This one took me far too long over several sessions and there were at least two clues where I had to rethink the parsing several times before coming up (I hope) with the goods. There were quite a few very tricky clues but these were offset by enough easier ones to keep things moving along, however I came close to resorting to aids more than once. 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 | Mental suffering can, leading to great piece of art (8) |
| PAINTING – PAIN (mental suffering), TIN (can), G{reat} [leading to…] | |
| 6 | Eccentricities of queen annoy society (6) |
| QUIRKS – QU (queen), IRK (annoy), S (society) | |
| 9 | Number fifty-six is lost from your present mission? (4) |
| SONG – SO{LVI}NG (your present mission) [fifty-six (LVI) is lost] | |
| 10 | Shore creature caught with right bait swimming near Channel island (6,4) |
| HERMIT CRAB – HERM (Channel island), anagram [swimming] of C (caught) + R (right) + BAIT | |
| 11 | Amphibian jet car goes haywire in fluid tank (10) |
| NATTERJACK – Anagram [goes haywire] of JET CAR in anagram [fluid] of TANK. A type of toad. Having anagram within anagram and two anagrinds is quite a rare construction. | |
| 13 | Officer briefly seen in naval prison (4) |
| BRIG – Two definitions, the first an abbreviation of Brigadier. BRIG as a type of ship comes up quite regularly but I don’t recall seeing it as a ship’s prison before. I knew it from somewhere however – “Take him to the brig!” sounds very familiar. | |
| 14 | Professor of knowledge we care about is accepted (8) |
| WISEACRE – IS contained [accepted] by anagram [about] of WE CARE. I needed to insert an imaginary comma between “about” and “is” to spot the parsing here. I think this is a know-all who flaunts dubious knowledge rather than professor in any academic sense. | |
| 16 | Weigh up topless girls son’s chasing (6) |
| ASSESS – {l}ASSES (girls) [topless], S (son) | |
| 18 | Blue diamonds one’s kept in home are stolen? (6) |
| INDIGO – D (diamonds) + I (one) inside [kept in] IN (home) + GO (are stolen). Perhaps if you leave valuables unatteded in the street they go / are stolen. | |
| 20 | A little land’s needing two gates bolted (8) |
| ANDORRAN – AND (gate #1 – logic), OR (gate #2), RAN (bolted). The apostrophe S is an essential part of the definition here. The terminology took some tracking down but having found the reference I’m not unfamiliar with the concept. | |
| 22 | What bookie offers ultimately to defraud bad betters (4) |
| ODDS – Last letters [ultimately] of {t}O, {defrau}D, {ba}D, {better}S | |
| 24 | How to choreograph a ballet being staged? (4,2,4) |
| STEP BY STEP – Two definitions of sorts or even &lit perhaps? | |
| 26 | One saving object again to look quickly over (10) |
| GOALKEEPER – GOAL (object), RE-PEEK (again to look quickly) reversed [over] | |
| 28 | Former city politician has a change of heart (4) |
| TROY – TO/RY (politician) with its middle letters switched [change of heart] | |
| 29 | Worry about large old piece of broccoli (6) |
| FLORET – FRET (worry) contains L (large) + O (old) | |
| 30 | Lad found carrying weapon in Norfolk town (8) |
| YARMOUTH – YOUTH (lad)_ containing [carrying] ARM (weapon) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | A holiday offers naught for a hobbyist’s interest (9) |
| AVOCATION – A, V{a}CATION (holiday) with 0 instead of its first A [naught for A]. Not a word I knew. | |
| 3 | Almost needs to fasten loose garment (7) |
| NIGHTIE – NIGH (almost), TIE (fasten) | |
| 4 | Fabulous flower died taken from wild orchid (5) |
| ICHOR – Anagram [wild] of ORCHI{d} [died taken]. The liquid that’s said to flow through the veins of the Greek gods. | |
| 5 | Fish in newspaper served up (3) |
| GAR – RAG (newspaper) reversed [served up] | |
| 6 | What can draw one in like our easy cryptic with a bit of grit? (9) |
| QUICKSAND – QUICK (like our easy cryptic – allegedly, others may beg to differ), SAND (bit of grit) | |
| 7 | Indium-copper conductor is a source of difficulty (7) |
| INCUBUS – IN (indium), CU (copper), BUS (conductor – computing). I’ve been caught out by bus conductors before and was ready for it this time. | |
| 8 | Dull colour is something motorists want to go, some say? (5) |
| KHAKI – Sounds like [some say] “car key” (something motorists want to go). Today’s oldest chestnut. | |
| 12 | Transparency shown by excellent gallery (7) |
| ACETATE – ACE (excellent), TATE (gallery). I’m more familiar with this word in connection with early gramophone recordings but it’s also a transparent plastic film used in photography. | |
| 15 | Signs of age shown by quarrels over payment in court (5,4) |
| CROWS FEET – ROWS (quarrels) + FEE (payment) in CT (court) | |
| 17 | A pact goes wrong: this one takes the blame (9) |
| SCAPEGOAT – Anagram [wrong] of A PACT GOES | |
| 19 | Insult art endlessly? That’s narrow-minded (7) |
| INSULAR – INSUL{t} + AR{t} [endlessly] | |
| 21 | Italian dish is extreme, eaten by half of Rome (7) |
| RISOTTO – IS +OTT (extreme – over the top) in [eaten by] RO{me} [half of…] | |
| 23 | Comic sent up Liberal peer (5) |
| DROLL – L (liberal) + LORD (peer) reversed [sent up]. | |
| 25 | Steep wave on river is a problem for some ships? (5) |
| BORER – BORE (steep wave – e.g. the Severn bore), R (river). This is an insect that eats away at wood so was perhaps a problem at one time for galleons and other wooden ships. | |
| 27 | Work steadily at college once, avoiding second (3) |
| PLY – P{o}LY (college once) [avoiding second – letter] | |
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