It might have had its thunder stolen somewhat by yesterday's fabulous (and fabulously hard) puzzle, but I thought this was a really good crossword with some very ingenious cluing. I only managed a par time of 13 minutes something, finishing in the SE corner where the exceptionally complex wordplay of 21dn kept me too nervous to put in the obvious answer for ages; this combined with 26ac hiding in plain sight practically forever meant that 24ac was my LOI. I'd wanted it to be PLEURISY from an early stage, and my brain just wouldn't negotiate with the continuously increasing evidence that it might be wrong, like Ken Livingstone or something.
Like I said, some very high quality clues on offer today. Casting a quick glance back over their number this morning 4dn is very sweet, and I very much liked the misdirections of 17ac while I was wrestling with them as I recall; 12ac and 13dn have fun definition parts... and I adored the Roald Dahl-esque horribleness of 25ac's surface... oh, 7dn has a very nice surface too. One of those puzzles that I could keep on pointing out fun things from for several paragraphs I'm pretty sure. Great surfaces, some requirement of the solver to have more erudition than is strictly required for day-to-day business in the 21st century (20ac/16dn), clues that attempt to defeat my simple notation scheme by being slightly out of the box - these are all the links a![]()
verlaine likes best. So big round of applause to the setter from me!
Across
1 Missing target of small border on left of paper (8)
SLIPPAGE– S LIP [small | border] on left of PAGE [paper]
5 Hold on a bit, excited (6)
OBTAIN– (ON A BIT*) ["excited"]
8 Fitting water-regulator with time-delay? (3)
APT– (T->->)AP [water-regulator, with the T for time "delayed" till the the end of the word]
9 Offer a possible job for an underwater boat (10)
SUBMISSION– a job for an underwater boat could be a SUB MISSION
10 Civil offence by university radical in great distress (8)
TORTURED TORT [civil offence] by U RED [university | radical]
11 Books penned by English elegist demanding attention (6)
GRABBY– B B [books] penned by GRAY [English elegist]
12 Fight's lost at workers' food-store (4)
COMB– COMB{at} [fight's "lost at"] - the workers storing food are course bees
14 Shooter overwhelms sober medical technician (5-5)
FIRST-AIDER– FIRER [shooter] overwhelms STAID [sober]
17 Score piano and hollow block for quick notes (7,3)
SCRATCH PAD– SCRATCH P [score | piano] + A{n}D [and, "hollow"]
20 Beef heart stolen from buccaneer (4)
MOAN– MO{rg}AN ["heart stolen from" buccaneer]
23 Current events sidelining hospital doctor who recorded investigations (6)
WATSON– W{h}AT'S ON [current events "sidelining (H for) hospital"]
24 Illness's antidote finally put into shot in confusion (8)
FLUSTERY– FLU'S [illness's] + {antidot}E [..."finally"] put into TRY [shot]
25 Eggs and parasites covering rotten US executive's seat (4,6)
OVAL OFFICE– OVA + LICE [eggs and parasites] covering OFF [rotten]
26 The vessel almost took off (3)
SHE– SHE{d} ["almost" took off]
27 Negotiate with decreasing funds? (6)
BROKER– with decreasing funds, i.e. more broke
28 Scheme replacing aim in French declaration of love for Concorde, say (3,5)
JET PLANE JE T'{aim->PLAN}E
Down
1 To practise fighting, cuts a worried gladiator (9)
SPARTACUS– SPAR [to practise fighting] + (CUTS A*) ["worried"]
2 Fit and well-kept, full of energy for acting (7)
INTERIM– IN TRIM [fit and well-kept] full of E [energy]
3 Someone trying to impress regrets surgery after uplift (6)
POSEUR– reverse ["after uplift"] of RUES OP [regrets surgery]
4 Husband and father, born great, overthrown? There's no sense in it (9)
GIBBERISH– reverse ["overthrown"] of H + SIRE B BIG [husband (and) father | born | great]
5 Dynamic hosting whenever target is viewed (2,5)
ON SIGHT (HOSTING*) ["dynamic"]
6 Border possibly limiting island's loyalty (9)
TRIBALISM– TRIM [border possibly] limiting BALI'S [island's]
7 Low, reverberating sound of bell that priest holds up (7)
IGNOBLE– BONG in ELI [bell that priest holds] reversed ["up"]
13 Requirements for coffee, gossip and access to gigantic home? (9)
BEANSTALK– BEANS TALK [requirements for coffee | gossip]
15 Very slow, slinky creature trapping sick one (5-4)
SNAIL-LIKE - SNAKE [slinky creature] trapping ILL I [sick | one]
16 Fled before enemy'd sacked treaty site (9)
RUNNYMEDE– RUN [fled] before (ENEMY'D*) ["sacked"]
18 Extremists in civil partnership in secret, for crying out loud! (7)
CLAMOUR– C{ivi}L ["extremists in...] + AMOUR [partnership in secret]
19 Outline argument against travel (7)
CONTOUR– CON [argument against] TOUR [travel]
21 Endless ocean having restricted places for carbon? (4,3)
OPEN SEA– O{c->PENS}EA{n}. Take "ocean", make it endless (OCEA), replace the C for carbon with a word for restricted places, ending up with some kind of &lit.
