A number of expressions in this puzzle that might not be familiar to solvers from other parts. I found it a very enjoyable and satisfying experience – suitably Mondayish but with one or two trickier bits.
17:30
| Across | |
| 1 | Different prayer endings beginning to anger God? (4-2) |
| AMEN-RA – AMEN (one prayer ending) R (the final letter of |
|
| 5 | Like an exciting football match that’s lined up? (3-2-3) |
| END-TO-END – almost, but not quite, in my opinion, a double definition; an exciting football match often features end-to-end play, while if items are end-to-end they have been lined up | |
| 9 | Warm shoe currently black, covered in black powder (4-4) |
| SNOW-BOOT – NOW B in SOOT | |
| 10 | Disorderly group in storm carrying goods (6) |
| GAGGLE – G G (two ‘goods’) in GALE | |
| 11 | Criminal collared by big match (5,5) |
| LOCAL DERBY – anagram* of COLLARED BY | |
| 13 | Recall working twice? An impossibility (2-2) |
| NO-NO – ON (working) reversed twice | |
| 14 | Father, as I recall, downsizes (4) |
| SIRE – a nice little hidden | |
| 15 | Pop music routine? (3,7) |
| DAD DANCING – I didn’t know this was an expression, but I knew first-hand that fathers dancing was a source of great hilarity and/or embarrassment to children; Collins describes it thus: ‘enthusiastic but inelegant dancing to pop music, regarded as typical of middel-aged men’ | |
| 18 | Made laws with member I criticised (10) |
| LEGISLATED – LEG (member, as in limb) I SLATED | |
| 20 | Lies flat in blind spot at first (4) |
| FIBS – initial letters of words 2-5 | |
| 21 | Cold beer to start? Smart man! (4) |
| ALEC – ALE (beer) C (cold) | |
| 23 | Cry as cadet cooked chicken (7-3) |
| SCAREDY-CAT – CRY AS CADET*; used to hear this a lot at prep school back in the day, together with a few expressions (for mean people and people of a different sexual orientation, for example) that would probably land you in jail today | |
| 25 | Conclusion of scandal associated with gold sweet (6) |
| GATEAU – GATE (conclusion of scandal in the sense that, post-Watergate, you can bung the word onto just about anything to try and cause it to be thought of as something aberrant) AU (gold) | |
| 26 | 90s dance craze in stadium seen on computer (8) |
| MACARENA – MAC (computer – nifty bit of product placement) ARENA (stadium, naturally enough); here’s the dance remix version: https://youtu.be/2zvd1JQ0EKY?si=7QDC5-jY149LWBPB. Let’s get dad dancing! | |
| 28 | Stop walking briefly to collect gear (4,2,2) |
| PACK IT IN – KIT (gear) in PACIN |
|
| 29 | Describe right expression the wrong way (6) |
| REPORT – R (right) TROPE reversed | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Staff study family’s kitchen implement (9) |
| MANDOLINE – MAN (staff) DO (study, as in ‘I did Classics at Oxford’) LINE (family); we had a discussion about this potentially lethal implement here not long ago | |
| 3 | On radio, experienced swell style of music (3,4) |
| NEW WAVE – sounds like (‘on radio’) ‘knew’ + WAVE (swell); style of almost anything, actually | |
| 4 | Fuss when commercial is on loop (3) |
| ADO – AD (commercial) on O (the letter looks like a loop – setters O [geddit?] mucking about with the letter O) | |
| 5 | Tenant, heading off to get key (5) |
| ENTER – |
|
| 6 | Stroke pet — racket follows (5-6) |
| DOGGY-PADDLE – DOGGY (pet) PADDLE (racket or more usually bat, perhaps) for the most basic of all swimming styles | |
| 7 | In cargo pants? That’s only natural (7) |
| ORGANIC – IN CARGO*; in my dictionary, ORGANIC’s first sense is ‘expensive’ | |
| 8 | Only flogged new stockings (5) |
| NYLON – ONLY* N | |
| 12 | Two bad marks left in homework exercise? That’s nothing! (6,5) |
