Time taken: 10:47. Was relieved that this came back all-correct, but now I need to research a few pieces of parsing. Hopefully it will all make sense, I relied on wordplay a lot more than usual, there’s some spellings that I am not used to seeing.
How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | King’s after gold in two churches, one linked to Canterbury? (7) |
| CHAUCER – R(King) after AU(gold) inside CH and CE(two churches). Reference to the Canterbury Tales | |
| 5 | One taking coat from female nurse, disregarding cold (7) |
| SHEARER – SHE(female), CARER(nurse) minus C(cold) | |
| 9 | Unusual for English clues to shed light (9) |
| FLUORESCE – anagram of FOR, E(English), CLUES | |
| 10 | Dominant mountain height near Austria’s capital (5) |
| ALPHA – ALP(mountain), then H(height) and the first letter of Austria | |
| 11 | See you go to glory in a uniform (5) |
| ADIEU – DIE(go to glory) inside A, U(uniform). Go to glory did not ring a bell, but it is in in Collins | |
| 12 | Terrible nature of legitimacy abandoned by leader (9) |
| AWFULNESS – LAWFULNESS(legitimacy) minus the first letter | |
| 14 | Gleeful ratings at sea out of the control of others (4-10) |
| SELF-REGULATING – aangram of GLEEFUL,RATINGS | |
| 17 | Engineers award for painting, perhaps (14) |
| REPRESENTATION – RE(engineers), PRESENTATION(award) | |
| 21 | He’s backing music, say, by monster band (9) |
| ORCHESTRA – HE’S, then ART(music, say) reversed after ORC(monster) | |
| 23 | Artist‘s drunk, unable to start (5) |
| LOTTO – BLOTTO(drunk) minus the first letter. This was a fingers crossed entry, turns out it is the Italian painter Lorenzo LOTTO | |
| 24 | Area provided a source of fibre (5) |
| AGAVE – A(area), GAVE(produced). Is tequila a fibre now? Maybe I need more in my diet. | |
| 25 | Pine tree destroyed around about earthquake location (9) |
| EPICENTRE – anagram of PINE,TREE surrounding C(about) | |
| 26 | Muscle‘s always rubbish when twisted (7) |
| EVERTOR – EVER(always), then ROT(rubbish) reversed | |
| 27 | County did deny W. Grace over catches (7) |
| GWYNEDD – hidden reversed in diD DENY W.Grace | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Top‘s a foot inside container (6) |
| CAFTAN – A, FT(foot) inside CAN(container) | |
| 2 | A heavy vehicle driver killing doctor, runs off spouting insults (7) |
| ABUSIVE – A, BUS(heavy vehicle), then DRIVER minus DR(doctor) and R(runs) | |
| 3 | Worry about bad fluff and get agitated (9) |
| CARFUFFLE – CARE surrounding an anagram of FLUFF. I’ve only ever seen this as KERFUFFLE, but Collins confirms several spellings | |
| 4 | New account meant setter is sorted (11) |
| RESTATEMENT – anagram of MEANT,SETTER | |
| 5 | Setting for a cathedral clock (3) |
| SEE – double definition. Clock can mean observe, notice, see | |
| 6 | Message me over trouble (5) |
| EMAIL – ME reversed, then AIL(trouble) | |
| 7 | Instrumental players mature about current one (7) |
| RIPIENI – RIPEN(mature) surrounding I(current), then I | |
| 8 | Detail again what king does about fool (8) |
| REASSIGN – REIGN(what king does) surrounding ASS(fool) | |
| 13 | Checking key measure of oxidisation (11) |
| FRUSTRATING – the key of F, then the measure of oxidation could be a RUST RATING | |
| 15 | Big weapons British note missing from Welsh town (9) |
| ARTILLERY – got this from the definition, and had to look up a list of Welsh town names, thankfully it was near the front – ABERTILLERY minus B(British) and E(note) | |
| 16 | Take over spa but not hotel (8) |
| ARROGATE – HARROGATE(spa) minus H(hotel) | |
| 18 | Pluck the strings of a guitar that’s needed for hard rock? (7) |
| PICKAXE – PICK(pluck the strings of a banjo), AXE(a guitar) | |
| 19 | Group starting our choir thanked everyone there that evening (7) |
| OCTETTE – first letters of Our Choir Thanked Everyone There That Evening | |
| 20 | I’m surprised editor accepts European that’s sought attention (6) |
| COOEED – COO(I’m surprised), ED(editor) containing E(European) | |
| 22 | Authority with no power to wield (5) |
| EXERT – EXPERT(authority) minus P(power) | |
| 25 | Tackle missing note in organ (3) |
| EAR – GEAR(tackle) minus G(note) | |
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