Mid-difficulty for me. The biggest challenges were the two 11-letter answers in the middle of the grid, so much so that I ended up working around them until the very end of the solve. Lots of classy stuff here to enjoy – hope you did. My COD to 8dn for a much-needed original anagrind.
Definitions underlined.
Across | |
1 | Minister’s previous tour oddly cancelled (6) |
PASTOR – PAST (previous) and even letters from (oddly cancelled) tOuR. | |
4 | Very little reworking of models (6) |
SELDOM – anagram (reworking) of MODELS. | |
9 | Generous sprinkling of Braille (7) |
LIBERAL – anagram (sprinkling) of BRAILLE. | |
10 | Regularly concerned with all the Commandments, perhaps (5) |
OFTEN – OF (concerned with) and TEN (all of the Commandments, perhaps). | |
11 | Red scarcely seen (4) |
RARE – double definition. | |
12 | As bell sounding, fight! (4-4) |
DING-DONG – double definition. | |
14 | GP innovates, after redesigning flag (6,5) |
PAVING STONE – anagram of (after redesigning) GP INNOVATES. | |
18 | Last metal: it gets processed after uranium (8) |
ULTIMATE – anagram of (gets processed) METAL IT, after U (uranium). | |
20 | Bread head! (4) |
LOAF – double defintion. | |
22 | Stage yet to be erected, back to front (3,2) |
PUT ON – NOT UP (yet to be erected) reversed (back to front). | |
23 | Turn very morose in the end after sweetheart returns (7) |
REVOLVE – V (very) and the last letter of (in the end) morosE, after LOVER (sweetheart) reversed (returns). | |
24 | Shoot messenger (6) |
RUNNER – double definition. | |
25 | Times editor removed (6) |
ERASED – ERAS (times) and ED (editor). |
Down | |
1 | Little buddy with taste (6) |
PALTRY – PAL (buddy) and TRY (taste). | |
2 | Southern peninsula in part of modern Russia (7) |
SIBERIA – S (southern) and IBERIA (peninsula). | |
3 | Seen in fog, really hideous monster (4) |
OGRE – hidden in (seen in) fOG REally. | |
5 | Stretch out with a gentle novel about love (8) |
ELONGATE – anagram of (novel) A GENTLE, containing (about) O (love). | |
6 | The same part of depot tidied up (5) |
DITTO – hidden in (part of) depOT TIDied reversed (up). | |
7 | Bloke has time for run (6) |
MANAGE – MAN (bloke) and AGE (time). | |
8 | Initial success as gnat, firstly, squished (6,5) |
FLYING START – anagram of (squished) GNAT FIRSTLY. Love it – without the mental image of a squashed fly, this anagram indicator wouldn’t work nearly as well. | |
13 | I am into Italian writer — sparkling stuff (8) |
DIAMANTE – I AM contained by (into) DANTE (Italian writer). | |
15 | Far Eastern food, loads under chin in the end (7) |
NOODLES – OODLES (loads) after (under) the last letter of (in the end) chiN. | |
16 | Top flea, perhaps? (6) |
JUMPER – double definition. | |
17 | Upset with rotten conclusion (6) |
OFFEND – OFF (rotten) and END (conclusion). | |
19 | Colossus: it appears in bronze (5) |
TITAN – IT contained by (appears in) TAN (bronze). | |
21 | Part of cricket match finished (4) |
OVER – double definition. |
I never did parse DITTO as I had intended to return to it but forgot. For a while I had PUT UP at 22ac so that needed to be corrected, and then with the N-checker in place I was convinced that 13dn had to be SPUMANTE (Italian for ‘sparkling’) which messed up the unravelling of the anagram at 14ac.
So this was pretty much an all-round disaster for an experienced solver.
Edited at 2021-06-30 05:15 am (UTC)
So goodness knows.
Finished with an alphabet trawl for PALTRY, which was made more complicated by thinking I was looking for a synonym for taste. Crossed the line in 13.07.
Thanks to william and to Mara for the workout.
FOI: 11a. RARE
LOI: 13d. DIAMANTE
Time to Complete: 50 minutes
Clues Answered Correctly without aids: 19
Clues Answered with Aids: 7
Clues Unanswered: Nil
Wrong Answers: Nil
Total Correctly Answered (incl. aids): 26/26
Aids Used: Chambers
Some tricky clues in this crossword, including a word I have not heard of before (Diamante).
