Hello all. This puzzle by Oink was not what I’d call swinish: I didn’t encounter any snags. We do have the expected piggy reference, though. Staying on the farm, I will chose 4d as my favourite clue for its smooth surface. Thanks Oink!
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 | |
| 8a | European cause arousing strong feelings (7) |
| EMOTIVE — E (European) + MOTIVE (cause) | |
| 9a | Former performance spot on (5) |
| EXACT — EX (former) ACT (performance) | |
| 10a | Complain husband’s in the red? (5) |
| WHINE — H (husband)’s in WINE (the red?) | |
| 11a | Picture John Lennon singing this? (7) |
| IMAGINE — Double definition | |
| 12a | See mother playing in trio (9) |
| THREESOME — SEE MOTHER anagrammed (playing) | |
| 14a | Corner wild animal (3) |
| HOG — Two definitions – and Oink’s customary porcine reference | |
| 16a | Published article on Republican (3) |
| RAN — AN (article) by (on) R (Republican) | |
| 18a | Janitor who’s meticulous about his work? (9) |
| CARETAKER — Someone who’s meticulous about his work might be described as a CARE TAKER | |
| 21a | Pitched tent accommodating king leaving little room to move (7) |
| CRAMPED — CAMPED (pitched tent) containing (accommodating) R (king) | |
| 22a | Ultimately useless and ineffectual creep (5) |
| SIDLE — The last letter of (ultimately) uselesS + IDLE (ineffectual) | |
| 23a | Expensive car turns over (5) |
| ROLLS — Double definition | |
| 24a | System I rationalised, protecting someone from the UAE (7) |
| EMIRATI — SystEM I RATIonalised is hiding (protecting) the answer | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Swear tea is tainted — don’t drink it! (8) |
| SEAWATER — SWEAR TEA is anagrammed (tainted) | |
| 2d | Manager installing one item of office equipment (6) |
| COPIER — COPER (manager) taking in (installing) I (one) | |
| 3d | Mention place of interest, some would say (4) |
| CITE — Sounds like (… some would say) SITE (place of interest) | |
| 4d | Farmer in Oxfordshire keeps sheep (6) |
| MERINO — FarMER IN Oxfordshire contains (keeps) the answer | |
| 5d | Not disheartened after ten years, but in decline (8) |
| DECADENT — NoT without its middle letter (disheartened) goes after DECADE (ten years) | |
| 6d | French city hospital — priest’s responsibility? (6) |
| PARISH — PARIS (French city) + H (hospital) | |
| 7d | Some nasty exhausting bacterial infection (4) |
| STYE — Some naSTY Exhausting | |
| 13d | Fantasy epics Sam designed (8) |
| ESCAPISM — EPICS SAM anagrammed (designed) | |
| 15d | Flowering shrub with poor drainage (8) |
| GARDENIA — An anagram of (poor) DRAINAGE | |
| 17d | Nobleman dividing New York, just about (6) |
| NEARLY — EARL (nobleman) in (dividing) NY (New York) | |
| 19d | Become embarrassed in socialist haunt (6) |
| REDDEN — RED (socialist) DEN (haunt) | |
| 20d | Abduct child and doze off (6) |
| KIDNAP — KID (child) and NAP (doze off) | |
| 21d | Perhaps Jack and Charlie on road, entertaining American (4) |
| CARD — C (Charlie) on RD (road) taking in (entertaining) A (American) | |
| 22d | Stumble, knocking lager over (4) |
| SLIP — We are turning upside down (knocking … over) PILS (lager) | |
DNF
Really annoying. Mostly done in 10 mins but failed to spot the hidden MERINO, which would have told me emotion should have been EMOTIVE. Overall best forgotten.
6:45 with one to go! But could I see what was happening at 5d? It took another minute and a half for the PDM, and it was sooo obvious 🙄
But it was an Oink, so I’m happy. WHINE, SEAWATER, MERINO and GARDENIA all got ticks – no COD today because it is too hard to choose.
8:21 FOI Exact LOI Decadent
Thanks Oink and Kitty
11 minutes.
Disappointed as I wasted time having initially entered TRAPPED rather than CRAMPED, and then took time to work out CARD.
No excuse for not achieving single figures today.
Took over an hour on 15 x 15 (which the clever solvers doubtless found a walk in the park given the Snitch of 64). Hardly a cause for celebration, but I suppose it’s a finish at least.