Time taken: 14:23. Kind of relieved for that, as I could not see a solution immediately for an across clue until I hit 22 across. Lots of clues that require a careful consideration.
The setter has also given a masterclass on concealing definitions, in the end everything works though I do wince at one definition. I’ve learned to report and not criticize, but I do have one humble suggestion for a clue improvement. Which will probably get shot down in comments.
How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | What follows victory? Gold! (9) |
| SUCCESSOR – SUCCESS(victory) and OR(gold). This is the one that I think would be better as “Who follows victory?”, though the surface would not be as good. I think there’s a reason I’ve only had one puzzle published so far. | |
| 6 | Private dance recalled by one on vacation (2,3) |
| GI JOE – JIG(dance) reversed then ONE minus the middle letter. | |
| 9 | Terror and fury reflected large risk (7) |
| IMPERIL – IMP(terror), the IRE(fury) reversed, and L(large) | |
| 10 | Black water that runs red can be a pain! (7) |
| BRIOCHE – B(black), the RIO grande (water that runs) and CHE(red). The exclamation point is there to lead us to that there is something fishy going on, which is the French use of PAIN | |
| 11 | A dash back to bury one’s bones (5) |
| TIBIA – A, BIT(dash) all reversed, containing I(one) | |
| 12 | Where one’s tried to go after discharge, reportedly (9) |
| COURTROOM – COURT(to go after), then sounds like RHEUM(discharge) | |
| 13 | Shot silk is no means of keeping dry? (8) |
| OILSKINS – anagram of SILK,IS,NO | |
| 14 | Story seen in new light when taken the wrong way (4) |
| YARN – N(new) and RAY(light) all reversed | |
| 17 | Fare badly at first missing punches? (4) |
| EATS – remove the first letter of Badly from BEATS(punches) | |
| 18 | Be the perfect match, if not all the time? (8) |
| FITFULLY – to be the perfect match would be to FIT FULLY | |
| 21 | Provide financial aid for lives overwhelmed by collapse (9) |
| SUBSIDISE – IS(lives) inside SUBSIDE(collapse) | |
| 22 | Female crossing river died: RIP (5) |
| SHRED – SHE(female) surrounding R(river), then D(died) | |
| 24 | Historic old chapel in ruins (7) |
| EPOCHAL – anagram of O(old) and CHAPEL | |
| 25 | Centre for locality putting on short pantomime (7) |
| ALADDIN – middle letter of locALity, then ADDING(putting on) minus the last letter | |
| 26 | One who’s given to avoid any of the educational basics? (5) |
| DONOR – avoiding the educational basics would be to DO NO (three) R’s | |
| 27 | Labour prepare to ignore leader’s brush with Mirror Group? (6,3) |
| TOILET SET – TOIL(labour) then GET SET(prepare) minus the first letter | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fleet Street embracing Dutch, but not English (5) |
| SWIFT – ST(street) containing WIFE(Dutch) minus E(English) | |
| 2 | Topiary and lawn I replanned with BBC gardener (10,5) |
| CAPABILITY BROWN – anagram of TOPIARY, LAWN, I and BBC | |
| 3 | Prepare boxes with superior European labels (8) |
| EARMARKS – ARM(prepare) and ARKS(boxes) with E(European) on the top. Was this something to do with a recent group text exchange? | |
| 4 | Giving comfort: it follows beating (8) |
| SOLACING – SO(it follows), LACING(beating) | |
| 5 | Off game: however, consuming duck (3,3) |
| RUB OUT – RU(game), then BUT(however) containing O(duck) | |
| 6 | Bloke holding one army officer responsible (6) |
| GUILTY – GUY(bloke) containing I(one), LT(army officer) | |
| 7 | Presumably no master sailor, love autumn winds (4,2,3,6) |
| JACK OF ALL TRADES – JACK(sailor), O(love), FALL(autumn), and TRADES(winds) | |
| 8 | Price of flat you raised after day (4,5) |
| EVEN MONEY – EVEN(flat), then YE(you) revsed after MON(day). Betting price. | |
| 13 | Some cricket writer originally dealt blow (9) |
| OVERSPEND – OVERS(some cricket), PEN(writer) and the first letter of Dealt | |
| 15 | Learned people refuse to waste time visiting this writer (8) |
| LITERATI – LITTER(refuse) minus T(time), AT(visiting), I(this writer) | |
| 16 | Feast of good plays unseen by audience? (8) |
| OFFSTAGE – anagram of FEAST,OF,G(good) | |
| 19 | Some called it heresy, to be sure? Hardly! (6) |
| DITHER – hidden inside calleD IT HEResy | |
| 20 | Young creature, in garage largely at first, preferred to be outside (6) |
| PIGLET – first letters of In Garage Largely, with PET(preferred) outside | |
| 23 | Ring for FBI and rage laconically? (5) |
| DONUT – rage laconically could be DO NUT (as in DO ONE’S NUT). | |
TIBIA threw me for a while, as definitely not plural, and for some reason I put WILFULLY where it shouldn’t be. Enjoyed this challenge: but definitely didn’t get the French Connection with pain (no hint!),nor did I spell ALADDIN correctly, so a few boo-boos, but no lasting damage. Liked COURTROOM and our perennial gardener especially.
Subsidise made me amend the anagrist for the gardener…not a BBC one…. the skilled Mr Brown then leaped out at me. Resorted to CM for the doughboy, then the NE fell into place.
tricky indeed.
Thanks for the workout, setter, and for the parsing, blogger.