Hi everyone. A bit more complex than we usually see on a Monday, but I was surprised to see that it hadn’t taken me as long as I’d thought (6:06 on the clock if you want the numbers). I’ll be interested to see how you found it.
There are some really nice constructions here. Obviously I liked the shy cat in 12a; more objectively I’d highlight 9a and 15d for their surfaces, and my favourite 6d for its clever use of “ringing home” inside a plausible story. I also have to mention 4d which combines a well-disguised definition with another great surface.
Oh, and the author has signed his work at 5d. Thanks Tango!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, I generally italicise indicators unless it seems clearer not to. Where the removed part is specified, [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. I sometimes omit link words and juxtaposition indicators if it doesn’t feel necessary to explain them. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section.
| Across | |
| 1a | Ludicrous colonel grabbing microphone before head of army (7) |
| COMICAL — COL. (colonel) taking in (grabbing) MIC (microphone) before the first letter of (head of) Army | |
| 5a | Pine for one number on the radio in Ireland? (4) |
| TREE — Sounds like (… on the radio) how an Irish person might say THREE (number) | |
| 7a | Initially, fed up learner on French road having regrets (6) |
| RUEFUL — First letters of (initially), Fed Up Learner by (on) RUE (French road) | |
| 8a | Plain fish that diner on vacation tucks into (6) |
| TUNDRA — TUNA (fish) that DineR upon emptying of its inner letters (on vacation) goes inside (tucks into) | |
| 9a | In my opinion, holding money from Russia is worrying (11) |
| TROUBLESOME — TO ME (in my opinion) holding ROUBLES (money from Russia) | |
| 10a | Posing like man on board (6) |
| ASKING — AS (like) KING (man on board – a chess board) | |
| 12a | Cat shy around boats (6) |
| YACHTS — CAT SHY anagrammed (around) | |
| 14a | Drama slowly developing in Woolf’s novel (3,8) |
| MRS DALLOWAY — An anagram of (… developing) DRAMA SLOWLY | |
| 17a | Dense copper deposits to the west (6) |
| STUPID — DI (Detective Inspector: copper) and PUTS (deposits) all reversed (to the west, in an across entry) | |
| 18a | Free former European politician ahead of time (6) |
| EXEMPT — EX (former), E (European) and MP (politician) ahead of T (time) | |
| 20a | First glimpses of trainer helping obese rock god (4) |
| THOR — Initial letters of (first glimpses of) Trainer Helping Obese Rock | |
| 21a | Foreign character lopes in, drunk (7) |
| EPSILON — LOPES IN anagrammed (drunk) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Are you supporting Charlie’s vineyard? (3) |
| CRU — RU (are you) underneath (supporting) C (Charlie) | |
| 2d | Criminals all turned up, one thus provided a million (7) |
| MAFIOSI — All reversed (all turned up), I (one), SO (thus), IF (provided) A and M (million) | |
| 3d | Perhaps worker caught pinching pounds is rising star (5) |
| CELEB — BEE (perhaps worker) plus C (caught) surrounding (pinching) L (pounds) is going upwards in the grid (rising) | |
| 4d | Draw large river mammal close to city (7) |
| LOTTERY — L (large) + OTTER (river mammal) + the last letter of (close to) citY | |
| 5d | Tibetan government hosts dance (5) |
| TANGO — TibeTAN GOvernment hosts the answer | |
| 6d | Seriously ahead of time, ringing home (9) |
| EARNESTLY — EARLY (ahead of time) surrounding (ringing) NEST (home) | |
| 9d | Try to agree international (4,5) |
| TEST MATCH — TEST (try) + MATCH (to agree) | |
| 11d | Doctor enraged very important person (7) |
| GRANDEE — Make an anagram of (doctor) ENRAGED | |
| 13d | Small room contains old women’s second-class instrument (7) |
| COWBELL — CELL (small room) contains O (old), W (women’s) and B (second-class) | |
| 15d | Drink unlimited here? Fab! (5) |
| SUPER — SUP (drink) + without the outer letters (unlimited) hERe | |
| 16d | Northern city guides in conversation (5) |
| LEEDS — Sounds like (… in conversation) LEADS (guides) | |
| 19d | Mostly weak joke (3) |
| PUN — All but the last letter of (mostly) PUNy (weak) | |
17 mins. Biffed Tango as didn’t spot the hidden and the concept of a Tango branch of the Tibetatn government didnt seem too outrageous. A nice work out.
FOI Comical
LOI Asking
COD Stupid
Thanks Tango and Kitty
09.03.
11 minute DNF as I put GALLOWAY for DALLOWAY. Silly mistake! Totally unforgivable error when all I had to do was check the letters.
5 short on what was doubtless an easy 15 x 15.
Another disappointing Monday.
PS Just seen snitch score for 15 x 15. Only 55. I really should have done better.