend keeping aquatic bird outside (10) |
| EXTERNALLY – TERN (aquatic bird – and rather a beauty) in EX (old) ALLY (friend) | |
| 27 | Defrauded teacher, easily at first (4) |
| DONE – DON E[asily]; as in ‘he done me like a kipper’ | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Abject circle in mining disturbed over evidence of debts (11) |
| IGNOMINIOUS – O (circle) in MINING* followed by IOUS | |
| 3 | Carrying out of extreme sentence (9) |
| EXECUTION – DD | |
| 4 | Ultimately ruining dinner, fibre and cartilage (7) |
| GRISTLE – final letters of [ruinin]G [dinne]R ISTLE (fibre used in making carpets) | |
| 5 | Senior officer’s broadcast on head of clan and escort (3,5,7) |
| AIR CHIEF MARSHAL – AIR (broadcast) followed by CHIEF (head of clan) MARSHAL; Collins (which is, as everyone here will attest, always right) has ‘to guide or lead, especially in a ceremonious way’ | |
| 6 | Type of songbird increasing around west (7) |
| WAXWING – W in WAXING | |
| 7 | Mature insect in yours truly’s past? (5) |
| IMAGO – I’M (Yours truly’s [something of a genius]) AGO | |
| 8 | Some mourN AHUMble Hebrew prophet (5) |
| NAHUM – bitterly disappointing… | |
| 13 | Exaggerated about court order, and set up computer link (11) |
| OVERWRITTEN – OVER (about – no crying over spilt milk) WRIT (I have prepared these) NET (computer link, I guess – comments welcome) reversed | |
| 16 | Eminent Conservative involved in a medical upset (9) |
| ACCLAIMED – C in A MEDICAL* | |
| 18 | Onset of weariness strikes a French religious festival (7) |
| WHITSUN – W (initial letter of W[eariness]) HITS (strikes) UN (a in French) | |
| 19 | New phrase in old record kept by Napoleonic marshal (7) |
| NEOLOGY – O LOG in NEY; whether Napoleon had another marshal, I have no idea. Just like I’ve no idea if the rebels had another general but Mr Lee. | |
| 21 | Lofty dwelling identified by detective crossing Rhode Island (5) |
| EYRIE – RI in EYE | |
| 22 | Airman has change of heart, becoming kingpin (5) |
| PIVOT – PI[l]OT with the medial letter (heart) changing | |
I missed the bus yesterday so started Tuesday evening, ina leisurely half hour.
FOI 2dn IGNOMINIOUS
LOI 4dn WAXWING
COD 17dn TOWNSWOMAN – my grandfather was an ‘oppidan’at Cambridge.
WOD 9ac INHERTRIX – often the wicked but unexpected villain in older thrillers.
21ac ESPALIER is the art of training fruit trees to remain small and manageable, often having an increased intensity of flavour eg peaches.
Cowl (intimidate) was one of my last, but Intimidation was my first reaction when I began reading all the comments. I started at 10.30, completed at 15.33, feeling quite chuffed until I read of others completing in 20 minutes or less. I know my place . . . . .