My solving time for this was off the scale …and then some! I thought more than once that I may have to give up the fight and resort to aids at least to get me out of a ditch and back on the road, but I managed to resist tempation and came through in the end. For all that, there were only two words unknown to me and a couple of shades of meaning so I’m not entirely sure now where my problems lay.
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 | Run in live game’s first for scorer (4) |
| BERG – BE (live), R (run), G{ame’s} [first]. The ‘scorer’ is the Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935) | |
| 4 | Much ado about Republican as autocratic leader (3,7) |
| BIG BROTHER – BIG (much), BOTHER (ado) containing [about] R (Republican) | |
| 9 | Man eating cake with prisoner restrained (10) |
| CONTROLLED – CON (prisoner), TED (man) containing [eating] ROLL (cake). ‘Roll’ is not the first synonym for ‘cake’ that comes to mind but it’s in the dictionaries if you search for it. Perhaps ‘Swiss roll’ is the most common example. | |
| 10 | Short and flat sandwich needs new filling (4) |
| SNUB – SUB (sandwich) contains N [filling]. A second roll, this time a long thin bread roll resembling the shape of a submarine from which it takes its name. Once again I have a slight issue with the definition because if I ordered a sandwich and was served a roll (of any shape) I would not be best pleased. ‘Snub’ in this sense is perhaps most often used in the term ‘snub nose’. | |
| 11 | Junk written about one desktop game (6) |
| TIPCAT – TAT (junk) containing [written about] 1 (one) + PC (desktop). A game unknown to me in which “a short sharp-ended piece of wood (the cat) is tipped in the air with a stick”. | |
| 12 | One dreams about tucking into processed pasties (8) |
| ESCAPIST – C (about) contained by [tucking into] anagram [processed] of PASTIES. More snack food. Was the setter anticipating his lunch, I wonder? | |
| 14 | Tongue all but swallowed by lion? (4) |
| INCA – IN CA{t} (swallowed by lion?) [all but]. Dear, oh dear! My LOI. | |
| 15 | Painter to run to get climbing equipment (4,6) |
| ROPE LADDER – ROPE (painter), LADDER (run). I associate ‘ladder’ and ‘run’ with damage to nylon stockings, the UK and US words for it. | |
| 17 | One from skilled elite Cochrane demolished in Times (10) |
| TECHNOCRAT – Anagram [demolished] of COCHRANE contained by [in] TT (times). I knew the word but not its meaning. Collins defines this as “a scientist, engineer, or other expert who is one of a group of similar people who have political power as well as technical knowledge”. I’m not sure if that fits the defintion in the clue necessarily, but I was happy enough to bung in the answer and move on. | |
| 20 | Effort to retain old weight system (4) |
| TROY – TRY (effort) contains [to retain] O (old). I think its pounds and ounces, measures that instinctively mean something to me. | |
| 21 | Replacing fluids and salt is boost with nothing eaten (8) |
| ISOTONIC – IS + TONIC (boost) containing [with…eaten] 0 (nothing). Completely unknown to me, an isotonic drink is apparently one that is “designed to replace the fluid and salts lost from the body during strenuous exercise”. | |
| 23 | Asian support hotel welcomes back (6) |
| INDIAN – INN (hotel) contains [welcomes] AID (support) reversed [back] | |
| 24 | Dope accepts pound in depressed Scottish area (4) |
| GLEN – GEN (dope – information) contains [accepts] L (pound) | |
| 25 | Poet, one mostly accepted by Orwell, G (10) |
| BAUDELAIRE – AUDE{n} (one, i.e. poet) [mostly] is contained [accepted] by BLAIR E (Orwell G – Eric Blair being his real name) | |
| 26 | Vehicle in escape vacated with trail disappearing (10) |
| EVANESCENT – VAN (vehicle) contained by [in] E{scap}E [vacated], SCENT (trail). Another piece of vocabulary I was only vaguely aware of and had no idea what it meant. | |
| 27 | Pack present for landlord (4) |
| HOST – Triple definition. Landlords of inns are (or used to be) often referred to jovially as ‘mine host’. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | English still cool, calm and collected (11) |
| EMOTIONLESS – E (Engliash), MOTIONLESS (still) | |
| 3 | Upset at charges? Get in free! (9) |
| GATECRASH – Anagram [upset] of AT CHARGES | |
| 4 | Fish in lake one in vessel catches (7) |
| BLOATER – BOATER (one in vessel) contains [catches] L (lake) | |
| 5 | What’s received, following dismissal, from much-admired opener? (6,9) |
| GOLDEN PARACHUTE – GOLDEN (much-admired – as in ‘golden boy’), PARACHUTE (opener – at least one hopes so!). This is “an agreement to pay a large amount of money to a senior executive of a company if they are forced to leave”. | |
| 6 | Complete artist left bitter upset (7) |
| RADICAL – RA (artist), ACID (bitter) reversed [upset], L (left). E.g. A complete / radical change may be required. | |
| 7 | Hotel on island raised capital out East (5) |
| HANOI – H (hotel), IONA (island) reversed [raised] | |
| 8 | Base installing British machine (5) |
| ROBOT – ROOT (base) containing [installing] B (British) | |
| 13 | Beast that was lively goes inside small house (11) |
| STEGOSAURUS – S (small), anagram [lively] of GOES contained by [goes inside] TAURUS (house). Any sign of the zodiac may be called a house. | |
| 16 | Butcher and fox dine on hearts after shindig (2,2,5) |
| DO TO DEATH – DO (shindig), TOD (fox – an old word worth remembering), EAT (dine), H (hearts) | |
| 18 | Sharp point seized in wrestling over transport (7) |
| OMNIBUS – NIB (sharp point) contained by [seized in] SUMO (wrestling) reversed [over]. An excuse to post a link to A Transport of Delight a song in tribute to the red London bus written and performed by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann. | |
| 19 | Don’t start raucous jabber! (7) |
| TRIDENT – {s}TRIDENT (raucous) [don’t start] | |
| 21 | One’s put out second fire in room (5) |
| INGLE – {s}INGLE (one) [put out second] | |
| 22 | Last symbol of resistance? (5) |
| OMEGA – Two meanings. The last letter of the Greeek alphabet also used figuratively for the last in a sequence, and the symbol Ω used in physics for ohm, the SI unit of resistance. | |
I know.
Unfortunately, when I looked for Sotira’s comment as I always do with delight, I found the notice of her (hopefully temporary) abstention instead, not with much delight. I miss her too and hope she’s back soon (but perhaps I do agree about the puzzles).