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. | |