9 minutes
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 | Period pieces in France that will divide opponents (8) |
ANTIQUES – QUE (in France, that) contained by [will divide] ANTIS (opponents) | |
5 | Girl’s short rope with noose (4) |
LASS – LASS{o} (rope with noose) [short] | |
9 | Sebastian’s twin sister’s instrument? (5) |
VIOLA – Two definitions, the first with reference to characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night | |
10 | Soldier’s rejected report about start of offensive (7) |
TROOPER – REPORT reversed [rejected] containing about O{ffensive} [start] | |
11 | Determined / group (3) |
SET – Two definitions | |
12 | Exciting object straddling stream (9) |
THRILLING – THING (object) containing [straddling] RILL (stream) | |
13 | Expedient — type employed by army corps (6) |
RESORT – RE (army corps), SORT (type) | |
15 | Seize a short piece of music (6) |
SNATCH – Two definitions | |
17 | Without initiative, lacking a period of work (9) |
SHIFTLESS – SHIFT (period of work), LESS (lacking) | |
19 | Egg supplier hoteliers employed naturally at first (3) |
HEN – H{oteliers} E{mployed} N{aturally} [at first] | |
20 | One who mocks a greedy eater? (7) |
SCOFFER – Two definitions | |
21 | Admitted / being possessed (5) |
OWNED – Two definitions | |
22 | Upper room originally let frequently to a poet (4) |
LOFT – L{et} [originally], OFT (frequently to a poet) | |
23 | Short-lived naval force in entrance to Gulf (8) |
FLEETING – FLEET (naval force), IN, G{ulf} [entrance] |
Down | |
1 | Consultant’s commercial shown on screen (7) |
ADVISOR – AD (commercial), VISOR (screen) | |
2 | Racehorse spy eating river fish (5) |
TROUT – TOUT (racehorse spy) containing [eating] R (river) | |
3 | Old stout pole 25% of workforce used? (12) |
QUARTERSTAFF – QUARTER (25%), STAFF (workforce). Not sure I actually knew this word but the wordplay was clear enough once I had a checker or two in place. SOED defines it as a stout pole, six to eight feet long and frequently iron-tipped, formerly used as a weapon especially by the English peasantry used? | |
4 | Steer madly for compound (5) |
ESTER – Anagram [madly] of STEER. That it’s an organic compound is all I need to know. | |
6 | Assign a parking place? (7) |
APPOINT – A, P (parking), POINT (place) | |
7 | Season throwing out new shoot (5) |
SPRIG – SPRI{n}G (season) [throwing out new] | |
8 | Nomadic type that doesn’t gather moss? (7,5) |
ROLLING STONE – A figurative definition with a cryptic reference to an old saying | |
14 | Short trip cancelled? That’s the incidental result (4-3) |
SPIN-OFF – SPIN (short trip), OFF (cancelled) | |
16 | Suspend setter, perhaps, being downcast? (7) |
HANGDOG – HANG (suspend), DOG (setter, perhaps). Having a dejected appearance. | |
17 | Getting up, 5 consumes first of its fibre (5) |
SISAL – LASS (5 – Across) reversed [getting up] contains [consumes] I{t} [first] | |
18 | Loner forced to join up (5) |
ENROL – Anagram [forced] of LONER | |
19 | Language used by rajah in Didwana (5) |
HINDI – Hidden in [used by] {raja}H IN DI{wana} |
Haven’t read Twelfth Night, we did Romeo and Juliet for GCSE and that put me off reading any more.
Dnk sisal and wasn’t sure resort = expediant.
14d I had slip off before spin off.
LOI 12a thrilling.
COD 185d enrol.
I was not sure that Resort = Expedient (I’m still not).
Even with the starting S, I took a long time to think of Spin off.
It took me an age to get my LOI – Shiftless.
So 13 minutes for most of this and at least the same again for the last three.
And now I’m going to look up Resort -and the past participle of Spin- span sounds right but so does Spun. David
I prefer the Adviser spelling which does not fit the clue.
You see both frequently.
David
Edited at 2017-04-17 04:13 pm (UTC)
From Preston -latterly.
David
PS what do the cricket commentators say?
I also struggled with resort = expedient
Otherwise – the rest wasn’t too bad
DR31