Solving time: 9 minutes
Dare I say mostly straightforward? I probably shouldn’t, but I found it so and I hope you did too.
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 |
|
| 8 | Not quite epic — large book summary (7) |
| EPITOME | |
| EPI{c} [not quite], TOME (large book) | |
| 9 | Device for measuring spirits — choose one carefully to begin with (5) |
| OPTIC | |
| OPT (choose), I (one), C{arefully} [to begin with] | |
| 10 | Separate answer section (5) |
| APART | |
| A (answer), PART (section) | |
| 11 | Bill ready to sing? (7) |
| INVOICE | |
| IN VOICE (ready to sing) | |
| 12 | Discomfort seeing letters, we hear — practise (9) |
| EYESTRAIN | |
| Aural wordplay [we hear]: EYES / “I’s” (letters), then TRAIN (practise) | |
| 14 | Slander most ugly, despicable, first of all (3) |
| MUD | |
| M{ost} + U{gly} + D{espicable} [first of all] | |
| 16 | Rebuke, however you look at it (3) |
| TUT | |
| The cryptic hint serves only to indicate that the answer will be a palindrome. An expression of rebuke, yes, but does that make rebuke and tut synonymous? | |
| 18 | Equipment mixed up as a trap? (9) |
| APPARATUS | |
| Anagram [mixed] of UP AS A TRAP | |
| 21 | After shake-up a ruler’s very strange (7) |
| SURREAL | |
| Anagram [after shake-up] A RULER’S | |
| 22 | Part of Robin Goodfellow’s game (5) |
| BINGO | |
| Hidden in [part of] {Ro}BIN GO{odfellow’s}. Robin Goodfellow is the alternative name of Puck, a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream – this appeared in the Jumbo blogged last Saturday. | |
| 23 | Remorse of fellowship, taking time to replace diamonds (5) |
| GUILT | |
| GUILd (fellowship} becomes GUILT when T (time) replaces d (diamonds) | |
| 24 | English at back of ship referring to One Direction? (7) |
| EASTERN | |
| E (Eastern), ASTERN (at back of ship) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Ten years, not extremely degenerate (8) |
| DECADENT | |
| DECADE (ten years), N{o}T [extremely] | |
| 2 | Closing section is not applicable in dossier (6) |
| FINALE | |
| N/A (not applicable) contained by [in] FILE (dossier) | |
| 3 | Great deal, including fine attic space (4) |
| LOFT | |
| LOT (great deal) containing [including] F (fine) | |
| 4 | Queen referring to gain in an unusual way (6) |
| REGINA | |
| RE (referring to) anagram [in an unusual way] of GAIN | |
| 5 | It may help to remember version adapted to accommodate you (8) |
| SOUVENIR | |
| Anagram [adapted] of VERSION containing [to accommodate] U (you) | |
| 6 | Cheers up over drink, with minimum of ice included, in part of large building (6) |
| ATRIUM | |
| TA (cheers – thank you) reversed [up], then RUM (drink) containing [with…included] I{ce} [minimum of…] | |
| 7 | Brilliant to incorporate Mike’s highest point of achievement (4) |
| ACME | |
| ACE (brilliant) containing [to incorporate] M (Mike – NATO alphabet) | |
| 13 | Attempt to pack in a singlet is farce (8) |
| TRAVESTY | |
| TRY (attempt) containing [to pack in] A + VEST (singlet) | |
| 15 | Pay no regard to deduction from full price (8) |
| DISCOUNT | |
| Two meanings | |
| 17 | Vegetable change I propose initially (6) |
| TURNIP | |
| TURN (change), I, P{ropose} [initially] | |
| 19 | Steal from large building housing female by river (6) |
| PILFER | |
| PILE (large building) containing [housing] F (female), then R (river) | |
| 20 | Showy stuff put in selection boxes (6) |
| TINSEL | |
| Hidden in [boxes] {pu}T IN SEL{ection} | |
| 21 | Cereal close to oats in the past (4) |
| SAGO | |
| {oat}S [close to…], AGO (in the past) | |
| 22 | Centre of operations of inferior quality (4) |
| BASE | |
| Two meanings | |
I found this very difficult, but I did finally finish in 45 mins.
