Solving time: 35 minutes
Mostly straightforward but I had a MER at a couple of definitions 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]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Location for Burning Man spotted around mountain range (8) |
| PYRENEES | |
| PYRE (location for burning man), then SEEN (spotted) reversed [around] | |
| 5 | Film hero shunning Ben catches steamship with a soldier (6) |
| HUSSAR | |
| {Ben} HUR (film hero) [shunning Ben] contains [catches} SS (steamship) + A. Judah Ben Hur was in a novel by Lew Wallace published in 1880, first filmed in 1907 and 5 or 6 times since then. |
|
| 8 | One working to get B+ in chemistry, say (3) |
| ION | |
| I (one), ON (working). My AI assistant advises that B+ refers to a Boron ion that has lost one electron. Too technical for this blogger, but the answer was easy to deduce. | |
| 9 | Pass close to celebrity and express disapproval well (7-3) |
| TICKETY-BOO | |
| TICKET (pass), {celbrit}Y [close to…], BOO (express disapproval). All is well / tickety-boo. Although not definitive, the leading theory suggests this is of Hindi origin from the phrase “thik hai babu” (ठीक है, बाबू) which translates to “It’s alright, sir”. British soldiers in India during the Raj may have picked it up and brought it back to Britain. | |
| 10 | Retired? Put it in new resume (8) |
| EMERITUS | |
| IT contained by [in] anagram [new] of RESUME. SOED: Honourably discharged from service; (of a former office-holder, esp. a professor) retired but allowed to retain his or her title as an honour. | |
| 11 | Just missing out on bronze and uranium in river (6) |
| FOURTH | |
| U (uranium) contained by [in] FORTH (Scottish river). A reference to medals awarded e.g. at the Olympics. Bronze medal winners come third. | |
| 12 | Point of banquet not having starter (4) |
| EAST | |
| {f}EAST (banquet) [not having starter]. Point of the compass. | |
| 14 | Mastermind of heavy metal band, originally, then Queen (10) |
| RINGLEADER | |
| RING (band), LEAD (heavy metal), ER (Queen) | |
| 17 | Bug nearly put on band member in recital (4,6) |
| STAG BEETLE | |
| STAG{e} (put on) [nearly], then aural wordplay [in recital] : BEETLE / “Beatle” (band member) | |
| 20 | Help witch periodically? It’s a long story (4) |
| EPIC | |
| {h}E{l}P {w}I{t}C{h} [periodically] | |
| 23 | Curry gets cold, very cold (6) |
| BALTIC | |
| BALTI (curry), C (cold) | |
| 24 | After French wine, drink ale at first then head for spicy meal (8) |
| VINDALOO | |
| VIN (French wine), then D{rink} + A{le} [at first], LOO (head – lavatory). Coming after 23ac I wonder if the setter was awaiting an Indian take-away at the time. | |
| 25 | Without any green entry books, unfortunately (5-5) |
| STONY-BROKE | |
| Anagram [unfortunately] of ENTRY BOOKS. ‘Green’ as slang for money seems to have originated in the US with the greenback dollar. In the UK we had green pound notes for many years but I don’t recall ever hearing them referred to by colour. | |
| 26 | Awful to forget Liberal struggle (3) |
| VIE | |
| VI{l}E (awful) [to forget Liberal) | |
| 27 | Ignore this covering on road (6) |
| STREET | |
| STET (ignore this) containing [covering] RE (on). ‘Stet’ is a typographical instruction to cancel a correction or deletion. Literally it means ‘let it stand’. | |
| 28 | Mostly icy mountain cuts through Australian state (8) |
| VICTORIA | |
| IC{y} [mostly] + TOR (mountain) contained by [cuts] VIA (through). I’m not sure a tor ever qualifies as a mountain; it’s more of a rocky peak or hill. | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Very valuable publicity? Neat! (9) |
| PRICELESS | |
| PR (publicity – Public Relations), ICELESS (neat – not necessarily, just iceless!) | |
