Solving time 13:54
Apologies for leaving this a whole week, but last Saturday’s 12-hour shift turned into a whole week’s worth, and I was just too tired. Still, I keep saying to myself, think of the money!
Across
| 1 | ANTARCTIC (act act in r)* |
| 6 | SHREW(d) |
| 10 | LEAF MOULD – MO inside (fall due)* |
| 12 | ENC,ODER – the river Oder forms part of the border between Germany and Poland. |
| 17 | SET A BAD EXAM,PLE(a) – unusual in that the wordplay follows the same form as the answer for most of it. I’m not explaining that very well, but hopefully you know what I mean! |
| 25 | 1(TINE)RANT |
| 26 | (d)ICIER |
| 27 | OCHRE – first letters of Colour Hidden, inside ORE, with colour doing double duty as definition and part of the wordplay. I’m surprised the editor allowed it. [ Ochre is also a brownish-yellow mineral, so the clue is &lit (see comments) ] |
| 28 | NO,R(T,HP)OLE |
Down
| 1 | ANAEROBE – hidden reversed in “samplE BORE ANAlysis”. |
| 3 | ROYAL GAL,(dian)A – an apple variety, but I couldn’t find it in Chambers. [ Although apparently it is in the Concise Oxford ] |
| 4 | TO((b)LUE)NE |
| 5 | C(HATE)A,U – more or less = circa = CA. |
| 14 | GREEN,WI(n)CH |
| 15 | TSAREVICH (chavs tire)* |
| 16 | SE,A(b)HORS,E |
| 20 | IN(D)I GO – my favourite clue. |
| 22 | LI(EG)E – the battle site is Liège in Belgium. |
| 24 | RHINO – “wry, no” |
ROYAL GALA is in the Concise Oxford.
A footy XI of “easies”:
9a Collaborator accepts English path (5)
ALL E Y
11a Drive off beat again? (7)
RE PULSE
13a After important match, Wolves say they went shooting for trophies (3,4,7)
BIG GAME HUNTERS
21a Puzzle that’s nothing if not negative? (7)
NON PLUS
23a Cut a certain wire from dredge up (7)
UNEARTH. A double definition as explained above. I’m not that happy with “unearth” = “dredge up” as one implies on land and the other under water. Picky eh?
2d Bulb (lit up)* when activated (5)
TULIP
6d Additional problem with air conditioning plant (5)
SUM AC
7d Journey there and back without any corners? (5,4)
ROUND TRIP
8d (Saw red)* turning to snipe, for instance (6)
WADERS. Where snipe can be one or a number of that type of wader.
18d Don’t drink a black dye (7)
A B STAIN
19d Belt round the middle giving no latitude (7)
EQUATOR. When on it you have 0 degrees of latitude.