8:30. I found this a bit tricky, though I was also a bit distracted. Joker’s puzzles are always on the harder side, so I suppose I’m just glad to have finished!
My conventions in the solutions below are to underline definitions (including a defining phrase); put linking words in [brackets]; and put all wordplay indicators in italics. I also use a solidus (/) to help break up the clue where necessary, especially for double definitions without linking words.
| Across | |
| 1 | Officers mostly / keeping horse like a sort of plot? (9) |
| PARABOLIC – POLICE without the last letter around ARAB
When you try to fit a parabola to a set of data points. (As opposed to a line, etc.) |
|
| 6 | One teetotal in party? The same again! (5) |
| DITTO – I + TT in DO | |
| 8 | Ascertain Dicky [is] a member of narrow group (9) |
| SECTARIAN – anagram of ASCERTAIN | |
| 9 | Minor argument about head of rotten fish (5) |
| SPRAT – SPAT around first letter of ROTTEN | |
| 10 | A quiet / finish in part of book [is] an addition (9) |
| APPENDAGE – A + P + END in PAGE | |
| 12 | Consider parking with warning light, no reversing (6) |
| PONDER – P + reversal of RED + NO | |
| 13 | Language [is] initially just gas (6) |
| JARGON – first letter of JUST + ARGON
This took me a long time to see. |
|
| 16 | Lying at home because having only half rent (9) |
| INSINCERE – IN + SINCE + first half of RENT | |
| 18 | One going around with horn (5) |
| RHINO – I + HORN anagrammed (“going around”)
Nice all-in-one clue! |
|
| 19 | Spider natural at running (9) |
| TARANTULA – anagram of NATURAL AT | |
| 21 | Sauce good with fish around five (5) |
| GRAVY – G + RAY around V | |
| 22 | Be taunted about young girl in society (9) |
| DEBUTANTE – anagram of BE TAUNTED | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Cost of sending item [with] label in place (7) |
| POSTAGE – TAG in POSE
Had a hard time seeing POSE = ‘place’ but the definition was clear. |
|
| 2 | Instructions for dish — ready to eat with even bits of peach in (6) |
| RECIPE – RIPE around even-numbered letters of PEACH | |
| 3 | What holds up / home computer? (5) |
| BRAIN – BRA (“what holds up”) + IN
I suppose a BRAIN can compute! |
|
| 4 | Garland [of] little irises in part (3) |
| LEI – hidden in LITTLE IRISES | |
| 5 | Disapproving pair of Conservatives / about Democrat backing article (12) |
| CONDEMNATORY – CON + TORY around DEM + reversal of AN
Rather elaborate wordplay. One of my last in. |
|
| 6 | Let down, as dipped into irregularly (12) |
| DISAPPOINTED – anagram of AS DIPPED INTO | |
| 7 | End [of] school time / in / America (8) |
| TERMINUS – TERM + IN + U.S. | |
| 11 | Heavenly, a cake decoration (8) |
| ANGELICA – ANGELIC + A
I guess this is a thing where you candy the plant and put it on cake! Didn’t know that. |
|
| 14 | Mean to state / how long a person’s lived (7) |
| AVERAGE – AVER + AGE | |
| 15 | Send back alien in right vessel (6) |
| RETURN – E.T. in R + URN | |
| 17 | Group — new one beginning to trend (5) |
| NONET – N + ONE + first letter of TREND | |
| 20 | Polish [in] game with British (3) |
| RUB – R.U. + B | |
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