14a. PAVING STONE – I did answer this one without aids, but only because the letters already present seemed to indicate it. I have no idea how flag relates to paving stone unless it is a type of paving stone.
12a. DING DONG – I liked this one. Have not heard that expression for fight in a long time.
22a. PUT ON – Initially I have entered PUT UP, but this messed with 13d. When I re-read the clue, I saw the correct answer.
So, not a bad effort, for me. An enjoyable puzzle.
Thank you.
therotter
According to OED Popularized as a catchphrase by the British actor Leslie Phillips (b. 1924), used originally by his character Jack Bell in the film Carry on Nurse (1959)
FOI: SELDOM
LOI: DNF (PALTRY)
COD: PAVING STONE (but lots of contenders)
Thanks to Mara and William.
Edited at 2021-06-30 10:23 am (UTC)
Also needed pen and paper for PAVING STONE, although I did have a modern day equivalent of the Blarney Stone, a place where smokers trying to quit make pilgrimage, the VAPING STONE.
20a, Bread head is a clue where the rhyming slang appears with the definition itself. “Loaf of Bread” being rhyming slang for bread.
COD DING DONG
FOI was LIBERAL. LOI PALTRY, which I think has to be my COD. I almost chose PAVING STONE which was late in and a good anagram.
Time 14:36.
David
Usually find Mara difficult, but had one of those days where answers just appeared and things slotted into place. Must have hit a sweet spot in that mysterious wavelength.
Getting the cross section of 8dn and 14ac helped, and had a cheeky smile as I also thought of Leslie Phillips and his “ding dong” (the expression that is). Main hold up was trying to fit an Italian sparkling wine into 13dn until I had a flash of inspiration.
FOI — 3dn “Ogre”
LOI — 13dn “Diamanté”
COD — 6dn “Ditto” — beautifully hidden answer whilst trying to rearrange “depot”
Thanks as usual!
Thank you for the blog, and many thanks also to the setter. I will now attempt the 15×15, where I am having a lean run.
Andrew
I don’t always find double definitions easy — one either gets them fairly immediately or one doesn’t at all, in my experience — and 24A Runner was my LOI and took some time. On the other hand, 20A Loaf went in straight away, which rather reinforces my point that DDs are binary clues: easy or impossible.
I never did parse 23A Revolve satisfactorily so needed the blog here, but with the R-V checkers at the start if could not be anything else.
Many thanks to William for the blog
Cedric
I liked the puzzle, so thanks to Mara and william, as I realise, on reading the blog that DITTO was a biff!
9:14
Looking on the bright side, 35 minutes is still a good time for me and it was my eighth successful solve in a row, which is a rarity.
I am now off to Christchurch in Dorset (where I was brung up) to collect my parents, who are 91 and 89 years of age. They haven’t visited us or anyone else for a couple of years or more, so it may be quite an adventure (ordeal?) for them.
Many thanks to Mara and william_j_s, as usual.
P.S. Mrs R will no doubt rattle through her attempt later today, as she is busy preparing for the arrival of her outlaws.
I nearly put Tory as being scarcely seen among Reds in order to fit in better with The erroneous Palate.
Liked LOAF, JUMPER, OFTEN, RUNNER.
Thanks vm, William.
Edited at 2021-06-30 07:55 pm (UTC)
FOI SELDOM *
LOI PAVING STONE
COD FLYING START
TIME 4:29
* Seeing OFTEN immediately beneath SELDOM, I wondered if I’d actually spotted a theme for once — but it’s just coincidence, and there are no more antonyms !
FOI – 4ac SELDOM
LOI – 1dn PALTRY
COD – 14ac PAVING STONE
Thanks to Mara and William
Make it a rule to check this blog for every clue that puzzles you, and don’t be afraid to ask questions — most of us don’t bite !
Think of it as learning the rules of grammar in a foreign language, and you shouldn’t go far wrong.
About 20 minutes.
Following on from a previous comment if something is easy it ain’t worth trying.
Many thanks Mara and William
LOI 1dn PALTRY
COD 14ac PAVING STONE
WOD 12ac DING-DONG!