Hi everyone. I don’t have anything new or unexpected to say about this puzzle, for the good reason that Trelawney is very consistent. Nothing really held me up, so I put in one of my faster times. I really liked the rocket booster in 19a, which is my standout favourite. 16d also warrants a mention for its surface. (Which is a good occasion to say that if you need help sorting your green paint from your Ninja Turtles, you can consult this site’s glossary.) Finally, I was also amused by the serious business of juggling lemons (22a). 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 | Swindle Greek character for seafood (6) |
| SCAMPI — SCAM (swindle) + PI (Greek character) | |
| 4a | Prepares orthodontic device (6) |
| BRACES — A double definition | |
| 8a | Nurse pocketing certain revolutionary’s box of goodies (8,5) |
| TREASURE CHEST — TREAT (nurse) taking in (pocketing) SURE (certain) and CHE’S (revolutionary’s) | |
| 10a | Lift up and tear down, reportedly (5) |
| RAISE — Sounds like (… reportedly) RAZE (tear down) | |
| 11a | Fortress let acid out (7) |
| CITADEL — LET ACID anagrammed (out) | |
| 13a | Quietly permitted to split separate dessert (5,4) |
| APPLE TART — P (quietly) and LET (permitted) dividing (to split) APART (separate) | |
| 17a | Cut off one very behind schedule (7) |
| ISOLATE — I (one) + SO (very) + LATE (behind schedule) | |
| 18a | Immature insect right inside molten rock (5) |
| LARVA — R (right) inside LAVA (molten rock) | |
| 19a | Heads of secret aerospace lab dealing with rocket booster? (5,8) |
| SALAD DRESSING — The first letters of (heads of) Secret Aerospace Lab + ADDRESSING (dealing with) | |
| 21a | Anger about European flower arrangement (6) |
| WREATH — WRATH (anger) around (about) E (European) | |
| 22a | Juggling lemons is serious (6) |
| SOLEMN — An anagram of (juggling) LEMONS IS | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Ridicule South African flag (6) |
| SATIRE — SA (South African) + TIRE (flag) | |
| 2d | On camera, I stirred coffee (9) |
| AMERICANO — ON CAMERA, I anagrammed (stirred) | |
| 3d | Model entertains small gang (5) |
| POSSE — POSE (model) holds (entertains) S (small) | |
| 5d | Italian cheese — cook it with actor (7) |
| RICOTTA — Make an anagram of (cook) IT with ACTOR | |
| 6d | Signal is crude in every other place (3) |
| CUE — Alternate letters of (… in every other place) CrUdE | |
| 7d | Sort out US city ignoring amendment initially (6) |
| SETTLE — SE[a]TTLE (US city) omitting (ignoring) the first letter of (… initially) Amendment | |
| 9d | Loud noise and revelry periodically criminal (9) |
| RACKETEER — RACKET (loud noise) and rEvElRy taking every other letter (periodically) | |
| 12d | Decide to put off something explosive (9) |
| DETERMINE — DETER (to put off) + MINE (something explosive) | |
| 14d | Acclaim extremely practical inspection (7) |
| PLAUDIT — The outer letters of (extremely) PracticaL + AUDIT (inspection) | |
| 15d | Puzzle observed after merry dance (6) |
| JIGSAW — SAW (observed) after JIG (merry dance) | |
| 16d | Technical language primarily just gas (6) |
| JARGON — The initial letter of (primarily) Just + ARGON (gas) | |
| 18d | Young woman at first orders cowboy’s accessory (5) |
| LASSO — LASS (young woman) + the beginning of (at first) Orders | |
| 20d | Part of client’s falsehood (3) |
| LIE — The answer is part of cLIEnt | |
Another in the “quick for me”club, done in under 20 while having half an eye on a recorded episode of countdown which Mr P was playing. Which suggests this was at the easy end.
FOI Braces
LOI Wreath
COD Salad dresssing
Thanks Kitty and Trelawney
It’s far too late to add a subtitle to the blog now, but one occurred to me on the walk from work, so I added it anyway.
I’ve just typed “well done!” a silly number of times – congrats to those with PBs. And thanks to all as usual for your comments.
28 minutes, including periodic interruptions from a small child who is wildly excited to be sleeping in a tent in the garden tonight!
FOI BRACES
LOI POSSE
Needed Kitty to parse TREASURE CHEST, thank you.
“SALAD DRESSING” excellent. That’s my COD.
10/10.
Very good fun – thanks to Kitty and Trelawny.
A disappointing 10 minutes. No excuse for failing to achieve single figures.
Failed on 15 x 15 – 2 short after 90 mins. With a Snitch of 68, a very poor performance.
Spent 5 hours on cryptics this weekend and failed badly. Several short on Saturday jumbo and 2 or 3 short on Sunday Times cryptic.
So much time devoted to this and for so little reward. It’s like wading through glue most of the time. My times do not improve and I hardly ever finish.
8:31 here, with the biggest issue being my cat trying to push my phone out of my grasp. As many others have said, SALAD DRESSING was my favourite today.
Thanks to Trelawney and Kitty.
Only a second sub 5-mins for me. Only one I had to revisit was SALAD DRESSING. Better give that COD because I fell hook, line and sinker for the misdirection.
Thanks Kitty and Trelawney
11 mins…
A nice and gentle puzzle to begin the week, but there were still some great clues.
FOI – 1ac “Scampi”
LOI – 12dn “Determine”
COD – 19ac “Salad Dressing”
Thanks as usual!