Time: 36:02
A backward solve for me, right to left, which I think I found slightly more difficult than the SNITCH currently suggests. Of course, it’s all fair (and understandable now it’s filled), but the setter certainly found several garden paths down which I was more than happy to wander.
P.S. Apologies for the strange avatar. I have no idea where my frog has gone, nor how to change it back.
Definitions underlined.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Peripheral second function (5) |
| MOUSE – MO (moment, second) + USE (function). A peripheral device for a computer. | |
| 4 | Doctor using computer for appearances’ sake? (9) |
| PHOTOSHOP – cryptic definition. | |
| 9 | Mark left after mending a bolt (7) |
| SCARPER – SCAR (mark left after mending) + PER (a). | |
| 10 | Rock carries with top-of-the-range audio equipment (7) |
| TWEETER – TEETER (move unsteadily, rock) containing (carries) W (with). A type of speaker that plays high frequency (top of the range) sounds. | |
| 11 | Record played very recently with a blue note (14) |
| DISCONSOLATELY – DISC (record) + ON (played) + SO (very) + LATELY (recently). | |
| 14 | Knowing Meo cracks on century, pots made with relief (5,4) |
| CAMEO WARE – AWARE (knowing) containing MEO (which MEO cracks), all after (on) C (century). Pottery with patterns in relief for decoration. | |
| 15 | Exhibition with animals was mounted close to zoo (5) |
| RODEO – RODE (was mounted) + last of (close to) zoO. | |
| 16 | Lost articles including Eliot’s earliest letters (2,3) |
| AT SEA – A and A (articles) containing (including) the initials (earliest letters) of Thomas Stearns Eliot (Eliot). | |
| 18 | Driver toying with limits of Audi TT, vroom! (9) |
| MOTIVATOR – anagram of (toying with) the first and last (limits) of AudI, TT, and VROOM. | |
| 21 | Unlikely to go up if nothing but Jack Daniel’s in apartment (5-9) |
| FLAME-RETARDANT – MERE (if nothing but) + TAR (sailor, jack) + DAN (Daniel), all contained by (in) FLAT (apartment). | |
| 23 | Unexpected stress exchanging pound on holiday (7) |
| OFFBEAT – swap the order of (exchanging) BEAT (pound) and OFF (on holiday). | |
| 25 | Present red wine usually after you’ve finished eating fish (7) |
| PORTRAY – PORT (red wine usually after you’ve finished eating) + RAY (fish). | |
| 26 | Pontoon moved over there in case of tide (6-3) |
| TWENTY-ONE – WENT (moved) + YON (over there), all in the outermost letters (case) of TidE. The card game. | |
| 27 | Pass on popular music (5) |
| INDIE – DIE (pass) on IN (popular). | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spymaster would like to be told false identity (4) |
| MASK – M (at MI5, spymaster) + ASK (would like to be told). | |
| 2 | Queen with uniform on that’s dubious decaying material (7) |
| URANIUM – RANI (queen) with the first U (uniform), then UM (that’s dubious). | |
| 3 | Bargain for pontificate? Cough up (11) |
| EXPECTORATE – EXPECT (bargain for) + ORATE (pontificate). | |
| 4 | Notorious school, one governed under pressure, has closed early (7) |
| PIRANHA – I (one) + RAN (governed), all under P (pressure), then HAs without the last letter (closed early). | |
| 5 | Result showing discrepancy? Surely not (7) |
| OUTCOME – OUT (discrepancy) + COME (as in, ‘come on!’, surely not). | |
| 6 | Feel obliged to love The Times? (3) |
| OWE – O (love) + WE (The Times). | |
| 7 | Man likely to go overboard who the admiral has impounded (7) |
| HOTHEAD – hidden in (has impounded) wHO THE ADmiral. | |
| 8 | Do attendees stay with groper on the loose? (10) |
| PARTYGOERS – anagram of (on the loose) STAY with GROPER. | |
| 12 | Roman later achieved success thanks to Parisian spending millions (11) |
| ARRIVEDERCI – ARRIVED (achieved success) + mERCI (Parisian ‘thanks’) missing the ‘m’ (spending millions). Italian for ‘see you later’. | |
| 13 | Facing the Pacific, perhaps on craft one customised (10) |
| OCEANFRONT – anagram of (customised) ON CRAFT ONE. | |
| 17 | Take people into Santa’s workforce to the north? (7) |
| SNAFFLE – ELF FANS (people into Santa’s workforce) reversed (to the north). | |
| 18 | Lively team’s run out great player (7) |
| MAESTRO – anagram of (lively) TEAMS, then RO (run out, cricket scoring). | |
| 19 | Tramp eats mostly ripe bananas (7) |
| TRAIPSE – anagram of (bananas) EATS with most of RIPe. | |
| 20 | Thief’s opening hardened safe in university office (7) |
| TENURED – first letter of (…’s opening) Thief, then ENURED (hardened). | |
| 22 | A little butchery business from behind cowshed (4) |
| BYRE – reverse (from behind) hidden (a little) in butchERY Business. | |
| 24 | American’s scarf warm but not hot (3) |
| EAT – hEAT (warm) minus (but not) the ‘h’ (hot). US slang for eat. | |
Elf fans. Partygoers. Flame Retardandt. Very elegantly done, setter.
Please explain abbreviations :- FOI, LOI and COD. TIA.
See the glossary, linked above.
I just want to see if my avatar will come up.
…
Actually, you could just read the previous reply to you when you asked the same queston, above.
(?!)
And my avatar did come up.
Done on Sunday evening in 28’07”. Some wonderful clues. BARGAIN FOR PONTIFICATE is great. Had to presume SCARF meant EAT because I’d never come across that before. I was a FLAME RESISTANT for a while, but luckily couldn’t parse so kept in back of my mind that I might have to adapt. Good to see an outing for that ghastly corporate jargon usage DRIVER. Many thanks.