I’d put this towards the easier end of things, certainly for an Izetti puzzle. The grid was quite empty after a first read through of the acrosses, but the downs were more forgiving and it all clicked into place with a minute-or-so change from my target. It helped that I’m slowly starting to remember that pesky material at 6d, and I was glad to be reminded of the abbreviation at 20d with an easy enough clue. As far as I can see, 11ac is the only real Valentine’s Day reference – perhaps fittingly his lover is absent from the grid. So not a great deal of obscurity, but some tricksy cluing and lots of typically smooth surfaces made it all very good fun – many thanks to Izetti!
| Across | |
| 8 | Big bag in room containing antique? (7) |
| HOLDALL – HALL (room) containing OLD (antique) | |
| 9 | Entertainment round piano with English artist (5) |
| OPERA – O (round) P(iano) with E(nglish) R.A. (Royal Academician / artist) | |
| 10 | Irritable man admits drinking nothing alcoholic (5) |
| RATTY – RAY (man) admits TT (teetotal / drinking nothing alcoholic) | |
| 11 | Famous lover in Lincoln getting fat (7) |
| ABELARD – ABE (as in Abe Lincoln) gets LARD (fat). Abelard and Heloise were lovers in France at the turn of the twelfth century, and their sensational love affair had it all: passion, scandal, a secret marriage, an evil uncle, a series of love letters after a forced separation, and of course a juicy bit of castration thrown in for good measure. In Our Time covered it a while ago if you’re particularly interested. | |
| 12 | Women tend to have misrepresented talent (9) |
| ENDOWMENT – anagram (misrepresented) of WOMEN TEND. A talent /endowment is a natural gift for something. | |
| 14 | Guy is vulgar and funny, not half (3) |
|
RIB – RIB |
|
| 16 | Returning academic gets sign of approval (3) |
| NOD – DON (academic) return = reverse | |
| 18 | Remain outside school control (9) |
| RESTRAINT – REST (remain) outside TRAIN (school) | |
| 21 | Entertainment event loud and dirty (7) |
| FUNFAIR – F (forte / loud) and UNFAIR (dirty) | |
| 22 | Hiding in bedroom, an invisible Arab (5) |
| OMANI – “Hiding in” the letters of bedroOM AN Invisible | |
| 23 | Angelic group you and I will appear in (5) |
| SWEET – SET (group) that WE (you and I) will appear in. | |
| 24 | Squirm uneasily when entertaining a nobleman (7) |
| MARQUIS – anagram (uneasily) of SQUIRM entertains/admits A | |
| Down | |
| 1 | The unknown number holding weird rite as number of ill omen? (8) |
| THIRTEEN – THE (the) N (unknown number) holds an anagram (weird) of RITE | |
| 2 | Very happy to be connected, right away (6) |
| ELATED – RELATED (connected), with R(ight) taken away. | |
| 3 | Infant born in space near window? (4) |
| BABY – B(orn) inside BAY (space near window) | |
| 4 | Walk out after Conservative split (6) |
| CLEAVE – LEAVE (walk out) goes after C(onservative) | |
| 5 | Supporting development of trees? That’s my job (8) |
| FORESTER – FOR (supporting) ; anagram (development) of TREES. As the definition refers back to the cryptic, but is not part of the wordplay, this is an example of a “semi-&lit” clue, an “&lit” clue being where the whole clue is both cryptic wordplay “and literally” the definition. | |
| 6 | Fix material before broadcast (6) |
| REPAIR – REP (material) before AIR (broadcast). A fabric with a ribbed surface, with “rep” here being etymologically related to “rib”. | |
| 7 | Worker making clock component (4) |
| HAND – double definition | |
| 13 | Justifies tirades following hostilities (8) |
| WARRANTS – RANTS (tirades) follows WAR (hostilities) | |
| 15 | Cricketer, one in important match being most eccentric (8) |
| BATTIEST – a cricketer = a bat, courtesy of synecdoche ; I (one) inside TEST (important match) | |
| 17 | Risk in badly laid-out garden (6) |
| DANGER – Anagram (badly laid-out) of GARDEN | |
| 19 | Kentish spirits? Amber-coloured liquids (6) |
| SERUMS – SE (South East / Kentish) RUMS (spirits) | |
| 20 | One vehicle unserviceable, making traveller doomed to death (6) |
| ICARUS – I (ONE) CAR (vehicle) US (U/S = unserviceable, originally a WWII abbreviation) | |
| 21 | Speedy firm? (4) |
| FAST – double definition | |
| 22 | Occupying zoo, great big monster (4) |
| OGRE – “Occupying” the letters of zoO GREat | |
Took about 4 hours over three days!
And still got Rib wrong- tried Rob..
Rep material? Never heard of it.
Abelard – got from the clue eventually but never heard of him.
A cricketer is not a bat
Amber coloured should have had the question mark as some rums are clear, as our some serums.
Nick