I enjoyed this - nice devices and lots of good surface readings made it a smooth and satisfying solve. A minute over my target ten with 19d unparsed. Had I not been blogging, I would have been content to dismiss "S for short" and "tag for platform" with a question mark and move on with my day. Thankfully, for the sake of blog accuracy, I was not 7d, and a quick look revealed no such synonym for platform, so I had to think again. (It was actually quite a long look as tag has quite a long entry, but it was quicker than checking around first to see if S could possibly be short for short.) That device has caught me out a number of times. COD to 21ac because I liked the simple, neat efficiency of the cryptic, and the surface reading grew on me, becoming one of the nicer ways in which one can ever be reminded of Roy Chubby Brown. Very good fun - many thanks to Corelli.
| Across | |
| 1 | Barnaby’s sin, I abhor, showing up the old country ABYSSINIA: Hidden in BarnABYS SIN I Abhor, clued somewhat obscurely by "showing up". Modern day Ethopia-ish. |
| 6 | I’d to desert very bright boy or girl VIV: VIVID is very bright, ID deserts. Mr. Richards and Ms. Westwood were the first examples that sprang to mind. |
| 8 | Regret insult being overheard? Nonsense! RHUBARB: if you overheard RUE BARB (regret; insult), you would also hear a dated word for nonsense. |
| 9 | Turned to hound one awaited in play GODOT: As in Waiting for Godot, got by turning TO DOG (to hound) around. |
| 10 | “Don’t make it any worse” we all tell one messing about LET WELL ALONE: Anagram (messing about) of WE ALL TELL ONE. |
| 12 | Ruin the party for nations of the world? UNDO: a "U.N. do" = a nations of the world party. |
| 13 | Distress call — nothing that could render you indifferent SO-SO: SOS (distress call) 0 (nothing) could render you the answer. Does not stand for Save Our Souls, or anything for that matter, but it is easily remembered. |
| 17 | Very keen to shoot horse in film, and dwarf TRIGGER-HAPPY: Trigger (horse, in lots of films) HAPPY (dwarf, in lots of formats). |
| 20 | Sheet of paper from loo, if recycled FOLIO: Anagram (recycled) of LOO IF. |
| 21 | Popular former routine is wide of the mark INEXACT: IN (popular) EX (former) ACT (routine). |
| 23 | Legendary creature, lacking tail however YET: YETI (legendary creature), lacking tail = remove last letter. If you believe the Abominable Snowman exists, and are upset at the epithet, you can take "legendary" to be figurative. |
| 24 | Moral victory by good Conservative RIGHT WING: RIGHT (Moral) WIN (victory) G (good). |
| Down | |
| 1 | Light, graceful Cockney’s needing a shave? AIRY: HAIRY (needing a shave) in Cockney. |
| 2 | Year with no euro for change? I accept the challenge! YOU'RE ON: Y (year) with anagram (for change) of NO EURO. I'm generally slow to spot apostrophes, and this was no exception. |
| 3 | Son and father meeting in the spring SPA: S (son) and PA (father) meet. |
| 4 | Extradance cancelled? NO-BALL: double definition, the first being in cricket, the second semi-cryptic. |
| 5 | Part of Mediterranean an eagle has nested at regularly AEGEAN SEA: Regularly here means every other letter of: An EaGlE hAs NeStEd At. Very nicely hidden. |
| 6 | Idea mostly incorporated into very old film VIDEO: IDEA mostly is IDE, incorporated into V (very) and O (old). |
| 7 | Not allowed to check Oxford English Dictionary VETOED: VET (check) OED (Oxford English Dictionary) |
| 11 | Criminal dog owner twisted terrier’s tail WRONGDOER: anagram (twisted) of DOG OWNER ; R (terrieR's tail) |
| 14 | Singers transformed a prison SOPRANI: anagram (transformed) of A PRISON. As in: two loving soprani sharing a spaghetto. |
| 15 | Material simply, at the end, the opposite of 1 down STUFFY: Material is, er, STUFF. Simply at the end is Y. |
| 16 | Making mistake, cutting head off fish ERRING: remove the top of hERRING (fish). i really liked this. |
| 18 | Very little land surrounded by water gets leased out ISLET: if it gets leased out, it "is let". |
| 19 | Short platform for men only STAG: STAGE (platform), with "short" here performing the same function as "mostly" did in 6d. |
| 22 | Film about fine little amphibian EFT: E.T. (film) goes about F (fine). If you haven't seen this clue before, I dare say you will again. |