6:33, which I would say is the time I tend to get when I have a lock on enough of the wordplay in each clue to biff the rest. Sadly, I wasn’t able to fully enjoy this puzzle, as I am currently trying to stay sane on “vacation” with my kids.
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 | British Power introducing complete copper plant (9) |
| BUTTERCUP – B + P around UTTER + CU | |
| 6 | Parental guidance needed about current nature of Peppa (3) |
| PIG – PG around I
Yes I have children. No I don’t know about Peppa Pig. |
|
| 8 | 4 x 4 exits badly / with men missing motorway (7) |
| SIXTEEN – anagram of EXITS + MEN without M | |
| 9 | An attack of illness [is] concerning (5) |
| ABOUT – A BOUT | |
| 10 | Minimum as written into lease (5) |
| LEAST – AS in LET | |
| 12 | The one or the other unit covered in solvent (6) |
| EITHER – I in ETHER | |
| 14 | Fail to win in record / lap [in] local relay (6-7) |
| CLOSED-CIRCUIT – LOSE in CD + CIRCUIT
‘Relay’ as in ‘broadcast’, not a race! |
|
| 16 | Mother swan[’s] wet (6) |
| DAMPEN – DAM + PEN | |
| 17 | Best prepare for exam about English (5) |
| CREAM – CRAM around E | |
| 19 | Abbot’s deputy [with] previous conviction (5) |
| PRIOR – double definition
I didn’t think I knew the first definition, but I guess I have heard of ‘prioress’. |
|
| 20 | Do an impression of one friend with grasp of Italian (7) |
| IMITATE – I + MATE around IT | |
| 22 | Weight[’s] never going over (3) |
| TON – NOT reversed | |
| 23 | Fix mother part [in] long rambling story (9) |
| RIGMAROLE – RIG + MA + ROLE
I never knew this as a convoluted story, but more like a convoluted situation. |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Fawlty / in charge of / a building in Rome (8) |
| BASILICA – BASIL + IC + A | |
| 2 | Charge [of] cab not going all the way (3) |
| TAX – TAXI without last letter | |
| 3 | Everton’s first opening game? (5) |
| EVENT – first letter of EVERTON + VENT
Not the strongest definition. |
|
| 4 | Tory going down [as] offensively patronising (13) |
| CONDESCENDING – CON + DESCENDING | |
| 5 | Selection of food — continuous talk about pounds (7) |
| PLATTER – PATTER around L | |
| 6 | Sue creeps out all over the place (9) |
| PROSECUTE – CREEPS OUT anagrammed
My last one. I imagine I was not the only one who tried to anagram SUE CREEPS to no avail. |
|
| 7 | Size of crowd entering at Everton needs greatly reducing (4) |
| GATE – hidden in ENTERING AT EVERTON | |
| 11 | Praise a key speech (9) |
| ADORATION – A + D + ORATION | |
| 13 | Put one’s foot down hard over European charge (8) |
| STAMPEDE – STAMPED + E | |
| 15 | Ruler[’s] uncontrolled anger beheaded men (7) |
| EMPEROR – TEMPER without the first letter + OR | |
| 17 | Friend [in] the country (5) |
| CHINA – double definition | |
| 18 | Notice heads up (4) |
| SPOT – TOPS reversed | |
| 21 | A party [in] difficulty (3) |
| ADO – A + DO | |
11:34.
LOI CLOSED CIRCUIT without full parsing.
A nice test.
David
A very fast start in the top half, but then slowed right down and the last half-dozen (all in the bottom half) put up some real resistance. 41 minutes in total, today.
The CREAM/CHINA and EMPEROR/PRIOR/DAMPEN combinations posed the most problems, with DAMPEN being my LOI.
Mrs Random also struggled a bit, but managed to secure the family point by crossing the line in 33 minutes. She is now in the garden trying to work out how best to save her precious borders and pots when Southern Water’s hose-pipe ban comes into force on Friday. I think we should be allowed to rig up a hose-pipe shower in our main border, thereby killing two birds with one stone (as they say).
Many thanks to Joker and Jeremy.
Some really fun clues with misdirections.
Never use the online app as we do it on paper over dinner which is why the comment is late
On holiday, so forgot to post this – but a pleasing 18 mins if I rightly remember.
Thanks!
Forgot to send this yesterday. Zoomed throught the top half, but found the rest more challenging. Pleased to get it sorted after a bit of thought.