Solving time: 24 minutes. Very enjoyable without being particularly challenging. I raised an eyebrow a few times along the way.
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 | Putting bible back, I can’t suspect authority of church (7) |
| VATICAN : AV (bible – Authorised Version) reversed [putting…back], anagram [suspect] of I CAN’T | |
| 5 | 220-yard run with golf shot (7) |
| FURLONG : Anagram [shot] of RUN GOLF | |
| 9 | Nervous crossing peak, in need of a pick-me-up (11) |
| RESTORATIVE : RESTIVE (nervous) containing [crossing] TOR (peak) + A | |
| 10 | Old priest first to finish pork pie (3) |
| LIE : ELI (old priest) becomes LIE when its first letter (E) moves to the end [first to finish]. ‘Pork pie’ is Cockney rhyming slang for ‘lie’, more usually shortened to ‘porkie’. | |
| 11 | Menial career collecting rubbish Jack disposed of (6) |
| FLUNKY : FLY (career – run) containing [collecting] {j}UNK (rubbish) [Jack disposed of], The Royal Family are thought to employ lots of these. | |
| 12 | European pleased to find info online (1-7) |
| E-CONTENT : E (European), CONTENT (pleased) | |
| 14 | Trait shown by English pet tucking into meal with sauce (5,5,3) |
| STIFF UPPER LIP : TIFF (pet) contained by [tucking into] SUPPER (meal), LIP (sauce – cheek). I have misgivings about ‘tiff/pet’ and I’m almost certain we’ve had this before; a tiff is a minor quarrel or disagreement, but a pet is a childish sulk. Not the same thing at all in my book although one may very well be the result of the other. | |
| 17 | Sharing problems aboard? (2,3,4,4) |
| IN THE SAME BOAT : Cryptic | |
| 21 | Nothing taken from a month’s provision toasted with cheese (2,6) |
| AU GRATIN : AUG (month), RATI{o}N [nothing – o – taken] | |
| 23 | Plan second church straddling border (6) |
| SCHEME : S (second), then CE (church – of England) containing [straddling] HEM (border) | |
| 25 | Queen, say, regularly represented in charts (3) |
| CAT : C{j}A{r}T{s} [regularly]. A female cat; Tom being the male. | |
| 26 | Title adopted by British author’s a clever one (6,5) |
| BRIGHT SPARK : B (British), RIGHT (title – right of ownership), SPARK (British author – Muriel). Most famous for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. | |
| 27 | Rabble drained particularly potent brew (7) |
| SCRUMPY : SCRUM (rabble), P{articularl}Y [drained]. Traditional farmhouse cider best kept under the counter out of the sight of passing grockles. | |
| 28 | Someone sticking nose in fruit, by the sound of it (7) |
| MEDDLER : Sounds like “medlar” (fruit). Robert Price gave us this in his Sunday Times Christmas Jumbo: One poking his nose in heard something fruity (6) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Confirm return of top-class racing with ideal setting (6) |
| VERIFY : Reverse [return] of F1 (top-class racing) contained by VERY (ideal) [with ideal setting]. I wasn’t sure about ‘very/ideal’ but then thought of ‘the very/ideal thing’. | |
| 2 | Even risks reversing American vessel into position (4-3) |
| TOSS-UPS : USS (American vessel – United States Ship) contained by [into] SPOT (position) and all ‘reversing’ | |
| 3 | To hit hard, experienced hands move like this (9) |
|
CLOCKWISE : CLOCK (hit hard), WISE (experienced). One for |
|
| 4 | Not quite intimate (4) |
| NEAR : Two meanings | |
| 5 | Inaccurate piracies of works as published (4,6) |
| FAIR COPIES : Anagram [inaccurate] of PIRACIES OF. I looked twice at ‘inaccurate’ as anagrind as I don’t quite see it, but it’s in the Chambers lists. | |
| 6 | A German pursuing extremely rich banker locally (5) |
| RHEIN : R{ic}H [extremely], EIN (a – German). ‘Locally’ indicates the German spelling of the river. | |
| 7 | Painting efficiently’s a boring source of income? (3,4) |
| OIL WELL : OIL (painting), WELL (efficiently), and a rather fine cryptic definition | |
| 8 | Man’s close relative leading parrot (5,3) |
| GREAT APE : GREAT (leading), APE (parrot – copy) | |
| 13 | A fine feminine capacity for kindliness? (10) |
| AFFABILITY : A, F (fine – e.g. pencil lead), F (feminine), ABILITY (capacity) | |
| 15 | Freed from other responsibilities primarily during duty days (9) |
| EXORCISED : O{ther} + R{esponsibilities} [primarily] contained by [during] EXCISE (duty), then D (days). The malign spirit is expelled and the affected person or place is set free. | |
| 16 | Penalties restricting overseas party funds (8) |
| FINANCES : FINES (penalties) containing [restricting] ANC (overseas party – African National Congress) | |
| 18 | Meaner pugilist using wrong side of fist (7) |
| TIGHTER : {f}IGHTER (pugilist) changes F to T [using wrong side of fist], but why ‘wrong’ side – surely ‘other’ or ‘opposite’? | |
| 19 | Extremity one struggles to cut? (7) |
| TOENAIL : Cryptic definition. On edit: Alternatively: anagram [struggles] of ONE is contained by [cuts] TAIL (extremity) and the defintion is @lit – thanks to Paul for suggesting this. | |
| 20 | Drug-injecting worker in need of dough’s a mug (6) |
| BEAKER : E (drug) contained by [injecting] BAKER (worker in need of dough) | |
| 22 | Record-holder, somewhat egotistical, bumptious (5) |
| ALBUM : Hidden in [somewhat] {egotistic}AL BUM{ptious}. Not the family one for sticking things in this time. | |
| 24 | Fancy man in particular supporting wife (4) |
| WHIM : W (wife), HIM (man in particular) | |
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