Yes, I’m back in Greece, not the Cyclades this time, but the island of the Durrells, enjoying the sun (and the occasional refreshing shower), the hot tub, the beaches, the boats and the tavernas. What’s not to like?
Just under 16 minutes for this, so not much to scare the horses.
| Across | |
| 1 | Male artist crossing a bar for a dance in Cuba (8) |
| HABANERA – A BAN in HE RA | |
| 5 | Save container king left out for wine (6) |
| BARSAC – BAR SAC[k] | |
| 10 | Military unit cheers celebrity joining club (9) |
| BATTALION – BAT (club) TA (cheers) LION (celebrity) | |
| 11 | Move stealthily, principally pursuing rare bird (5) |
| PROWL – P[ursuing] R[are] OWL | |
| 12 | Netting son installed in border going west (4) |
| MESH – S in HEM reversed | |
| 13 | Sail south, having a kip at first in Greater London town (9) |
| SPINNAKER – S A K[ip] in PINNER (area of London, once in Middlesex) | |
| 15 | Undemanding force in English stronghold changing sides (10) |
| EFFORTLESS – F (force) in E (English) FORT[r]ESS – L for r | |
| 17 | Intelligence required to frame right legal document (4) |
| WRIT – R in WIT | |
| 19 | Way you initially cross an underworld river (4) |
| STYX – ST Y[ou] X | |
| 20 | Bird westerners originally precooked, unexpectedly (10) |
| WOODPECKER – W[esterners] anagram* of PRECOOKED | |
| 22 | Extended opus rated badly (9) |
| OUTSPREAD – OPUS RATED* | |
| 24 | Necklace identified in lecture on radio (4) |
| TORC – sounds like talk | |
| 26 | Prickly plant originally trapping antler, perhaps (5) |
| THORN – T[rapping] HORN | |
| 27 | Defeat wife going on about steering apparatus (9) |
| OVERWHELM – OVER (about) W (wife) HELM (steering apparatus) | |
| 28 | Midshipman Easy’s head used in advert (6) |
| REEFER – E[asy] in REFER | |
| 29 | Steps over the top, twirling a dagger (8) |
| STILETTO – STILE (steps) reversal of OTT | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Vagrant bowled over by house (4) |
| HOBO – HO (house) B O | |
| 2 | Movement in water of peacock, say, by river in Staffs city (9,6) |
| BUTTERFLY STROKE – BUTTERFLY (peacock butterfly) R in STOKE | |
| 3 | Articles digested by obsessive animal minder (8) |
| NEATHERD – A THE in NERD | |
| 4 | Endlessly regretting introduction to such decayed buildings (5) |
| RUINS – RUIN[g] S[uch] | |
| 6 | A large tree growing in European mountains (6) |
| ALPINE – A L PINE | |
| 7 | Farm animals reportedly damaged a career in affluent zone? (11,4) |
| STOCKBROKER BELT – STOCK (farm animals) sounds like ‘broke a belt’ where belt is to run | |
| 8 | Style of singing at our carol broadcast? (10) |
| COLORATURA – AT OUR CAROL* | |
| 9 | Impartial peacekeepers stationed around India (8) |
| UNBIASED – UN I in BASED | |
| 14 | Child’s toy that may set the pulse racing! (10) |
| PEASHOOTER – a peashooter fires a pea, i.e. a type of pulse | |
| 16 | Free fight in horse’s compartment (8) |
| LOOSEBOX – LOOSE BOX | |
| 18 | Award most agreeable old canon set up (8) |
| BESTOWAL -BEST (most agreeable) O LAW reversed | |
| 21 | What a scrounger may do to get cake (6) |
| SPONGE -a scrounger will sponge | |
| 23 | Lived in comfort briefly in outskirts of Detroit (5) |
| DWELT – WEL[l] in D[etroi]T | |
| 25 | It may include shells — from BrixhAM MOstly (4) |
| AMMO – hidden | |
Surprisingly easy for me, apart from the NHO TORC, for which I blame my avoidance of what I call “swords and sandals”-type TV series. Also surprised that very few had heard of LOOSEBOX (another with an equestrian background), and very glad that I’d vaguely remembered Pinner in Middlesex. Only other failure was MALBEC instead of BARSAC ( so obviously unparsed!) as I’d NHO BARSAC. But a quick time for me as I found most of it plain sailing, even if a bit antiquated- PEASHOOTERs no longer children’s toys.