Time taken: 7:32
There were a few answers here where I had to rely on the wordplay, but fortunately it was crystal clear and I submitted the grid to the satisfying sight of green squares!
There are some pretty slick early times, so it seems this is on the easier end of the spectrum even though there are some unfamiliar words. How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | Animosity engendered by lie involving Republican (8) |
| FRICTION – FICTION(lie) containing R(Republican) | |
| 5 | A tax on His Majesty’s neckwear (6) |
| CRAVAT – A, VAT(tax) after CR(the current His Majesty) | |
| 10 | Frightful heat — lower where wild animals drink (5,4) |
| WATER HOLE – anagram of HEAT,LOWER | |
| 11 | Approach getting former rail union down? (3-2) |
| RUN-UP – twisty clue – the former rail union is NUR(National Union of Railwaymen). So NUR down could be RUN UP | |
| 12 | German luxury car dealer? Not half (4) |
| MERC – MERCHANT(dealer) missing the second half | |
| 13 | Lavish amount put out round America (9) |
| SUMPTUOUS – SUM(amount), then an anagram of PUT, O(round) and US(America) | |
| 15 | Wag hiding in school, behind big dipper? (10) |
| SWITCHBACK – WIT(wag) inside SCH(school), then BACK(behind). A road with several dips and turns. | |
| 17 | Declare a cleric retired (4) |
| AVER – A, REV(cleric) reversed | |
| 19 | Article introducing this country’s seabirds (4) |
| AUKS – A(article) in front of UK’S(this country’s) | |
| 20 | 26 initially managed parts before poetry, making us cross (10) |
| TRANSVERSE – a bit of foreshadowing. The answer to 26 with the initials is TS Eliot, insert RAN(managed) then VERSE(poetry) | |
| 22 | Useful doctor left café plugged by university (9) |
| EFFECTUAL – anagram of LEFT,CAFE containing U(university) | |
| 24 | Report of Aussie native’s ploy (4) |
| RUSE – sounds like ROO’S(Aussie native’s) | |
| 26 | One of two writers using revolutionary material (5) |
| ELIOT – TOILE(material) reversed, referring to TS or George | |
| 27 | Domestic servant’s husband, crazy about one on river (9) |
| HOUSEMAID – H(husband), then MAD(crazy) surrounding I(one) after OUSE(river) | |
| 28 | Those folk must hoard gold: that’s the thinking (6) |
| THEORY – THEY(those folk) containing OR(gold) | |
| 29 | Thus involved with Yard? It’s what Chesterton’s man was (8) |
| THURSDAY – anagram of THUS and YARD, referring to G.K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Young deer of light greyish-brown colour (4) |
| FAWN – double definition | |
| 2 | Imprisoned by the enemy, at the last possible moment? (2,3,4,2,4) |
| IN THE NICK OF TIME – if you are imprisoned by the enemy you might be IN THE NICK OF TIME | |
| 3 | Old water board official’s shock over mate in Peckham? (8) |
| TURNCOCK – TURN(shock) on top of COCK(mate in Peckham). Got this one from wordplay. | |
| 4 | Awards divided by old members of orchestra (5) |
| OBOES – OBES(awards) containing O(old) | |
| 6 | Man embracing girl dropping a collector’s item, perhaps (6) |
| RARITY – RAY(man) containing RITA(girl) minus A | |
| 7 | Vehicle protector is light, enthralling posh part of Canada (9,6) |
| VANCOUVER ISLAND – VAN(vehicle), COVER(protector), IS, LAND(light) containing U(posh). The island containing Victoria, reachable by ferry from Richmond, BC. I’ve been there once, fun place. | |
| 8 | Son attempted to keep up record, having wall hangings (10) |
| TAPESTRIED – S(son), TRIED(attempted) under TAPE(record) | |
| 9 | Emergency food big-billed bird left out for two months? (8) |
| PEMMICAN – PELICAN(big bellied bird) with L(left) replaced by M,M(two months). Another one from wordplay. | |
| 14 | Clock mechanism S African fellows found in east of France (10) |
| ESCAPEMENT – CAPE MEN(S African fellows) inside EST(East, in French). Also from wordplay. | |
| 16 | Cry of pain in uncovered horse-drawn carriage (8) |
| BAROUCHE – OUCH(cry of pain) inside BARE(uncovered) | |
| 18 | Inadvertently pick up deliveries, in this place reportedly (8) |
| OVERHEAR – OVER(deliveries in cricket), then sounds like HERE(in this place) | |
| 21 | Duck light motor vehicle avoiding a duck? (6) |
| SCOTER – SCOOTER(light motor vehicle) minus one O(duck) | |
| 23 | Lake in which agricultural implement loses power (5) |
| LOUGH – PLOUGH(agricultural implement) minus P(power) | |
| 25 | Keyed-up broadcasting boss in East Yorkshire originally (4) |
| EDGY – DG(Director General, broadcasting boss) inside the first letters of East Yorkshire | |
No time recorded as I solved on paper in a library. Pretty straightforward but I entered ‘Merc’ with gritted teeth as I dislike such abbreviations in puzzles. Don’t get me started on ‘Merch’.
30:19. I spent a few moments on TAPESTRIED, sorting out the beginning, but in the process must have successfully absorbed the end. LOI TURNCOCK. I did like IN THE NICK OF TIME
I’ve lived in Yorkshire and South London and used to hear the term Cock used regularly in Yorkshire (for friend/pal/mate/buddy) but I never once heard it used in London.
I’m a DNF failing on Friction and Turncock and also entering Tapestries.
Ref 2d: Time is my greatest enemy – Eva Peron
14.33 WOE
I’ve made the same mistake before and swore I’d always check the last letter of answers. Easy to say, less easy to do…!
Better late than never I hope. 17.40 with LOI switchback having finally remembered escapement. Started strongly but slowed in the SW corner.
Enjoyable. Thx setter and blogger- great time!
Under 10 min today (pen and paper). Lots of biffing, many clues kind of filled themselves in, even turncock. Nice to have Thursday on a Thursday. I read that book several millennia ago.
Just getting to this one. An easy-ish puzzle that I couldn’t finish. MERC and TURNCOCK were absolute mysteries to me — I think the sense of TURN = shock is not really one I could find.
But what I don’t get is the IN TIME part of IN THE NICK OF TIME. Anyone?
TIME is the enemy.
By my standards I positively flew through this, helped possibly by a few QC escapees in FAWN, OBOES, RUSE and AVER. Obviously I fell at the S or D hurdle, but apart from that most of the vocabulary was known, even BAROUCHE and SCOTER. Had a blind spot with the authors though, for a while. Liked this romp – gave me the confidence I needed!