22 Poisoner catches American general napping (6)
ASLEEP– ASP [poisoner] catches LEE [American general]
Like I said, some very high quality clues on offer today. Casting a quick glance back over their number this morning 4dn is very sweet, and I very much liked the misdirections of 17ac while I was wrestling with them as I recall; 12ac and 13dn have fun definition parts... and I adored the Roald Dahl-esque horribleness of 25ac's surface... oh, 7dn has a very nice surface too. One of those puzzles that I could keep on pointing out fun things from for several paragraphs I'm pretty sure. Great surfaces, some requirement of the solver to have more erudition than is strictly required for day-to-day business in the 21st century (20ac/16dn), clues that attempt to defeat my simple notation scheme by being slightly out of the box - these are all the links a
verlaine likes best. So big round of applause to the setter from me!Across
1 Missing target of small border on left of paper (8)
SLIPPAGE– S LIP [small | border] on left of PAGE [paper]
5 Hold on a bit, excited (6)
OBTAIN– (ON A BIT*) ["excited"]
8 Fitting water-regulator with time-delay? (3)
APT– (T->->)AP [water-regulator, with the T for time "delayed" till the the end of the word]
9 Offer a possible job for an underwater boat (10)
SUBMISSION– a job for an underwater boat could be a SUB MISSION
10 Civil offence by university radical in great distress (8)
TORTURED TORT [civil offence] by U RED [university | radical]
11 Books penned by English elegist demanding attention (6)
GRABBY– B B [books] penned by GRAY [English elegist]
12 Fight's lost at workers' food-store (4)
COMB– COMB{at} [fight's "lost at"] - the workers storing food are course bees
14 Shooter overwhelms sober medical technician (5-5)
FIRST-AIDER– FIRER [shooter] overwhelms STAID [sober]
17 Score piano and hollow block for quick notes (7,3)
SCRATCH PAD– SCRATCH P [score | piano] + A{n}D [and, "hollow"]
20 Beef heart stolen from buccaneer (4)
MOAN– MO{rg}AN ["heart stolen from" buccaneer]
23 Current events sidelining hospital doctor who recorded investigations (6)
WATSON– W{h}AT'S ON [current events "sidelining (H for) hospital"]
24 Illness's antidote finally put into shot in confusion (8)
FLUSTERY– FLU'S [illness's] + {antidot}E [..."finally"] put into TRY [shot]
25 Eggs and parasites covering rotten US executive's seat (4,6)
OVAL OFFICE– OVA + LICE [eggs and parasites] covering OFF [rotten]
26 The vessel almost took off (3)
SHE– SHE{d} ["almost" took off]
27 Negotiate with decreasing funds? (6)
BROKER– with decreasing funds, i.e. more broke
28 Scheme replacing aim in French declaration of love for Concorde, say (3,5)
JET PLANE JE T'{aim->PLAN}E
Down
1 To practise fighting, cuts a worried gladiator (9)
SPARTACUS– SPAR [to practise fighting] + (CUTS A*) ["worried"]
2 Fit and well-kept, full of energy for acting (7)
INTERIM– IN TRIM [fit and well-kept] full of E [energy]
3 Someone trying to impress regrets surgery after uplift (6)
POSEUR– reverse ["after uplift"] of RUES OP [regrets surgery]
4 Husband and father, born great, overthrown? There's no sense in it (9)
GIBBERISH– reverse ["overthrown"] of H + SIRE B BIG [husband (and) father | born | great]
5 Dynamic hosting whenever target is viewed (2,5)
ON SIGHT (HOSTING*) ["dynamic"]
6 Border possibly limiting island's loyalty (9)
TRIBALISM– TRIM [border possibly] limiting BALI'S [island's]
7 Low, reverberating sound of bell that priest holds up (7)
IGNOBLE– BONG in ELI [bell that priest holds] reversed ["up"]
13 Requirements for coffee, gossip and access to gigantic home? (9)
BEANSTALK– BEANS TALK [requirements for coffee | gossip]
15 Very slow, slinky creature trapping sick one (5-4)
SNAIL-LIKE - SNAKE [slinky creature] trapping ILL I [sick | one]
16 Fled before enemy'd sacked treaty site (9)
RUNNYMEDE– RUN [fled] before (ENEMY'D*) ["sacked"]
18 Extremists in civil partnership in secret, for crying out loud! (7)
CLAMOUR– C{ivi}L ["extremists in...] + AMOUR [partnership in secret]
19 Outline argument against travel (7)
CONTOUR– CON [argument against] TOUR [travel]
21 Endless ocean having restricted places for carbon? (4,3)
OPEN SEA– O{c->PENS}EA{n}. Take "ocean", make it endless (OCEA), replace the C for carbon with a word for restricted places, ending up with some kind of &lit.
22 Poisoner catches American general napping (6)
ASLEEP– ASP [poisoner] catches LEE [American general]