Despite not getting 1ac on first pass, I zoomed clockwise round the grid from the NE finishing back with LOI 1ac in 6:29. A pretty fast time for me – anyone breaking PB’s today?
Definitions are underlined in bold italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Backroom boy away in wine store (6) |
| BOFFIN – away (OFF) inside wine store (BIN). | |
| 4 | Varsity sportsperson down in the dumps (4) |
| BLUE – double definition. | |
| 9 | Wrongly target a sporting event — at Henley, perhaps? (7) |
| REGATTA – anagram (worngly) of TARGET A. | |
| 10 | Piece of cast metal pub reportedly obtained (5) |
| INGOT – homophone (reportedly) of inn (IN), obtained (GOT). | |
| 11 | Epilogue, or draft we prepared (9) |
| AFTERWORD – anagram (prepared) of OR DRAFT WE. | |
| 12 | Sailor bringing deserter from the East (3) |
| TAR – deserter – rat – from the East/backwards (TAR). | |
| 13 | Blockhead initially dismissing this writer’s humour (6) |
| DIMWIT – (D)ismissing, this writer’s (I’M), humour (WIT). | |
| 15 | Threaten mischief-maker with death! (6) |
| IMPEND – mischief-maker (IMP), death (END). | |
| 17 | Twisted-sounding grass (3) |
| RYE – homophone (sounding) of wry. | |
| 18 | Damage borne by sickbay in old European republic (3,6) |
| SAN MARINO – damage (MAR) held by (borne by) sickbay (SAN) and in (IN) and old (O). | |
| 21 | Bishop leaves drunk for game (5) |
| LOTTO – bishop (B) leaves drunk b(LOTTO). | |
| 22 | Condition favouring face covering, mostly (7) |
| PROVISO – favouring (PRO), face covering mostly (VISO)r. | |
| 23 | Gloat, getting farm animal across river (4) |
| CROW – farm animal (COW) over river (R). | |
| 24 | Quick to give cue (6) |
| PROMPT – double definition. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Band created, we hear, for a pub employee (7) |
| BARMAID – band (BAR), homophone (we hear) of created – made. | |
| 2 | Alarm Republican leaving for battle (5) |
| FIGHT – alarm (F)r(IGHT) without Republican (R). | |
| 3 | Bury girl, one on break (12) |
| INTERMISSION – bury (INTER), girl (MISS), one (I), on (ON). | |
| 5 | Beneficiary taking shelter outside entrance, possibly (7) |
| LEGATEE – shelter (LEE) outside entrance possibly (GATE) | |
| 6 | Go into hospital department with hesitation (5) |
| ENTER – hospital department (ENT) with hesitation (ER). | |
| 7 | Pudding made by son in the past (4) |
| SAGO – son (S), in the past (AGO). | |
| 8 | Offence victim ultimately is bearing? (12) |
| MISDEMEANOUR – victi(M), is (IS), bearing (DEMEANOUR). | |
| 14 | Great conductor, strange sort, supporting West? (7) |
| MAESTRO – anagram (strange) of SORT, under West (MAE). | |
| 16 | One abandoning course, a rejecter of conventions (7) |
| DROPOUT – double definition. | |
| 17 | Object of historic interest: some require licences (5) |
| RELIC – some of requi(RE LIC)ences. | |
| 19 | Work in north-east? The answer’s in the negative (4) |
| NOPE – work (OP) inside north-east (NE). | |
| 20 | Man overcome by one daughter’s literary style (5) |
| IDIOM – Man (IOM) underneath one (I) and daughter (D). Took a little while to twig the ‘Man’ bit but the answer was clear. | |
All complete and parsed in 12 minutes – on the quick side for me. Spent a little time spelling MISDEMEANOUR or I would have been a little quicker. Nice puzzle.
FOI – 4ac BLUE
LOI – 1ac BOFFIN
COD – 1dn BARMAID for the double homophone.
Thanks to Orpheus and Chris
13 mins…
Definitely on the quicker side for me, although I had a small panic about the spelling of “Misdemeanour”, for some reason thinking there may be an “i” between the “d” and “m”.
Whilst I can now see Boffin = Backroom Boy, my initial thought was of some lowly employee working in the mail room of a conglomerate’s skyscraper which didn’t help with the recognition. Luckily the parsing was fairly straightforward once some other checkers went in.
FOI – 4ac “Blue”
LOI – 8dn “Misdemeanour”
COD – 1ac “Boffin” (a rare struggle to find one to be honest – but I’ll stick this in purely for it misdirecting me)
Thanks as usual!
I’m glad I’m not the only one that DNF! I feel better now.
Started this one well enough and had three-quarters or so done in about 12 minutes, but the remaining quarter took another 12 for a 24:29 finish. Didn’t parse IDIOM, but saw why Man = IOM immediately I read it in the blog. COD to BOFFIN. Thanks Orpheus and Chris.
Did most of it quickly, but got really stuck with MISDEMEANOUR, PROVISO, IDIOM and DROPOUT – not sure of the “rejecter of conventions” meaning for this. Glad I was not the only one to struggle when some of you can do this in 5 minutes!