If Monday was the new Monday this week (as claimed by Kevin yesterday) I don’t know where that leaves this puzzle which I found even easier and it delayed me only 20 minutes. Edit: Thanks to Bletchleyreject (below) for pointing out that it’s a pangram.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Turn over to clean small herring fillets (8) |
| ROLLMOPS – ROLL (turn over), MOP (clean), S (small) | |
| 5 | Unhappy about page on the subject of food (6) |
| SPREAD – SAD (unhappy) contains [about] P (page) + RE (on the subject of) | |
| 9 | Thinking of oneself having work in bustling cities (8) |
| EGOISTIC – GO (work) contained by [in] anagram [bustling] of CITIES | |
| 10 | Mum and gran are coming together tomorrow (6) |
| MANANA – MA (mum), NANA (gran). A great performance by Peggy Lee here. | |
| 12 | Followers of every line of Anouilh play like folksy and lusty poetry (5) |
| HAIKU – {Anouil}H {pl}A{y} {l}I{ke} {fol}K{sy} {l}U{sty} [followers of every line). Not sure I have seen this particular device before. | |
| 13 | Cry, being unsettled and showing signs of advancing years (9) |
| YELLOWING – YELL (cry), OWING (being unsettled e.g. a bill). I wondered for a moment if people yellow as they age, but decided that this is more likely to refer to paper in old manuscripts etc. | |
| 14 | A majority of sexual partners? (3,2,7) |
| AGE OF CONSENT – Cryptic definition | |
| 18 | Something for consumers — suit with western isle check (4,8) |
| CLUB SANDWICH – CLUBS (suit – cards), W (western), I (isle), CH (check – chess) | |
| 21 | Interim move? (9) |
|
MAKESHIFT – |
|
| 23 | All the best go west, getting into gold (5) |
| ADIEU – DIE (go west – kick the bucket, fall off the perch etc) contained by [getting into] AU (gold) | |
| 24 | Pretty likely old theologian gets what Christ was to God (4-2) |
| ODDS-ON – O (old), DD (theologian – Doctor of Divinity), SON (what Christ was to God) | |
| 25 | Making fast brew at home in gallons (8) |
| CHAINING – CHA (brew), IN (at home), IN (in), G (gallons) | |
| 26 | Use editor to introduce unknown writer (6) |
| EXPEND – ED (editor) contains [to introduce] X (unknown) + PEN (writer) | |
| 27 | Immature wood cut for infusion (5,3) |
| GREEN TEA – GREEN (immature), TEA{k} (wood) [cut] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Missing opening, cannon section ring and reverberate (2-4) |
| RE-ECHO – {b}REECH (cannon section) [missing opening], O (ring) | |
| 2 | Can family together make a short visit? (4-2) |
| LOOK-IN – LOO (can – lavatory), KIN (family) | |
| 3 | Gets wrong idea about notes on book (9) |
| MISJUDGES – MIS (notes), JUDGES (book – of the Old Testament) | |
| 4 | Set of advisers under throne? (5,7) |
| PRIVY COUNCIL – A cryptic definition with more lavatorial connotations. In the UK this is a group of people appointed to advise the monarch on political issues. | |
| 6 | Joanna‘s rather too good with a “no” (5) |
| PIANO – PI (rather too good), A, NO. This is rhyming slang: Aunt Joanna / piano (pronounced “piana”) but unlike the best CRS e.g. ‘apples’ meaning ‘stairs’ from ‘apples and pears’, the first word (Aunt) doesn’t get to stand alone. In fact ‘Aunt’ in this context seems to have fallen into disuse over the years and only the straight rhyme has survived in common usage. | |
| 7 | Checked fabric cut on the reverse (8) |
| EXAMINED – DENIM (fabric) + AXE ( cut) all reversed [on the reverse] | |
| 8 | Wind movements tug Shard all over the place (8) |
| DRAUGHTS – Anagram [all over the place] of TUG SHARD | |
| 11 | Crack low-tech cuckoo for very precise timekeeper (5-7) |
| CLOCK-WATCHER – Anagram [cuckoo] of CRACK LOW TECH | |
| 15 | Fruit — a number outside crate getting spoiled (9) |
| NECTARINE – NINE (number) contains [outside] anagram [getting spoiled] of CRATE | |
| 16 | Friendly chat with head of security about Her Majesty and leak (8) |
| SCHMOOZE – S{ecurity} [head], C (about), HM (Her Majesty), OOZE (leak). I had thought this was some sort of composite word (from ‘smooth’ and another word, ooze, perhaps?) but apparently it’s from the Yiddish ‘schmues / schmuesn’ meaning talk, converse, chat. | |
| 17 | Successful pickpocket, one often seen at village fete (5,3) |
| LUCKY DIP – A straight definition preceded by a cryptic one | |
| 19 | Flying visit introducing British musician (6) |
| VIBIST – Anagram [flying] of VISIT containing [introducing] B (British). And once again I am reminded of ‘Aydolf Hitler on vibes’! | |
| 20 | Question silver head in guessing answer: old zebra? (6) |
| QUAGGA – QU (question), AG (silver), G{uessing} [head], A (answer). Never ‘eard of it but this was perfectly guessable from wordplay. SOED: a recently extinct member of the horse family (Equidae), Equus quagga, of southern Africa: it had a sandy brown colouring with zebra-like stripes on the head and shoulders. | |
| 22 | An end to this callous contempt (5) |
| SCORN – {thi}S [end], CORN (callous) | |
And I thought of Re-Echo without thinking it could be right! David