Hi all. I don’t do many Times biggies, but I don’t think I’ve done any faster than this. 1214, and that included at least a minute of trying to make 17d a word I knew. In the end I just had to put my trust in the wordplay. I might have hoped for something meatier for my final cover of the main crossword for Ulaca, but I’m rather frazzled today so this was most welcome. I liked 3d best. Thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Visual operation leading to muscle problem (5) |
| OPTIC — OP (operation) + TIC (muscle problem) | |
| 4a | Supreme lover, mostly not lacking love (9) |
| PARAMOUNT — PARAMOUr (lover), mostly + N[o]T lacking O (love) | |
| 9a | Favourite part I am hesitating to go after — it requires refinement (9) |
| PETROLEUM — PET (favourite) + ROLE (part) with UM (I am hesitating) following (to go after) | |
| 10a | Green local is dropping temperature (5) |
| NAIVE — NA[t]IVE (local) is dropping T (temperature) | |
| 11a | Sadly I’m too abusive around Republican and too power-hungry (13) |
| OVERAMBITIOUS — An anagram of (sadly) I’M TOO ABUSIVE around R (Republican) | |
| 14a | Transported convict finally after criminal charge (4) |
| RAPT — The last letter of (… finally) convicT after RAP (criminal charge) | |
| 15a | Lack of development in deer country (10) |
| STAGNATION — STAG (deer) + NATION (country) | |
| 18a | Girl beginning to panic with mum or dad not visible (10) |
| UNAPPARENT — UNA (girl) + the first letter of (beginning to) Panic + PARENT (mum or dad) | |
| 19a | Old queen achieved nought (4) |
| DIDO — DID (achieved) + O (nought) | |
| 21a | Man weary again cooking for a number at Christmas (4,2,1,6) |
| AWAY IN A MANGER — MAN WEARY AGAIN anagrammed (cooking) | |
| 24a | Greetings letter from abroad with ring for papa (5) |
| ALOHA — AL[p]HA (letter from abroad) with O (ring) substituted for P (papa) | |
| 25a | Where army hopes to gain land beforehand (2,7) |
| IN ADVANCE — An army would be aiming to gain land IN (an) ADVANCE | |
| 27a | Top universities where climber gets some distance? (3,6) |
| IVY LEAGUE — IVY (climber) + LEAGUE (some distance) | |
| 28a | Meet right partner (5) |
| RALLY — R (right) + ALLY (partner) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Disgrace for one in Birmingham pursuing work (10) |
| OPPROBRIUM — PRO (for) + I (one) in BRUM (Birmingham), all following (pursuing) OP (work) | |
| 2d | Young child’s to do addition (3) |
| TOT — Double definition | |
| 3d | Church vocal could be so? (6) |
| CHORAL — CH (church) + ORAL (vocal) | |
| 4d | Berry pest affected elder (9) |
| PRESBYTER — BERRY PEST anagrammed (affected) | |
| 5d | Perhaps watch over what committee is asked to do (5) |
| REMIT — TIMER (perhaps watch) reversed (over) | |
| 6d | Mum and gran holding cat as their husbands talk (3-2-3) |
| MAN-TO-MAN — MA (mum) and NAN (gran) holding TOM (cat) | |
| 7d | Rather dull middle of June at home — I got shut in well (11) |
| UNINSPIRING — The middle of jUNe + IN (at home) + I, which has got shut in SPRING (well) | |
| 8d | Trace missing account on unknown dinosaur (1,3) |
| T REX — TR[ac]E missing AC (account) + X (unknown) | |
| 12d | Describing former scheme by a politician (11) |
| EXPLANATORY — EX (former) + PLAN (scheme) + A + TORY (politician) | |
| 13d | What’s shown by drunken noisy English Brit? (10) |
| INSOBRIETY — An anagram of (drunken) NOISY E (English) BRIT | |
| 16d | Friend caught in trap with crack in brash pub (3,6) |
| GIN PALACE — PAL (friend) caught in GIN (trap) with ACE (crack) | |
| 17d | Programme taking a long time for no new benefit (8) |
| APPANAGE — APP (programme) + AN AGE (a long time). The “no new” refers to this being a historical term, but of the dictionaries I checked only the ODE explicitly marks it as such: | |
| historical a provision made for the maintenance of the younger children of kings and princes, consisting of a gift of land, an official position, or money | |
| archaic a benefit or right belonging to someone; a perquisite: the appanages of her rank | |
| 20d | One putting money aside to import large item of silver (6) |
| SALVER — SAVER (one putting money aside) taking in (to import) L (large) | |
| 22d | What sometimes follows royal decoration (5) |
| ICING — This can follow royal to give royal ICING | |
| 23d | Queen entering for an investiture (4) |
| RANI — The answer is inside (entering) foR AN Investiture | |
| 26d | Heather’s endlessly head over heels in love (3) |
| NIL — LINg (heather) without the last letter (endlessly) reversed (head over heels) | |
Thanks to blogger and solver. Yes, suitably Mondayish, but very nicely crafted surfaces. Appanage I put in with a mental ???, but I’d met it in French where it’s possibly more frequent
25:49. I struggled a bit with this – more than others it seems. PRESBYTER and INSOBRIETY were two hard anagrams. and, of course, DNK APPENAGE and I was not confident with the wordplay as “a long time” could have been A L (long) AGE (time) or AN AGE. I plumped for the right one but it was most definitely a plump. Congratulations to all the speedy solvers today
10:57, coo-err Mrs. Would’ve been sub ten had it not been for you-know-what. Thanks Kitty!
10.50 so I guess this is not high on the snitch. Still nice to get an easier puzzle though it won’t lull me into a false sense of adequacy.
Thanks setter and blogger.
I strolled through this steadily and easily, and was so surprised at my fast time and no necessity to look anything up! Left APPANAGE with one P short ( didn’t notice), but otherwise all correct. Lightweights like me need this confidence boost occasionally! ( oddly, had given out that DIDO clue to my crossword class for homework this week !)