Quite mentally tired from working on math homework for several hours, I decided to stream myself solving here (https://www.twitch.tv/plusjeremy) to force myself awake. Just before 29 minutes, I had a guess for the last answer, but it looked absurd. I then proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes trying every other possibility, before finally looking up the answer, only to discover that my first guess was right.
| Across | |
| 1 | Heard private detective cry out for Magnum? (3,5) |
| ICE CREAM – homophone of EYE SCREAM
We have Magnum bars here. Nice surface. |
|
| 5 | Caught tenor playing musical instrument (6) |
| CORNET – anagram of C TENOR | |
| 9 | Crafts turning north, back around port (9) |
| STRANRAER – ARTS reversed + N + REAR reversed
Infuriating. |
|
| 11 | Pupil that displeases me with low grades (5) |
| TUTEE – TUT + E + E | |
| 12 | Crush Charlie and speed inside school (7) |
| SCRUNCH – C + RUN in SCH | |
| 13 | Parts of service briefly show successful periods (7) |
| TEACUPS – TEAC{h} + UPS | |
| 14 | One facilitating temporary connections in current affairs? (9,4) |
| CROCODILE CLIP – cryptic definition
I think we call these alligator clips here. Points to me for getting this despite being an American. |
|
| 16 | Following pressure, virile boy hit out in a forbidding way? (13) |
| PROHIBITIVELY – P + anagram of VIRILE BOY HIT | |
| 20 | Press dismissed resolve (4,3) |
| IRON OUT – IRON + OUT | |
| 21 | Dog wearing smile, not inclined toward being recalled (7) |
| GRIFFON – OFF (not inclined toward) reversed, in GRIN | |
| 23 | Heads off idle remarks about quotes in Arabic dialect (5) |
| IRAQI – first letters of IDLE REMARKS ABOUT QUOTES | |
| 24 | Din, daily one, semi-uncertain (9) |
| CHARIVARI – CHAR + I + VARI{able}
More points. |
|
| 25 | Attempt to keep close in (6) |
| TRENDY – TRY around END | |
| 26 | British, with the exception of Times readers, comment on expulsion? (5,3) |
| BLESS YOU – B + LESS YOU (with the exception of Times readers) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Forcefully demand where publicity should go to expose sadist (6) |
| INSIST – AD goes “in SIST” to make SADIST | |
| 2 | Dropping cover, tearaways blunder (5) |
| ERROR – {t}ERROR{s} (tearaways) | |
| 3 | Meet in Turin on base (3,4) |
| RUN INTO – anagram (base) of TURIN ON | |
| 4 | Article Cambridge’s lead historian possibly carbon dated wrongly (13) |
| ANACHRONISTIC – AN + anagram of C{ambridge} HISTORIAN + C | |
| 6 | Indignation of Republican consumed by loss of power? (7) |
| OUTRAGE – R in OUTAGE | |
| 7 | Innocent outing ruined — this’ll upset everybody, ultimately (3,6) |
| NOT GUILTY – anagram of OUTING + last letters of THIS’LL UPSET EVERYBODY | |
| 8 | Believer in divine wisdom hopes to fake death at the end (8) |
| THEOSOPH – anagram of HOPES TO + {deat}H | |
| 10 | Means to hold up a bank? (9,4) |
| RETAINING WALL – cryptic definition | |
| 14 | Brown bird eating nuts thrown over fence at the back (9) |
| CHOCOLATE – CHAT around LOCO reversed + {fenc}E | |
| 15 | One’s positive Tim’s wearing cycling top (8) |
| OPTIMIST – TIM IS in TOP, with letters cycled | |
| 17 | Setter strove to get hold of gold supplied with teeth (7) |
| IVORIED – I VIED around OR | |
| 18 | Draws forth a lot of criticism about supporting priest (7) |
| ELICITS – STIC{k} reversed under ELI | |
| 19 | Fashionable model joins university, occupying appropriate position (2,4) |
| IN SITU – IN + SIT + U | |
| 22 | Stupid criticism — end of story (5) |
| FLAKY – FLAK + {stor}Y | |
In trying to save time I put in unparsed GRIFFIN, d’oh.
Didn’t like TEACUPS, but it was part of a service, so it had to go in.
In spite of the fact that I KNOW when I can’t get a clue i have to start from the other end, i failed to get teacups! And Charivari, was trying to get semi into the answer! Very good time tho! Thanks Carolyn
Failed on the CHARIVARI FLAKY intersection. I had Chariesmi and Fussy. I don’t understand FLAKY being a synonym of stupid. I hope to remember CHARIVARI for future crosswords.
Thanks Jeremy and setter
Whisper it gently, but I thought this was um. . .rather good?
But don’t tell anyone else I said that. I’ll deny it. I wouldn’t want to be thought of as suddenly going all soft.