I submitted in 10:08 and saw not one, but two pink squares. This was not a typo, this was one answer that I got completely and utterly wrong, though I thought I had a valid answer. Oh well, better luck next time.
Funny thing was as I was solving I filled a few in thinking “oh, this could be a trap to catch the biffers” and ended up being caught out by something else altogether. I’m not the only one in the early leaderboard with an error, so maybe I’m not alone.
Elsewhere, this is a fairly tricky puzzle with some long answers that take a fair bit of piecing together. How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | Good: this writer’s allowed cocktail (6) |
| GIMLET – G(good), I’M(this writer), LET(allowed). Mmmm, gin and fresh lime. I may never get scurvy. | |
| 5 | Spies sound sheepish stealing abstainer’s bread (8) |
| CIABATTA – CIA(spies), BAA(sound sheepish) containing TT(teetotaller, abstainer) | |
| 9 | Note parts tangled in disorganised angler’s gear (7,3) |
| LANDING NET – N(note) inside an anagram of TANGLED,IN | |
| 10 | Mirror and Times giving tip (4) |
| APEX – APE(mirror) and X(times, multiplied by) | |
| 11 | Point picked up by team where Magpies play (8) |
| TYNESIDE – sounds like TINE(point) next to SIDE(team). I got this from wordplay, the Magpies is a nickname for Newcastle FC | |
| 12 | Once again phone engineers help put back line (6) |
| REDIAL – RE(engineers), then AID(help) reversed, L(line) | |
| 13 | Little bit close to Vanessa Bell (4) |
| ATOM – last letter of vanessA, then TOM(a big bell) | |
| 15 | Permit what diners do during cheese course? (8) |
| PASSPORT – in the cheese course you may PASS the PORT | |
| 18 | A life story packing in sex appeal from page one? (2,6) |
| AB INITIO – A, BIO(life story) containing IN and IT(sex appeal) | |
| 19 | Goidelic tongue repressed periodically (4) |
| ERSE – alternating letters in rEpReSsEd | |
| 21 | High-backed bench and light (6) |
| SETTLE – double definition | |
| 23 | Slipping lead, police dog savaged old president (8) |
| COOLIDGE – anagram of POLICE DOG minus the first letter | |
| 25 | Passes days in Rome (4) |
| DIES – double definition, and not VIAS which I had in as a double definition | |
| 26 | Spoil no child, beginning to expect esteem (10) |
| ADULTERATE – ADULT(no child), then the first letter of Expect, RATE(esteem) | |
| 27 | Fierce combatant once stopped by macho guys (8) |
| VEHEMENT – VET(combatant once) containing HE MEN(macho guys) | |
| 28 | Salad vegetable somewhat excellent? (6) |
| RADISH – somewhat excellent could be RAD-ISH | |
| Down | |
| 2 | One lake-fed river in land around Perugia (5) |
| ITALY – I(one), then L(lake) inside the river TAY | |
| 3 | Distress in a damsel — chap to produce it? (6,3) |
| LADIES MAN – anagram of IN,A,DAMSEL | |
| 4 | Son in practice session raised game (6) |
| TENNIS – S(son), IN, NET(practice session in cricket), all reversed | |
| 5 | Tory politician accepting trustee’s case for cut to commuted offence (8,2,5) |
| CONTEMPT OF COURT – CON(tory), MP(politician) containing the external letters of TrusteE, then an anagram of FOR,CUT,TO | |
| 6 | First time out, savour chance to be star (8) |
| ASTERISK – remove the first T(time) from TASTE(savour), then RISK(chance) | |
| 7 | Struggled to be heard after Takada’s final gong (5) |
| AWARD – sounds like WARRED(struggled) after the last letter in takadA | |
| 8 | House welcomes ambassador’s meaningful work? (9) |
| THESAURUS – TAURUS(zodiac house) containing HE’S(ambassador’s). Fun definition! | |
| 14 | Drink to Scottish having arrived unexpectedly (5,4) |
| TABLE WINE – TAE(“to” in Scots) containing BLEW IN(arrived unexpectedly) | |
| 16 | Empire rebuilt by socialist first shown (9) |
| PREMIERED – anagram of EMPIRE, then RED(socialist) | |
| 17 | Theatre boxes always cheapest way to go? (8) |
| STEERAGE – STAGE(theatre) containing EER(ever) | |
| 20 | Person who can cure wind (6) |
| DOCTOR – double defintion, the second referring to a sea breeze | |
| 22 | In dentist, as terrified, have trying experience? (5) |
| TASTE – hidden inside dentisT AS TErrified | |
| 24 | Some gloomy youth became Home Secretary (5) |
| GOTHS – GOT(became), HS(Home Secretary) | |
First time this week I’ve managed to finish with all correct so am happy now.
FOI CIABATTA
LOI ASTERISK
COD PASSPORT
This puzzle is 29164, not 21964.