Solving time: 54 minutes with major delays towards the end in the NE segment, but most of it had been completed within my half-hour target.
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]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
| Across | |
| 1 | Puts rumpled sheets away from mouth (8) |
| UPSTREAM : Anagram [rumpled] of PUTS, REAM (sheets). The mouth of a river. A ream of paper used to be 480 sheets but is now 500. | |
| 6 | Note switches in random mutation? (6) |
| CHANGE : CHANCE (random) becomes CHANGE (mutation) when C (note) switches to G | |
| 9 | Force confronted over drink (6) |
| DECAFF : F (force) + FACED (confronted) reversed [over] | |
| 10 | Near agreement, backing a last drink (8) |
| NIGHTCAP : NIGH (near), then PACT (agreement) reversed [backing] | |
| 11 | Married before once, and no more than (4) |
| MERE : M (married), ERE (before once). ‘Once’ indicates that ERE is old-fashioned. | |
| 12 | Caught bird by head, being a chicken? (10) |
| CRAVENNESS : C (caught), RAVEN (bird), NESS (head). Cowardice. | |
| 14 | Mexican music from aria: Chinese, partly (8) |
|
MARIACHI : Hidden in [partly] {fro}M ARIA CHI{nese}. It’s both the music and a person who plays it. Somebody quoted a Tom Lehrer lyric on Sunday to illustrate ‘brouhaha’, and now it’s my turn:
When it’s fiesta time in Guadalajara The mariachis would serenade |
|
| 16 | One working too hard pulls back (4) |
| SWOT : TOWS (pulls) reversed [back]. I doubt that swots think they work too hard; it’s more likely to be said of them by envious slackers. | |
| 18 | Passable old writer (4) |
| OPEN : O (old), PEN (writer). I think this is ‘passable / open’ in the sense of ‘accessible’, as a road may be during floods for example. | |
| 19 | Fun codes perplexed and puzzled (8) |
| CONFUSED : Anagram [perplexed] of FUN CODES | |
| 21 | Lace still vino, putting in tons (10) |
| INTERTWINE : INERT (still) containing [putting in] T (tons), then WINE (vino) | |
| 22 | Wettish mark in person’s home comes back (4) |
| DAMP : M (mark) contained by [in] PAD (person’s home) reversed [comes back] | |
| 24 | Place for first flowers presumably is in March (8) |
| PARADISE : IS contained by [in] PARADE (march). ‘First’ suggests the Garden of Eden. | |
| 26 | Chap after small snack (6) |
| SARNIE : S (small), ARNIE (chap). Slang for ‘sandwich’. | |
| 27 | View article and be very angry (6) |
| SEETHE : SEE (view), THE (article) | |
| 28 | Scrap what could be The Times inside page (8) |
| ENDPAPER : END (scrap), PAPER (what could be The Times) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Bird edges round cake crumb (5) |
| PIECE : PIE (bird), C{ak}E [edges round] | |
| 3 | Lead potentially has eider and gannet suffering (11) |
| TRAGEDIENNE : Anagram [suffering] of EIDER GANNET. Took me forever to unravel this one, and I needed most of the checkers before I eventually teased it out. The definition wasn’t very helpful. | |
| 4 | Model takes chance regularly for good ability to get results (8) |
| EFFICACY : EFFIGY (model) becomes EFFICACY when C{h}A{n}C{e} [regularly] takes the place of G (good) | |
| 5 | Chap taking risks mostly on mountain ridge’s eastern tongue (8,7) |
| MANDARIN CHINESE : MAN (chap), DARIN{g} (taking risks) [mostly], CHINE (mountain ridge), ‘S, E (eastern) | |
| 6 | Water-loving youngster — small seal, reportedly (6) |
| CYGNET : The baby swan sounds [reportedly] like a “signet” (small seal) as may be set in a ring | |
| 7 | Decree agreement has no power (3) |
| ACT : {p}ACT (agreement) [has no power]. Weakened a little by having already used ‘pact / agreement’ at 10ac but I’m pleased the setter didn’t use a cross-reference. | |
| 8 | PM‘s left without fellow ministers’ support, ultimately (9) |
| GLADSTONE : GONE (left) containing [without] LAD + {minister}S {suppor}T [ultimately]. Gladstone held the office of Prime Minster on four separate occasions. | |
| 13 | Man resounds with stirring operatic aria (6,5) |
| NESSUN DORMA : Anagram [stirring] of MAN RESOUNDS. Another fine piece of music done to death by association with something unrelated. | |
| 15 | Attachment of a sheet enclosing pound note (9) |
| APPENDAGE : A, PAGE (sheet) containing [enclosing] PEN (pound) + D (note) | |
| 17 | Not skilled in creation, missing out the third day (8) |
| UNVERSED : UN{i}VERSE (creation) [‘missing out the third’ letter], D (day) | |
| 20 | Socialist’s gutted over widespread conflict (6) |
| STRIFE : S{ocialis}T [‘s gutted], RIFE (widespread) | |
| 23 | State of Slovenia mired in revolution, somewhat (5) |
| MAINE : Reversed [in revolution] and hidden [somewhat] in {slov}ENIA M{ired} | |
| 25 | Suitable form of high-speed transport (3) |
| APT : Two meanings, the second being an abbreviation of Advance Passenger Train which I remember as being a pretty disastrous project at least in the attempts made to implement it. | |
As the mother of a train-mad son, I just went through all the three-letter rail services I could think of until I reached APT. TGV and HST (they weren’t going to work), AVE and ICE for starters!
No idea of time, as I had to go out after completing about two-thirds of the grid, and came back to attempt the rest.
FOI Mariachi
COD Efficacy – I’m finally beginning to recognise the something for something technique
DNF
Tom
No more than one ‘pure’ hidden word clue per puzzle. (Reversed hidden words aren’t ‘pure’ in this context.)
MARIACHI is ‘pure’, MAINE is reversed so isn’t.
Edited at 2020-01-07 10:02 pm (UTC)
Strangest 14ac experience ever: being serenaded at by a Thai Mariachi band in a Swiss-themed restaurant at a hotel in Malaysia. I kid you not.