For this I needed 9 minutes, my first QC solve within my target 10 since Joker’s offering last Monday. Today’s grid was particularly helpful with 4 x 6-letter words each having only 2 unchecked letters. There are one or two slightly out-of-the-ordinary words or shades of meaning but the wordplay is generally helpful so I think everything is very fair.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
Across | |
7 | Undeveloped picture, say, found in local (8) |
NEGATIVE – EG (say) in NATIVE (local) | |
8 | German song / told a story (4) |
LIED – Two definitions leading to different pronunciations | |
9 | Agent put away? Say again (6) |
REPEAT – REP (agent), EAT (put away) | |
10 | Prepared to study conclusion in essay (5) |
READY – READ (study), {essa}Y [conclusion] | |
11 | Eccentric old theologian (3) |
ODD – O (old), DD (theologian – Doctor of Divinity) | |
12 | Recent changes for resort (6) |
CENTRE – Anagram [changes] of RECENT. As in: ski resort / ski centre. | |
14 | Fruit from orchard’s first row (6) |
ORANGE – O{rchard} [first], RANGE (row). SOED tells me that this meaning of “range” is now rarely used. | |
16 | Phlegmatic, firm about termination of contract (6) |
STOLID – SOLID (firm) about {contrac}T [termination] | |
18 | Reason to propose holding it back (6) |
MOTIVE – MOVE (propose) holding IT reversed [back] | |
19 | Regret game ending in melee (3) |
RUE – RU (game – Rugby Union), {mele}E [ending] | |
20 | Sauce: favourite covering small duck (5) |
PESTO – PET (favourite) covering S (small), 0 (duck) | |
21 | Conjecture made by those people importing gold (6) |
THEORY – THEY (those people) importing OR (gold) | |
23 | Travel document carried by Chekhov is auctioned (4) |
VISA – Hidden in [carried by] {Chekho}V IS A{uctioned} | |
24 | Venomous creature seen in house, located by noon (8) |
SCORPION – SCORPIO (house), N (noon). Signs of the Zodiac are called “houses”. |
Down | |
1 | Strong macho types kept in check (8) |
VEHEMENT – HE-MEN (macho types) in VET (check) | |
2 | Obese English lot (4) |
FATE – FAT (obese), E (English) | |
3 | Advice to leader of expedition — proceed with caution (6) |
TIPTOE – TIP (advice), TO, E{xpedition} [leader] | |
4 | I rowed out to find queer fish (6) |
WEIRDO – Anagram [out] of I ROWED. For those who also do the 15×15, this answer and exact definition came up in #26574 blogged by Andy (linxit) last Saturday; the wordplay then was WEIR (dam), DO (discharge) which, fittingly, is perhaps a little more difficult than today’s. | |
5 | Amiable agricultural labourer bagging fifty (8) |
PLEASANT – PEASANT (agricultural labourer) containing [bagging] L (fifty) | |
6 | Reject, years after study (4) |
DENY – DEN (study), Y (years) | |
13 | Endless chat is fellow’s charm (8) |
TALISMAN – TAL{k} (chat) [endless], IS, MAN (fellow) | |
15 | Some coming over normally to find boss (8) |
GOVERNOR – Hidden [some] in {comin}G OVER NOR{mally} | |
17 | Wordy novel about society may make one sleepy (6) |
DROWSY – Anagram [novel] of WORDY about S (society) | |
18 | Unusually remote shooting star (6) |
METEOR – Anagram [unusually] of REMOTE | |
20 | Friend carrying one bucket (4) |
PAIL – PAL (friend) carrying I (one) | |
22 | Catch sight of eastern agent (4) |
ESPY – E (eastern), SPY (agent) |
1dn VEHEMENT held me up as did 24ac SCORPION (House!)
COD 15dn GOVERNOR (hard to spot) WOD WEIRDO
Is he-men a word?
Struggled to parse a few, 3d: I had toe=leader of expedition, 4d: not sure how weirdo relates to fish, for 5d I had peas being agricultural!
Did not know stolid or lied for german song.
[SOED]
I liked VEHEMENT as well. LIED for a German song is always a gimme in crosswordland.
PlayupPompey (didn’t on Saturday though)
GeoffH
I didn’t know that meaning for range, and I think I’ve only come across PAIL for bucket in ‘Oor Wullie’
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water…
Edited at 2016-11-28 02:01 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2016-11-28 02:19 pm (UTC)
LOI was 12a as I wanted all the letters to confirm the less than ideal Centre. 1d caused a slight hold-up as did 24a. David
And never will.
Otherwise fair.
Phlegmatic: 2 …not easily excited to feeling or action; dull, sluggish, apathetic; stolidly calm, self-possessed. L16.
Stolid: Dull and impassive; not easily excited or moved; lacking or concealing emotion, animation, etc.