Cap’n Corelli in good form, producing a very challenging puzzle with a sting in the tail and a theme. Click ‘read more’ for more details.
Slow, quick slow for me today with the SW proving very tricky at the end. I made a terrible and unnecessary hash of 1ac which slowed things down. I don’t think this will suit newcomers looking for fast completions but will be savoured by the old stagers and those who enjoy a good, chewy solve (unless you happen to strike lucky in a biff fest). I ended up satisfied and quite pleased to have completed in 11 minutes.
Events at 1 and 5 across on Thursday 6th September in the year of the number of this puzzle are referenced in 1dn and 9dn and possibly 11ac.
ACROSS
1. Boxer taking in r-row leading to afters? (7)
PUDDING – boxer (dog – PUG) taking in r-row – a stuttering row (D-DIN). I thought, initially that this was a tough start which I had no hope of without checkers. This was entirely unnecessary. Even when it could be nothing other than pudding, I waited until the blog to understand the clue. I got hopelessly messed up by reading ‘affairs’ rather than ‘afters’ whilst solving. Before I managed to read the clue properly, I had managed to come up with the all-too-flimsy definition ‘leading to affairs?’ referring to what was left in Thomas Farynor’s oven overnight which led to the affairs of the next morning i.e. the great fire of London!
5. Aircraft abandoning its initial path (4)
LANE – initial letter missing from aircraft p(LANE).
7. Prove wrong potato perhaps has been sent back (5)
REBUT – potato is an example of a tuber – backwards=REBUT.
8. Artist in East End district, one using a series of colours (7)
RAINBOW – artist (RA), in East End district (IN BOW).
10. Little jerk not quite recalling quote (3)
TIC – backwards of quote without the last letter e(TIC).
11. Remiss not to initially put on short nightdress (9)
NEGLIGENT – (N)ot (T)o put on the end of nightdress without the last letter (NEGLIGE)e.
13. Minister‘s peculiar circle (6)
CLERIC – anagram (peculiar) of CIRCLE.
14. Old person using their teeth in passing (6)
OBITER – old (O) person using their teeth (BITER). As in obiter dicta – remarks ‘in passing’.
17. The desire of Billy No-Mates? (5,4)
NANNY GOAT – cryptic definition. COD for this delve into the erotic fantasies of a mate-less billy goat.
19. Bird unable to fly, somewhat bemused (3)
EMU – Some of b(EMU)sed.
20. Caught noise from empty tummy finding pudding (7)
CRUMBLE – another pudding reference. Caught (C), noise from empty tummy (RUMBLE).
22. Finish in French in front of Irish politicians (3,2)
END UP – ‘in’ in French (EN), Irish politicians (DUP).
23. Inferno you witness got finally put out (4)
OUST – infern(O) yo(U) witnes(S) go(T).
24. Attempt to swathe girl, in place of skin treatment (7)
TANNERY – attempt (TRY) to swathe girl (ANNE).
DOWN
1. Like fireworks going off in porch etc, around end of day (11)
PYROTECHNIC – anagram (going off) of IN PORCH ETC around da(Y).
2. Disaster when large taxi reverses into river (7)
DEBACLE – as in my misread of 1ac! Large (L) and taxi (CAB) backwards inside river (DEE).
3. Fashionable decades provided unknown boost (9)
INTENSIFY – fashionable (IN) decades (TENS), provided (IF), unknown (Y). Did I tell you about once looking for a birthday present for someone called Justin? Hanging over the new range section was a large sign saying JUST IN.
4. Auto business backing for example a charity event (6)
GARAGE – all backwards of for example (EG), a (A), charity event (RAG).
5. Garland that is left upside down (3)
LEI – this time it’s all upwards (which is backwards) – that is (IE), left (L).
6. Enjoy ballet every so often, being aristocratic (5)
NOBLE – e(N)j(O)y (B)a(L)l(E)t.
9. Wet spray plus short, weird thing needed for firefighting (5,6)
WATER SUPPLY – anagram (weird) of (WET SPRAY PLU)s.
12. Some certain bet we enjoy, amongst other things (2-7)
IN-BETWEEN – some of certa(IN BET WE EN)joy.
15. Related to dance, it gets your feet moving! (7)
TREADLE – anagram (to dance) of RELATED.
16. Dress right for a boy (6)
ROBERT – dress (ROBE), right (RT).
18. Gold in vase turned up in Pacific Island (5)
NAURU – gold (AU) inside URN – turned up (NRU). NHO this tiny dot in the Pacific west of Paula New Guinea and 33 miles south of the equator.
21.Flutter to be in (3)
BAT – double definition. The first eluded me for a long time – to flutter/bat ones eyelashes/lids. To be in, in cricket, is to bat. I so nearly biffed BET but resisted and then stared (with un-batted eyes) at this. I got it via the cricket term yet it still took ages to get the flutter bit.
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