The easiest of the three, I think – which isn’t saying much. My (estimated) time was 11 minutes. Unlike the other two grand finals puzzles I have no idea who wrote this but it’s just as good though not quite so mercilessly difficult.
FL next to the clue number means that I solved the clue on my first look. WW means that I wrote the answer without understanding the full wordplay. Both are subject to the accuracy of my memory and for many of the the WW ones, it’s perfectly possible that thinking for a few seconds more would have been enough for full understanding.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SWALLOW – 2 defs – I wondered about any literary Swallows, but as far as I can tell, the “visitor” def just refers to bird migration habits. |
| 5 | CO.,MICA,(rol)L – mica being an element of various rocks, rather than a chemical element |
| 9 FL | POTBOILER = (let rip, boo)* |
| 10 | MO=second,URN=container |
| 11 FL | bLoOd UnSeEn |
| 12 WW | OVER(NIGH)T – nigh=almost, overt=open |
| 13 WW | D(IS,PASS=sanction,I=one)ONATE – donate = present (vb.), “objective” (adj.) is the def. |
| 17 WW | IND((b)UST,R)IA,LIST=agenda – “Baron perhaps” is the def., as in “press baron” |
| 21 FL | PORTFO=(opt for)*,LIO = oil rev. |
| 24 FL | F,AL(S)E |
| 25 FL | IN, CUR=undesirable (noun) |
| 26 WW | SPE(AR(H)EA)D – lead (vb.) is the def. |
| 27 FL | T(Y = unknown)RANNY – “rule that is not just” is the def. |
| 28 FL | ANODYNE=annoyed* |
| Down | |
| 1 | S(UP=raise,P=pressure)LY – stock (vb.) is the def |
| 2 | ASTOUNDED = (and used to)* – “inaccurate” is the anag. indicator, and “knocked for six” the def., though “being knocked for six” could also be an AI. |
| 3 WW | (b)LI(ONE)SS |
| 4 | WALK-ON = small part in play,AIR = broadcast (vb.) – I giggled at this one, wondering whether there was any allusion to Mark G’s role as an extra in one of the Bridget Jones films |
| 5 | CAR(V.= against)E |
| 6 WW | ME(MEN)T,O – met=paid |
| 7 | C,LU(N)G |
| 8 WW | LE(N)G,THEN |
| 14 WW | SOA(POPE)R,A – soar=increase |
| 15 FL | ART(ILL)ERY – hostile=ill |
| 16 | PINPO = rev. of (Op.,nip),(h)INT |
| 18 WW | S,AFFRON(t) |
| 19 FL | INFER=gather,NO=”far from it” |
| 20 FL | PEDDLE – reverse hidden in “fiELD DEPicted”, with “hawk in ascent from” a brilliant merging of def. and reverse hidden indication |
| 22 FL | R,ACER=tree |
| 23 FL | LU=”heart of popUList rising”,STY=filthy place |
If this had appeared as a daily puzzle, I would have said rather difficult but not impossible. The other two are extremely difficult and impossible, at least for me.