Looking back I am not sure why it took me this long. The clues were fair and I solved many by wordplay.
Like others LOI EYESTRAIN.
Thanks Hurley and jackkt
Enjoyable puzzle. Finished all OK. Bunged in ‘hidden’ Neat for 3d which made EPITOME difficult. Finally penny dropped and 8a and LOFT rose into place.
Also a bit slow on EYESTRAIN. Liked many inc TRAVESTY, INVOICE, TURNIP, GUILT.
CNP ATRIUM
Thanks vm, Jack.
9.21 That was mostly straightforward. SOUVENIR and INVOICE held me up a little and I dithered over TUT at the end. Thanks Jack and Hurley.
I never got into a flow with this one and was stretched to just over my target by the time LOI, EYESTRAIN was entered. Slow to see the clues from the proper direction today. LOFT was FOI. 10:03. Thanks Hurley and Jack.
Add me to the LOI EYESTRAIN group
Enjoyable puzzle
Thanks Hurley and jackkt
Approx 24-25 minutes, which is quite fast for me. I started with OPTIC and APART and finished with with TRAVESTY and EYESTRAIN. Nothing too difficult along the way, although it wasn’t a breeze. GUILT was the only clue I couldn’t parse.
Many thanks to Jack and Hurley.
Fairly straightforward, though I did hesitate over the nho Epitome before crossers confirmed my reading of the cryptic. Loi Guilt took a surprisingly long time to put to bed, nudging me beyond a sub-15. Hurley’s instructions were clear enough, but I had to get the answer before seeing Guild for Fellowship. CoD to 11ac, Invoice, for the smile. Invariant
Guilty of struggle withGUILT, took a while to get going with no write-ins after first cast
10:11 EYESTRAIN held me up longest- if I had only realised “seeing” was part of the definition I could have shaved off a minute or two.
A bit tired and sleepy after mowing the lawn this morning, I stopped the clock after 16 minutes having put in EPISODE as LOI which I thought was in improvement over EPILOG(U)E?
Happily I added a couple of minutes to think it over and found EPITOME, although Summary would not be my first thought as the definition.
I also paused over TUT.
COD to INVOICE.
David
20 mins…
Thought I was going to be quicker but got stuck on 12ac “Eyestrain” – obviously I was too tired to see it – and then 23ac “Guilt”. The rest was fairly straightforward.
FOI – 1dn “Decadent”
LOI – 23ac “Guilt”
COD – 12ac “Eyestrain”
Thanks as usual!
14:50. I was very held up by REGINA and INVOICE at the end. otherwise all straightforward! thanks both,
Less happy for me. Didn’t know that meaning of EPITOME and don’t particularly link ATRIUM with a simple “part of large building” (lots of large buildings don’t have an atrium). So a couple of “mers” from this resident of the SCC.
14 missed invoice. Slightly unwell. Hopefully better tomorrow.
Hope so Nutshell
Got off to a bad start with TEENAGER for 1d. It is an anagram of DEGENERATE without the D and E (extremely) and lasts for ten years but didn’t fit with any of the across clues!
Great QC from Hurley. Yes, mostly straightforward but like others held up at the end by EYESTRAIN. Also couldn’t parse TINSEL for ages 🙄 I did like INVOICE. Many thanks Jack and Hurley.
A gentle amble through over a Costa with nothing too tricky. I rather enjoy the tussle when there are some obscure ones – otherwise I don’t feel challenged. Some nice clues – eg ‘eyestrain’ and ‘e-astern’. ‘Tut’ was a ‘had to be’.
FOI 9a Optic – we have seen that recently
LOI & COD 20d Tinsel – a nice hidden.
11:34 here. I got about half of the acrosses on my first pass, but then all of the downs came, which let me finish off the acrosses on just one more pass. GUILT was LOI, I saw GRIFT as something that fitted the crossers and then struggled to get that out of my head.
Enjoyable puzzle and blog, thanks to Hurley and Jackkt.
I meant to go back and have another think about TUT but forgot to; thank goodness it was right.
Footsore solve after a day on the St Cuthbert’s Way. All done in 07:07 for a Very Good Day, despite needing all checkers for LOI EYESTRAIN. COD INVOICE.
Many thanks Jack and Hurley.
13 mins. OK I suppose.