This one presented me some problems with a few unfamiliar words and meanings, however there were a number of really easy clues to make up for these difficulties and I never doubted that I would get through it unaided.
Deletions are in curly brackets
Deletions are in curly brackets
Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | BACK-FORMATION - Two definitions, one with reference to sport, the other to grammar where 'couth' is deemed to be a 'back-formation' derived from 'uncouth'. |
| 8 | PLAN - PLAN{t} (works) |
| 9 | CANTONMENT - TO + N (north) + MEN (soldiers) inside CANT (slope). The first of my unknown words today. |
| 10 | SYNCOPAL - {admissio}N inside anagram of CALYPSO. And here's my number two already. |
| 11 | OLDISH - LO (look) reversed, DISH (someone beautiful) |
| 13 | ACQUAINTED - ACE (expert) contains QUAINT (charmingly old), D (duke). I don’t quite understand the definition here, but I suppose if acquainted with someone one might feel at home with them. Maybe I'm missing something. |
| 16 | ARCH - Two definitions |
| 17 | BIND - Two definitions |
| 18 | TETRAMETER - MET (got together) inside anagram of RETREAT |
| 20 | AGORAS - OR (gold) inside AGAS (Ottoman bigwigs) |
| 22 | WHEATEAR - HEAT (passion) inside WEAR (don) |
| 24 | FLOORBOARD - R (river) + BOAR (animal) inside FLOOD (torrent) |
| 26 | PAIR - P (quiet), AIR (manner) |
| 27 | CLEAR THE DECKS - Anagram of ALERTS CHECKED |
Down | |
| 1 | BELLYACHING - BELL (warning), YACH{t}ING (sport at sea) |
| 2 | CONIC - {i}CONIC (of image) |
| 3 | FACE PAINT - PAIN (soreness) inside FACET (ingredient) |
| 4 | RINGLET - RING (call), TEL (telephone) reversed |
| 5 | A GOGO - AGOG (very eager), 0 (nothing) |
| 6 | IMMEDIATE - MEDIA (those bringing us news) inside anagram of TIME |
| 7 | NUN - N{0}UN (word identifying person) |
| 12 | SECRETARIES - SECRET (hidden), ARIES (stars) |
| 14 | UNDERGONE - UNDER (working for), G{overnment}, ONE (I) |
| 15 | DEAD-ENDED - A + DEN (haunt) + {ha}D inside DEED (performance). I assume 'in Las Vegas' is there to tell us that it's an American term for 'stopped', yet another unknown for me. |
| 19 | TOWPATH - P (parking) inside anagram of WHAT TO |
| 21 | SOBER - SOB (weep), ER (hesitation) |
| 23 | TOPIC - TOP (chief), IC (in charge) |
| 25 | LAC - Sounds like "lack" (not enough). This alternative spelling of 'lakh' came up within the past couple of months and caught me out but I was on to it immediately today. |