When I came to blog this everything seemed perfectly straightforward so I’m not sure why I needed 13 minutes (i.e. 3 over my target time) to complete the grid. Here’s my blog…
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 | Very demanding former partner playing a role (8) |
| EXACTING – EX (former partner), ACTING (playing a role) | |
| 8 | Cut policeman seen around hospital (4) |
| CHOP – COP (policeman) containing [seen around] H (hospital) | |
| 9 | British eleven in Paris gets medal for third place (6) |
| BRONZE – BR (British), ONZE (eleven, in Paris) | |
| 10 | All extremely to the right of Europe’s leader (5) |
| EVERY – VERY (extremely) is placed after [to the right of] E{urope’s} [leader] | |
| 11 | Regret regularly taking route (3) |
| RUE – Alternate letters of [regularly taking] R{o}U{t}E | |
| 12 | Misfit featured in heartless old ditty (6) |
| ODDITY – O{l}D then DI{t}TY [heartless – both words] | |
| 14 | Downgrade daughter and show real feeling (6) |
| DEMOTE – D (daughter), EMOTE (show real feeling) | |
| 16 | Confer most appropriately over wicket (6) |
| BESTOW – BEST (most appropriately), O (over), W (wicket) | |
| 18 | Current master needs replacing (6) |
| STREAM – Anagram [needs replacing] of MASTER | |
| 19 | Root vegetable loses half to decay (3) |
| ROT – {car}ROT (root vegetable) [loses half] | |
| 20 | Tree-lined street — not a place for meetings (5) |
| VENUE – {a}VENUE (tree-lined street) [not a] | |
| 21 | Free study under a jockey? (6) |
| RIDDEN – RID (free), DEN (study) | |
| 23 | Tackle English bird of prey (4) |
| KITE – KIT (tackle), E (English) | |
| 24 | Mostly cold item on menu suitable for a youngster (8) |
| CHILDISH – CHIL{l} (cold) [mostly], DISH (item on menu) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Both universities in Boat Race steer to go across (8) |
| OXBRIDGE – OX (steer), BRIDGE (go across) | |
| 2 | Quick look is barely sufficient when lacking time (4) |
| SCAN – SCAN{t} (barely sufficient) [lacking time] | |
| 3 | Best gear from very narrow railway (6) |
| FINERY – FINE (very narrow), RY (railway) | |
| 4 | Accepted a deadly sin (6) |
| AGREED – A, GREED (deadly sin) | |
| 5 | One yelling when son’s given milk substitute (8) |
| SCREAMER – S (son), CREAMER (milk substitute) | |
| 6 | Lad’s carrying a key for trunk (4) |
| BODY – BOY (lad) containing [carrying] D (a key – music) | |
| 13 | Interior finished as planned (8) |
| INTENDED – INT (interior ), ENDED (finished). I wasn’t sure about the abbreviation, but it’s fine. | |
| 15 | Cross people talking madly in centre of eatery (8) |
| TRAVERSE – RAVERS (people talking madly) in {ea}TE{ry} [centre] | |
| 17 | Unfortunate to start being sick after first sign of winter (6) |
| WRETCH – W{inter} [first sign], RETCH (start being sick) | |
| 18 | Make excessive demands on second rail service (6) |
| STRAIN – S (second), TRAIN (rail service) | |
| 20 | What starts venting oxygen into dark empty space (4) |
| VOID – V{enting} O{xygen} I{nto} D{ark} [starts] | |
| 22 | Cook complete bird that’s long dead (4) |
| DODO – DO (cook), DO (complete) | |
Traverse was one of my first in but I was held up by 16a and 17d (my LOI), amongst others. It was all clear after getting the answers but when you are looking at say 8a and 6d it is not so easy; I had Chip ready for 8a even though it felt wrong.
Anyway about 25 minutes plus today. David