I needed more than an hour to complete this one and would rate it as the most difficult weekday puzzle for some time. Only one word and one abbreviation were unknown to me but there were a few shades of meaning I had to struggle for and some of the wordplay was quite intricate. Here’s my blog…
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Advice on food less useful after seeing girlfriend? (4-6,4) |
| BEST-BEFORE DATE – BEST-BEFORE (less useful after), DATE (seeing girlfriend) | |
| 9 | Concerned with managing criminal behaviour (9) |
| OFFENDING – OF (concerned with), FENDING (managing) | |
| 10 | Smooth ride at last after a modern vehicle’s secured (5) |
| SUAVE – SUAV (modern vehicle – Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), {rid}E [at last]. “Secured” seems redundant other than adding to the surface. I didn’t know the acronym so the answer was biffed. On edit: alternative parsings are discussed in the comments below. | |
| 11 | An Australian native’s at edge of outback in semi-desert (5) |
| KAROO – {outbac}K [edge of] , A (an), ROO (Australian native). I didn’t know this word either. SOED defines it as: Any of certain elevated semi-desert plateaux in southern Africa; terrain of this kind. | |
| 12 | Paid after deduction of fine, this member of metal group (9) |
| PALLADIUM – P{ai}D [after deduction of A1 – fine). Easily biffable with a couple of checkers but it took me an age to spot the wordplay. PD being the chemical symbol for the element. | |
| 13 | In game, stand at first behind square leg (8) |
| NINEPINS – NINE (square], PIN (leg – slang), S{tand} [at first]. Nine being correctly clued as a square today, not as a cube! | |
| 15 | Engineer’s wide corner (6) |
| WANGLE – W (wide – e.g. cricket), ANGLE (corner) | |
| 17 | Vehicle carrying fuel / requiring gentle handling (6) |
| TENDER – Two definitions. I lost time on this one thinking “tanker” to fit the first definition and then being unable to account for the remainder of the clue. | |
| 19 | I have come in drunk to have a good time (4,2,2) |
| LIVE IT UP – I’VE (I have) in LIT UP (drunk) – A somewhat old-fashioned term which I knew from the WWII song: “I’m going to get lit up when the lights go on in London”. | |
| 22 | Matter less: it comes to nothing (9) |
| COUNTDOWN – COUNT (matter), DOWN (less). De-de, de-de, de-de-de-dum! | |
| 23 | Curve is symbolically famous, where leader crashes out (5). |
| CONIC – {i}CONIC (symbolically famous) [leader crashes out]. It’s well outside my field but I feel sure some will dispute the definition here, however the dictionaries seem to agree that a conic section is a curve and a “conic section” can be referred to simply as a “conic”. | |
| 24 | Regular goalkeeper keeps moving slowly (5) |
| LARGO – Hidden in [keeps] {regu}LAR GO{alkeeper}. One of many Italian musical terms that have made their way into the language. Perhaps the most famous “Largo” is by Handel, taken from the opening aria in his opera “Serse” or “Xerxes”. | |
| 25 | Ban traveller at last in international order (9) |
| INTERDICT – INT (international), then {travelle}R [at last] in EDICT (order) | |
| 26 | Cards offering credit lines to cover sharp rise in repair work (7,7) |
| PLASTIC SURGERY – PLASTIC (cards offering credit), SURGE (sharp rise), RY (lines – railway). “Cover” is the containment indicator. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Tasks in game for defenders / that do the heavy lifting (5,3,6) |
| BLOCK AND TACKLE – Two definitions, the second referring back to the first. Or maybe one cryptic. Or maybe &lit. Take your pick! | |
| 2 | Stigmas arising from small insult, mainly (7) |
| SAFFRON – S (small), AFFRON{t} (insult) [mainly]. This spice is produced from the dried stigmas of an autumn-flowering crocus and is a very expensive ingredient. | |
| 3 | One smacked with the hand by head turning to leave (5) |
| BONGO – NOB (head) reversed [turning], GO (leave) | |
| 4 | To set program up in stone is not serious enough (8) |
| FLIPPANT – APP (program) reversed [set… up] in FLINT (stone) | |
| 5 | Royal couple’s last to feast (6) |
| REGALE – REGAL (royal), {coupl}E [last] | |
| 6 | Organised parade: it’s essentially different (9) |
| DISPARATE – Anagram [organised] of PARADE IT’S | |
| 7 | Racing colt finally put to stud, deprived of a run (7) |
| TEARING – {col}T (finally), EAR{r}ING (stud) [deprived of a run). In case anyone was wondering, I checked that “earring” can include all types of ornamental jewellery attached to the ear. | |
| 8 | Help me to get away to live with a French lady and cheerful dog (4,2,2,6) |
| BEAM ME UP SCOTTY – BE (live), A, MME (French lady – Madame), UP (cheerful), SCOTTY (dog – more usually Scottie, I think, in the canine sense). A catchphrase from “Star Trek” which I’ve never seen so I take it on trust that the definition is accurate. | |
| 14 | Substantial bonus opera company received, gathering in wings of theatre (9) |
| PLENTEOUS – PLUS (bonus) contains [received] ENO (opera company – English National Opera) which in turn contains [gathering] T{heatr}E [wings] | |
| 16 | Problem in hearing, wouldn’t you say, workers organisations get round (8) |
| TINNITUS – TUS (workers organisations – Trades Unions) contain [get round] INNIT (wouldn’t you say – slang for isn’t it?) | |
| 18 | Indifferent sound of original track one released (7) |
| NEUTRAL – NEU sound like “new”, TRA{i}L (track) [one released] | |
| 20 | Sort of strength in steel when tempered (7) |
| TENSILE – Anagram [tempered] of IN STEEL. The SOED defines “tensile strength” as the maximum sustainable stress in a material under tension. | |
| 21 | Firm having current and former coins (6) |
| SOLIDI – SOLID (firm), I (current). Coins from the Roman era mainly. | |
| 23 | Nurse in working life losing some energy (5) |
| CARER – CARE{e}R (working life) [losing some energy) | |
Edited at 2016-07-26 10:08 pm (UTC)
I also fell for the koala (and who wouldn’t?) at 11ac. I had severe doubts about it, but had nothing better to offer. I might have got it if I’d had the checkers from SAFFRON but, despite thinking about botanical stigmas, I failed here too. The BONGO at 3d also failed to click.
I could also mention that I failed to parse PALLADIUM (which I got nevertheless – thank you Tom Lehrer), didn’t get TEARING or WANGLE and completely failed on SUAVE – but to do so would make me look foolish so I won’t.
I was tempted by SHAVE, KOALA, TANKER and BANJO, but managed to resist all of them. (I agree with keriothe that KOALA isn’t really a goer.)
The sort of crossword I wish they’d kept for the Championship!