Time taken: 14:02. The wordplay in this puzzle is intricate – I smacked myself when I saw some of the answers, but the early solvers are making heavy weather of it!
Maybe I need another gin and tonic, I’ll definitely have another once I’ve written this up, but my head wasn’t quite spinning hard enough to decipher these clues at a first glance. There’s not many giveaways and enough twists on some traditional themes that this one presents a good challenge.
How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | Measured carpet at end of store (10) |
| DELIBERATE – BERATE(carpet) after DELI(store) | |
| 6 | Key teacher perhaps unwilling to leave pit? (4) |
| ABED – A(musical key) and B.ED.(teacher) – referring to not wanting to get up. | |
| 10 | Crazy notion, half rejected by setter of The Listener (7) |
| IDIOTIC – IDEA(notion) minus the second half, then I(setter), and OTIC(of the ear/Listener). Fun clue referencing the weekly barred-grid puzzle that will appear tomorrow. | |
| 11 | Limits wearing really large shades (7) |
| ORANGES – RANGE(limits in mathematics) inside OS(really large) | |
| 12 | Supporter close to battle inside Hertfordshire town about to fall? (9) |
| TEETERING – TEE(supporter), then the last letter of battlE inside TRING(Hertfordshire town). Got this from the definition and retrofitted wordplay for the blog. | |
| 13 | Drawing failing to show son’s craft (5) |
| KETCH – SKETCH(drawing) minus S(son) | |
| 14 | Tailor wheeled on second design (5) |
| MOTIF – FIT(tailor as a verb) reversed after MO(second) | |
| 15 | Gallery enthralled by Cliff on electronic vehicle (6,3) |
| ESTATE CAR – TATE(gallery) inside SCAR(cliff) after E(electronic) | |
| 17 | Boomer in guesthouse covers options on trolley? (9) |
| MERINGUES – hidden inside booMER IN GUESthouse | |
| 20 | Get round hull of drone after spacewalk? (5) |
| EVADE – external letters of DronE after EVA(extravehicular activity, spacewalk) | |
| 21 | Bank backing for one director (5) |
| RIDGE – reversal of EG(for one) and DIR(director) | |
| 23 | Tight finish, Charlie declared (5-4) |
| CLOSE KNIT – CLOSE(finish) then an homophone of NIT(Charlie) | |
| 25 | Modern split oven coating uranium and gold (7) |
| NOUVEAU – anagram of OVEN containing U(uranium) then AU(gold) | |
| 26 | Refuse game sent to port at start of season (7) |
| GARBAGE – BRAG(card game) reversed then AGE(season) | |
| 27 | Group separated by grand commander (4) |
| AGHA – A-HA(pop group known for being two-hit wonders) surrounding G(grand). Try getting Take On Me out of your head now (the other one was The Sun Always Shines on TV) | |
| 28 | Cool mate smuggles fur (10) |
| CHINCHILLA – CHILL(cool) inside CHINA(mate) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Climbing tree in drought exhausted stray (5) |
| DRIFT – reversal of FIR(tree) inside the external letters of DroughT | |
| 2 | City of Crete lies in ruins (9) |
| LEICESTER – anagram of CRETE LIES | |
| 3 | Maladroit Pat possibly OK carrying good wine (14) |
| BUTTERFINGERED – a pat of BUTTER, then FINE(OK) containing G(good), finally RED wine | |
| 4 | Pick up fool daughter’s left for Romeo (7) |
| RECEIVE -DECEIVE(fool) with D(Daughter) replaced by R(Romeo) | |
| 5 | Hard time keeping Henry in meditation (7) |
| THOUGHT – TOUGH(hard), T(time) containing H(henry, the unit) | |
| 7 | Take the bait delivered for bay (5) |
| BIGHT – homophone of BITE(take the bait) | |
| 8 | Sack of small fish Barb’s taken east (9) |
| DISCHARGE – S CHAR inside DIG + E. | |
| 9 | Label new trees English chief maybe surveys (6,8) |
| MARKET RESEARCH -MARK(label) then an anagram of TREES, E(English), ARCH(chief) | |
| 14 | Notes Roman mead that’s distributed (9) |
| MEMORANDA – anagram of ROMAN,MEAD | |
| 16 | Guy abridged popular post providing early coverage for those in theatre (5,4) |
| CHAIN MAIL – CHAP(guy) minus the last letter, then IN(popular), MAIL(post) – a theatre of war | |
| 18 | Boorish group losing leader edges away (7) |
| UNCOUTH – BUNCH(group) minus the first letter surrounding OUT(away) | |
| 19 | Ruler binding back of right arm (7) |
| SHOTGUN – SHOGUN(ruler) containing the last letter of righT | |
| 22 | Funds party that’s distasteful (5) |
| DOUGH – DO(party), UGH(that’s distasteful) | |
| 24 | Character taking heart at first pilot’s forecast? (5) |
| THETA – First letters of Taking Heart, then ETA(pilot’s forecast) | |
I’d taken AGHA to be AHA – the abbreviation for the group of Alpha Hydroxy Acids – surrounding G for grand.
29:31
Hardly a 2-hit wonder considering A-Ha had 8 UK top ten singles including a Bond theme (The Living Daylights).
Late to the party here, Mrs H’s birthday, laptop temporarily kyboshed. Didn’t think this was too bad for a Thursday though wrestled with parsing everything in the SE corner somewhat.
Thanks G and setter
17A: “Boomer” is Australian slang for a large male kangaroo, which, when placed on the trolley next to “meringue” makes “boomerang” ; it also stands out a bit in the clue, so the setter is Up to Something. G’ day!
9D: I can’t see the point.
Liked this one ( unlike yesterday’s). Especially the hidden and TEETERING, even though I’d forgotten that there was a town in Herts called that. Shotgun my favourite- don’t know why. (Also NHO SCAR=cliff).