Solving time: 7:06
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Pretty quick, but needed to double check my final answer (1d) which I did not know was an actual thing – I suspect I may not be the only one.
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I guess there may also be a few who are not quite sure of the wordplay at 6d.
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Other than that, I hope you found it an enjoyable solve!
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Let me know how you got on…
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Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [directions in square ones]. The tilde ~ indicates an insertion point in containment clues.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 8 | Charge every individual backing mischief-maker (7) |
| IMPEACH – EACH (every individual) behind [backing] IMP (mischief-maker) | |
| 9 | Girl making Rachel envious to some extent (5) |
| HELEN – Hidden [to some extent] in Rachel envious | |
| 10 | Go after vehicle returning with king (5) |
| TRACK – CART (vehicle) reversed [returning] then K (king) | |
| 11 | Wise, misconstrued as “inept” (7) |
| SAPIENT – Anagram [misconstrued] of AS INEPT | |
| 12 | Time messenger comes with duck and fruit (7) |
| TANGELO – T (Time) ANGEL (messenger) O (duck) | |
| 14 | Man maybe at the east side of a passage (5) |
| AISLE – ISLE (Man maybe) to the right of [at the east side of] A | |
| 15 | Left work in the middle of week to go to Gretna Green? (5) |
| ELOPE – L (Left) OP (work) between [in] the middle letters of {w}E~E{k} | |
| 17 | German city worker cut short series of deliveries (7) |
| HANOVER – HAN{d} (worker) without its final letter [cut short] OVER (series of deliveries i.e. in cricket) | |
| 19 | One throwing large jug (7) |
| PITCHER – Double definition | |
| 20 | Under arch, offering accommodation for the Spanish (5) |
| BELOW – B~OW (arch) containing [offering accommodation for] EL (‘the’ in Spanish) | |
| 22 | Professional wearing an outer garment for protection (5) |
| APRON – PRO (Professional) inserted into [wearing] A~N | |
| 23 | Delighted editor backing requests (7) |
| PLEASED – ED (editor) following [backing] PLEAS (requests) | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Order unhealthy food for one to tuck into? (4) |
| FIAT – I (one) inserted into [tucked into] F~AT (unhealthy food) . If something is done by FIAT, it is done because of an official order given by someone in authority – from Latin, meaning “Let it be done“. . Questionable perhaps whether FAT is always unhealthy food, hence the question mark at the end of the clue. |
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| 2 | Odds on wet weather bringing physical injury (6) |
| SPRAIN – SP (Odds i.e. betting abbreviation for Starting Prices) on RAIN (wet weather) . ‘on’ is apposite as this is a down clue |
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| 3 | Customer’s first request — quantity of beer? (4) |
| CASK – First letter of C{ustomer} ASK (request) | |
| 4 | Hippy so hearty after manipulation — treatment to improve movement? (13) |
| PHYSIOTHERAPY – Anagram [after manipulation] of HIPPY SO HEARTY | |
| 5 | Fellow at home entertaining the French minister (8) |
| CHAPLAIN – CHAP (Fellow) IN (at home) containing [entertaining] LA (‘the’ in French) | |
| 6 | Strangers beginning to assert legal rights (6) |
| ALIENS – First letter of [beginning to] A{ssert} LIENS (legal rights) . A LIEN is an official order that allows someone to keep the property of a person who owes them money until it has been paid. |
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| 7 | Clothes ink spoilt and water ruined (8) |
| KNITWEAR – Anagram [spoilt] of INK then anagram [ruined] of WATER | |
| 12 | The son, affectedly religious, an actor (8) |
| THESPIAN – THE S (son) PI (affectedly religious) AN . I sometimes like to look things up to verify definitions, but attempts to verify that PI means ‘affectedly religious’ (rather than merely ‘religious’) are swamped by references to mathematical PI, or references to the book/film ‘Life of PI’, so on this occasion, I’ll take it as read… |
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| 13 | Huge animal damaged a net — help! (8) |
| ELEPHANT – Anagram [damaged] of A NET HELP | |
| 16 | More than one mammal staggers with head hidden (6) |
| OTTERS – |
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| 18 | Bag is buried in valley (6) |
| VALISE – IS inserted into [buried in] VAL~E (valley) | |
| 20 | Sounding unhappy, exhaled forcefully (4) |
| BLEW – Homophone [Sounding] of BLUE (unhappy) | |
| 21 | Some new idea of great scope (4) |
| WIDE – Hidden [Some] in new idea | |
Not too many of the acrosses on first pass but the downs seemed to flow much better. I couldn’t parse AISLE (because I always forget that man is an island) but apart from that all done in 13 minutes. No problem with fiat which was lingering in some forgotten recess of my brain.
