Hi all. Many thanks to Jackkt for covering for me while I was away. I’ve been almost completely out of the crosswording loop for the past few weeks, but now look forward to catching up on puzzles and news I may have missed.
Thanks to Pedro for this enjoyable crossword. I was on the slow side (though under the 10 minutes after which I start to get impatient), but suspect that could well be down to post-holiday rustiness. Or perhaps it isn’t and you will tell me that this was tricky for a Monday. In any event, I was held up at the end by the intersecting trio of 1d, 8a and 11a in the NW corner. Once I twigged 1d the others followed directly.
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Instant support (6) |
| SECOND — A double definition | |
| 4a | Entertained us, plunging into a sea (6) |
| AMUSED — US going inside (plunging into) A and MED (sea) | |
| 8a | Stain resembling small lake? (7) |
| TARNISH — Like a tarn (small lake) might whimsically be styled (indicated by the question mark) TARNISH | |
| 10a | No carrying stone that’s unpleasant (5) |
| NASTY — NAY (no) containing (carrying) ST (stone) | |
| 11a | Fail to include old American institute (4) |
| OMIT — O (old) + MIT (American institute) | |
| 12a | Dislike a variant? (8) |
| AVERSION — A + VERSION (variant) | |
| 14a | Fancy a whisky? Very quickly! (4,1,4) |
| LIKE A SHOT — LIKE (fancy) + A + SHOT (whisky?) | |
| 18a | Applaud revolutionary role? Nonsense (8) |
| CLAPTRAP — CLAP (applaud) + the reversal of (revolutionary) PART (role) | |
| 20a | Box, additional, but not full (4) |
| SPAR — SPARe (additional) but without the last letter (not full) | |
| 22a | Lack of interest in proven nuisance (5) |
| ENNUI — Whatever, the answer is found in provEN NUIsance | |
| 23a | Be careful — yobbo packing punch that takes head off (4,3) |
| LOOK OUT — LOUT (yobbo) around (packing) hOOK (punch) removing the first letter (that takes head off) | |
| 24a | Location of Greek oracle guided retreating Greek character (6) |
| DELPHI — LED (guided) reversed (retreating) + PHI (Greek character). Phi is another of this setter’s pseudonyms, incidentally, prompting me to wonder about the even-more-mythical Oracle of Delpedro | |
| 25a | Fruit and nuts, mostly (6) |
| BANANA — BANANAs (nuts) without the last letter (mostly) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | IT firm investing in odd bits of some TV series? (6) |
| SITCOM — IT and CO (firm) going inside (investing in) odd letters of (odd bits of) SoMe | |
| 2d | Very agreeable drink (7) |
| CORDIAL — Two definitions | |
| 3d | Nothing keeping article secure (4) |
| NAIL — NIL (nothing) containing (keeping) A (article) | |
| 5d | The writer’s keeping on meeting mischievous royalty? (8) |
| MONARCHY — MY (the writer’s) around (keeping) ON and ARCH (mischievous) | |
| 6d | American tucked into his unusual Japanese food (5) |
| SUSHI — US (American) inserted into (tucked into) an anagram of (… unusual) HIS | |
| 7d | Very keen about Queen using a towel (6) |
| DRYING — DYING (very keen) around (about) R (Queen) | |
| 9d | Be greatly entertained to be ready for soccer? (4,1,4) |
| HAVE A BALL — To play sportsball you will need to HAVE A BALL | |
| 13d | King, coming in to occupy throne, twirled this, being playful (8) |
| SKITTISH — K (king) inserted into (coming in) SIT (to occupy throne) + an anagram of (twirled) THIS | |
| 15d | Stewed apricot not right with a pudding (7) |
| TAPIOCA — An anagram of (stewed) AP[r]ICOT without R (not right) + A | |
| 16d | Sikh’s opening statement of belief? It’s a long document (6) |
| SCREED — Sikh’s first letter (opening) + CREED (statement of belief) | |
| 17d | Anger erupting about closing of elegant wedding venue (6) |
| GRETNA — ANGER anagrammed (erupting) around (about) the last letter (closing) of eleganT | |
| 19d | Cancel removal of second article from regular publication (5) |
| ANNUL — Here we need the removal of the second A (article) from ANNU[a]L (regular publication) | |
| 21d | Furniture item till now is lacking base (4) |
| SOFA — SO FAr (till now) doesn’t have the last letter (is lacking base, in a down entry) | |
9:42 here, for a pleasing sub-10 minute day. Like others, NW corner held out longest: I tried to convince myself that “moment” could mean “support” until SITCOM revealed itself and a blinding flash of the bleeding obvious ensued.
FOI AMUSED, LOI OMIT, COD TARNISH
Finished just within our 30m target. Right hand side went on fairly quickly, nw corner slowed us down and we needed the crossers to get 1d sitcom . Nice start to the week.
9 minutes after having the same hold up in the NW as our blogger.
10 minutes and not a very structured solve. Nearly halfway down before I got my FOI, and – as others experienced- the NW gave me most trouble. I didn’t really parse SKITTISH but, on reflection, it is a most entertaining clue (and a great word). I also liked TARNISH.
TAPIOCA with stewed apricots -sounds most unappetising. But rice pudding with apricot compote – yum! In fact, I might make some – I’ve got some fresh apricots!
FOI Omit LOI Gretna WOD Claptrap
Thanks Pedro and Kitty (welcome back)
Started with 14ac and 9dn just because I liked the cross!
After that a gentle write in.
Did like tarnish
Thanks all round
DNF
Defeated by GRETNA (even though I got the wordplay) and SPAR.
Only managed SUSHI and TAPIOCA today. Beyond dreadful! I need a teacher!