| DIDDLY SQUAT – DD (two bad marks – before grade-inflation, compassion and ChatGPT made them a thing of the past) L (left) in DIY (homework) followed by SQUAT (a nasty exercise) | |
| 16 | Spot E. Morse (in first of detective books) (3) |
| DOT – E in Morse code is a dot (the E in the clue is followed by another dot – is the setter overegging the omelette or am I missing something?), then we are treated to more wordplay, D |
|
| 17 | Easy decision — ban Renoir works (2-7) |
| NO-BRAINER – BAN RENOIR* | |
| 19 | At home, European language broadcast is controlled (2,5) |
| IN CHECK – IN sounds like ‘Czech’ | |
| 20 | With leaders of factory leaving, do up plant (7) |
| FLYTRAP – F |
|
| 22 | Everyone heading north on old lady’s animal (5) |
| LLAMA – ALL reversed MA | |
| 24 | Bond finally infiltrating dictator’s organisation (5) |
| ADMIN -D (final letter of |
|
| 27 | Smoke, say, ignoring English scoundrel (3) |
| CUR – CUR |
|
23 mins, was convinced it was spelt MANDOLIN like the instrument, so hesitated, as I did with NHO DAD DANCING. As commented above, lots of nice idioms here, almost a theme.
Finished in just under an hour. Had no idea how GATEAU worked (thanks for explanation). Not too pleased to be reminded of the MACARENA but did like DAD DANCING.
I saw DAD DANCING very early on, but refused to believe it. Put it in last… after checking! Ha
28 minutes. DOT seemed like a triple definition, one of which was cryptic. Having recently spent an age spotting a triple definition it went straight in. DIDDLY SQUAT and LOCAL DERBY were the last two. A nice puzzle. Thanks ulaca.
29 mins. Nothing to report🙁
Nice puzzle, nearly did it between us. one thing, curing uses salt etc, and is not the same as smoking.
But Collins has for CURE “to preserve (meat, fish, etc) by salting, smoking, etc.” So whatever more technical distinction may be drawn, the word is used that way, so legit for our purposes.
Seemed easier than the SNITCH rating. No complaints, no loud cheers.
19’31”. Most done in ten minutes then slowed way down in the bottom right. The macarena had passed me by until my 4 year-old daughter started doing those aggravating hand moves.
30:24
AMEN RA was my LOI.
I liked DIDDDLY SQUAT and DOT.
Quite quick today – around 20 minutes – much of which deliberating Amen/Amon/Amun. I think the clue would have been better if “Two prayer endings” rather than “Different prayer endings” to avoid people opting for Amon/Amun.
Enjoyed the two football clues during the Euros tournament and enjoyed the neat “In cargo pants” anagram.
Solid 35:16. But did not get AMEN, went with AMON. Pesky hieroglyphics.
Liked gate= conclusion of scandal.
Amun-Ra here too 🙁
No problem with Dad Dancing, I have a mug illustrating how to do it (from an earlier Father’s Day); COD for me.
32:17. AMEN-RA and LANDAU basically doubling my time., the rest done in about 17 mins… I am strictly an AMUN guy. Thanks ulaca and setter!
Well, AMEN-RA has successfully passed me by for the last 80 years, so a DNF there! Also DAD DANCING as a phrase ( and not just an embarrassing spectacle). But happy with what I did manage to sort out, because on first reading the clues seemed impenetrable; only after relaxing and taking my time did I begin to enjoy the challenge – first in SCAREDY CAT and the rest of the SE followed with no hold-ups. (although a slight MER at CUR being clued as “scoundrel”, which surely has more favourable connotations?). The SW was altogether a different matter: the colloquial PACK IT IN coming straight from Breeders, I suggest🥴. A gentle romp through the rest, apart from LOCAL DERBY, which is another new one on me.
Total time wasting crap as usual. Unsolvable without cheating. No wonder editor has got another puzzle to try and lure the youngies. Here’s a hint dickheads puzzles have to be solvable to be enjoyable.