A touch on the trickier side perhaps.
My solve was a bit all over the show, with bits and half-bits solved here and there, courtesy of some excellent misdirection and well-woven anagrams: I really liked ‘serve = minister’ at 19ac, and the PRESCOTT anagram at 1ac (which could be rather tricky if you’re not aware of him). 12d is a thing of beauty, however, with both a satisfying PDM (“Ah, that sense of compromise”) and a cracking surface.
A cryptically-defined tool and a couple of sports references might also vary on people’s obscurometer. I came in at 7:45, a bit slower than average.
Lovely puzzle – many thanks to Wurm!
| Across | |
| 1 | Reshuffle protects old Labour man (8) |
| PRESCOTT – anagram (reshuffle) of PROTECTS. Deputy Prime Minister with New Labour, the press had a bit of a running theme with nicknames for him: Two Jags (what with having two fancy cars), became Two Jabs after a ding-dong with a protester, became Two Shacks, and so on, culminating with “Two Shags and No Jobs” when a cabinet reshuffle decidedly did not protect him (unlike in the clue) after revelations of an affair. | |
| 5 | Birds section in Science Museum (4) |
| EMUS – “section” in sciencE MUSeum | |
| 8 | Stick knife into second fruit (5) |
| SPEAR – S(econd) PEAR (fruit) | |
| 9 | Pluck wingless eagle in Swiss city (7) |
| LUCERNE – a “wingless” |
|
| 11 | Sudden crash! End absurd with Plutarch (11) |
| THUNDERCLAP – anagram (absurd) of END with PLUTARCH | |
| 13 | Arrested outlaw Kelly embracing trouble (6) |
| NAILED – NED (outlaw Kelly) embracing AIL (trouble) | |
| 14 | Arsenal player one trained to shoot (6) |
| GUNNER – double definition, one nickname of Arsenal being (fairly unmysteriously) the “Gunners” | |
| 16 | Sherry transformed emotional lad — no E needed! (11) |
| AMONTILLADO – anagram (transformed) of |
|
| 18 | Cosmonaut Georgia twice runs home (7) |
| GAGARIN – GA (Georgia), twice, R(uns) IN (home) | |
| 19 | Minister to start game at Wimbledon? (5) |
| SERVE – double definition | |
| 20 | Mystical character about to ensnare French one (4) |
| RUNE – RE (about) to ensnare UN (French for one) | |
| 21 | How mince is cooked for noodle dish (4,4) |
| CHOW MEIN – anagram (is cooked) of HOW MINCE | |
| Down | |
| 1 | I can’t answer that question or succeed in exam (4) |
| PASS – double definition | |
| 2 | Elgar concerti excited music producer (8,5) |
| ELECTRIC ORGAN – anagram (excited) of ELGAR CONCERTI | |
| 3 | Engine part in vehicle, awkward brute on hill (11) |
| CARBURETTOR – CAR (vehicle), an anagram ( awkward) of BRUTE, on TOR (hill) | |
| 4 | Poem set around Spanish city (6) |
| TOLEDO – ODE (poem) LOT (set/group)around = reverse | |
| 6 | Film legend in minor role many reviewed (7,6) |
| MARILYN MONROE – anagram (reviewed) of MINOR ROLE MANY | |
| 7 | Rubbish clearances with these defensive players? (8) |
| SWEEPERS – double definition, a sweeper being one of the backs in football (in which a “clearance” is indeed getting the ball away from one’s own goal area). | |
| 10 | Cutting-edge tool of revolutionary design? (8,3) |
| CIRCULAR SAW – cryptic definition, with a neat play on both “cutting edge” and “revolutionary” in the “groundbreaking” sense in the surface reading. | |
| 12 | Stop being annoyed: compromise (8) |
| ENDANGER – END (stop) ANGER (being annoyed). As in: “Anger/being annoyed will only further your opponent’s aims.” And as in: “The agent’s asset was compromised.” | |
| 15 | Embrace line contained in easy task (6) |
| CLINCH – L(ine) contained in CINCH (easy task). CINCH: originally a rope used to secure a saddle or pack to a horse; from that into any sort of firm or secure hold; and later into a sure thing or simple task. | |
| 17 | Plant in river surrounded by marshy land (4) |
| FERN – R(iver) surrounded by FEN (marshy land) | |
12.37. first pass was pretty easy, but the edges were rather harder. LOI ENDANGER. good puzzle + thanks both
23 minutes.
Not that you would know it from my time, but in retrospect I think this was pretty straightforward. As usual, I made a mess of several easy clues. Very angry with myself being in SCC. No excuse for that.
A half hearted attempt at 15 x 15 but too cross after QC to stick with it. Got some answers but again several idiotic mistakes. Fed up at my inability to see what is staring me in the face! 😡
Gary, my friend, Kipling told us that Triumph and Disaster were imposters. You either have to accept that very sound advice. . . or basically get another hobby. It’s really your choice. Invariant
Thanks Invariant. I take your point.
Gary