Solving time: 10 minutes. A swift return by Orpheus who set for us only last Wednesday. I found this straightforward, but I wonder how you got on?
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 7 | Game played by good university teacher (4) |
| GURU | |
| G (good), U (university), RU (game – Rugby Union) | |
| 8 | Pal I shot mistakenly — and where he ended up? (8) |
| HOSPITAL | |
| Anagram (mistakenly) of PAL I SHOT |
|
| 9 | One in pursuit of spirit to follow beer, perhaps (6) |
| CHASER | |
| Two definitions not entirely unrelated | |
| 10 | Creature identified by duke on small low-lying island (6) |
| DONKEY | |
| D (duke), ON, KEY (small low-lying island) | |
| 11 | Almost set out to be a celebrity (4) |
| STAR | |
| STAR{t} (set out) [almost] | |
| 12 | No longer virginal, but not pursued, we hear (8) |
| UNCHASTE | |
| Sounds like [we hear] “unchased” [not pursued] | |
| 15 | “Two portions of meat — and be quick about it!” (4-4) |
| CHOP-CHOP | |
| CHOP + CHOP (two portions of meat) | |
| 17 | Change item in variety show (4) |
| TURN | |
| Double definition | |
| 18 | Take a lot of time to become socially accepted? (6) |
| BELONG | |
| BE LONG (take a lot of time) | |
| 21 | Blue pigment provided by fellow Lithuanian, perhaps (6) |
| COBALT | |
| CO– (fellow- ), BALT (Lithuanian, perhaps) | |
| 22 | Forceful surgeon engaging macho types (8) |
| VEHEMENT | |
| VET (surgeon) containing [engaging] HE-MEN (macho types) | |
| 23 | Genuine-sounding angler’s device (4) |
| REEL | |
| Sounding like “real” (genuine) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Songbird principally nesting under material on roof (8) |
| NUTHATCH | |
| N{esting} + U{nder} [principally], THATCH (material on roof) | |
| 2 | Accepted in Jodhpur, serving ship’s officer (6) |
| PURSER | |
| Hidden [accepted] in {jodh}PUR SER{ving} | |
| 3 | Painstaking, albeit lacking in refinement (8) |
| THOROUGH | |
| THO‘ (albeit), ROUGH (lacking in refinement) | |
| 4 | American journalist subjected to exploitation (4) |
| USED | |
| US (American), ED (journalist) | |
| 5 | After struggle, woman raised capital in Europe (6) |
| VIENNA | |
| VIE (struggle), then ANN (woman) reversed [raised] | |
| 6 | Instance of arsenic being brought into church (4) |
| CASE | |
| AS (arsenic – periodic table) contained by [being brought into] CE (church of England) | |
| 13 | Size of area in top conurbation (8) |
| CAPACITY | |
| A (area) contained by [in] CAP (top) + CITY (conurbation) | |
| 14 | Farmer digesting extremes of horror in crime novel (8) |
| THRILLER | |
| TILLER (farmer) containing [digesting] H{orro}R [extremes of…] | |
| 16 | Pair entertaining great fondness for shore bird (6) |
| PLOVER | |
| PR (pair) containing [entertaining] LOVE (great fondness) | |
| 17 | Army poet’s sleeveless jacket (6) |
| TABARD | |
| TA (Territorial Army), BARD (poet) | |
| 19 | Equable English archdeacon (4) |
| EVEN | |
| E (English), VEN (archdeacon). ‘The Venerable’ is a style or title used within in the C of E to denote Archdeacon. | |
| 20 | Silver-haired poet mentioned in speech (4) |
| GREY | |
| Sounds like [mentioned in speech] “Gray” (poet – Thomas Gray) | |
23:14 with aids. As others have said, the top half was generally quick and the bottom half slow. Could not see DONKEY despite having all the crossers: I was looking for a five-letter word for the island and got fixated on ATOLL, even though I knew it didn’t fit. And as for not seeing GREY despite having been “silver-haired” for years, well, there’s just no excuse. FOI HOSPITAL, LOI GREY, COD COBALT.
A similar experience to my last effort from Orpheus. Missed 4 across clues on the first pass (though HOSPITAL really shouldn’t have been one of them !), but got all of the down clues on first reading, hence mopping up was easy. The usual well-clued puzzle from Orpheus.
FOI CHASER
LOI BELONG
COD VIENNA
TIME 3:23
Thank you Orpheus and Jackkt. I liked vehement and cobalt but not sure on unchaste. As with others, delayed by Donkey in Vienna. Fun all the same.
1743 Last wolf killed in Scotland
17:43, a bit on the slow side for a Monday, but like others, I was down the pub watching the game. My mother said it was the first full football match she had watched since the 1966 World Cup Final.
LOI VEHEMENT, we’ve had surgeon=VET before, and I always try to get FRCS in there. Which never works. Found GURU tricky. Also went with albeit=THOUGH and was surprised coming here to find that I had mis-parsed
COD CHOP CHOP and COBALT. 1-1 after regulation time.
13 and a bit minutes for this enjoyable puzzle. I liked BELONG, VEHEMENT and NUTHATCH a lot but my COD made me laugh out loud.
FOI Guru LOI Capacity COD Hospital – a lovely surface.
Thanks Orpheus and Jack.
Strange how these things happen: after commenting last week on not having seen Kiss Me Kate for decades, I noticed that it’s on tv this afternoon. May have to watch it tomorrow evening on catch-up when MrB goes out on the razz!
Gosh that was tough! Needed help to get through. Bif’d Donkey and needed the blog to understand how it worked
FOI 7a Gura
LOI 20d Grey
8a Hospital – just found that amusing
Roll on tomorrow!
We had trouble with 17a and 17d. Had vary for 17a. We were rather slow overall, but an enjoyable puzzle.
.
Late to this today but worth the wait. All green in 12 with VEHEMENT unparsed – I had ‘men’ as macho types and was pretty sure a vehet couldn’t be a thing but submitted anyway – makes up for all the pink squares for typos in recent weeks.
Went to Wembley for the game yesterday. Easily as good as all the reports say. Might be hard to get daughters excited about Huish Park after a packed Wembley and I’m already in danger of losing them to Wycombe Wanderers.
Relieved to finish all correct in 29 minutes today, after last Thursday’s and Friday’s maulings by Hurley and Alconiere. Orpheus is my most feared setter, but I was very pleased to parse every clue – even including DONKEY when I DNK the required meaning of KEY. Phew!
Many thanks to Orpheus and Jack.
Well done Mr Random – back in the game.
I’ve heard of the Florida Keys. Not that I’ve been there, but that’s enough for me to have a vague idea they’re island related on seeing D-ON-KEY.
How is Mrs R doing? Did she get mauled as well last week?
Late to this, and ‘rewarded’ with a sluggish 25 min solve. Most of it went in without too much trouble, but a few clues at the end proved distinctly troublesome. Unchaste sounded and looked odd, but then I don’t think I’ve heard chaste used (quiet at the back!) more than half a dozen times in my lifetime, so no great surprise there. Vehement was a head-slapping pdm, and loi Donkey needed an alphabet trawl. Small island indeed 🙄. Really must do these earlier in the day. Invariant
Nuthatch – a songbird?
It is, check the Wikipedia entries for nuthatch and songbirds. Can’t paste a link as I’m on my phone. I do have a MER at plover being a shore bird, though. It’s a wader but more of an inland bird, I think.
Catching up after a weekend away and travelling yesterday. FOI, GURU, LOI VEHEMENT. 6:52. Thanks Orpheus and Jack.