Smooth cluing as always from the Funny Man. Nothing too obscure, I thought, and all done in 06:45 for a Good Day. Your mileage may vary – but I hope you enjoyed the ride.
Definitions underlined in bold.
| Across | |
| 1 | Two-term president losing lead is behind (4) |
| RUMP – The Donald, but without his first letter [losing lead]. | |
| 7 | Top social changes concerning the Pope? (9) |
| APOSTOLIC – anagram [changes] of “top social”. The Pope is believed by Roman Catholics to be the successor to St Peter, and thus to be the leader of a church directly connected to the Apostles. Hands up if you thought “Izetti” when you solved this one. | |
| 9 | Inventor beginning work after turning thirty (4) |
| WATT – first letters [beginning]. | |
| 10 | Stress where immigrants go? (10) |
| INTONATION – INTO NATION, that’s where immigrants go. It’s all about where you put the stress. What a cracking clue, COD from me. | |
| 11 | Doom sounded for outdoor entertainment (4) |
| FETE – sounds like “fate” [doom]. | |
| 12 | Announcer on TV screen was confused introducing time (10) |
| NEWSCASTER – anagram [confused] of “screen was” with T [introducing time]. | |
| 16 | Draw wild sweet peas — about a thousand (10) |
| SWEEPSTAKE – anagram [wild] of “sweet peas” including K [a thousand]. | |
| 19 | Child’s bed containing a blanket (4) |
| COAT – COT [child’s bed] including [containing] A [a]. | |
| 21 | Preparation of stadium function (10) |
| GROUNDWORK – GROUND [stadium] + WORK [function – it works, it functions]. My LOI. | |
| 23 | Heard Hungarian composer’s record (4) |
| LIST – sounds like [heard] Liszt [Hungarian composer]. | |
| 24 | Manager to perform around four (9) |
| EXECUTIVE – EXECUTE [to perform] around IV [four]. | |
| 25 | Work performed by couple expected before time (4) |
| DUET – DUE [expected] in front of [before] T [time]. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Employment of university man of great wisdom (5) |
| USAGE – U [university] + SAGE [man of great wisdom]. Wise person might have been more diplomatic but the dictionaries do specify men so pfft. | |
| 3 | What’s needed to endure comic opera by G&S (8) |
| PATIENCE – double definition. I love G&S so I’m outraged … but if Rusty Bombazine is around, Joker’s really for it! | |
| 4 | Couple filling frying pan set up to act deferentially (6) |
| KOWTOW -reading backwards [set up] you have TWO [couple] inside [filling up] WOK [frying pan]. To KOWTOW is to abase oneself prostrate, so low that one’s forehead touches the ground. Collins says that it’s a C19 word in English and comes “from Chinese k’o t’ou, from k’o to strike, knock + t’ou head”. | |
| 5 | What describes groups in Lambeth nicely (6) |
| ETHNIC -hidden word. The reference to Lambeth fooled me into looking for a dropped H or some Cockney Rhyming Slang for a while. In the end Kevin’s Law (“if nothing else makes sense it’s probably a hidden”) rescued me. | |
| 6 | Fifty carried in overweight plane (4) |
| FLAT – L [fifty] inside FAT [overweight]. | |
| 8 | Shut up and suffer defeat in court (6) |
| CLOSET – LOSE [suffer defeat] inside [in] CT [court]. This is the verb to closet. | |
| 13 | Television series (3) |
| SET – double definition. Not sure anyone calls them television “sets” any more but historical usage is fair game in Crosswordland. | |
| 14 | Spotted brief kiss in toboggan (8) |
| SPECKLED – PECK [brief kiss] inside [in] SLED [toboggan]. | |
| 15 | Quick change of direction with cutting tennis shot (6) |
| SWERVE – W [with] inside [cutting] SERVE [tennis shot]. | |
| 17 | I do sum working out number eleven in table (6) |
| SODIUM – anagram [working out] of “I do sum”. Sodium is number 11 in the periodic table. The dropping of sodium into water is one of the very few things that I recall from the Chemistry I was very badly taught. | |
| 18 | Raised US spies holding test of nuclear energy (6) |
| ATOMIC – reading backward [raised] we have CIA {American spies] containing [holding] MOT [test – note for for overseas readers: most vehicles in the UK more than 3 years old have to have an annual inspection of roadworthiness. This used to take place under the auspices of the Ministry Of Transport, and so was dubbed the MOT test. The Ministry is long gone, but its initials are immortal.]. | |
| 20 | Passage from a place like Skye (5) |
| AISLE – A [a] + ISLE [place like (the Isle of) Skye]. Altogether now … | |
| 22 | Exploits tricks to eliminate resistance (4) |
| USES – RUSES [tricks] without its opening R [eliminate resistance]. | |
Trouble with one thousand is that it can be K, M or even G. Possibly other things as well.