Solving time: 40 minutes, but this was a technical DNF.
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. I apologise if experienced solvers find some of my explanations are too detailed or obvious, but I am increasingly aware that our readership is expanding by the day to include solvers making the journey from the Quick Cryptic to the 15×15 and my intention is to ease their path.
| Across | |
| 1 | Swayed right away in discussion that went to one’s head? (6,3) |
| COCKED HAT : {r)OCKED (swayed) [right – r – away] contained by [in] CHAT (discussion). An extremely loose definition suggesting only that the answer may be an item of headwear. Wordplay takes us to something more specific. | |
| 6 | Very penetrating remedy for wind (5) |
| CURVE : V (very) contained by [penetrating] CURE (remedy) | |
| 9 | Whinge from Liberal in defeat (5) |
| BLEAT : L (Liberal) contained by [in] BEAT (defeat) | |
| 10 | Rogue caught accomplice dividing spoils (9) |
| SCALLYWAG : C (caught) + ALLY (accomplice) contained by [dividing] SWAG (spoils – stolen goods) | |
| 11 | Haitian gangster moving unnaturally? (7,3,5) |
| AGAINST THE GRAIN : Anagram [moving] of HAITIAN GANGSTER | |
| 13 | Irregular therapy disheartened sufferer (8) |
| CASUALTY : CASUAL (irregular), T{herap}Y [disheartened] | |
| 14 | Intimate debilitating disease that’s quite shocking (4,2) |
| DEAR ME : DEAR (intimate – a person dear to one), ME (debilitating disease – myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy). Oh for such innocent days! In modern parlance people are more likely to replace ‘dear’ with a profanity of their choice. | |
| 16 | Woman, following bloke, contracted illness (6) |
| MALADY : MA{n} (bloke) [contracted], LADY ((woman) | |
| 18 | Bird nesting in the said overturned bush (8) |
| HIBISCUS : IBIS (bird) contained by [nesting] SUCH (the said) reversed [overturned]. I gave up on this as my LOI. It’s not really a very fair clue in my view, a random bird – not a very common one at that – and ‘bush’ as the vaguest of definitions that might include hundreds of plants one’s never heard of. | |
| 21 | Mistakenly order action doll operated remotely (5-10) |
| RADIO-CONTROLLED : Anagram [mistakenly] of ORDER ACTION DOLL | |
| 23 | Most fuzzy bats disgust me (9) |
| SMUDGIEST : Anagram [bats] of DISGUST ME | |
| 25 | Before service, sailor curses? (5) |
| ABUSE : AB (sailor), USE (service) | |
| 26 | Brewing ingredient? It’s put back in still (5) |
| YEAST : SA (it – sex appeal) reversed [put back] contained by [in] YET (still) | |
| 27 | Alpha males engaged in welcome correspondence (9) |
| AGREEMENT : A (alpha), then MEN (males) contained by [engaged in] GREET (welcome) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Firm female garment, one with hood (5) |
| COBRA : CO (firm – company), BRA (female garment). Cobras dilate their necks to form a hood when excited. | |
| 2 | Ruler’s first-rate son leaves suitably dressed and accompanied (6,5) |
| CAESAR SALAD : CAESAR’S (ruler’s), A (first-rate), LAD (son). Wiki’s recipe contains: romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon or lime juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. | |
| 3 | Anarchic Senorita disregarding king and country (7) |
| ESTONIA : Anagram [anarchic] of SENO{r}ITA [disregarding king – r] | |
| 4 | Ambassador’s worried about technology delay (8) |
| HESITATE : HE’S (ambassador’s – His Excellency’s) + ATE (worried) containing [about] IT (technology) | |
| 5 | Shoddy attempt to grab what remains (6) |
| TRASHY : TRY (attempt) containing [to grab] ASH (what remains) | |
| 6 | Traffic controller about to enter continental city (7) |
| COLOGNE : CONE (traffic controller) containing [about] LOG (enter). Anyone fancy a Kölsch or two or three? | |
| 7 | Argument with servicemen raised (3) |
| ROW : W (with) + OR (servicemen – Other Ranks) reversed [raised] | |
| 8 | Provokes three cardinals admitting sex (9) |
| ENGENDERS : EN+S (three cardinals – main points of the compass) containing [admitting] GENDER (sex) | |
| 12 | A harsh, restricted lifestyle in productive industry (11) |
| AGRICULTURE : A, GRI{m} (harsh) [restricted], CULTURE (lifestyle) | |
| 13 | Arrived on pitch behind gunners, wary of being shot (6-3) |
| CAMERA-SHY : CAME (arrived), RA (gunners – Royal Artillery), SHY (pitch – throw at coconuts) | |
| 15 | Autocrat‘s bizarre act stops journalist dropping leader (8) |
| DICTATOR : Anagram [bizarre] of ACT is contained by [stops] {e}DITOR (journalist) [dropping leader] | |
| 17 | Arduous time following drunkard’s last dry spell (7) |
| DROUGHT : {drunkar}D [last], ROUGH (arduous), T (time) | |
| 19 | Press agent primarily recalled for one period of change (4,3) |
| IRON AGE : IRON (press), A{gent} [primarily] then EG (for one) reversed [recalled] | |
| 20 | Cooker installed in N America gets extended service period (6) |
| NOVENA : OVEN (cooker) contained by [installed] NA (N America). In the Roman Catholic Church a devotion consisting of special prayers or services on nine successive days. I can seldom remember all these services etc but I’m vaguely aware that they exist and I rely on wordplay to get me to them when they turn up. | |
| 22 | Border south of duke’s abode (5) |
| DWELT : D (duke), WELT (border). ‘Welt’ can be defined as a strip of ribbed or reinforced material put on the edge of a garment etc. as a border or binding). This was another one I gave up on. I had considered DWELT but I didn’t know this meaning of ‘welt’, nor that ‘abode’ exists as the past tense of ‘abide’ as an alternative to ‘abided’, so it didn’t go in. | |
| 24 | Woman in Verdun assaulted (3) |
| UNA : Hidden in {Verd}UN A{ssaulted}. Note on edit: Other platforms have ‘Woman in tribUNAl’ | |
The first thing I entered was actually HAT at 1A, but I couldn’t identify the required type of headgear straight away.
FOI COBRA
LOI HIBISCUS
COD CAESAR SALAD
TIME 9:57
What is 1a all about? And does restricted really mean knock off the last letter? Why not clue it as: ‘A short depressing lifestyle in productive industry’? Mr Grumpy
In effect, you’re saying restricted means shortened. It doesn’t. But if you’re having restricted I’m having short(ened).