I needed 52 minutes for this one. I started very well, knocking off the clues in turn but then ground to a halt and stayed in the doldrums for ages, possibly even nodding off briefly. But once 12dn and 22ac had fallen into place I took a new lease of life and polished off the remainder fairly smoothly. I can’t say that I was over-familiar with 19ac or 16dn but their four component words are all in everyday use so I trusted to luck and assumed the answers were correct. I don’t know how well-known 22ac is overseas but the foodstuff named after it is worth seeking out. Here’s my blog…
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds and other indicators in square ones]
|
Across |
|
| 1 | The following works mostly useless needing revision without question (7) |
| SEQUELS – Anagram [needing revision] of USELES{s} [mostly] containing [without] Q (question). | |
| 5 | Noise comes on, banging at first on my inner ear (7) |
| CORNCOB – COR (my!), N{oise} + C{omes}+ O{n} + B{anging} [at first] | |
| 9 | Old woman, one peer and monarch to be sent for (4-5) |
| MAIL-ORDER – MA (old woman), I (one), LORD (peer), ER (monarch) | |
| 10 | Pass notes for couple to hold (5) |
| DUNNO – DUO (couple) contains [to hold] N+N (notes) | |
| 11 | Within bounds of seminars, summit, I tend to be frank (5,4,4) |
| SPEAK ONES MIND – PEAK (summit) + ONE (I) contained by [within] S{eminar}S [bounds of …], MIND (tend) | |
| 13 | Awfully kind chap to single out specially (4-4) |
| HAND-PICK – Anagram [awfully] of KIND CHAP. | |
| 15 | Instrument-maker’s gamble, first time out? (6) |
| FLUTER – FLU{t}TER (gamble) [first time out / -T]. Collins has the required definition; in other sources a fluter is a person who plays the flute, more usually called a flautist. | |
| 17 | Officer in the first place briefly to turn to Morse? (6) |
| ENCODE – NCO (officer) in EDE{n} (first place) [briefly] | |
| 19 | Fliers you put back amidst angry noises (4,4) |
| GREY OWLS – YE (you) reversed [put back] contained by [amidst] GROWLS (angry noises) | |
| 22 | Town memorably mistaken for one in the Midlands (6,7) |
| MELTON MOWBRAY – Anagram [mistaken] of TOWN MEMORABLY. The town in Leicestershire is home of the tastiest pork pies and is one of the six official homes of Stilton cheese. | |
| 25 | Say nothing, and ruffle feathers of duck (5) |
| SHIRK – SH (say nothing), IRK (ruffle feathers – annoy). One might shirk or duck one’s responsibilities. | |
| 26 | I’m obliged to exercise caution when handling large knives etc (9) |
| TABLEWARE – TA (I’m obliged), BEWARE (exercise caution) containing [when handling] L (large) | |
| 27 | Funny / fellow sharing practice? (7) |
| COMEDIC – Two definitions, the second vaguely cryptic and requiring the answer to be read as CO-MEDIC | |
| 28 | Novelist’s chat with Australian outlaw cut short (7) |
| GASKELL – GAS (chat), KELL{y} (Australian outlaw – Ned…) [cut short]. Elizabeth Gaskell 1810-1865, perhaps best known for “Cranford”. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fuel reservoir having problem with pressure (4) |
| SUMP – SUM (problem – arithmetic), P (pressure) | |
| 2 | What of Caesar, breaking laws and profiting? (5,2) |
| QUIDS IN – QUID (what, of Caesar – Latin), SIN (breaking laws) | |
| 3 | Call up in time before collecting in order (5) |
| EVOKE – EVE (time before) containing [collecting] OK (in order) | |
| 4 | Associate team with what footballers do (8) |
| SIDEKICK – SIDE (team), KICK (what footballers do). Tonto to the Lone Ranger, Robin to Batman etc | |
| 5 | Taking heart from band of conscientious objectors? (6) |
| CORING – A straight definition and a cryptic hint that a band of conscientious objectors would be a C.O. RING | |
| 6 | Show over, wine is quietly put down (9) |
| REDISPLAY – RED (wine) IS, P (quietly), LAY (put down) | |
| 7 | One given time to study volume caught opening it (7) |
| CONVICT – CON (study), V (volume), then C (caught) contained by [opening] IT | |
| 8 | Lacking detail of brief collision south of minor road (10) |
| BROADBRUSH – B ROAD (minor road), BRUSH (brief collision). “South” places one element of the answer beneath the other in a Down clue. | |
| 12 | Sue chemist for falsifying papers with notes (5,5) |
| SHEET MUSIC – Anagram [falsifying] of SUE CHEMIST. | |
| 14 | Crowded round antique that’s turned up, protected from theft? (9) |
| PADLOCKED – PACKED (crowded) contains [round] OLD (antique) reversed [turned up] | |
| 16 | Toast with a particular taste — could there be alcohol in it? (5,3) |
| BROWN BAG – BROWN (toast), BAG (a particular taste – e.g. that’s not my bag). I didn’t know this as an expression in its own right but Collins has it as a bag made of brown paper that’s often used for carrying a packed lunch or alcohol. Also as a verb meaning to carry alcohol in a brown bag. | |
| 18 | An element still keeping chin up, periodically (7) |
| CALCIUM – CALM (still) containing [keeping] C{h}I{n}U{p} [periodically] | |
| 20 | Journey from Mull just being broadcast (7) |
| WAYFARE – Sounds like [being broadcast] “weigh” (mull – as in mull over or weigh up) and “fair” (just). Not often met in this form perhaps, but “wayfaring” survives e.g. in the title of the traditional folk song “The Wayfaring Stranger”. | |
| 21 | Making one fetch up quote, the writer reflected (6) |
| EMETIC – CITE (quote) + ME (the writer) all reversed [reflected]. Great definition! | |
| 23 | Europeans denied their capital stinks (5) |
| REEKS – {g}REEKS (Europeans) [denied their capital / -G]. | |
| 24 | Colour used for filling in quite a lot (4) |
| TEAL – hidden [filling in] {qui}TE A L{ot}. A dark greenish-blue colour resembling the colour of the teal’s head and wing patches. | |
There were a few nice touches, but some of the clues were just too convoluted for my taste.