Time: 42:26
Music: Saint-Saens Cello Concerto, Ma/Maazel
Yes, a bit of a shocker. It seems like there are more solvers with errors than usual, so it is very important to carefully follow the cryptics. I suspect this puzzle will have a NHO for nearly every solver, but it should be possible to come up with an all-correct grid if you are careful.
I started out with 1 across, and while I was able to solve it, I set my expectations up a level, and I was not wrong. I was only able to get a few around the edge of the grid, and had to work my way in. Donatello, Madison, and nurseryman came relatively early, and helped me get started. Then, in the middle of my solve, I suddenly saw a bunch of long answers – Cold Comfort Farm, no man’s land, throughout, transactor. But closing out this puzzle was not easy as I struggled with microlight, gonna, and table before seeing how they worked. Microlight had to be the answer, but I had to look it up after solving to see exactly what it was.
| 1 | Back at last, decided to watch Puss in Boots (4) |
| SHOD – Last letters of [decide]D [t]O [watc]H [pus}S backwards. A long clue for a short answer is usually something like this. | |
| 4 | Solo one takes up this credit, getting oil converted into power (10) |
| MICROLIGHT – MI(CR, anagram of OIL)GHT. I was thinking microphone, but couldn’t justify it. But it’s not a singer, it’s a flyer. | |
| 9 | Fruit badly stored in Moorish city (10) |
| GRANADILLA – GRANAD(ILL)A. I was saved by Dryden, giving me the correct spelling. I suspect many solvers biffed grenadilla. | |
| 10 | Fail to acknowledge name in advance (4) |
| SNUB – S(N)UB, as an advance payment. | |
| 11 | Hurry to get these fish on (6) |
| SKATES – A cryptic hint, alluding to get your skates on, meaning to hurry. | |
| 12 | Spy may take this and come east in disguise (4,4) |
| CODE NAME – Anagram of AND COME E. | |
| 14 | Does she give both hands to soldier? (4) |
| GIRL – G.I. + R + L. | |
| 15 | 1066 Pevensey event — no resistance in contested region (2-4-4) |
| NO-MANS-LAND – NO[r]MANS LAND, written as a headline from a newspaper in 1066. | |
| 17 | Completely dismissed in audition (10) |
| THROUGHOUT – Sounds like THREW OUT. | |
| 20 | Ask out loud for something to eat (4) |
| PREY – Sounds like PRAY. | |
| 21 | Leading celebrities plump for one who is no influencer (8) |
| FATALIST – FAT + A-LIST. | |
| 23 | Go by turns extremely expressionless and faint (6) |
| ELAPSE – E[xpressionles]S PALE, all backwards. | |
| 24 | During interval, women’s rude stare (4) |
| GAWP – GA(W)P. | |
| 25 | Negotiator gives drama lessons, except one (10) |
| TRANSACTOR – TRA[i]NS ACTOR. | |
| 26 | One in a growing business, a baby-minder? (10) |
| NURSERYMAN – Cryptic definition plus a cryptic hint. | |
| 27 | Hard work, scrubbing good skin (4) |
| RIND – [g]RIND. I hope no one was tempted to put raft. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Speed along, changing his rank in sect (4,7) |
| HARE KRISHNA – HARE + anagram of HIS RANK. | |
| 3 | Chipper, contribute two pounds and nothing more (9) |
| DONATELLO – DONATE + L,L + O. A very clever literal, since presumably sculptors chip off bits of marble. | |
| 4 | President died in house abroad (7) |
| MADISON – MA(D)ISON. A great political thinker, reduced to a faddish girl’s name. | |
| 5 | Pass current format for new opening of major novel (4,7,4) |
| COLD COMFORT FARM – COL + D.C. + anagram of FORMAT FOR + M[ajor]. I suspect most solvers will biff. | |
| 6 | Give up, losing rating for working without pause (2,3,2) |
| ON AND ON – (-ab,+ON)ANDON, a very clever substitution clue. AB for naval rating, on for working. | |
| 7 | Intending to monitor bar area (5) |
| GONNA – GO[a]NNA. A Mephisto-grade cryptic. The Goanna lizards are also called monitors. | |
| 8 | Columns of data small computer doesn’t finish (5) |
| TABLE – TABLE[t]. I tried everything but the obvious in this clue, which you would expect to start with S. | |
| 13 | Improve hard lesson prepared for Felix (11) |
| MENDELSSOHN – MEND + anagram of H LESSON. Brilliant! | |
| 16 | Cavalryman engages a paid club entertainer (3,6) |
| LAP DANCER – L(A PD)ANCER. Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines, no doubt. | |
| 18 | Grand family of babies sparkle (7) |
| GLITTER – G + LITTER, one of the few easy ones. | |
| 19 | Serious offence requires time to think (7) |
| TREASON – T + REASON, a well-disguised chestnut. | |
| 21 | Force opposing exploiter of children (5) |
| FAGIN – F + AGIN. | |
| 22 | Keep in drawer (5) |
| TOWER – Double definition, with both definitions using secondary meanings. | |
A bit too tough for me, with a few NHOs : MICROLIGHT, GRANADILLA, and MENDELSSOHNs first name. GONNA was never gonna reveal itself, even though I know the lizard, but because I didn’t expect it in a Times crossword! Should have said the homophone “threw out” to get 17a, and my initial attempts at 2d hampered by being convinced it had to end in “kitchen” – but why? ( just because that’s the only 7-letter word I could make out of MY anagrist of his,rank and sect!) Oh well, another dollar….