FOI – 9ac HELEN
LOI – 12ac TANGELO
COD – such a number of smooth surfaces it’s impossible to pick out just one. I particularly liked the German city worker at 17ac and (looking out of the window) the likelihood of wet weather at 2dn.
Thanks to Izetti and Mike
. . .easily done, given that No Man is (also) an Island
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
Nice easy one. Thanks Izetti and Mike. I am always a little suprised at what is considered obscure, I knew both fiat and lien as normal words (I have no legal background) , but I have never knowingly eaten or seen on sale a tangelo (yes I do do the grocery shopping), fortunately easy from the wordplay. I had tangeno to start with but couldn’t parse it. The supermarkets say what the item is on the price label, but the greengrocer doesn’t, so next time I am there I will ask them if they have any.
My thanks to Izetti and Mike Harper.
Excellent blog, ditto Xword.
I thoroughly enjoyed that – a rare (for me) straight solve from left to right, finishing in 8:28. I’m starting to think that Izetti might be one of my favourite setters, which I would have deemed an outrageous notion a year ago. Is he getting easier, am I getting better or are we meeting somewhere in the middle?
Thank you for the blog!
6.21 My wonky eyes managed to see ELLEN as the hidden name, delaying CHAPLAIN, but this was straightforward otherwise. Thanks Mike and Izetti.
All correct and parsed with the cuppa still warm
FOI:ELOPE
LOI: ALIENS
COD: OTTERS
Thanks Don and Mike
11:52
Could not parse THESPIAN and SPRAIN (DNK ‘PI’ and ‘SP’ – thanks Mike).
Consequently, as others, biffed STRAIN until IMPEACH initiated a correction.
DNK FIAT but could not see what else it could be.
A nice puzzle with three new things learnt – but will they be retained? 🤞🙂
FOI: HELEN
LOI: BLEW
COD: KNITWEAR (because I needed all of the checkers)
Thanks to Mike and Izetti
Yes LOI FIAT was difficult but once the ABC trawl had reached it there was no doubt. Only parsing problem was (not ALIENS but) SPRAIN, seemed to remember something about (then NHO) starting prices in a recent QC. Thanks Mike, and Izetti for a friendly puzzle.
After returning damply from shopping, I solved fast then stuck in NW. I should have been more patient as I know perfectly well that mischief-maker means Imp in Crosswordland, but I needed a hint from the CCD for IMPEACH. That helped with FIAT anyway, which I vaguely knew. Admit I also needed a hint for Angel, having forgotten a TANGELO.
FOI THESPIAN – did not notice the dread Pi.
Physio an easy anagram. Liked HANOVER, CHAPLAIN, VALISE, and ALIENS, among others.
Thanks vm, Mike.
Thanks Mike. You were certainly not the only one who was unfamiliar with FIAT. It was my LOI and I relied on the word play. Otherwise I solved pretty quickly with my favourites being KNITWEAR and THESPIAN! 6:33
Finished with 14 which I felt was about par for my abilities. Quick with the anagrams, not so good with the Ikea clues, those are usually bifd.
Thanks M & I