Solving time: 26 minutes
Mostly straightforward although I have a query at 1ac.
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 | Post spy outside English royal house (11) |
| PLANTAGENET | |
| PLANT (post), AGENT (spy) containing [outside] E (English). The line of English kings from Henry II (1154) to the death of Richard III (1485). Now that I’ve come to write the blog I can’t think of an example where ‘post’ and ‘plant’ are interchangeable. Can anyone help me out please? | |
| 7 | Nip backwards and forwards serving fizzy drink (3) |
| POP | |
| POP (nip) either way [backwards and forwards]. One nips / pops into or out of places. | |
| 9 | Tailored thing you and I regularly assume at first when retiring (9) |
| NIGHTWEAR | |
| Anagram [tailored] of THING, WE (you and I) then R{egularly} + A{ssume} [at first] reversed [when retiring]. &lit. | |
| 10 | Headland backing on east German city (5) |
| ESSEN | |
| E (east), NESS (headland) reversed [backing] | |
| 11 | Ideal article on posh tropical headgear (7) |
| UTOPIAN | |
| U (posh), TOPI (tropical headgear), AN (article). The helmet gets a mention in Noël Coward’s song Mad Dogs and Englishmen. | |
| 12 | Diabolical cast in a play (7) |
| SATANIC | |
| Anagram [play] of CAST IN A | |
| 13 | Buccaneer finally turned libertine (5) |
| DRAKE | |
| {trune}D [finally], RAKE (libertine). I thought he was supposed to be a hero but perhaps it depends on one’s point of view and such ideas are unfashionable these days. | |
| 15 | A new piece of advice regarding hors d’oeuvre (9) |
| ANTIPASTO | |
| A, N (new), TIP (piece of advice), AS TO (regarding) | |
| 17 | Wide boy in poem always after tennis equipment (9) |
| RACKETEER | |
| RACKET (tennis equipment), E’ER (in poem ‘always’) | |
| 19 | Silence about limits of unusual prison (5) |
| GULAG | |
| GAG (silence) containing [about] U{nusua}L [limits of…] | |
| 20 | Child in game extremely curious about boxer’s slanting script (7) |
| ITALICS | |
| IT (child in game) + C{uriou}S [extremely] containing [about] ALI (boxer). In a game of tag, ‘It’ is the child whose turn it is to chase and try to touch another. | |
| 22 | Key singers upset following lines using celebs only (3-4) |
| ALL-STAR | |
| A (key), L+L (lines), then RATS (singers – informers) reversed [upset] | |
| 24 | African country reflecting about mother’s ruin (5) |
| NIGER | |
| RE (about) + GIN (mother’s ruin) reversed [reflecting] | |
| 25 | Like protective layer originally required to stop widespread disease (9) |
| EPIDERMIC | |
| R{equired} [originally] contained by [to stop] EPIDEMIC (widespread disease). Referring to a protective layer of skin or tissue. | |
| 27 | Pulse ideally occurring at periodic intervals (3) |
| DAL | |
| {i}D{e}A{l}L{y} [occurring at periodic intervals] | |
| 28 | Acerbic representation of Maori cousin (11) |
| ACRIMONIOUS | |
| Anagram [re-presentation] of MAORI COUSIN | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Time to abandon bet? That’s a joke (3) |
| PUN | |
| PUN{t} (bet) [time to abandon] | |
| 2 | Trouble in the past overwhelming centre of Zagreb (5) |
| AGGRO | |
| AGO (in the past] containing [overwhelming] {Za}GR{eb} [centre of…] | |
| 3 | Birds ultimately flaunt it over rodents (7) |
| TITMICE | |
| {flaun}T [ultimately], IT, MICE (rodents) | |
| 4 | Good to get involved again: it should bear fruit (9) |
| GREENGAGE | |
| G (good), RE-ENGAGE (get involved again) | |
| 5 | Scandinavian goddesses, and not Poles (5) |
| NORNS | |
| NOR (and not), N+S (Poles). Three virgin goddesses of fate, who predestine the lives of gods and humans. | |
| 6 | Support premier accepting Republican crown (7) |
| TREETOP | |
| TEE (support) + TOP (premier) containing [accepting] R (Republican) | |
| 7 | So a plant’s unexpectedly situated behind a hooter (9) |
