Solving time: 26 minutes
An enjoyable puzzle perhaps a little heavy on ‘containment’ clues and light on cryptics and all-in-ones so lacking a little in variety. How did you all get on?
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 | Old money duke occasionally unchaste (5) |
| DUCAT | |
| D (duke), U{n}C{h}A{s}T{e} [occasionally] | |
| 4 | Sumptuous taste, mostly ace £1 sandwiches (8) |
| PALATIAL | |
| PALAT{e} (taste) [mostly], then 1 L (£1) contains [sandwiches] A | |
| 8 | Zany Bronx comedian receives Oscar for harmful, tasteless stuff (6,8) |
| CARBON MONOXIDE | |
| Anagram [zany] of BRONX COMEDIAN contains [receives] O (Oscar – NATO alphabet) | |
| 10 | Exaggerate the introduction of obscure poetry full of rubbish (9) |
| OVERSTATE | |
| O{bscure} [introduction of…], VERSE (poetry) containing [full of] TAT (rubbish) | |
| 11 | Academic stream pursued by American novelist and essayist (5) |
| CAMUS | |
| CAM (academic stream – river in Cambridge), US (American). Albert Camus 1913-1960. | |
| 12 | Man left holding a dog (6) |
| JACKAL | |
| JACK (man) + L (left) containing [holding] A | |
| 14 | Famous statue put back outside former capital city university (8) |
| SORBONNE | |
| EROS (famous misnamed statue) reversed [put back] containing [outside] BONN (former capital city of West Germany) | |
| 17 | Crucial newspaper boss acquiring Evening Observer so described? (4-4) |
| KEEN-EYED | |
| KEY (crucial) + ED (newspaper boss) containing [acquiring] E‘EN (evening – poetic) | |
| 18 | Doubts question put to charity (6) |
| QUALMS | |
| QU (question), ALMS (charity) | |
| 20 | Playing slowly a necessity for popular golfer (5) |
| LARGO | |
| Hidden in [a necessity for] {popu}LAR GO{lfer} | |
| 22 | Old firm fed retired copper — top man! — Italian food (4,5) |
| OSSO BUCCO | |
| O (old) + CO (firm) containing [fed] CU (copper) + BOSS (top man) reversed [retired]. Shin of veal containing marrowbone stewed in wine with vegetables. | |
| 24 | Empty-headed eejit initially punches dad, hit on the noggin (7-7) |
| FEATHER-BRAINED | |
| E{ejit} [initially] contained by [punches] FATHER (dad), then BRAINED (hit on the noggin – slang for head) | |
| 25 | Sweatier when running, so to speak (2,2,4) |
| AS IT WERE | |
| Anagram [running] of SWEATIER | |
| 26 | Current article features in humourless journal (5) |
| DIARY | |
| I (current) + A (indefinite article) contained by [features in] DRY (humourless) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Funny joke drolly entertaining court physician (6,6) |
| DOCTOR JEKYLL | |
| Anagram [funny] of JOKE DROLLY containing [entertaining] CT (court) | |
| 2 | Cut meat desire following slight stomach upset (5) |
| CARVE | |
| CRAVE (desire) becomes CARVE when internal letters (its ‘stomach’) are switched [upset]. I think ‘slight’ is there to indicate that only two letters are involved in the switch. | |
| 3 | Came together and did rock record for Spooner (4,5) |
| TOOK SHAPE | |
| SHOOK (did rock) + TAPE (record) [for Spooner] | |
| 4 | Dad’s traversing peak of Moroccan plains (6) |
| PAMPAS | |
| PAPA’S (dad’s) containing [traversing] M{oroccan } [peak of…] | |
| 5 | Hang around wearing underwear that is stolen (6,2) |
| LINGER ON | |
| LINGER{ie} (underwear) [that is stolen], ON (wearing). If you have something on you are wearing it but I’m having difficulty thinking of an example in which the two words can be substituted in a sentence without having to make any other alterations. Perhaps you can help? | |
| 6 | Penniless subject admitting vote is harmful (5) |
| TOXIC | |
| TO{p}IC (subject) [penniless] containing [admitting] X (vote) | |
| 7 | Coming inside undressed, sailor boy turned up — such muscle! (9) |
| ABDOMINAL | |
| AB (sailor), then {c}OMIN{g} [undressed] contained by [inside] LAD (boy) reversed [turned up] | |
| 9 | Holy Thursday always involves dissonance, sadly (9,3) |
| ASCENSION DAY | |
| AY (always) contains [involves] anagram [sadly] of DISSONANCE | |
| 13 | Dreary toast the French consumed (9) |
| CHEERLESS | |
| LES (the, French) contained [consumed] by CHEERS (toast) | |
| 15 | A serial wife-killer, depressed poet swallows drug (9) |
| BLUEBEARD | |
| BLUE (depressed), BARD (poet) contains [swallows] E (drug). You can read about the folk tale of Bluebeard and his wives here if you wish to know more. | |
| 16 | Terribly sore knee that might become inflamed (8) |
| KEROSENE | |
| Anagram [terribly] of SORE KNEE | |
| 19 | Upper-class fur available for exploitation (6) |
| USABLE | |
| U (upper-class), SABLE (fur) | |
| 21 | G8 say or voice Tweets every now and again (5) |
| OCTET | |
| {v}O{i}C{e} T{w}E{e}T{s} [every now and again] | |
| 23 | Line dance? (5) |
| CONGA | |
| Cryptic definition | |
NHO BLUEBEARD so no biff there. NHO either OSSO BUCCO or OSSO BUCO and couldn’t get it from the cryptic as I’d convinced myself that Top Man meant it ended in CEO.
24.41 and banged in took shape without really being sure. Spoonerisms not my favourite and thought generally that you just swap the first letters round. Obviously flawed thinking on my part!
I thought this was going to be as speedy as yesterday as clues were coming thick and fast but ground to a halt with CARVE and TOOK SHAPE blank and the clock whirling round so gave up and came here.
Thanks Jack and Setter. I’m catching up on crosswords after a trip to (La Scala) Milan so I ought to have spotted the extra C in the Italian dish but I think I’ve always spelt it that way myself. Lesson learnt.
All has been said (and some even OVER-said, it has to be said), so I won’t. But I had more trouble with this than most of the crew, as complex-construction clues are my downfall, and there were far too many of them. (SORBONNE, OSSO BUCCO etc.). I too fell into the “Doctor, Doctor” trap (having been unable to make a word out of EKJLLY!). But was pleased to get CARBON MONOXIDE early on (another green paint?), saw the hidden LARGO for a change, and also smiled at CAMUS. Thankyou Rob for the sometimes thankless task of setting, and Jack for unravelling.