At 8 minutes I found this one quite straightforward with no unknown words or meanings. The wordplay didn’t seem very complicated either, but we shall see what others think…
Definitions are underlined. Deletions are in curly brackets. Indicators are in square ones.
Across |
|
---|---|
1 | Urn base I’m changing for deep vessel? (9) |
SUBMARINE – Anagram [changing] of URN BASE I’M | |
6 | It sounds like more than one addition (3) |
SUM – Sounds like ‘some’ (more than one). I had TOO – sounds like ‘two’ – here before checkers came into play. I looked twice at the literal definition but I think it works well enough. | |
8 | Performer who leaps across, twice dropping small club (7) |
ACROBAT – ACRO{ss}, BAT (club). ‘Twice dropping small’ indicates removal of S x 2. | |
9 | What’s sometimes poured on potato, like where one gets buried? (5) |
GRAVY – The second part of the clue is a play on words of the type familiar to listeners to R4’s ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue’ and their ‘Uxbridge English Dictionary’ game. So ‘like a grave’ (where one gets buried) becomes GRAVY. | |
10 | Instant alternative to potatoes, on time? (5) |
TRICE – T (time), RICE (alternative to potatoes?) | |
12 | Make possible reversal of part of travel ban, eventually (6) |
ENABLE – Hidden [part of] and reversed inside {trav}EL BAN E{ventually} | |
14 | Either punctual or late, at last! (3,6,4) |
NOT BEFORE TIME – Firstly we have a somewhat cryptic defintion. One can be early, punctual or late for an appointment, and NOT BEFORE TIME rules out the first of these leaving the other two options as stated in the clue. The second meaning can be a sarcastic comment that’s made when another person has actually arrived late. | |
16 | Something pinned on church, added to endless stream (6) |
BROOCH – BROO{k} (stream) [endless], CH (church) | |
17 | Mix up first of banks to offer loans (5) |
BLEND – B{anks), LEND (offer loans) | |
19 | Second German car for Arab, perhaps (5) |
SAUDI – S (second), AUDI (German car) | |
20 | United Kingdom wet weather beginning to engulf country (7) |
UKRAINE – UK (United Kingdom), RAIN (wet weather), E{ngulf} | |
22 | Give new colour to Doyle’s odd characters (3) |
DYE – D{o}Y{l}E [odd characters] | |
23 | Awkward matter with ear, nose and throat’s medical care (9) |
TREATMENT – Anagram [awkward] of MATTER, ENT (Ear Nose and Throat – hospital department) | |
Down |
|
1 | Informal language covers container at an angle (8) |
SLANTING – SLANG (informal language) encloses [covers] TIN (container) | |
2 | Exclude from pub? (3) |
BAR – Two definitions | |
3 | An easy walk, having the capacity to cross motorway (5) |
AMBLE – ABLE (having the capacity) encloses [to cross] M (motorway) | |
4 | Experiencing disgrace at Barker’s home? (2,3,8) |
IN THE DOGHOUSE – Two definitions, one straight but figurative, the second a literal interpretation of same. Note the example of a word being capitalised that doesn’t need to be, other than to assist the surface reading and mislead the solver. But if a capital letter was actually required, it would not be permissible to omit it. | |
5 | Less than half of English party set in stone, say (7) |
ENGRAVE – ENG{lish} [less than half of…], RAVE (party) | |
6 | Unimportant offering from miniature clock? (5-4) |
SMALL TIME – SMALL (miniature), TIME (clock) | |
7 | Irish county spread, briefly (4) |
MAYO – Two literal definitions. The second meaning is now a word in its own right so ‘briefly’ is not strictly necessary. | |
11 | Migration of deer until middle period (9) |
INTERLUDE – Anagram [migration] of DEER UNTIL | |
13 | Draw lifeless feature of desert? (4,4) |
DEAD HEAT – DEAD (lifeless), HEAT (feature of desert) | |
15 | Self-centred person is to get ruined (7) |
EGOTIST – Anagram [ruined] of IS TO GET | |
17 | Polish up stone and suddenly break open (5) |
BURST – RUB (polish) reversed [up], ST (stone – weight) | |
18 | Second-hand American edition (4) |
USED – US (American), ED (edition) | |
21 | Substance of glacier that is getting cold inside (3) |
ICE – IE (that is – id est) with C (cold) inside it |
I also read ‘Urn’ as ‘Um’ which was confusing since it was clearly an anagram but had the wrong number of letters!
Edited at 2015-11-16 04:45 am (UTC)