Quick Crtyptic No 281 by Izetti

A pleasant offering which took 9 minutes - so, on the easy side but not without interest including the odd bird, a romancer, people from Media (not journalists this time) and some nautical ruminations.




Definitions underlined, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition, deletions CROSSED OUT.

Across

1 This person is about to drown in wine, regretting being away (8)

&nbsp &nbspHOMESICK - This person (ME), is about (SI) - all drowning in wine (HOCK).

5 Bird has titbits, losing time repeatedly (4)

&nbsp &nbspIBIS - Take all the T's out of titbits and you're left with our odd bird which is any of various wading birds of the family Threskiornithidae, such as Threskiornis aethiopica (sacred ibis), that occur in warm regions and have a long thin down-curved bill.

8 Left to join superior girl in the country (8)

&nbsp &nbspPORTUGAL - Left (PORT - stop me if you've heard this one before - port is the side of the boat which used to moor against the harbour/port before the days of rudders when stear boards were on the right hand side of the vessel - hence starboard - think Viking longboat), superior girl (U GAL).

9 Performance gives a funny feeling (4)

&nbsp &nbspTURN - dd.

11 Famous Greek island possessed by cunning old people (10)

&nbsp &nbspARCHIMEDES - Cunning (ARCH), old people (MEDES who lived in Media - an ancient country of SW Asia, south of the Caspian Sea: inhabited by the Medes - corresponds to present-day NW Iran) possessing island (I). Even if, like me, you hadn't heard of the Media folk then I think our Greek with a predilection for baths is famous enough to get the clue and thereby learn an interesting titbit (with all the T's) of information.

14 Refer everything impolite, not right (6)

&nbsp &nbspALLUDE - ALL, RUDE.

15 Make a hole through mass of stonework at front of church (6)

&nbsp &nbspPIERCE - Mass of stonework (PIER). I had thought that this was the stonework jetty (against which the port side of a vessel...) but on investigation I learn that a pier in this sense is a wharf and that a pier is the wooden deck type which extends out over water. This pier is, therefore, the pillar, support, pile which supports buildings. Church (CE).

17 Do be kind to cheat, getting a red card (4,1,5)

&nbsp &nbspHAVE A HEART - Cheat (HAVE - as in con), a red card (A HEART).

20 Manyitems at auction (4)

&nbsp &nbspLOTS - dd.

21 Split in the course of row? That's become more fashionable (8)

&nbsp &nbspTRENDIER - REND inside TIER.

22 Journey made by newly-wed heading off (4)

&nbsp &nbspRIDE - BRIDE.

23 Assessed by the tailor as 'regular'? (8)

&nbsp &nbspMEASURED - dd.

Down

1 Bob's aspiration (4)

&nbsp &nbspHOPE - dd, Bob Hope being one.

2 Advocate of Communism to spoil mark on ballot paper (4)

&nbsp &nbspMARX - To spoil (MAR), X on ballot paper.

3 Fair treatment in Kent location after nine maybe (6,4)

&nbsp &nbspSQUARE DEAL - Deal in Kent after three threes.

4 Tea served with tea dance (3-3)

&nbsp &nbspCHA-CHA - Tea (CHA) - twice.

6 Jump over a railway line — that's the limit! (8)

&nbsp &nbspBOUNDARY - BOUND, A, RY.

7 Evil rites, nasty and disturbing (8)

&nbsp &nbspSINISTER - Evil (SIN), anagram (nasty) of RITES.

10 This person's getting important road permits for people entering country (10)

&nbsp &nbspIMMIGRANTS - This person's (I'M), important road (MI), permits (GRANTS).

12 Composer with position set up — one who has completed university course? (8)

&nbsp &nbspBACHELOR - BACH, ROLE backwards (set up).

13 Very pleased about English, very buoyed up? (8)

&nbsp &nbspELEVATED - ELATED about E, V.

16 Law as removed from contract (6)

&nbsp &nbspDECREE - DECREASE?

18 Familiarity provides cover for this romancer (4)

&nbsp &nbspLIAR - The answer is in the clue (provides cover for) famiLIARity. A romancer along the lines of exaggerate, lie, tell stories.

19 Valuable violin — not the first — needed for jazz (4)

&nbsp &nbspTRAD - STRAD - traditional jazz, as revived in the 1950s