Well, that was fun. I got started in the NE corner, and finished in the SW. There was a scattering of words I had to look up post solve, but nothing to stop one finishing. Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle. How did you get on?
Notes for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is posted a week later, after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on the current Saturday Cryptic.
Clues are blue, with definitions underlined. Deletions are in {curly brackets}.
Across | |
1 | One engaged in the actual job of abstraction (8) |
THIEVERY – THE VERY = the actual. Insert I=one. | |
5 | Familiar feeling from Dave broadcast around July 1st and 2nd (4,2) |
DÉJÀ VU – anagram (broadcast) of DAVE + J (1st letter of July) + U (2nd letter of July). | |
10 | After day you limit, then direct, when capacity’s reached (10,5) |
SATURATION POINT – SAT=the day Saturday, U=you, phonetically, RATION=limit, POINT=direct. | |
11 | A couple of ways around organ (7) |
ADRENAL – A (literally), then LANE + RD ‘around’. The answer looks like an adjective, but can also be a noun as implied by the definition. | |
12 | A good set of drinks on the rocks? (7) |
AGROUND – A (literally, again), G=good, ROUND=set of drinks. | |
13 | To arrange golf in African port is ultimately inane (8) |
ORGANISE – ORAN is a port in Algeria. Insert G=good. Append IS, |
|
15 | Replace whistle-blower linked to PCs etc (5) |
REFIT – REF=whistleblower, as usual. IT=linked to PCs, etc. | |
18 | Father Ted mislays last new communion plate (5) |
PATEN – PA=father, TE |
|
20 | Bordeaux perhaps ultimately good with a convenience food (8) |
VINDALOO – VIN=wine=Bordeaux, perhaps. D= |
|
23 | Hammer business graduate in final (7) |
LAMBAST – LAST=final. Insert MBA. | |
25 | Authorise small space for printer before heading (7) |
ENTITLE – you know you’ve been doing too many crosswords when you think of EN=small space before TITLE=heading! | |
26 | Quiet priest flogging crucifix blocks safe urban route (7,8) |
PELICAN CROSSING – P=quiet, ELI=the usual priest, CANING=flogging. Let that all be blocked by CROSS=crucifix. | |
27 | Nice chap put back son’s departure (6) |
EGRESS – regular solvers will see “Nice” positioned at the start of a clue to disguise why it has a capital N, and think “France”. The French chap turns out to be SERGE. Write him backwards, and add S for son. I finally got this from definition, not wordplay, of course.
I also can’t confirm that ‘Serge’ is a particularly French name. There was of course the singer, Serge Gainsbourg, but I discover he changed his name from Lucien to Serge to be more representative of his Russian background! |
|
28 | Old king and Queen embodying superior majesty (8) |
GRANDEUR – GR=old King George, AND (literally), ER=the current queen, ‘embodying’ U=superior. |
Down | |
1 | Italian aunt arranged to go round small capitals (6) |
TUSCAN – anagram of AUNT (arranged), going round SC=small capitals. Not an abbreviation I ever remember using, but you can see that it might well be useful if you’re in the printing business. | |
2 | Gloss is an essential component for painter, prettifying (9) |
INTERPRET – hidden answer.! | |
3 | Museum of London houses royal gallery (7) |
VERANDA – the V & A gets spelled out as V AND A, and ‘houses’ ER. | |
4 | Republican took in large mustelid (5) |
RATEL – R=Republican, ATE=took in, L=large. If you want to know, the Mustelidae are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks, and wolverines, among others. I looked it up for you! | |
6 | Theatre in his city backed Caesar for one (7) |
EMPEROR – REP in ROME, all ‘backed’. | |
7 | Gold-plated stamp, the last word for some (5) |
ADIEU – DIE=stamp, plated with AU. | |
8 | Put out duck with fruit that’s fresh (2-2-4) |
UP-TO-DATE – anagram of PUT (out), then O=duck, DATE=fruit. | |
9 | Hospital nursing old online dealer raised pulse (4,4) |
SOYA BEAN – SAN=hospital, ‘nursing’ O + EBAY backwards. | |
14 | Modern sextet can, with a grand — being seductive (8) |
INVITING – IN=modern, VI=sextet, TIN=can, G=a grand. | |
16 | Scott’s problem? Dashing to be first (9) |
FROSTBITE – anagram of TO BE FIRST, (dashing). | |
17 | Perfect tricky bed arrangement (5-3) |
APPLE-PIE – double definition, the second relating to a schoolboy prank. | |
19 | Fine differences one’s not seen in pests (7) |
NUANCES – NU |
|
21 | Arthur is an excellent worker with his hands (7) |
ARTISAN – ART IS AN. | |
22 | Pub welcomes nit, one with cap in hand? (6) |
BEGGAR – EGG in BAR. | |
24 | It grinds, moving only left and right at first (5) |
MOLAR – spelled out by first letters. | |
25 | Slip and panic, having wasted time (5) |
ERROR – |
FOI DEJA VU
LOI EGRESS
COD VINDALOO
TIME 11:15
Edited at 2021-03-13 03:08 pm (UTC)
In 11ac I’m still dubious about ADRENAL equalling ‘organ’ but I’ll take you word for it, Bruce.
And I am also dubious about ‘gloss’ equalling interpret.
Thanks for explaining APPLE PIE. I was having difficulty seeing how ‘tricky’ was involved.
THIEVERY and SOYA BEAN were very good but my COD was VERANDA.
As I spent 60 years as a Catholic I had no problem with PATEN.
16d was a good hidden anagram, I thought, but I have an aversion to those silly little printing terms like EN.
As for SERGE, the French rugby team once had a terrific full back called SERGE Blanco.
As to the vocabulary, Chambers has
adrenal /ə-drēˈnəl/ adjective
…
noun
An adrenal gland
and
gloss2 /glos/
noun
An explanation given in a margin or between lines, eg of an obscure or unusual word
A deceptive or intentionally misleading explanation
A collection of explanations of words, a glossary
transitive verb
To give a gloss on
To explain away
intransitive verb
To comment or make explanatory remarks
Edited at 2021-03-13 07:35 am (UTC)
I had gloss as a verb; but that’s my usage, might not be in the dictionaries.
(Without reading the allegation … of course!)
List_of_notable_people_with_given_name_S
To our bloggers. I just want to say
A massive thank-you
For the work that you do
You really do brighten our day.
In a second session I finally cracked the NW. Wondered whether ADRENAL could be a noun. Once I saw the hidden INTERPET I wondered what happened to the -ETATION bit to mean Gloss, but hey ho.
LOI was THIEVERY after another 30 minutes or so.
Enjoyed this overall. COD to VERANDA.
David
Presumably we can expect Amazon and Rakuten to appear soon to balance the appearance of Ebay.
To try to settle the matter I looked Serge up in the list in an old edition of Chambers. But nothing, under either Serge or Sergei.