There was a bit of tricky vocab and GK in here, but once you’d got a crossing letter or two it was eminently biffable for the average, reasonably experienced solver. As times on the Crossword Club site are suggesting.
So, for me, at any rate, not the most satisfying puzzle, but technically I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with it.
17:41
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Plant’s men rebuked in the past (6) |
| ORCHID – OR CHID (past tense of chide) | |
| 4 | The author’s explosive books coming very soon (8) |
| IMMINENT – I’M MINE NT | |
| 10 | Sycophant judge turned to grab near the end (9) |
| FLATTERER – LATTER in REF reversed | |
| 11 | Fish edging towards reptile in Everglades (5) |
| GATOR – TO (towards) in GAR | |
| 12 | Rumours about informer briefly meeting senior officer (7) |
| CANARDS – CA (about) NAR |
|
| 13 | So far ahead, pull on clogs (2,2,3) |
| UP TO NOW – UP (ahead) ON in TOW (ON clogs [up] TOW) | |
| 14 | More competent Republican on board? Not initially (5) |
| ABLER – tABLE R | |
| 15 | Narrowly avoided collision — one arm is shaking, somewhat (4,4) |
| NEAR MISS – hidden | |
| 18 | Prime minister, primarily Tory one who loathes cuddling children (8) |
| THATCHER – T CH in HATER | |
| 20 | Accountant defending economic forecaster in emergency committee (5) |
| COBRA – OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility – hadn’t heard of it either) in CA; COBRA (also unknown to me) is an acronym from Cabinet Office Briefing Room A. Apparently, it leads the UK’s response to crises. | |
| 23 | Reduce intoxication: live right, stopping liquid lunch? (5,2) |
| SOBER UP – BE R in SOUP | |
| 25 | Briefly leave her fermenting port (2,5) |
| LE HAVRE – anagram* of LEAVE HE |
|
| 26 | Key person agreeing to remove idiot (5) |
| ENTER – |
|
| 27 | Notice you left case with no end of enthusiastic praise (9) |
| ADULATION – AD U L A |
|
| 28 | Impatient panel tut vigorously (8) |
| PETULANT – PANEL TUT* ; the sense required is in Collins: ‘irritable, impatient, or sullen in a peevish or capricious way’ | |
| 29 | My inflexible garment (6) |
| CORSET – COR SET | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Authorised agents left behind inoperative insurgents at first (8) |
| OFFICIAL – OFF I~ CIA L | |
| 2 | One leaves revolutionary Russian leader after tea in bed (7) |
| CHANNEL – CHA LEN |
|
| 3 | Understand trainee contracted by sandwich shop (9) |
| INTERPRET – INTER |
|
| 5 | Emperor wrongly claims usurer steals gold (6,8) |
| MARCUS AURELIUS – AU in CLAIMS USURER; he of the famous equestrian statue on the Capitoline Hill, which survived because it was thought to depict the Christian convert Constantine the Great | |
| 6 | Bar in New York for locals avoided by poor actor (5) |
| INGOT – IN GOT |
|
| 7 | Former temporary accommodation areas (7) |
| EXTENTS – EX TENTS | |
| 8 | Hurled professor’s chair (6) |
| THROWN – sounds like throne | |
| 9 | Can clergyman definitely not put up bloke in flat? (6,8) |
| PRISON CHAPLAIN – NO SIR reversed in CHAP in PLAIN | |
| 16 | I act macho, stirring coffee (9) |
| MACCHIATO – I ACT MACHO* | |
| 17 | Artist sent Marx crazy (3,5) |
| MAX ERNST – SENT MARX* for the surrealist and Dadaist artist | |
| 19 | Husband rather against emptying out home, naturally (7) |
| HABITAT – H A BIT A~T | |
| 21 | Boozy sessions with outspoken groups of girls (7) |
| BEVVIES – sounds like bevies | |
| 22 | Extremely polite Disney princess raised like princess in fairytale (6) |
| ASLEEP – reversal of P~E ELSA; my favorite and last in | |
| 24 | Country’s two rivers (5) |
| RURAL – R URAL; sometimes the possessive marking is important | |
1A ORCHID Why OR for “men”, and why “Plant’s”? Plant’s men? Gardeners? Conservatories? Seedsmen? I got CHID from a tongue-twister round “Kit and Tom chid-a”: Kit and Tom chid a, / Tom and Kit chid, / Kit chid Tom, / Tom chid Kit, / Kit and Tom chid a. Tolkien ORC-HID? Swiss couturier CH DIOR? Nah, sorry, don’t get it.
Quite liked this (probably because it was more on my level), and started off well with the NW (!) and OFFICIAL, then FLATTERER in quick succession. The “can clergyman” was however too clever for me (didn’t see it), but the emperor was a good, gettable anagram. Surprised that no-one here mentioned the TV series COBRA – which is what gave me the answer, oh and MAX ERNST was a quick write-in, as an Arts graduate. Had most trouble with MACCHIATO, as I knew what was expected, but couldn’t fathom the extra C! Liked CORSET and the can clergyman most.