A very quick blog today necessitated by a very early start in the morning to head off and play golf. Luckily, Hurley obliged by producing a relatively easy challenge which didn’t hold me up too long – just inside 11 minutes. With Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen, we covered all of the services fairly and equitably as we approach Remembrance Sunday next week. Some very concise, even taut clueing by Hurley, a perfectly fair challenge all around – thanks Setter.
I’ll be back next week for another dose when I stand in for Roley. See you then.
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}
Across
1 Two forms of beverage at posh French castle (7)
CHATEAU– CHA is one form of beverage (tea) and TEA is the other (tea) and posh is U (almost universally used to denote upper class)
5 Shortage after Society is careless (5)
SLACK– S for Society, followed by (after) LACK for shortage
8 Hates remark about percentage brand sells? (6,5)
MARKET SHARE– straight forward anagram (indicated by ‘about’) of [HATES REMARK]
10 Joint back in trouble, disreputable ultimately (4)
KNEE– last letters (ultimately) of {bac}K {i}N {trouble}E {disreputabl}E
11 Fabric worker becomes Army officer (8)
SERGEANT– the fabric is SERGE followed by the ubiquitous ANT for worker
12 Run in pursuit of sailor (6)
RAFTER– R is ‘run’ and AFTER is ‘in pursuit of’, to give a RAFTER – the type that sails on a raft rather than the type you might find in your loft or attic
14 US drab? Wrong, ridiculous (6)
ABSURD– another anagram (clued by ‘wrong’) of [US DRAB]
16 Best view is here: inside gatherings, ideal(8)
RINGSIDE– hidden (inside) {gathe}RINGS IDE{al}
18 Brawled regularly to be blunt (4)
BALD– alternate letters (regularly) of B{r}A{w}L{e}D
20 One arranging holiday rang vet late at work (6,5)
TRAVEL AGENT– anagram (clued by ‘at work’) of [RANG VET LATE]
22 Bachelor, reckless, insolent (5)
BRASH– B is for Bachelor and RASH for reckless in this nicely efficient clue
23 Fuss about king’s relative (7)
BROTHER– Fuss is BOTHER into which we insert, or which is around, R for king
Down
2 Considerate of Attila, say, protecting mother? (5)
HUMAN– Attila was famously a HUN which surrounds (protects) MA for mother
3 Flood hill – price to pay (7)
TORRENT– the hill is a TOR and the price to pay is the RENT
4 Yes, sounding like organ (3)
AYE– a homophone clue, with the answer AYE sounding like an organ (EYE)
6 Learner gets comfort, acquiring contract (5)
LEASE– L for Learner and EASE for comfort
7 Charlady thinner after cold (7)
CLEANER– C for cold followed by LEANER for thinner
9 Wake up certain about truth, no end (7)
SURFACE– certain is SURE, which is about FAC{t} or ‘truth, no end’, i.e. minus the last letter
11 Emperor with no time to eat fish (7)
SARDINE– the emperor with no time is a {t}SAR, and to eat is to DINE
13 Pilot entering Alaska via Toronto (7)
AVIATOR– another hidden answer clued by ‘entering’, from {alask}A VIA TOR{onto}
15 Something to study– group admits first of unbelievers, by Jove! (7)
SUBJECT– the group is a SET, which admits (i.e. surrounds) the first letters of U{nbelievers} B{y} J{ove}
17 Girl after good, see-through material (5)
GLASS– G for good and LASS for girl
19 Article supports Los Angeles machine (5)
LATHE– the article is THE which supports (is beneath in a down clue) LA for Los Angeles
21 Heading away from impartial attitude (3)
AIR– impartial would be {f}AIR, with its heading away (or first letter removed)
I’ll be back next week for another dose when I stand in for Roley. See you then.
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}
Across
1 Two forms of beverage at posh French castle (7)
CHATEAU– CHA is one form of beverage (tea) and TEA is the other (tea) and posh is U (almost universally used to denote upper class)
5 Shortage after Society is careless (5)
SLACK– S for Society, followed by (after) LACK for shortage
8 Hates remark about percentage brand sells? (6,5)
MARKET SHARE– straight forward anagram (indicated by ‘about’) of [HATES REMARK]
10 Joint back in trouble, disreputable ultimately (4)
KNEE– last letters (ultimately) of {bac}K {i}N {trouble}E {disreputabl}E
11 Fabric worker becomes Army officer (8)
SERGEANT– the fabric is SERGE followed by the ubiquitous ANT for worker
12 Run in pursuit of sailor (6)
RAFTER– R is ‘run’ and AFTER is ‘in pursuit of’, to give a RAFTER – the type that sails on a raft rather than the type you might find in your loft or attic
14 US drab? Wrong, ridiculous (6)
ABSURD– another anagram (clued by ‘wrong’) of [US DRAB]
16 Best view is here: inside gatherings, ideal(8)
RINGSIDE– hidden (inside) {gathe}RINGS IDE{al}
18 Brawled regularly to be blunt (4)
BALD– alternate letters (regularly) of B{r}A{w}L{e}D
20 One arranging holiday rang vet late at work (6,5)
TRAVEL AGENT– anagram (clued by ‘at work’) of [RANG VET LATE]
22 Bachelor, reckless, insolent (5)
BRASH– B is for Bachelor and RASH for reckless in this nicely efficient clue
23 Fuss about king’s relative (7)
BROTHER– Fuss is BOTHER into which we insert, or which is around, R for king
Down
2 Considerate of Attila, say, protecting mother? (5)
HUMAN– Attila was famously a HUN which surrounds (protects) MA for mother
3 Flood hill – price to pay (7)
TORRENT– the hill is a TOR and the price to pay is the RENT
4 Yes, sounding like organ (3)
AYE– a homophone clue, with the answer AYE sounding like an organ (EYE)
6 Learner gets comfort, acquiring contract (5)
LEASE– L for Learner and EASE for comfort
7 Charlady thinner after cold (7)
CLEANER– C for cold followed by LEANER for thinner
9 Wake up certain about truth, no end (7)
SURFACE– certain is SURE, which is about FAC{t} or ‘truth, no end’, i.e. minus the last letter
11 Emperor with no time to eat fish (7)
SARDINE– the emperor with no time is a {t}SAR, and to eat is to DINE
13 Pilot entering Alaska via Toronto (7)
AVIATOR– another hidden answer clued by ‘entering’, from {alask}A VIA TOR{onto}
15 Something to study– group admits first of unbelievers, by Jove! (7)
SUBJECT– the group is a SET, which admits (i.e. surrounds) the first letters of U{nbelievers} B{y} J{ove}
17 Girl after good, see-through material (5)
GLASS– G for good and LASS for girl
19 Article supports Los Angeles machine (5)
LATHE– the article is THE which supports (is beneath in a down clue) LA for Los Angeles
21 Heading away from impartial attitude (3)
AIR– impartial would be {f}AIR, with its heading away (or first letter removed)