I found some of this quite tricky as there were a few words and bits of GK that I didn’t know. But it was every enjoyable and held my interest so that I never felt it was going to beat me. In the end I completed the grid in 44 minutes.
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 | Stars in gold rush, endlessly pursuing bit of money (9) |
| CENTAURUS : CENT (bit of money), AU (gold), RUS{h} [endlessly]. The brightest constellation in the southerm sky, apparently. Very generously clued for a 15×15 so I was off to a good start with this one. | |
| 6 | Automaton, companion making a hash of things (5) |
| BOTCH : BOT (automaton), CH (companion – of Honour) | |
| 9 | Snarled up net, finally used rod and line (7) |
| TANGLED : {ne}T [finally], ANGLED (used rod and line) | |
| 10 | A shine’s possibly required for a boot (7) |
| HESSIAN : Anagram [possibly] of A SHINE’S. SOED has: Hessian boot: a tasselled high boot fashionable in the early 19th cent, first worn by Hessian troops. Hesse is a state or region of Germany. NHO the boot, my knowledge of hessian being restricted to the strong cloth made of hemp or jute. | |
| 11 | Ancient men grabbed by old-maidish kisser (10) |
| PRIMORDIAL : OR (men) contained [grabbed] by PRIM (old-maidish) + DIAL (kisser – two slang words for ‘face’) | |
| 12 | Hoax by Yankee showman (4) |
| CODY : COD (hoax), Y (Yankee). Wiki has: William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846 – 1917) was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. I’m glad he wasn’t clued as ‘bison hunter’! | |
| 14 | One won’t want milk, say, being kept in vehicle (5) |
| VEGAN : EG (say) contained by [being kept in] VAN (vehicle) | |
| 15 | Look always to keep dry dictionary? (9) |
| GAZETTEER : GAZE (look) + E’ER (always) containing [to keep] TT (dry – teetotal). A dictionary can be an alphabetical list of information on any subject. A GAZETTEER is a geographical dictionary. | |
| 16 | Maybe Mirror reader backs football’s decision-maker (9) |
| REFLECTOR : REF (football’s decision- maker), LECTOR (reader). Uses the trick of capitalising a word in order to mislead. | |
| 18 | Mollusc served with soft pile of potatoes? (5) |
| CLAMP : CLAM (mollusc), P (soft). Collins has: a mound formed out of a harvested root crop, covered with straw and earth to protect it from winter weather. Potatoes are an example of one such crop, hence the question mark. I’d never heard of it in this context but I knew as something to do with piling up bricks ready for firing in a kiln, only because there was Clamp Hill near where I used to live. | |
| 20 | Show the way, leading pair going to the back (4) |
| DEMO : The leading pair of letters in MODE (way) going to the back to make DEMO | |
| 21 | Sale with silver being disposed of in palace (10) |
| VERSAILLES : Anagram [disposed] of SALE SILVER | |
| 25 | Composer showing heart before bad turns (7) |
| CORELLI : CORE (heart), ILL (bad) reversed [turns]. Not our occasional QC setter, but Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) composer of this movement from his Christmas Concerto | |
| 26 | Place for birds with eggs by railway, all right for nesting (7) |
| ROOKERY : OK (all right) contained by [for nesting] ROE (eggs), RY (railway) | |
| 27 | Sweet mint? (5) |
| LOLLY : Two meanings, lollipop and money | |
| 28 | Like a computer, is something that can be stimulating (9) |
| DIGITALIS : DIGITAL (like a computer), IS . SOED has: A preparation of dried foxglove leaves used as a drug, esp. to stimulate the heart. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Distressed union in a hole (3,2) |
| CUT UP : TU (union – trade union) contained by [in] CUP (hole – in golf, for example) | |
| 2 | City‘s ruler looked down on by senior woman (7) |
| NANKING : NAN (senior woman), KING (ruler) | |
| 3 | Everyone wants short form of game to get multi-talented player (3-7) |
| ALL-ROUNDER : ALL (everyone), ROUNDER{s} (game) [short form] | |
| 4 | Little woman in scarlet performed again (5) |
| REDID : DI (little woman) contained by [in] RED (scarlet) | |
| 5 | Dog hunts, craze seen to be bad, that finally gets banned (9) |
| SCHNAUZER : Anagram [bad] of HUN{t}S CRAZE [{tha}T finally, gets banned] | |
| 6 | Vehicle going over hard territory down under? (4) |
| BUSH : BUS (vehicle), H (hard) | |
| 7 | Interval for players performing in dull setting (7) |
| TRITONE : ON (performing) contained by [in…setting] TRITE (dull). In music this an interval consisting of three whole tones. Starting at C it would be notated as C to F sharp (augmented fourth) or C to G flat (diminished fifth). | |
| 8 | Husband, individual leading group, set up seductive scheme (9) |
| HONEYTRAP : H (husband), ONE (individual), then PARTY (group) reversed [set up] | |
| 13 | Keep going, using computers in project (5,2,3) |
| STICK IT OUT : IT (computers) contained by [in] STICK OUT (project) | |
| 14 | Truthful vicar lied unexpectedly (9) |
| VERIDICAL : Anagram [unexpectedly] of VICAR LIED. Never ‘eard of it! | |
| 15 | Begin to run out of time for offering aid (3,6) |
| GET BEHIND : Two meanings. I think ‘offering’ has to be padding to smooth the surface. | |
| 17 | Short girl maybe hiding nothing, right? It’s to do with what mini reveals! (7) |
| FEMORAL : FEMAL{e} (girl) [short], containing [hiding] 0 (nothing) + R (right). The definition is cryptic with reference to the femur or thigh. | |
| 19 | Plant left with explosive carried by gangster repeatedly (7) |
| ALLHEAL : L (left) + HE (explosive) contained [carried] by AL + AL (gangster repeatedly – Capone). Never ‘eard of it! | |
| 22 | Something flowery appearing in early part of year, not November (5) |
| SPRIG : SPRI{n}G (early part of year) [not November] | |
| 23 | Someone with halo certainly creating problems for viewers (5) |
| STYES : ST (someone with halo), YES (certainly). Cue Simon Templar. Roger Moore was living a few doors down the road from me whilst he was making this series. Not far from Clamp Hill! | |
| 24 | Work interrupted by a sport (4) |
| PLAY : PLY (work) contains [interrupted by] A | |
love the “showgirl” ref 🙂