I needed just a few minutes over my target half-hour for this one, a very enjoyable lively workout with a few bits of wordplay that were lost on me until I buckled down to writing the 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 | Round small lady’s filling image (7) |
| SPHERIC – S (small), HER (lady’s) contained by [filling] PIC (image) | |
| 5 | A German infringes protocol for drug (7) |
| CODEINE – EIN (a, German) contained by [infringes] CODE (protocol) | |
| 9 | Our cousin appearing intermittently in nappies (3) |
| APE – {n}A{p}P{i}E{s} [intermittently] | |
| 10 | Woman captivating fellow primarily in the flesh? (5,6) |
| FEMME FATALE – FEMALE (woman) containing [captivating] F{ellow} [primarily] contained by [in] MEAT (flesh). &lit. | |
| 11 | Maybe use foil to wrap large golden girl (8) |
| FLORENCE – FENCE (maybe use foil) containing [to wrap] L (large) + OR (golden) | |
| 12 | Nice goods, sweet (6) |
| BONBON – BON BON (Nice goods – i.e. French for ‘good’ x 2) | |
| 15 | The part of the choreography that precedes foxtrot (4) |
| ECHO – Hidden in [part of] {th}E CHO{reography}. In the NATO alphabet E (echo) precedes F (foxtrot). | |
| 16 | Best perhaps to pay danseuse, in a cast (10) |
| FOOTBALLER – FOOT (pay), BALLER{ina} (danseuse) [in a, cast] | |
| 18 | In which the outline’s represented, nameless? (10) |
| SILHOUETTE – Anagram [represented] of THE OUTLI{n}E’S [nameless]. Semi-&lit. | |
| 19 | Pouch, conveniently, sat empty (4) |
| CYST – C{onvenientl}Y + S{a}T [empty] | |
| 22 | You don’t say upturn has to save energy (6) |
| REALLY – RALLY (upturn) contains [has to save] E (energy) | |
| 23 | First couple missing earlier action at Wimbledon? (8) |
| FOREHAND – {be}FOREHAND (earlier) [first couple missing] | |
| 25 | Unwitting duke very nearly stops in a marquee (11) |
| INADVERTENT – D (duke) + VER{y} [nearly] contained by [stops] IN + A + TENT (marquee) | |
| 27 | Bill’s companion loves following clubs (3) |
| COO – C (clubs), 0 0 (loves) | |
| 28 | Groom learnt to control horse’s first entrance (7) |
| ENTHRAL – Anagram [groom] of LEARNT containing [to control] H{orse} [‘s first] | |
| 29 | Timber supplier still rings wife about source of elm (3,4) |
| YEW TREE – YET (still) contains [rings] W (wife), RE (about), E{lm} [source] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Eleven German admirers upended Nick (7) |
| SNAFFLE – ELF (eleven German) + FANS (admirers) reversed [upended]. For those not familiar with them, both ‘nick’ and ‘snaffle’ are slang terms for ‘steal’. | |
| 2 | Moved home with a bad hip, back trouble, blood problem (11) |
| HAEMOPHILIA – Anagram [moved] of HOME A, anagram [bad] of HIP, AIL (trouble) reversed [back]. It’s not often we have two anagrams indicated separately in the same clue. | |
| 3 | Beam from Heyerdahl? (6) |
| RAFTER – Two definitions, the second vaguely cryptic with reference to the Norwegian, Thor Heyerdahl, who in 1947 sailed the Pacific in a hand-built raft named Kon-Tiki. | |
| 4 | Book stand-up very briefly during Christmas (5,5) |
| COMIC NOVEL – COMIC (stand-up), V (very briefly) contained by [during] NOEL (Christmas) | |
| 5 | Division reduced? Sign on staff (4) |
| CLEF – CLEF{t} (division) [reduced]. The ‘staff’ or ‘stave’ is the set of 5 lines on which music is notated. | |
| 6 | Oblique call about endless pain (8) |
| DIAGONAL – DIAL (call, telephone), contains [about] AGON{y} (pain) [endless] | |
| 7 | Gershwin in a state, no question (3) |
| IRA – IRA{q} (state) [no question]. George’s brother and sometime collaborator as lyricist. | |
| 8 | Old duchess, European, and thin old queen (7) |
| ELEANOR – E (European), LEAN (thin), O (old), R (queen). The Duchess of Aquitaine who married first Louis VII of France and later Henry II of England. | |
| 13 | Call ‘er bendy, shimmying? (5,6) |
| BELLY DANCER – Anagram [shimmying] of CALL ER BENDY. &lit. | |
| 14 | What’s needed for office still to be picked up (10) |
| STATIONERY – Sounds like [to be picked up] “stationary” (still). As computers started appearing on every desk 30-35 years ago I remember being told that the age of the paperless office was just around the corner. Did it ever arrive anywhere? | |
| 17 | Stun fan of The Archers? (4,4) |
| BOWL OVER – A fan of archers might be called a ‘bow lover’. | |
| 18 | A doctor turning up in function’s not much of a catch (7) |
| SARDINE – A+ DR (doctor) reversed [turning up] contained by [in] SINE (function) | |
| 20 | Little swimmer‘s a little pale (7) |
| TADPOLE – TAD (little), POLE (pale). I wasn’t sure that a pole and a pale were the same thing, but SOED advises that a pole was originally a stake (as is a pale) before coming to mean a more-or-less cylindrical piece of wood or metal. | |
| 21 | Top Town Centre award (6) |
| BESTOW – BEST (top), {t}OW{n} [centre] | |
| 24 | Ring opposing sides about a test (4) |
| ORAL – O (ring), R L (opposing sides) containing [about] A | |
| 26 | What’s right in heart of Tate (3) |
| ART – R (right) contained by [in] {t}AT{e} [heart]. &lit. | |
Ordinary bloke
I think your suggestion for 5dn just about works but of course the checkers put paid to it.