Hi everybody. I haven’t encountered Izetti on blogging day for ages so this was a refreshing change. Perhaps a little stiffer than some Mondays, but I still completed in a typical QC time despite holding myself up slightly with a typo. No real favourites, but I quite liked Tom Dick and Harry (2d) and the whiskey drink at 23a. Cheers Izetti!
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 | Began to hug learner suffering from shock? (8) |
| STARTLED — STARTED (began) surrounding (to hug) L (learner) | |
| 6a | Bishop introducing a church composer of cantatas (4) |
| BACH — B (bishop) preceding (introducing) A + CH. (church) | |
| 8a | Artist crushed by a black horse (4) |
| ARAB — RA (Royal Academician, artist) between (crushed by) A and B (black) | |
| 9a | Set of characters needing help by mountain height (8) |
| ALPHABET — ABET (help) by ALP (mountain) and H (height) | |
| 10a | Beautiful fairy — she had died (8) |
| PERISHED — PERI (beautiful fairy) + SHE’D (she had) | |
| 11a | Garment left in sporting equipment? (4) |
| KILT — L (left) in KIT (sporting equipment?) | |
| 13a | Activity needing footwear with revolutionary elements (6,7) |
| ROLLER SKATING — A cryptic definition | |
| 16a | Provision for air conditioning in Coventry (4) |
| VENT — Hidden in coVENTry | |
| 17a | Old lady finally cut hair in bed (8) |
| MATTRESS — MA (old lady) + the last letter of (finally) cuT + TRESS (hair) | |
| 19a | Attractive person that’s wicked inside, very wicked (8) |
| DEVILISH — DISH (attractive person) that has EVIL (wicked) inside | |
| 21a | Thus a piano is provided for TV series (4) |
| SOAP — SO (thus) + A + P (piano) | |
| 22a | Lazy one worshipped, from what we hear (4) |
| IDLE — IDOL (one worshipped), soundalike (from what we hear) | |
| 23a | Cheers father having imbibed whiskey drink (3,5) |
| TAP WATER — TA (cheers) + PATER (father) having taken in (imbibed) W (whiskey) | |
| Down | |
| 2d | See mother out with Tom, Dick and Harry? (9) |
| THREESOME — SEE MOTHER anagrammed (out) | |
| 3d | Teacher, poor sportsman for the most part? (5) |
| RABBI — RABBIt (poor sportsman) except the last letter (for the most part) | |
| 4d | Shakespearean king swallowing the tough stuff (7) |
| LEATHER — LEAR (Shakespearean king) taking in (swallowing) THE | |
| 5d | Given drug, do physical exercise with first hint of drowsiness (5) |
| DOPED — DO + PE (physical exercise) with the beginning of (first hint of) Drowsiness | |
| 6d | Group together book and sporting implement (7) |
| BRACKET — B (book) and RACKET (sporting implement) | |
| 7d | Rod you found in church (3) |
| CUE — U (you) found in CE (church) | |
| 12d | Picture of place with sand blowing around (9) |
| LANDSCAPE — An anagram of (… blowing around) PLACE with SAND | |
| 14d | Top room protected by the Parisian framework (7) |
| LATTICE — ATTIC (top room) inside (protected by) LE (the, Parisian) | |
| 15d | Sauce in vessel, cup chipped on top (7) |
| KETCHUP — KETCH (vessel) + cUP missing its initial letter (chipped on top) | |
| 17d | Duck in fog is slightly damp (5) |
| MOIST — O (duck) in MIST (fog) | |
| 18d | Religious follower a celebrity that’s taken right to the top (5) |
| RASTA — A STAR (a celebrity) having moved R (right) to the beginning/top of the word (that’s taken right to the top) | |
| 20d | Put right, losing first and last (3) |
| END — Omitting its initial letter (… losing first), mEND (put right) | |
Very well-pitched QC, I thought. Really enjoyed it, though had to guess two NHOs: Peri and Rabbi(t), the latter as a poor sportsman.
Completed in 13:08, my fastest finish for an Izetti.
Thank you, Izetti and Kitty.
19 min fail due to Perished. NHO of Rabbit definition but easy enough to get. Very enjoyable especially Tap Water making me smile after I went through my list of whiskey drinks. Thanks Izetti and Kitty
13:53 for an enjoyable, slightly trickier Monday, with a careless pink square in KETtHUP. Still pleasingly under par and another horse for my growing stable. I have previous blogs to thank for ketch and don’t mind admitting I only know Peri from Doctor Who!
Thanks to Izetti & Kitty.