Hello all. I was a bit surprised to find this was a Trelawney because it took me a bit longer than usual for a Monday. But not that surprised because I enjoyed it. It didn’t seem so hard when writing it up, so maybe I was just having a slow day. I can’t really choose a favourite clue, but if pushed I will vote for the hero holding back the monster in 21a. Thanks Trelawney!
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 | Slippery item beginning to bother a relative’s family (6,4) |
| BANANA SKIN — The first letter of (beginning to) Bother + A + NANA’S (relative’s) + KIN (family) | |
| 8a | Period of time immediately before altercation (3-2) |
| RUN-IN — Two definitions | |
| 9a | Assemble most of currency for rubber? (7) |
| MASSEUR — MASS (assemble) + most of EURo (currency) | |
| 10a | Had learnt to move around central region (9) |
| HEARTLAND — HAD LEARNT is to be anagrammed (to move around) | |
| 12a | Total is small? Let me think … (3) |
| SUM — S (small) + UM (let me think …) | |
| 13a | Disney princess returns outside one part of church (5) |
| AISLE — ELSA (Disney princess) goes backwards (returns) around (outside) I (one) | |
| 15a | Trousers belonging to Sibelius, perhaps? (5) |
| JEANS — JEAN’S (belonging to Sibelius, perhaps?) | |
| 17a | Title of father shortened (3) |
| SIR — SIRe (father) without the last letter (shortened) | |
| 18a | Celebrity committee is at sea, right? (9) |
| STARBOARD — STAR (celebrity) + BOARD (committee) | |
| 20a | Opposite of fashionable poetry (7) |
| INVERSE — IN (fashionable) + VERSE (poetry) | |
| 21a | Foolhardy hero holding back monster (5) |
| HYDRA — FoolhARDY Hero is holding back the answer | |
| 22a | Dad borrows terribly big chopper (10) |
| BROADSWORD — An anagram of (… terribly) DAD BORROWS | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Lady Godiva’s attire represented a British duty (8,4) |
| BIRTHDAY SUIT — An anagram of (represented – re-presented) A BRITISH DUTY | |
| 2d | Masked warrior partially hidden in Jakarta (5) |
| NINJA — Partially hiddeN IN JAkarta | |
| 3d | Sister needed up north primarily (3) |
| NUN — Initial letters of (… primarily) Needed Up North | |
| 4d | Pacific islander as upset over complaint (6) |
| SAMOAN — AS reversed (upset, in a down entry) over MOAN (complaint) | |
| 5d | Position in prison for certain kind of crime? (6,3) |
| INSIDE JOB — An INSIDE JOB could be a job inside: a position in prison | |
| 6d | Aspire to change ancient empire (6) |
| PERSIA — ASPIRE needs to be anagrammed (to change) | |
| 7d | Dance is with editor to secure perfect location? (8,4) |
| PROMISED LAND — PROM (dance) + IS + ED (editor) + LAND (to secure) | |
| 11d | Money manager, initially tight, certain to cut back (9) |
| TREASURER — The first letter of (initially) Tight + SURE (certain) going inside (to cut) REAR (back) | |
| 14d | Try hard with new rivets (6) |
| STRIVE — An anagram of (new) RIVETS | |
| 16d | Setter put into vehicle with a picture taker (6) |
| CAMERA — ME (setter) put into CAR (vehicle) + A | |
| 19d | Car with zero sound (5) |
| AUDIO — AUDI (car) + O (zero) | |
| 21d | Owns shears regularly (3) |
| HAS — Alternate letters of (… regularly) sHeArS | |
Approximately 8.20, but the instability of the site was awful today.