Solving time: 6 minutes
My last QC blog was of a Trelawney offering which many seemed to find at the easier end of the scale, and I think this one will go down well too. Once again as I blogged there seemed to be a lot of anagrams today but there are only 5 (vs 6 last time) however they were all saved up for the Down clues.
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]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Manager‘s fantastic eyeshade (10) |
| SUPERVISOR | |
| SUPER (fantastic), VISOR (eyeshade) | |
| 8 | Take legal action to cover rubbish monument (6) |
| STATUE | |
| SUE (take legal action) containing [to cover] TAT (rubbish) | |
| 9 | Slow song in party commercial (6) |
| BALLAD | |
| BALL (party), AD (commercial) | |
| 10 | I fled Middle Eastern country (4) |
| IRAN | |
| I, RAN (fled) | |
| 11 | Feathery scarf and sign for University event (4,4) |
| BOAT RACE | |
| BOA (feathery scarf), TRACE (sign) | |
| 12 | Pull small coach (6) |
| STRAIN | |
| S (small), TRAIN (coach – as verbs) | |
| 14 | Prisoner‘s fashionable friend (6) |
| INMATE | |
| IN (fashionable), MATE (friend) | |
| 16 | Reportedly consider drink, and more than a few! (8) |
| MULTIPLE | |
| Aural wordplay [reportedly]: MUL / “mull” (consider), TIPLE / “tipple” (drink) | |
| 18 | Young lady initially encounters strong wind (4) |
| GALE | |
| GAL (young lady), E{ncounters} [initially] | |
| 20 | Fashion heavenly food for the audience (6) |
| MANNER | |
| Aural wordplay [for the audience]: MANNER / “manna” (heavenly food) | |
| 21 | Pass by the Spanish part of church (6) |
| ELAPSE | |
| EL (‘the’ in Spanish), APSE (part of church) | |
| 22 | Extravagant way WW1 troops went (4-3-3) |
| OVER-THE-TOP | |
| A straight definition with cryptic support as the second meaning would not take hyphens | |
| Down |
|
| 2 | Roof missing from club, say (5) |
| UTTER | |
| {p}UTTER (golf club) [roof missing] | |
| 3 | European state slipping into sea (7) |
| ESTONIA | |
| Anagram [slipping] of INTO SEA | |
| 4 | Struggle with voice regularly (3) |
| VIE | |
| V{o}I{c} E (struggle) [regularly] | |
| 5 | Man buries broken underwater vessel (9) |
| SUBMARINE | |
| Anagram [broken] of MAN BURIES | |
| 6 | Sovereign in French street, bearing left then right (5) |
| RULER | |
| RUE (French street) containing [bearing] L (left), then R (right) | |
| 7 | Lucky charm from mother’s bed (6) |
| MASCOT | |
| MA’S (mother’s), COT (bed) | |
| 11 | Emperor and baronet ordered to carry a piano (9) |
| BONAPARTE | |
| Anagram [ordered] of BARONET containing [to carry] A + P (piano) | |
| 13 | Fixed cut on a bird (6) |
| TOUCAN | |
| Anagram [fixed] of CUT ON A | |
| 15 | Fighter jet with speed to move elsewhere (7) |
| MIGRATE | |
| MIG (Russian fighter jet), RATE (speed) | |
| 17 | Got an arrangement for Argentinian dance (5) |
| TANGO | |
| Anagram [arrangement] of GOT AN | |
| 19 | Rope for a cowboy in Dallas somewhere (5) |
| LASSO | |
| Hidden [in] {Dal}LAS SO{mewhere} | |
| 21 | Consume starters of eel and tofu (3) |
| EAT | |
| E{el} + A{nd} + T{ofu} [starters] | |
Just the one Costa this afternoon… Didn’t notice 3d Estonia was an anagram until later on. Quick to biff but slow to recognise 12a (s)train = coach. Thought 22a Over-The-Top uncomfortably flippant.
FOI 8a Statue
LOI 20a Manner – took a while to see the construction
COD 16a Multiple – very good!
Got held up by Napoleon for a moment or two but all done easily
Up to 15.16 I think
10 minutes
Not overly happy with that given the times recorded by some other solvers. Should have been a sub-10 for me given the level of difficulty.
I avoided my usual Monday breeze block, but was left feeling mildly frustrated at my inability to see some answers first time. I don’t have it in me to record a really quick one as I panic when I don’t see the answer immediately.
Aside from simply lacking the time, I still don’t have the confidence to even look at the ‘big’ crossword. It would put me in a complete tailspin.
Well done to the PBs today. 👏👏👏 I ought to have joined you!
Thanks for the blog.
PS Just seen the SNITCH. Should definitely have been quicker!
4.35
Latish entry (currently in NYC) and just managed to squeak inside the top 100. Great to see so many good times
Thanks Jackkt and Trelawney
DNF!
So annoying as that was really easy. All done in 10 minutes only to get a pink square by putting an E in the middle of BONAPARTE instead of an A. Particularly unforgivable considering it was an anagram