Sometimes we befuddle ourselves by imagining things are more complicated than they really are. Once I got going, this was on the easy side, done and dusted in 15 minutes, but there were quite a few clues where I looked for more complexity than existed, so it could have been faster had I applied the maxim of William of Occam. 1a, 11a, 13a, 17d for example. I’ll be surprised if the SNITCH is in three figures.
Definitions underlined in bold, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, anagrinds in italics, [deleted letters in square brackets].
| Across | |
| 1 | Female philanthropist’s gripe about new player (12) |
| BENEFACTRESS – BEEF (gripe) about N(ew), ACTRESS = player. I was thinking about lady philanthropists with long names, before the penny dropped. | |
| 8 | Cross-country runner, one that disturbs a bird of prey (7) |
| HARRIER – a triple definition, a rara avis indeed. | |
| 9 | Note diving bird nibbling Mike’s sage (7) |
| SOLOMON – SO (a note) LOON (a diving bird) with M for Mike inserted. | |
| 11 | Memorable saying for part of speech (7) |
| PROVERB – PRO (for) VERB (part of speech). This one escaped from the quick cryptic. | |
| 12 | Give account of island in old map (7) |
| EXPLAIN – EX (old) PLAN (map) insert I for island. | |
| 13 | Arsenic, for example, subject to analysis? (5) |
| ASSAY – AS (As is the chemical symbol for arsenic) SAY (for example). Another QC level clue. | |
| 14 | Extremely pretty teacher, astonishingly original (9) |
| ARCHETYPE – (PY TEACHER)*, PY being the extremes of pretty. | |
| 16 | Briefly drawing back, ultimately feel very mean (9) |
| NIGGARDLY – DRAGGIN[G] reversed, L Y the last letters of feel very. | |
| 19 | Hindu sage’s son with friend in Rouen (5) |
| SWAMI – S (son) W (with) AMI (French for friend). | |
| 21 | Expatiate tediously about old barbed missile (7) |
| HARPOON – HARP ON = expatiate tediously, insert O for old. | |
| 23 | Tense about performing in the near future (7) |
| TONIGHT – TIGHT (tense) insert ON (performing). | |
| 24 | Medication taken by one on bike seat (7) |
| PILLION – PILL, I, ON. Another easy one. | |
| 25 | Turn one out, identifying particle (7) |
| NEUTRON – (TURN ONE)*. | |
| 26 | Wager involving everyone Asian having a passion for dance (12) |
| BALLETOMANIA – ALL in BET then OMANI (an Asian), A. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Snag over scraps in animal shelters? (7) |
| BURROWS – BUR (snag) ROWS (scraps). BUR or BURR are acceptable spellings. | |
| 2 | Gullibility of first-class surgeon in New York (7) |
| NAIVETY – NY (that city) has A1 VET inserted. I’d have spelt it naïveté but it has been anglicised. | |
| 3 | One who’ll agitate, and sack musicians without resistance (9) |
| FIREBRAND – FIRE (sack) BAND (musicians) insert R. | |
| 4 | First of children at school taking English class (5) |
| CASTE – first letters as above. | |
| 5 | Deterioration concerning Scandinavian nomads, reportedly (7) |
| RELAPSE – RE (concerning) LAPSE sounds like LAPPS. | |
| 6 | Southern girl receiving useful marks primarily for precis (7) |
| SUMMARY – S MARY (southern girl) insert U M the first letters of useful marks. | |
| 7 | Fellow at sea evidently holding city priest’s office (12) |
| CHAPLAINSHIP – a CHAP IN SHIP is a fellow at sea, insert LA for Los Angeles. | |
| 10 | Susceptible sort in Nantes for a change (12) |
| NONRESISTANT – (SORT IN NANTES)*. | |
| 15 | Weep over quiet chap initially misusing code name (9) |
| CRYPTONYM – CRY (weep) P (quiet) TONY (a chap) M first letter of misusing). | |
| 17 | Travel runs badly: at the bottom of that is a primate (7) |
| GORILLA – GO (travel) R (runs) ILL (badly) A. | |
| 18 | Not gregarious like spies in centre of Honolulu (7) |
| ASOCIAL – AS (like) then CIA inside OL the centre of HonOLulu. | |
| 19 | Inflammation principally suffered on a French stream (7) |
| SUNBURN – S (first letter of suffered) UN (a French) BURN (a stream). | |
| 20 | State supplying some practical geriatricians (7) |
| ALGERIA – hidden, as above. | |
| 22 | Brought up part of joint composition (5) |
| NONET – TENON (as in mortise and tenon joint) reversed. | |
18.07
Probably a bit over my Nitch if I had one but always happy with anything under 20 minutes.
Thanks all
21.33 so three minutes slower than my brother Dvynys (drat!). No stand out clues but a pleasant solve. Thank you setter and Pip
NIL DESPERANDUM; some of my early efforts took me two weeks to complete. Keep at it and you’ll get there, without doubt.
34:24
Yay!
Finished my first 15×15!
😀
As I nodded off in the middle of this ( a hectic morning), I cannot tell how long it might have taken me – but no matter, as I had to (?) cheat to get a toe-hold at 1a. Don’t know why now, as it all looks simple enough…CASTE and the verbal prod FIREBRAND were my first (unaided) words in. Swam through
the SE quarter, starting with SWAMI; then I woke up and finished with the ridiculous BALLETOMANIA. Faves were ARCHETYPE and NIGGARDLY.