Quite a few missing first letters, a couple of upside downs and a couple of interesting clues (23ac, 12dn) pushed me to within one second of my 10 minute target. Highly satisfying all round. Thanks Pedro.
Definitions are underlined in bold italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Fish pie and odd bits from chef — something extra for the man? (8) |
| CODPIECE – fish (COD), pie (in plain sight PIE), (C)h(E)f. A centuries old version of a box – as I cricket. | |
| 5 | Observe daughter or other offspring (4) |
| SEED – observe (SEE), daughter (D). | |
| 8 | Where are the billboards? Zero adverts seen during journey (8) |
| ROADSIDE – zero (O) and adverts (ADS) seen during journey (RIDE). | |
| 9 | Sensible attitude excluding America? (4) |
| NOUS – excluding America (NO US). | |
| 11 | Welsh party MP daily excited about start of Cardiff rugby (5,5) |
| PLAID CYMRU – anagram (excited) of MP DAILY about (C)ardiff, rugby (RU). | |
| 14 | Money we kept back to get nut (6) |
| CASHEW – money (CASH), we backwards (EW). | |
| 15 | Tolerate final treatment after head’s cut (6) |
| ENDURE – final (END), treatment with first letter missing c(URE). | |
| 17 | Something that’s served up route taken at sea? (4,6) |
| MAIN COURSE – the sea is (MAIN), route taken (COURSE). | |
| 20 | Starts to take hold after winter? This may (4) |
| THAW – (T)ake (H)old (A)fter (W)inter. | |
| 21 | Nag, distressed, in perturbed condition, to stop moving (8) |
| STAGNATE – anagram (distressed) of NAG inside perturbed condition (STATE). | |
| 22 | Radio’s correct form of liturgy (4) |
| RITE – homophone (radio’s) of right. | |
| 23 | Try and try to produce supportive comment (4,4) |
| HEAR HEAR – try (HEAR) x2. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Concerns excluding first of electric vehicles (4) |
| CARS – concerned excluding (E)lectric (CAR)e(S). | |
| 2 | Haul part of hospital up (4) |
| DRAW – part of hospital – ward – upwards (DRAW). | |
| 3 | In this state one won’t have got ready (10) |
| INSOLVENCY – cd where ‘ready’ refers to cash. | |
| 4 | Scoundrel to stop supply of tea (6) |
| CADDIE – scoundrel (CAD), stop (DIE). My LOI and of relevance to Matt Fitzpatrick’s tremendous performance in the PGA. | |
| 6 | Total runs one piled up including nothing on a big scale (8) |
| ENORMOUS – piled up means it’s all upwards – total (SUM), runs (R), one (ONE) containing nothing (O). | |
| 7 | Unease I’d picked up: I should participate in new quest (8) |
| DISQUIET – I’d upwards (DI), I (I) inside an anagram (new) of QUEST. | |
| 10 | Source of decoration using cigar in an unusual way (5,5) |
| ICING SUGAR – ANAGRAM (in an unusual way) of USING CIGAR. | |
| 12 | Sword? I’m the very thing involved in evidence of wound (8) |
| SCIMITAR – I’m the very thing (I’M IT) inside evidence of wound (SCAR). | |
| 13 | Partisan reviewed prospective member? (8) |
| ASPIRANT – anagram (reviewed) of PARTISAN. | |
| 16 | Like a nuanced view? It’s not evident in words on screen (6) |
| SUBTLE – ‘IT’ is not in words on screen (SUBT)it(LE). | |
| 18 | Stop offering no initial comfort (4) |
| EASE – stop c(EASE) without first letter. | |
| 19 | Close — initially not even remote? Not initially (4) |
| NEAR – (N)ot (E)ven, remote f(AR) without first letter. | |
Living in Newport in sunny South Wales 11ac PLAID CWMRU was a write in for me. I thought it may be a problem for some, particularly our overseas solvers, but apparently not. I was held up at the end by 9ac where like Vinyl I was trying to exclude letters from us, USA or even am. This took me outside my target at 10.42.
Despite a great start (CODPIECE, SEED and CARS all went in within the first minute), I really struggled with this offering from Pedro. I somehow felt off balance with many of the clues. Almost nothing came easily, even with many or all of the checkers, as I doubted my parsing much of the time. For example, I was unsure about ENDURE, RITE, INSOLVENCY and NEAR, and they each took some minutes to get.
Eventually, I was left with 2d (D_A_) and 18d (_A_E), but 10+ minutes of alphabet trawling only turned up DRAG and BATE. I simply never found DRAW – I have no idea why not, as I went past it in my head more than once. I did find EASE, but I couldn’t think of cEASE. I went with aBATE, assuming that BATE must be an alternative word for comfort that I DNK.
Result: DNF with 2 errors in 43 minutes. Disillusioned!
Many thanks to Pedro and Chris.
A slower day all round for me! 13 minutes for this one, although I did finish it fully parsed. I remember C/EASE from another puzzle quite recently – it can only be here or in the biggie, as they’re the only ones I do! I thought that there were some very fine surfaces – I usually find Pedro quite wordy, but this was a very nice mix. I liked NOUS and NEAR.
FOI Seed LOI Subtle COD Roadside
Thanks Pedro and Chris
I didn’t find the biggie quite as easy as yesterday, but finished in just over half an hour.
10:21 I got EASE just before I got SUBTLE and finally finished with ENDURE. I struggled to spell the CYMRU of PLAID CYMRU despite it being my country of birth. COD SUBTLE
Longish solve at 24 mins today, but lots to like, especially SCIMITAR and CASHEW. LOI was NOUS. Considered ‘nous’ early on but discarded as expecting to take off either ‘us’ or ‘a’ here – clever clue. Also took a while to see ENORMOUS – ironic really. Many thanks for the informative blog and to Pedro for a great workout.
No trouble with Plaid Cymru, more problems with the SE corner, 10d icing sugar. Put in hear hear without understandin the word play. Enjoyed the puzzle, diolch to Pedro.
I thought this was too hard for a quick cryptic. Not much fun
I know things are different in crossword land, but hadn’t realised that ready means money. I always thought it was ‘readies’, so did not get 3dn. Another slog today.
I think ‘readies’ (pl) specifically refers to bank notes whereas ‘ready’ (which is just a shortened version of ‘ready money’) can be cash of any sort, coins or notes or mixed.
Thanks for the clarification – much appreciated
23:13
A few tricky ones here with a good 4 minutes on LOI INSOLVENCY taking me 3 minutes over target.
Tricky again. No time since two bites at it, but late tonight the last few just flew in – disquiet, caddie, enormous, insolvency, codpiece and LOI nous.
Ultimately enjoyable and a stiff challenge (as it were).
I echo Matt Fitzpatrick’s excellent PGA and I have now moved on to miss Raducanu- who plays at 10am tomorrow.
Thanks all
John
20 mins for me on what was an enjoyable outing. Could not parse Hear Hear or Near – thanks for the super clear blog, Chris.