Solving time 12:17
A fairly quick time for me for a Saturday puzzle – I actually didn’t get around to solving it until Monday evening, so maybe that helped.
Across
| 1 | DASH – quadruple definition! Don’t see many of those. |
| 3 | OP,T(I,CAL)ART |
| 11 | PUC(CI)NI – CI (101) inside IN CUP reversed. I find it hard to interpret the clue to mean that though. |
| 12 | GENERAL (s)ELECTION |
| 14 | STRAW MAN – “Nam warts” reversed |
| 18 | ADONIS – “Sino-D.A.” reversed – that’s a lot of reversals today! |
| 21 | SPAN,I(SHAM,ERICA)N – I remember this was the answer that gave me trouble in last year’s Times Crossword Championship (different clue though). In the first puzzle of the qualifier I put in CENTRAL AMERICAN instead, and it cost me at least 10 minutes overall time, and possibly a place in the final. |
| 24 | ONW(now*),ARDS |
| 25 | W(I,SHY,WAS)HY |
Down
| 2 | SERENGETI (Greene’s it)* – took a while to realise that it wasn’t going to be a synonym for plain, but an example of one. The penny dropped when I got 17ac. |
| 6 | A,L(COCK)AND,BROW,N(est) – actually they were the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic. |
| 8 | TRI(p),ANON – refers to Le Grand Trianon, a palace near Versailles. |
| 9 | OVER,W(ith),HELM,(s)INGLY |
| 15 | MAN,I,CURED – “digitally processed”, nicely misleading cryptic definition. |
| 16 | EUPHOR(b)IA |
| 19 | SIN,USES |
| 20 | S,MOOCH – I put this in without really understanding the wordplay, but I’ve just looked up “moon” in Chambers, and found a definition that fits with mooch: “to wander about listlessly or gaze vacantly at anything (usu with around or about).” |
| 22 | AMASS – ASSAM=tea, with AM “put first”. |
Some omitted “easies” for the bunnies:
10a Entry of a competitor meeting resistance (7)
A R RIVAL
13 The supporter first to suffer in infancy (6)
TEE THE
17a Vital energy beginning to let aggressive type relax (5,3)
CHI L LOUT
23a Horse power from this? (7)
CHARGER. Double def.
26a Some featureS EDItor put backmonthly date, once (4)
IDES. Beware the reversed hidden answers.
1d Current plan announced (7)
DRAUGHT. Sounds like DRAFT = PLAN.
4d Drink smuggled into work in unimpressive manner (6)
P ALE LY
5d I’m on top of stick cruching it, so short (8)
IM POL IT E
7d I will support a party in defence (5)
A LIB I
17d Milked source of wealth? (4,3)
CASH COW