My solve was interrupted more than once and I lost track of time. I struggled through some of it so I doubt that I came home in under an hour.
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 now use a tilde sign ~ to indicate an insertion point in containment clues. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Extremely nervous cricketers approaching ton (8) |
| WINDIEST – WINDIES (cricketers – West Indies), T (ton) | |
| 5 | Old flame giving up nothing for one who wanted more (6) |
| OLIVER – O (old), then LOVER (flame) becomes LIVER when giving up nothing (0) for one (I). Oliver Twist famously asked for more, and the same reference came up in a QC clue last Wednesday. | |
| 9 | Man unleashing tackles, essentially to shock winger (8) |
| NIGHTJAR – {k}NIGHT (man – chess piece) [unleashing tackles, essentially], JAR (shock). Winger as in bird. | |
| 10 | Cold vermouth, full-flavoured but short of lemon (6) |
| CITRIC – C (cold), IT (vermouth – Italian), RIC{h} (full-flavoured) [short]. ‘Gin and It’ was very fashionable back in the day and may still be for all I know. | |
| 12 | Might one find fish fresher in Billingsgate Market? (5) |
| OTTER -Aural wordplay [in Billingsgate Market – cockney indicator): {h}OTTER (fresher). Otters eat fish. Billingsgate is a fish market in the City of London. | |
| 13 | Enduring evening of poetry, run into extreme bores (9) |
| EVERGREEN – R (run) contained by [into] VERG~E (extreme), is all contained by [bores] E~EN (evening, of poetry] | |
| 14 | I, for one, spread normal manure (5,7) |
| ROMAN NUMERAL – Anagram [spread] of NORMAL MANURE. The first of several definitions by example in this grid. |
|
| 18 | Being Frank Spencer, maybe handling spanner calamitously (12) |
| TRANSPARENCY – TRA~CY (Spencer, maybe – another DBE) containing [handling] anagram [calamitously] of SPANNER. For the surface, Frank Spencer was a hapless character played by Michael Crawford in a TV sitcom I can’t bring myself to name. | |
| 21 | Driving away, individual avoided reversing fast (9) |
| REPELLENT – LEPER (individual avoided) [reversing], LENT (fast) | |
| 23 | Race diary is periodically quiet (5) |
| IRISH – {d}I{a}T{y} I{s} [periodically] SH (quiet) | |
| 24 | Artisan wine and beer finally introduced by supermarket (6) |
| COOPER – CO-OP (supermarket), {win}E + [bee}R [finally] | |
| 25 | Contradictory beliefs present opposing views lacking focus (8) |
| HERESIES – HERE (present), SI{d}ES (opposing views) [lacking focus – i.e. the central letter of ‘sides’, D]. I took forever to work out the parsing of the second part whilst writing the blog. | |
| 26 | Faced with series of games, support Chesterfield? (6) |
| SETTEE – SET (series of games – tennis), TEE (support – golf) | |
| 27 | Component of plastic heel, new yet needing repair (8) |
| ETHYLENE -Anagram [needing repair] of HEEL YET N (new) | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Opening batting, Cook parts with wickets (6) |
| WINDOW – IN (batting) + DO (cook) is contained by [parts] W (with) ~ W (wickets) | |
| 2 | Deny entry to bear regularly seen around (6) |
| NEGATE – {s}E{e}N [regularly] reversed [around], GATE (entry). ‘To bear’ indicates position in this Down clue. | |
| 3 | Domestic scenes at home, rioters upset (9) |
| INTERIORS – IN (at home), anagram [upset] of RIOTERS | |
| 4 | Contrived French artist about to install magenta bust (5-7) |
| STAGE-MANAGED – DEGA~S (French artist) reversed [about] containing [to install] anagram [bust] of MAGENTA | |
| 6 | Whitefly in greenhouse to some extent remaining (5) |
| LYING – Hidden in [to some extent] {Whitef}LY IN G{reenhouse} | |
| 7 | Plucky Dublin broadcaster cycled back, partly (8) |
| VERTEBRA – BRA/VE (plucky) + RTE (Dublin broadcaster) is ‘cycled’ to give us VERTEBRA. It’s the Irish public service broadcaster. | |
| 8 | Money deposited in bank just yesterday? (8) |
| RECENTLY – CENT (money) contained by [deposited in] RELY (bank) | |
| 11 | Funds put back into business to check kit for office? (12) |
| REINVESTMENT – REIN (check), VESTMENT (kit for office – clothing worn by some members of the priesthood) | |
| 15 | Plant, contrary woman planted across ridge (9) |
| MACHINERY – MA~RY (contrary woman in a nursery rhyme), contains [planted across] CHINE (ridge). I only knew chine as a cut of meat but it’s also a mountain ridge. | |
| 16 | Proclaim a booklet’s charms (8) |
| ATTRACTS – Aural wordplay [proclaim]: “A tract’s” (booklet’s) | |
| 17 | Pillar of the community highlighting hit job (8) |
| LAMPPOST – LAMP (hit), POST (job). Best definition of the day! | |
| 19 | Setter cracking grin, beaming like a Cheshire cat? (6) |
| SIMILE – I (setter) contained by [cracking] S~MILE (grin). By example again. | |
| 20 | Pure Charlie? It’s superior to speed (6) |
| CHASTE – C (Charlie), HASTE (speed). ‘Superior’ indicates posiiton. | |
| 22 | City under feudal tenure (5) |
| LIEGE – two meanings. Liege – of or relating to the relationship between liege lord and liegeman in feudal times. | |
I didn’t twig why “Windies” are cricketers nor could I parse NIGHTJAR, distracted by the presence of anagrist for NIGHT in the middle of “unleashing tackles”…! D’oh! Took the Irish broadcaster on faith.
Really enjoyed this one with its well hidden literals.
Was I the only one to try ‘wickiest’ at 1 across?
Probably.
37:55
A real struggle and I ended up failing on VERTEBRA so a CNF in about 46. I got lucky with several where the cryptic eluded me totally, like NIGHTJAR and EVERGREEN, but was pleased to get THAT French painter (they usually start with M) and finally twig who the cricketers were. Didn’t know that meaning of WINDIEST, nor that hot = fresh, and the only chine I’ve heard of relates to the hull of a boat. Thank you Jack, not an easy day.
From Blind Willie McTell:
Well God is in his heaven, and we all want what’s his
But power and greed, and corruptible seed, seem to be all that there is
And I’m gazing out the WINDOW, of the St James hotel
And I know no-one can sing the blues like
Blind Willie McTell
55:05. Tough for Tuesday, but made more difficult by doing it in the middle of the night. LOI a BIFD VERTEBRA. For MACHINERY, I knew the meat meaning of chine (more vertebrae) but I also know a chine as a ravine – the opposite of a ridge. There are some on the south coast near Bournemouth. I liked STAGE-MANAGED and WINDOW