| 2 | Team gets irritated following striker’s finish (7) |
| RANGERS | |
| {strike}R [’s finish], ANGERS (gets irritated – he angers easily) | |
| 3 | Fool returning home with another (6) |
| NITWIT | |
| IN (home) reversed [returning], TWIT (with another – fool) | |
| 4 | Hard to find gripping 90’s newspaper article (9) |
| EXCLUSIVE | |
| ELUSIVE (hard to find) containing [gripping] XC (90) | |
| 5 | Detestable European stopping collection for a busker? (7) |
| HATEFUL | |
| E (European) contained by [stopping] HATFUL (collection for a busker?) | |
| 6 | Sandwich consumed after pitcher put down (9) |
| SUBJUGATE | |
| SUB (sandwich – submarine), JUG (pitcher), ATE (consumed) | |
| 7 | Pet also pummelled Peter, perhaps (7) |
| APOSTLE | |
| Anagram [pummelled] of PET ALSO | |
| 13 | Poet right to change line, for balance (9) |
| TIGHTROPE | |
| Anagram [to change] of POET RIGHT | |
| 15 | Resentment with stock market debut — large one — in part of Turkey (9) |
| GALLIPOLI | |
| GALL (resentment), IPO (stock market debut), L (large), I (one). IPO is jargon for Initial Public Offering aka a stock launch. | |
| 16 | Musical recap, OK or terrible? (4,5) |
| ROCK OPERA | |
| Anagram [terrible] of RECAP OK OR | |
| 18 | Movement of time went quickly with model (7) |
| TRANSIT | |
| T (time), RAN (went quickly), SIT (model) | |
| 19 | Make secret cell beneath church supporting essence of Lent (7) |
| ENCRYPT | |
| {L}EN{t} [essence of…], CRYPT (cell beneath church) | |
| 21 | Friend to declare carry-on (7) |
| PALAVER | |
| PAL (friend), AVER (declare) | |
| 22 | Beginning of solution to stuffy room announced (6) |
| ADVENT | |
| Aural wordplay [announced]: ADVENT / “add vent” (solution to stuffy room) | |
Got to this late in the day, but glad I tackled it as I felt this was a well constructed puzzle. Pretty steady from start to finish really without ever breaking into a gallop. My last two in were 1ac and 1dn. PRICELESS occurred to me as an answer but I couldn’t parse it, so continued to explore other possibilities. Finally I got PYRENEES (even though I had to resist the temptation to put an A in the middle of it), and put PRICELESS in with fingers crossed. On reflection I should really have been able to parse it. These two clues added about three minutes to my time, but I’m happy enough to finish in 41.16.
8ac is very dubious. I would never usually comment but this is absurd. Boron forms covalent bonds, not positive ions. In the very rare cases it can be made to form ionic compounds with an electropositive metal, it will take the form of a negative ion, B-, in, eg, MgB2.
Arcane I know, but this is the Times.
17’56”. I was going to mention the Jam song to show that Pretty Green is an English expression, but Kevin McC beat me to it. Little shout for Hatful of Hollow, album of the Smiths. Great puzzle; surprised Snitch only at 83.
Late to the puzzle today, took 21:42, found it enjoyable.
Thanks Jack and setter
27:02, with ADVENT my LOI.
ION was my favourite clue, notwithstanding the impossible chemistry.
23.59
Late entry so just recording my time. A nonsense HATABLE (horrible when its written out like that) delayed RINGLEADER. NW okay once PRICELESS emerged
27.00.
Seems everyone, including me, thought this was an exceptional puzzle, with the good mix of humour, general knowledge and clever cluing. Well done setter! I’m also happy because the top half of the puzzle fairly flew in (for me!) in under 20 mins; but I then became becalmed in the southern half, struggling for a foothold, until I worked at VINDALOO and STONY-BROKE, which opened it up. Some beauties in here, so too many CODs, but the cup has to go to PRICELESS I think. Btw – DNK IPO nor BALTI, which were my two hold-ups.