I’m feeling about as slow today as johninterred is feeling quick, but I’d still say this was tricky enough – I threw in the towel around the twenty minute mark and clicked on the the answer to 21ac. Unable to see any wordplay, I should probably have realised it had to be a cryptic definition, but as it was I was miles off. Tough but tasty bits elsewhere: I’m thinking the well hidden anagram at 10 ac, the lovely reversal at 11ac, 9ac as well, and generally very pleasing fusions like Morecambe bay and black and blue. Top notch puzzle – many thanks to Howzat!
| Across | |
| 1 | They could get all mates fired at sea? (5,8) |
| FLEET ADMIRALS – anagram (at sea) of ALL MATES FIRED, with the definition referring to the ability of an admiral to fire an underling. I had “first admirals” for a bit because my inability to count letters was allied with an ability to make up ranks in the navy. | |
| 8 | Some drool over sexy Romeo and Juliet, say (6) |
| LOVERS – “some” of the letters of drooL OVER Sexy | |
| 9 | A gin’s knocked back in old Greek city (6) |
| SPARTA – A gin is a trap, so knock back/reverse A TRAP’s. “Gin” has a number of now obsolete meanings along the lines of skill/craftiness, from the same root in French as “ingenious” and indeed “engine”, long before engine came to (primarily) mean machine. The OED compares “engine” with “malengine”, an attractive noun for deceipt/fraud/guile. So with “guile”, it looks like engine and malengine meet full circle. | |
| 10 | Here’s a dog — keep out! (4) |
| PEKE -anagram (out) of KEEP. Very nice! | |
| 11 | Under pressure, fools around (8) |
| STRESSED – Desserts (fools), around = reverse it. Like it! | |
| 12 | Faced a 50 lead, perhaps (5) |
| METAL -Met (faced) a L (50). And again, but I think I’ll stop gushing now. | |
| 13 | Money needed for cornets? (5) |
| BRASS -Double definition | |
| 15 | Encroaching navvies I suspect (8) |
| INVASIVE – Anagram (suspect) of I NAVVIES | |
| 17 | Italian citizen leaving front of Morecambe bay (4) |
| ROAN -ROMAN (italian citizen), ditch the M (front of Morecambe). Roan/bay being the colour of animal fur. | |
| 19 | Talk fast in poker (6) |
| JABBER – Double definition. I nearly convinced myself that a “gabber” was a poker of some sort. | |
| 20 | Primate to call Father on return (6) |
| APEMAN – NAME (call) PA (father) return/reverse. | |
| 21 | Spots complaint associated with kindergarten? (6,7) |
| GERMAN MEASLES – Cryptic definition, nice enough, beat me! Pun on spies/spots, and “kindergarten” does also allude to things Teutonic. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Free toilets close to home (5) |
| LOOSE – LOOS (toilets) E (closing letter of homE) | |
| 3 | Beginning to slip off harshest mountain (7) |
| EVEREST – SEVEREST (harshest), with the beginning letter slipping off. Edit: Kevin has a better parsing below. | |
| 4 | No credit given to stupid, pompous type? (3) |
| ASS – Another letter removal: CR = credit, deduct it from CRASS (stupid) | |
| 5 | I’m taken up with the Queen in black and blue (9) |
| MISERABLE – MI (I’M “taken up”/reversed) with ER (the queen) inside SABLE (black). | |
| 6 | Ways to come from Greek island mentioned (5) |
| ROADS – Sounds like (mentioned) RHODES | |
| 7 | Mail from landlords? (7) |
| LETTERS – double defintion | |
| 11 | Sister working to inspire senior to keep going (7,2) |
| SOLDIER ON – SR. (sister) ON (working) to inspire/has inhaled OLDER (senior). Edit: as silverwaver spotted below, it’s OLDIE for senior, not OLDER. | |
| 12 | Order fruit after a lot reduced (7) |
| MANDATE -DATE (fruit) after MANY (a lot), reduced = dock the last letter. | |
| 14 | Items subject to inflation? Bread is, surprisingly (3,4) |
| AIR BEDS – anagram (surprisingly) of BREAD IS. Missed this when solving, but yet another very nice clue. | |
| 16 | Almost completely worthless collection of recordings (5) |
| ALBUM – almost/most of the letters of ALL (completely); BUM (worthless) | |
| 18 | Saw US lawyer in advancing years (5) |
| ADAGE – saw/axiom/maxim/adage – DA (District Attorney/ US Lawyer) in AGE (advancing years) | |
| 20 | A church service (3) |
| ACE – A CE (Church of England), service as in tennis. Very neat. | |
After 2 hours I managed barely a third – I usually finish in 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Fleet Admirals ? Why would they be fired? From the anagram I got steam – which at least refers to fire – so though it was some sort of paddle steamer. Very obscure. Especially fierce for a 1A which would have helped – didn’t get any of the Downs off it
Might as well have tried the 15×15..
Howzat? No ball..
Nick