I needed 60 minutes for all but one answer which beat me. A good mix of clues relying perhaps a little too much on insertions, or is my use of the caret sign making me more conscious of this device, I wonder? Following on from my recent milestone of 350 QCs, this is my 750th blog of a Weekday Cryptic.
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 Caret 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 | Staff penning sheep work with knotted rope (7) |
| MACRAME – MAC⁁E (staff) containing [penning] RAM (sheep) | |
| 5 | Marine, excellent in sea, fabulous swimmer (7) |
| MERMAID – RM (Royal Marine) + AI (excellent) contained by [in] ME⁁D (sea) | |
| 9 | Fellow about to lift favourite manipulative performer (9) |
| PUPPETEER – P⁁EER (fellow) containing [about] UP (lift) + PET (favourite) | |
| 10 | Wife’s time in dukedom wasting years (5) |
| DUTCH – T (time) contained by [in] DU⁁CH{y} (dukedom) [wasting years] | |
| 11 | Writer very naughty boy involved in Fourth Estate in France? (13) |
| CHATEAUBRIAND – BRIAN (very naughty boy) contained by [involved in] CHATEAU ⁁ D (Fourth Estate in France). As opposed to Château A, B or C. I think the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian was referenced in a clue here very recently. | |
| 13 | Stubborn alumnus expected to harbour traitor (8) |
| OBDURATE – OB (alumnus – Old Boy), DU⁁E (expected) containing [to harbour] RAT (traitor) | |
| 15 | Repeated phrase from siren, not quiet (6) |
| MANTRA – MANTRA{p} (siren) (not quiet). And at last after 6 clues I don’t have to reach for the caret sign! | |
| 17 | Subtlety one’s sacrificed in trial (6) |
| NUANCE – NU{is}ANCE (trial) [one’s – I’s – sacrificed]. Collins: trial – an annoying or frustrating person or thing. | |
| 19 | Where one batter differs from another for example? (8) |
| INSTANCE – IN STANCE (where one batter differs from another). How they stand at the wicket. | |
| 22 | Pressure to vote here — help win it corruptly (5-4,4) |
| THREE-LINE WHIP – Anagram [corruptly] of HERE HELP WIN IT. Collins: a three-line whip is a situation where the MPs in a political party are ordered to attend parliament and vote in a particular way on a particular issue. | |
| 25 | Enjoyable time when filling sandwich (5) |
| BLAST – AS (when) contained by [filling] BL⁁T (sandwich – bacon, lettuce & tomato). The caret is back on the clipboard! | |
| 26 | Claim fool replaces former partner in strenuous work (9) |
| ASSERTION – (ex)ERTION (strenuous work) becomes ASSERTION when ASS (fool) replaces ex (former partner) | |
| 27 | Goddess missing knight, having no sex games (7) |
| EUTERPE – {n}EUTER (having no sex) [missing knight], PE (games). The Muse of poetry and music. This was the clue that did for me. Euterpe has come up before but I didn’t recognise the name and then struggled to see the wordplay, so I’m not sure I’d ever have solved it without using aids. | |
| 28 | Provoked Scots hooligan was in van around east (7) |
| NEEDLED – NE⁁D (Scots hooligan) + LED (was in van) containing [around] E (east) | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Daughter thrown from motorbike to sulk (4) |
| MOPE – MOPE{d} (motorbike) [daughter – d –thrown] | |
| 2 | Head across pond — caught parrot fish (4,3) |
| CAPE COD – C (caught), APE (parrot), COD (fish). A peninsula in Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. | |
| 3 | Sober group securing reduced payment for venue (5) |
| ARENA – A⁁A (sober group – Alcoholics Anonymous) containing [securing] REN{t} (reduced payment) | |
| 4 | Canines still within limits to explore the ground (8) |
| EYETEETH – YET (still) contained by [within] E⁁E (limits to explore), then anagram [ground] of THE. As in “I’d give my eyeteeth for something or other”. | |
| 5 | Bodies taken here from doctor, loveless rascal (6) |
| MORGUE – MO (doctor), R{o}GUE (rascal) [loveless] | |
| 6 | Communist brute devouring right winger (9) |
| REDBREAST – RED (communist), B⁁EAST (brute) containing [devouring] R (right) | |
| 7 | Pull a vehicle up in race series with Tesla (7) |
| ATTRACT – A, then CAR (vehicle) + T (Tesla) contained by [in] T⁁T (race series) all reversed [up] | |
| 8 | Drained Henry late to mount in action (10) |
| DEHYDRATED – H (Henry), + TARDY (late) reversed [to mount] contained by [in] DE⁁ED (action) | |
| 12 | Cook burned a lot — no square meals here? (5,5) |
| ROUND TABLE – Anagram [cook] of BURNED A LOT | |
| 14 | See revolutionary men box ears regularly (9) |
| ROCHESTER – OR (men) reversed [revolutionary], CHEST (box), E{a}R{s} [regularly]. A cathedral town in Kent. | |
| 16 | Author with Irish name (8) |
| ANDERSEN – AND (with), ERSE (Irish), N (name). Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). | |
| 18 | Treat by reviving old memories of production of Cabaret (7) |
| ABREACT – Anagram [production] of CABARET. Not a word I knew so I need all the checkers before I was able to unravel it. I think only its derivative ‘abreaction’ has appeared here before. | |
| 20 | French milk double entendre recalled about marriage (7) |
| NUPTIAL – LAIT (French milk) + PUN (double entendre) reversed [recalled] | |
| 21 | Harry Maguire leaving United an illusion (6) |
| MIRAGE – Anagram [harry] of MAG{u}IRE [leaving United] | |
| 23 | Crowd in road earth mover crosses (5) |
| HORDE – HO⁁E (earth mover) contains [crosses] RD (road) | |
| 24 | Muslim festival involving new Celtic goddess (4) |
| ENID – E⁁ID (Muslim festival) containing [involving] N (new) | |
Also stumped by EUTERPE and ABREACT! You learn something new every day.
A good puzzle otherwise – thanks again to setter and to blogger for the explanations.
21.14
Catching up on holiday and very much enjoyed this though maybe a little under my WITCH. Thanks setter and Jackkt both for the blog and the incredible and much valued dedication over the years.