| POSTNASAL | |
| Anagram [unexpectedly] of SO A PLANT’S. ‘Hooter’ is slang for the nose. According to SOED this dates from the mid 20th century and I wonder if it was coined by Galton & Simpson in the 1950s when they started writing for Tony Hancock, as that’s where I first heard it. |
|
| 8 | Spreader of alarm, one who sells grass? (11) |
| PANICMONGER | |
| PANIC (grass), MONGER (one who sells). ‘Panic grass’ is something I know only from crosswords. | |
| 11 | Subscriber runs in without a plan? (11) |
| UNDERSIGNED | |
| R (runs) contained by [in] UNDESIGNED (without a plan). ‘Subscriber’ as a signatory to a document. | |
| 14 | A modification accepted by both sides in Russian port (9) |
| ARCHANGEL | |
| A, then CHANGE (modification) contained [accepted] by R + L (both sides) | |
| 16 | Soak up air circulating in strange animal enclosure (9) |
| TERRARIUM | |
| RET (soak in liquid) reversed [up], then anagram [circulating] of AIR contained by [in] RUM (strange) | |
| 18 | European king in ceremony connected to American state (7) |
| ERITREA | |
| E (European), then R (king) contained by [in] RITE (ceremony), A (American) | |
| 19 | Sailing ship in strong wind about to cross lake (7) |
| GALLEON | |
| GALE (strong wind) + ON (about) containing [to cross] L (lake) | |
| 21 | Direct course of ox, perhaps (5) |
| STEER | |
| Two meanings | |
| 23 | Encountered going north, work up speed (5) |
| TEMPO | |
| MET (reversed) [going north}, then OP (work) reversed [up] | |
| 26 | Healthy food: price reduced by 25 per cent (3) |
| COS | |
| COS{t} (price) [reduced by 25 per cent]. Lettuce. | |
24 minutes, so extremely easy, but still a lot of fun. No real problems, though I wasn’t sure about equating PANIC with grass and I needed the wordplay for the NORNS.
Being a buccaneer and a hero are not mutually exclusive. Privateering was perfectly legal and buccaneers were privateers.
Drake was a primarily a privateer, with an especially deep antipathy towards the Spanish. Military campaigns of the era were primarily designed to plunder the resources of the opponent. In this respect his exploits under Letters of Marque brought great riches to the Elizabethan treasury as well as himself. It’s why he was given a knighthood in 1581-long before the episode of the Spanish Armada.
24:45 including correcting TERRARIUM (NHO RET=soak) and bunging UNDERpInNED in unparsed at the end. NHO NORNS, EPIDERMIC, POSTNASAL. Had PEA “PulsE ideAlly” instead of DAL for a while but the def is doing double duty and I reconsidered when the Russian port couldn’t involve Odessa.
I was put off trying this yesterday because I read Jack’s description on the front page which said something about a query on 1A. But when I took a look at SNITCH today it seemed like it would be doable. Irony of finding that I could bif PLANTAGENET after I’d done my first readthrough because all the roads in my area are names from that historical period including it.
15.29 After a busy week I’ve only just had a chance to look at this. I wouldn’t normally bother posting this long after the event but I’m very pleased with the time. Probably my third quickest. TERRARIUM and UNDERSIGNED held me up at the end. Ret and panic were new. Thanks Jack for explaining.
Thought I was getting better at this because of filling in the top half very quickly – then got stuck in the middle with GULAG (was thinking silence as a noun, D’Oh !). Saw that top half of 8d had to be PANIC, but had no idea about ?O?G?R, not having heard of that meaning of grass. Started to speed up again with the middle clues being write-in, but had to convince myself that EPIDEMMIC was correct ( not heard of EPIDERMIC, but should have…only big hold-up was UNDERSIGNED, where I was looking for a meaning for “without a plan” (DDouble-D’oh) Fun crossword.