55:17
I was almost beaten by this puzzle, which proved to be the hardest on my blogging watch for a while. A very slow start (I had only 5 answers after about 10 minutes, scattered in all corners) eventually gave way to a flurry. My last several in, due to a lack of the requisite vocabulary (3dn, 21dn), knowledge of football (or other sports, 2dn, 16dn), and an unshakeable blind spot for cryptic definitions (17ac), took at least another 15 minutes.
It all seemed like a fair fight in the end, with plenty of clever wordplay and masterful disguising of definitions.
Definitions underlined.
| Across | |
| 1 | Seed: just what’s needed for bird (5) |
| PIPIT – PIP (seed) + IT (just what’s needed). | |
| 4 | Cosmetic to remain on cheek (8) |
| LIPSTICK – STICK (to remain) on LIP (cheek). Semi-&lit, if you’re lucky? | |
| 8 | Worthless, mushy stuff, finally obtained free (4-3-7) |
| GOOD-FOR-NOTHING – GOO (mushy stuff) + last of obtaineD + FOR NOTHING (free). | |
| 10 | Notes mostly recall accompanying answer (9) |
| MEMORANDA – most of MEMORy (recall) + AND (accompanying) + A (answer). | |
| 11 | Maybe miss return of Nazi-led demos (5) |
| ELIZA – demonstrated (hidden) in reversal of nAZI-LEd. | |
| 12 | Stop seeing short, grotesque creature (6) |
| GOBLIN – GO BLINd (stop seeing) except the last letter. | |
| 14 | Being hasty is blow to career (8) |
| SLAPDASH – SLAP (blow) + DASH (career). | |
| 17 | Keep rabbit connected to post? (4,4) |
| TALK SHOP – cryptic definition. To persist in talking about one’s work. It might have been the relief of the PDM, but this was nearly my COD. | |
| 18 | Local Tennessee state visits (6) |
| TAVERN – TN (Tennessee) visited by AVER (state). | |
| 20 | Boy emptied ladleful round yard (5) |
| LLOYD – first and last of LadlefuL + O (round) + YD (yard). | |
| 22 | Reversal of spell after the first go? (9) |
| TURNABOUT – BOUT (spell) after TURN A (the first go?). | |
| 24 | What big, year-round op sorted out (1,3,4,6) |
| I BEG YOUR PARDON – anagram of BIG YEAR-ROUND OP. | |
| 25 | One demonstrating skill and power (8) |
| EXPONENT – double definition. | |
| 26 | VAT is charged primarily for clothing (5) |
| TUNIC – TUN (vat), then first letters of Is and Charged. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Never smart, supporting police force (4,5,3) |
| PIGS MIGHT FLY – FLY (smart), supporting PIGS (police) and MIGHT (force). | |
| 2 | Are Rovers under pressure in such a tournament? (3-2) |
| PRO-AM – ROAM (are rovers) under P (pressure). | |
| 3 | Barriers the reverse of substantial, weak and small (9) |
| TAFFRAILS – reversal of FAT (substantial) + FRAIL (weak) + S (small). My most unknown – the rail around the back of a ship. | |
| 4 | Keen viewer having a right to enter box used by commentators (6) |
| LARYNX – LYNX (keen viewer), containing A + R (right). COD – excellent. | |
| 5 | Chances are ultimately plentiful, for new arrival at the periphery (8) |
| PROBABLY – last letter of plentifuL contained by PRO (for) + BABY (new arrival). | |
| 6 | I’m obliged to weed lake (5) |
| TAHOE – TA (thanks, I’m obliged) + HOE (to weed). | |
| 7 | Likely person’s taken unawares and worried (9) |
| CANDIDATE – CANDID (taken unawares) + ATE (worried). | |
| 9 | City inn’s watchdog barking (10,2) |
| WASHINGTON DC – anagram of INN’S WATCHDOG. | |
| 13 | Party recalled destiny to fight case for democracy? (6,3) |
| BALLOT BOX – reversal of LAB (Labour, party), then LOT (destiny) + BOX (fight). | |
| 15 | Contribute something dramatic separately (4,1,4) |
| PLAY A PART – PLAY (something dramatic) + APART (separately). | |
| 16 | Style of football a long time coming after defeat by English (5,3) |
| ROUTE ONE – EON (a long time) after ROUT (defeat), then E (English). | |
| 19 | Mount pictures a painter’s put in (6) |
| ARARAT – A + RA (artist), all inside ART (pictures). A Turkish volcano on the periphery of my ken. | |
| 21 | Keeping low profile, Harry quit (5) |
| DOGGO – DOG (harry) + GO (quit). Not a word I knew ever. | |
| 23 | Ancient working nurses led out (5) |
| OLDEN – ON (working) containing an anagram of LED. | |
Feared this was going to be a DNF, but eventually everything went in, even ROUTE ONE because it couldn’t possibly be anything else. Always a joy to come across TAFFRAILS, those ultra-romantic features of a sailing ship whose sole purpose is to be leaned upon at sunset in the delirious company of one’s beloved.
23’40” Sunday eve. Much enjoyed comments re. pigs, Chas ‘n’ Dave et al. Chas ‘n’ Dave have a couple of tracks on the super pub rock compilation album Goodbye Nashville Hello Camden Town.
Same pitfalls as many others, especially NHOs like ROUTE ONE, TAFFRAIL, and the mathematical meaning of EXPONENT. But there were, unfortunately , many more for me! Scoured the grid, looking for a foothold, until GOOD-FOR-NOTHING hove into view. Then I had to start cheating (Yes, I know, there’s no such thing in cryptic crossword solving, “only learning”), but, nuff said. Liked GOBLIN (mostly because I got it), and LIPSTICK: all very clever stuff.