I just came in under the wire with a few seconds to spare to meet my 10 minute target. The final 2 minutes had been spent on 16dn – more on that later – and I shall be interested to know how others fared with it. Apart from that clue I thought this was a fairly straightforward puzzle especially with regard to wordplay.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Of great value around company, being advanced for one’s age (10) |
| PRECOCIOUS – PRECIOUS (of great value) containing [around] CO (company) | |
| 8 | Big wave from bloke returning in new suit (7) |
| TSUNAMI – MAN (bloke) reversed [returning] in anagram [new] of SUIT | |
| 9 | Number consuming large meal (5) |
| FLOUR – FOUR (number) containing [consuming] L (large) | |
| 10 | Join outfit guarding nation’s leader (4) |
| KNIT – KIT (outfit) containing [guarding] N{ation’s} [leader] | |
| 11 | Poet’s new sonnet about New York (8) |
| TENNYSON – Anagram [new] of SONNET containing [about] NY (New York) | |
| 13 | Fuel’s left out for fire (6) |
| IGNITE – {l}IGNITE (fuel) [left out]. This is a low-grade fuel consisting of compressed peat, often referred to as “brown coal”. | |
| 14 | General test for upper classes (6) |
| GENTRY – GEN (general – military abbreviation), TRY (test). Actually if one is a member of the nobility then the gentry are of a lower class but modern sensibilities probably don’t permit that sort of thinking. I know my place! | |
| 17 | Everything normal entering outskirts of bleak stadium (8) |
| BALLPARK – ALL (everything) + PAR (normal) contained by [entering] B{lea}K [outskirts] | |
| 19 | Working, attached to Irish golf club (4) |
| IRON – IR (Irish), ON (working) | |
| 21 | Instrument in place of confinement, centre for prisoners (5) |
| CELLO – CELL (place of confinement) {pris}O{ners} [centre] | |
| 22 | Get beaten in competition and refuse to talk (5,2) |
| CLOSE UP – LOSE (get beaten) in CUP (competition). I’m not sure I’d ever use this expression for this meaning; I’d be more likely to say “clam up”. | |
| 23 | Change story following swindle (10) |
| CONVERSION – CON (swindle), VERSION (story) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Meeting of old mates concerning alliance (7) |
| REUNION – RE (concerning), UNION (alliance) | |
| 3 | Talk about bowler, for example (4) |
| CHAT – C (about), HAT (bowler, for example), or “Derby” as they say across the pond. | |
| 4 | Carpentry tool from church lies abandoned (6) |
| CHISEL – CH (church), anagram [abandoned] of LIES | |
| 5 | Bid to imprison complete delinquent (8) |
| OFFENDER – OFFER (bid) contains [to imprison] END (complete) | |
| 6 | Notices / rash (5) |
| SPOTS – Two definitions | |
| 7 | Drink on break, and a crisp biscuit (6,4) |
| BRANDY SNAP – BRANDY (drink), SNAP (break). I have a sweet tooth but I find these absolutely vile. Also they lose their snap and go soggy very quickly. | |
| 8 | Return with purchase, perhaps to apologise (4,2,4) |
| TAKE IT BACK – Two definitions, one cryptic and one straight | |
| 12 | Retire from stage, depressed (4,4) |
| STEP DOWN – STEP (stage), DOWN (depressed) | |
| 15 | Fuss involving rep breaking weapon (7) |
| TORPEDO – TO-DO (fuss) containing [involving] anagram [breaking] of REP | |
| 16 | Old people, about fifty, in shrine (6) |
| ORACLE – O (old), RACE (people) containing [about] L (fifty). My LOI. I was unaware of this definition, but Collins has one meaning of ORACLE as “a shrine at which oracular gods are consulted”. This seems a little obscure to me for a QC, but others more steeped in such matters may regard it as common knowledge. | |
| 18 | Ring up about island flower (5) |
| LILAC – CALL (ring) reversed [up] containing [about] I (island) | |
| 20 | Cost of polish, not good (4) |
| LOSS – {g}LOSS (polish) [not good] | |
Really quite a simple puzzle, but it’s not good enough to solve 90% of the clues in 6 minutes – you have to solve all of them!
Edited at 2017-02-20 05:21 am (UTC)
9.31 with one or two difficulties such as 15dn TORPEDO and 23ac CONVERSION my LOI.
FOI TSUNAMI
Jack please send me any overdated BRANDY SNAPS!
COD 1ac PRECOCIOUS WOD BALLPARK
Held up by loss and conversion.
Also spent a while on precocious, close-up, torpedo and oracle.
Also some of the cluing is on the tough side:
9a flour = meal.
5d end = complete.
16d oracle = shrine.
20d cost = loss.
COD to 22a close-up.
Interestingly the flower in 18d defeated me in a recent QC where it was clued as a tree – which is what confused me at the time.
Rita
A steady 18:23 which is an acceptable time for a Monday. I did not sweat ORACLE, as wordplay looked solid.
LOI CLOSE-UP, as did not see the construction until today’s blog. ALL PAR, seems pretty old-fashioned to me, although I liked that clue, I was pleased to get TORPEDO from spotting todo for ‘fuss’, so that’s my COD.
Nothing to complain about. Favourite 11a. David
PS today’s 15×15 is worth a try if you have time.