Hi all. After failing on Izetti’s last offering, this week I put in a very similar time to the Izetti before that, progressing at an even (if unexceptional) pace. I enjoyed it more too. My top three clues are 8a (not King Lear), the complaints in 11a and the horses sent flying in 11d. No 11ds today! Thanks Izetti!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [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 | Dames still running as successful competitors (10) |
| MEDALLISTS — DAMES STILL anagrammed (running) | |
| 8a | Name of King Lear? (6) |
| EDWARD — Two definitions: King Edward / Edward Lear | |
| 9a | One in a band broadcasting (6) |
| AIRING — I (one) in A RING (a band) | |
| 10a | Oak maybe in street (4) |
| TREE — The answer is found in sTREEt | |
| 11a | Complaints in the morning about toilets (8) |
| MALADIES — AM (in the morning) backwards (about) + LADIES (toilets) | |
| 12a | Sort of drink provided by Charles with sign of hesitation (6) |
| CHASER — The answer is given by CHAS (Charles) with ER (sign of hesitation) | |
| 14a | Powerful leaders of modern industries given honours, thank you! (6) |
| MIGHTY — The first letter of (leaders of) Modern Industries Given Honours, Thank You! | |
| 16a | Sailor returning with fancy singer makes unwelcome intrusion (6,2) |
| BARGES IN — AB (sailor) reversed (returning) + an anagram of (fancy) SINGER | |
| 18a | See good old company symbol? (4) |
| LOGO — LO (see) + G (good) + O (old) | |
| 20a | Young woman new to society had argument (6) |
| DEBATE — DEB (young woman new to society) + ATE (had) | |
| 21a | Stand around idly as toiler worked (6) |
| LOITER — An anagram of (… worked) TOILER | |
| 22a | Military group showing aloofness? (10) |
| DETACHMENT — Two definitions | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Church official upheld erroneous cases (5) |
| ELDER — UphELD ERroneous encloses (cases) the answer | |
| 3d | Plants in area above South Africa meadows (7) |
| AZALEAS — A (area) above ZA (South Africa) + LEAS (meadows) | |
| 4d | Was first to get lighting device (3) |
| LED — Two meanings | |
| 5d | Workers with animals lament BSE spreading (9) |
| STABLEMEN — LAMENT BSE anagrammed (spreading) | |
| 6d | Rushes up for valuable violin (5) |
| STRAD — DARTS (rushes) reversed (up, in a down entry) | |
| 7d | Sink wearing underwear? (6) |
| INVEST — IN VEST (wearing underwear?) | |
| 11d | Confused state with horses sent flying (5,4) |
| MARE’S NEST — MARES (horses) + an anagram of (… flying) SENT. | |
| It seems this meaning of mare’s nest is itself a confusion, a misunderstanding of the other, original, meaning of an illusory discovery that is actually worthless | |
| 13d | Learn about both sides of defensive move in football (6) |
| HEADER — HEAR (learn) around (about) both sides of DefensivE | |
| 15d | Element of bitterness I’m keeping up to begin with (7) |
| GALLIUM — GALL (bitterness) + I’M around (keeping) the first letter of (… to begin with) Up | |
| 17d | Protect guy taken short on A road (5) |
| GUARD — GUy missing the last letter (taken short) atop (on) A plus RD (road) | |
| 19d | Inexperienced ecowarrior? (5) |
| GREEN — A double definition | |
| 21d | Resin holding place together (3) |
| LAC — Our final answer is inside (holding …together) pLACe | |
Had 4 clues I couldn’t work out today. Annoyingly kept thinking Mares Nest, but never put as I’d never heard of it and thought I’d gone mad thinking it up! And always thought it was a straTivarius, not straDivarius, Ive been thinking the wrong thing for ages! 😀
Failed on AZALEAS, MARE’S NEST and LAC. I’m struggling to make sense of the last of those, even with Kitty’s help, but then I seem to be in a minority in finding this one hard so perhaps it’s just me.
Thank you for the blog!
It must just be me. I never get on with izetti and I don’t know why I bother
5.42. My quickest to date for one of the Don’s puzzles.
Thanks for your comments, read with interest. I was surprised at the widespread unfamiliarity with ZA (I actually had to check SA in Chambers), but should have thought to expand on lac (21d).