Solving time: 43 minutes. There was nothing particularly difficult here but it took me a while to sort it all out.
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 | Player securing fine wicket — a declaration may follow it (3,2,3) |
| ACT OF WAR | |
| ACTOR (player) containing [securing] F (fine) + W (wicket) + A. An em dash interrupts the wordplay here! | |
| 5 | Old medicine finally changed for modern therapy (6) |
| PHYSIO | |
| PHYSIC (old medicine) ‘finally changed’ becomes PHYSIO (modern therapy) | |
| 9 | Where book festival is anyhow being broadcast you can follow (3-2-3) |
| HAY-ON-WYE | |
| Anagram [being broadcast] of ANYHOW, then YE (you). ‘Can follow’ adds to the surface and indicates position. Overseas solvers and some native ones may not know of this small Welsh town renowned for its annual book festival. | |
| 10 | After landslide perhaps rescue detective with problem afoot (3,3) |
| DIG OUT | |
| DI (detective inspector), GOUT (problem afoot) | |
| 12 | Reject Percy, not very fashionable name (5) |
| SPURN | |
| {Hot)SPUR (Percy) [not very fashionable – not hot], then N (name). Henry ‘Harry’ Percy, nicknamed ‘Hotspur’, was the son of the Duke of Northumberland and featured as a character in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 | |
| 13 | Sort of figure one must reform rough girl (9) |
| HOURGLASS | |
| Anagram [one must reform] ROUGH, then LASS (girl) | |
| 14 | Twelve, a large crowd for this celebration (8,4) |
| MIDNIGHT MASS | |
| MIDNIGHT (twelve), MASS (a large crowd) | |
| 18 | Birds, egg-layers for reproduction, full of goodness (7,5) |
| GREYLAG GEESE | |
| Anagram [for reproduction] of EGG LAYERS, containing [full of] GEE (goodness!) | |
| 21 | Special set of linen said to be right, like that (9) |
| TROUSSEAU | |
| TROU–SSEAU sounds like [said to be] “true” (right) “so” (like that) | |
| 23 | Ordinary language appeared elevated on page (5) |
| PROSE | |
| P (page), ROSE (elevated) | |
| 24 | A little fruit one’s taken into shower (6) |
| RAISIN | |
| I’S (one’s) contained by [taken into] RAIN (shower) | |
| 25 | I maintain champion has lost his head (8) |
| UPHOLDER | |
| {c}UPHOLDER (champion) [has lost his head] | |
| 26 | Sales pitch— or brief example (6) |
| PATTER | |
| PATTER{n} (example) [brief] | |
| 27 | Stopping insatiable appetite, nothing beyond a kilo for classic beauty (5,3) |
| GREEK GOD | |
| KG (kilo) + 0 (nothing) contained by [stopping] GREED (insatiable appetite). ‘Beyond’ indicates position. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Horrified to have a good speed limited (6) |
| AGHAST | |
| A, G (good), HAST{e} (speed) [limited] | |
| 2 | Your move at first to join our side? You’ll get it in the neck! (6) |
| THYMUS | |
| THY (your), M{ove} [at first], US (our side). Medicine. A growth or tumour resembling a bud. | |
| 3 | In the last round, new government agency concerned with funding (9) |
| FINANCIAL | |
| N (new) + CIA (government agency) contained by [in] FINAL (last round) | |
| 4 | Standard apparently not observed? (8,4) |
| ANYTHING GOES | |
| If you have no standards then ANYTHING GOES. It’s also the title of a ‘standard’ song and musical by Cole Porter. | |
| 6 | In a hurry, Harry, not having arrived in front of George (5) |
| HYING | |
| H{arr}Y [not having arrived], IN, G{eorge} [front of …]. Alternative spelling of ‘hieing’ as in ‘hie thee to the hills’. | |
| 7 | Unauthorised passenger in Sierra: confiscate vehicle! (8) |
| STOWAWAY | |
| S (sierra – NATO), TOWAWAY (confiscate vehicle) | |
| 8 | Broken toes, small but extremely thick (8) |
| OBTUSEST | |
| Anagram [broken] of TOES S (small) BUT | |
| 11 | Chuck beer heartily over top bouncer (6-6) |
| BUNGEE-JUMPER | |
| BUNG (chuck), {b}EE{r} [heartily], JUMPER (top) | |
| 15 | Fury: is it on reflection something many check regularly? (9) |
| TISIPHONE | |
| IS IT (reversed ) [on reflection], PHONE (something many check regularly). I didn’t know this one but the wordplay was helpful. The other Furies – her sisters – were Alecto and Megaera. They punished crimes of murder: parricide, fratricide and homicide. | |
| 16 | A fool for quietly producing fake news? (8) |
| AGITPROP | |
| A, GIT (fool), PRO (for), P (quietly). I’d have said an unpleasant or contemptible person, not necessarily a fool, and most of the dictionaries agree with me, but Chambers adds ‘stupid’. I saw this definition elswehere very recently. | |
| 17 | Self-indulgent type has done this wrong (8) |
| HEDONIST | |
| Anagram [wrong] of DONE THIS | |
| 19 | Follow after stolen food (3,3) |
| HOT DOG | |
| HOT (stolen), DOG (follow) | |
| 20 | Was nervous about beginning to fidget with handles? (6) |
| FEARED | |
| F[idget} [beginning], EARED (with handles). Collins: Having ears or earlike appendages; the latter might cover handles, for example as on a sporting trophy | |
| 22 | Quietly pass plaything that may be stuck in the hair (5) |
| SLIDE | |
| Three meanings | |
This was a real struggle taking several sessions of head scratching.
I agree with the earlier comment about the thymus. It definitely lives in the chest.
Pleased to finish with no nasty little errors.
Thanks for explaining how SPURN worked. I had no idea how to parse the clue though.
Best wishes all.
Not my greatest hour (3 hours!)