My performance this week was a lot better than last time and I finished in 20 minutes. There were no unknown answers and only one unknown in the wordplay – at 8dn. When blogging I couldn’t help noticing perhaps an excessive use of the containment device in eleven of sixteen Across clues and seven of fourteen Downs.
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 | Rose up unexpectedly to embrace the female comic star (9) |
| SUPERHERO | |
| Anagram [unexpectedly] of ROSE UP containing [to embrace] HER (the female) | |
| 6 | Brother maybe holding a hotel address in Mumbai? (5) |
| SAHIB | |
| SIB (brother, maybe) containing [holding] A H (hotel) | |
| 9 | Rich, like the countryside, often? (7) |
| ROLLING | |
| Two meanings. Rolling in money / the rolling hills of home. | |
| 10 | Unimaginative, having girl filling image (7) |
| PROSAIC | |
| ROSA (girl) contained by [filling] PIC (image) | |
| 11 | Subject finally caught withdrawing fake cases (5) |
| MATHS | |
| SHAM (fake) reversed [withdrawing] contains [cases] {caugh}T [finally] | |
| 12 | Relief of sorts as drivers receiving a single supply (9) |
| ANALGESIA | |
| AA (drivers – Automobile Association) containing [receiving] anagram [supply] of A SINGLE | |
| 13 | Doomed person in dock charged with resistance (8) |
| ACCURSED | |
| ACCUSED (person in courtroom dock) contains [charged with] R (resistance) | |
| 14 | Series of cheeky devils turned over bank (4) |
| DYKE | |
| Hidden in [series of] {che}EKY D{evils} reversed [turned over] | |
| 17 | Cut furrows round economist‘s factory, also (4) |
| MILL | |
| Triple definition: Produce regular grooves or similar markings on the edge of a coin / John Stuart Mill economist/ “trooble at t’mill” | |
| 18 | Minister finished scoffing large piece (8) |
| REVOLVER | |
| REV (minister), then OVER (finished) containing [scoffing] L (large). Gangster slang for a gun. | |
| 21 | Noel’s parasitic growth transformed motel site (9) |
| MISTLETOE | |
| Anagram [transformed] of MOTEL SITE with reference to Christmas rather than the occasional QC setter. | |
| 22 | Go off drink daughters imported (5) |
| ADDLE | |
| D D (daughters) contained [imported] by ALE (drink) | |
| 24 | Left convict during match preparing ground (7) |
| TILLAGE | |
| L (left) + LAG (convict) contained by [during] TIE (match) | |
| 25 | Maybe first troops call crossing north (7) |
| ORDINAL | |
| OR (troops – Ordinary Ranks), then DIAL (call – telephone) containing [crossing] N (north) | |
| 26 | Steps out of ball game accompanied by business graduate (5) |
| RUMBA | |
| RU (ball game – Rugby Union), MBA (business graduate – Master of / in Business Administration) | |
| 27 | Adapted free metres in recess for shelving (9) |
| DEFERMENT | |
| Anagram [adapted] of FREE + M (metres) contained by [in] DENT (recess) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Ace lacking in backbone for meeting in Rugby (5) |
| SCRUM | |
| S{a}CRUM (backbone) [ace – a – lacking]. SOED: a triangular bone which is wedged between the two hip bones, forming the back of the pelvis and resulting from the fusing of vertebrae. | |
| 2 | Bogus capitalism you’ll offer to exile? (9,6) |
| POLITICAL ASYLUM | |
| Anagram [bogus] of CAPITALISM YOU’LL | |
| 3 | Restraint bound to secure extra cover (8) |
| REINSURE | |
| REIN (restraint), SURE (bound) | |
| 4 | One cutting new accent adopted by leading woman (8) |
| ENGRAVER | |
| N (new) + GRAVE (accent) contained [adopted] by ER (leading woman – HMQ] | |
| 5 | Twist, say, for rising dynasty (6) |
| ORPHAN | |
| PRO (for) reversed [rising], HAN (Chinese dynasty) | |
| 6 | Home Counties harbours smell cleaner (6) |
| SPONGE | |
| SE (Home Counties – South East England), contains [harbours] PONG (smell) | |
| 7 | Try eg study in English depravity that’s inadmissible (7,8) |
| HEARSAY EVIDENCE | |
| HEAR (try), SAY (eg – for example), then DEN (study) contained by [in] E (English) + VICE (depravity). Known to the legal profession and viewers of TV courtroom drama. | |
| 8 | Reckless fellow, mostly “cheeky”, not once losing heart (9) |
| BUCCANEER | |
| BUCCA{l} (“cheeky”) [mostly], NE{v}ER (not once) [losing heart]. I was unable to parse the first part whilst solving as I didn’t know that in anatomy ‘buccal’ means ‘of the cheek’. | |
| 13 | Former college to change, introducing degrees (4,5) |
| ALMA MATER | |
| ALTER (change) containing [introducing] MA + MA (degrees) | |
| 15 | Our lot turned up to develop a monster (8) |
| WEREWOLF | |
| WE (our lot), then FLOWER (develop) reversed [turned up] | |
| 16 | Talc, maybe, with guy going in for women’s scent in ball (8) |
| POMANDER | |
| PO{w}DER (talc, maybe) becomes POMANDER when MAN (guy) replaces [going in for] W (women). No dog for POM this time! | |
| 19 | A secretary/accountant rings Lima wool supplier (6) |
| ALPACA | |
| A + PA (secretary – Personal Assistant) + CA (Chartered Accountant) contains [rings] L (Lima – NATO) | |
| 20 | Accompany a nurse taking another temperature (6) |
| ATTEND | |
| A + TEND (nurse) contains [taking] T (another temperature) | |
| 23 | Striking success story about storing carbon (5) |
| ECLAT | |
| TALE ((story) reversed [about] containing [storing] C (carbon) | |
For once we had ANALGESIA without the usually obligatory ‘number’.
LOI WEREWOLF which needed all the helping letters to twig it.
A few challenges towards the end — didn’t think of ORPHAN (nor Oliver) for ages, even with all checkers, ENGRAVER and MILL also took longer than they might have.
BUCCAL — NHO
Thanks to Jack and the setter
With a bit of luck, I now have a user name “vaccarex” (not difficult to work out) — Mike Cowking
Edited at 2022-03-01 04:08 pm (UTC)
LOI was the very last Across clue. I think of a DENT as unintentional and a “recess” as natural or deliberately built.
Can’t remember where I started but steadily worked round till I finished with 1ac having been too easily fooled by “comic” at the beginning
MATHS was duly assembled according to instructions but the word only revealed itself as I posited the final letter
Enjoyable
Thanks Jackkt and Setter