Solving time 22:04
Solved three-quarters of the puzzle fairly quickly but got completely stuck in the top right-hand corner with only 10ac entered. It took me over 10 minutes to get the rest in that area.
ACROSS
| 1 | STOP-GO – double definition or cryptic definition? Not sure…it’s a type of economic policy, but I’m not sure about “no mean”. What am I missing? |
| 5 | MAC,HEATH – Don’t get this either. Surely the pun on Edward Heath’s name to Scottishise it requires a question mark? And Macheath was a character in the Beggars Opera, but there’s no mention of knives. Or am I barking up the wrong tree completely? |
| 11 | C(A,R)RY OFF – not sure about “over” as a containment indicator, but it’s clear enough what the answer is. |
| 12 | SEVER,E(lectra) – part=sever took me ages to see. |
| 13 | UN(M)ASKED – very clever wordplay; you have to read it as “M(ark) went in unasked”. |
| 17 | K,1’S,S – I didn’t know it, but to salute can mean to greet with a kiss. |
| 20 | MED,USA – nice def, “all her visitors got stoned”. Well, not all actually – Perseus survived! |
| 21 | SP(RITZ)ER (REPS rev.) – it’s wine with soda water. |
| 22 | HEREDITY (third eye)* – because a seventh son is supposed to be endowed with supernatural powers perhaps? |
| 25 | DA(YB)ED, i.e. BY inside DEAD, all rev. |
DOWN
| 5 | MANIFEST DESTINY (Indemnify states)* |
| 6 | H(A,LB)ERD – seems obvious now, but another one I struggled with. |
| 7 | A(MORE)TTI(c) – I looked this up and only saw the definition “lover” for amoretto, missing “cherub”. I wasn’t till I got more checking letters that I went back to it. |
| 8 | HO(THE,AD)S – HoOdS regularly, bill = AD (which someone mentioned recently that we hardly ever see). |
| 14 | EMBARG,OED – “Grab me” = seize my hand (reversed) |
| 15 | MON,MOUTH – understands = “stands under”. Is that allowed in the Times? Something Araucaria might come up with! |
| 17 | KEN,TUCKY – KEN = range + LUCKY with the first letter changed to a T. |
| 19 | IN(n),STEAD(y) |
macheath: Mack the Knife is the allusion I think who was a character in The Threepenny Opera which is probably somehow related to The Beggar’s Opera.
John M.
Getting MACHEATH still did not prevent me from messing up my LOI at 7d where I somehow came up with ATOMETTI instead of AMORETTI – taking the “Thomas” too literally to get TOM (and not historically to get Thomas MORE) plus also not explaining a superfluous E in ATTI(C). Could do better.
There are quite a few omitted easies – hopefully I have not messed up any of them:
9a Unable to leave the White House? (6,2)
SNOWED IN
10a Call for the strike, but unable to bat on (3,3)
ALL OUT. A DD involving Cricket and Industrial Relations.
15a Go all weak – I’m an officer (4)
ME LT. Me lieutenant, you Jane?
19a (I bleed in)* being operated on, needing to be taken off the table (8)
INEDIBLE. Nice operating theatre surface.
22a Various football teams in league (6)
UNITED. Alas my own team is no longer United – just Hereford Football Club. That does not mean that they no longer play as a team – far from it – but HUFC was wound up in the High Court and is no longer allowed as a company name – or something.
23a Two clubs boy joined to be well-protected (8)
IRON C LAD.
2d One feels for the octopus (8)
TENTACLE
3d Go-getter’s hairstyle? Now it’s all off (5,3)
POWER CUT.
4d Does he not get even casual work? (3-3,3)
ODD-JOB MAN.
16d More imperious (order I’ll)* get redrafted (8)
LORDLIER
18d (Need ears)* tunde to this? (8)
SERENADE