For this I needed 9 minutes, my first QC solve within my target 10 since Joker's offering last Monday. Today's grid was particularly helpful with 4 x 6-letter words each having only 2 unchecked letters. There are one or two slightly out-of-the-ordinary words or shades of meaning but the wordplay is generally helpful so I think everything is very fair.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 7 | Undeveloped picture, say, found in local (8) |
| NEGATIVE - EG (say) in NATIVE (local) | |
| 8 | German song / told a story (4) |
| LIED - Two definitions leading to different pronunciations | |
| 9 | Agent put away? Say again (6) |
| REPEAT - REP (agent), EAT (put away) | |
| 10 | Prepared to study conclusion in essay (5) |
| READY - READ (study), {essa}Y [conclusion] | |
| 11 | Eccentric old theologian (3) |
| ODD - O (old), DD (theologian - Doctor of Divinity) | |
| 12 | Recent changes for resort (6) |
| CENTRE - Anagram [changes] of RECENT. As in: ski resort / ski centre. | |
| 14 | Fruit from orchard's first row (6) |
| ORANGE - O{rchard} [first], RANGE (row). SOED tells me that this meaning of "range" is now rarely used. | |
| 16 | Phlegmatic, firm about termination of contract (6) |
| STOLID - SOLID (firm) about {contrac}T [termination] | |
| 18 | Reason to propose holding it back (6) |
| MOTIVE - MOVE (propose) holding IT reversed [back] | |
| 19 | Regret game ending in melee (3) |
| RUE - RU (game - Rugby Union), {mele}E [ending] | |
| 20 | Sauce: favourite covering small duck (5) |
| PESTO - PET (favourite) covering S (small), 0 (duck) | |
| 21 | Conjecture made by those people importing gold (6) |
| THEORY - THEY (those people) importing OR (gold) | |
| 23 | Travel document carried by Chekhov is auctioned (4) |
| VISA - Hidden in [carried by] {Chekho}V IS A{uctioned} | |
| 24 | Venomous creature seen in house, located by noon (8) |
| SCORPION - SCORPIO (house), N (noon). Signs of the Zodiac are called "houses". | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Strong macho types kept in check (8) |
| VEHEMENT - HE-MEN (macho types) in VET (check) | |
| 2 | Obese English lot (4) |
| FATE - FAT (obese), E (English) | |
| 3 | Advice to leader of expedition — proceed with caution (6) |
| TIPTOE - TIP (advice), TO, E{xpedition} [leader] | |
| 4 | I rowed out to find queer fish (6) |
| WEIRDO - Anagram [out] of I ROWED. For those who also do the 15x15, this answer and exact definition came up in #26574 blogged by Andy (linxit) last Saturday; the wordplay then was WEIR (dam), DO (discharge) which, fittingly, is perhaps a little more difficult than today's. | |
| 5 | Amiable agricultural labourer bagging fifty (8) |
| PLEASANT - PEASANT (agricultural labourer) containing [bagging] L (fifty) | |
| 6 | Reject, years after study (4) |
| DENY - DEN (study), Y (years) | |
| 13 | Endless chat is fellow’s charm (8) |
| TALISMAN - TAL{k} (chat) [endless], IS, MAN (fellow) | |
| 15 | Some coming over normally to find boss (8) |
| GOVERNOR - Hidden [some] in {comin}G OVER NOR{mally} | |
| 17 | Wordy novel about society may make one sleepy (6) |
| DROWSY - Anagram [novel] of WORDY about S (society) | |
| 18 | Unusually remote shooting star (6) |
| METEOR - Anagram [unusually] of REMOTE | |
| 20 | Friend carrying one bucket (4) |
| PAIL - PAL (friend) carrying I (one) | |
| 22 | Catch sight of eastern agent (4) |
| ESPY - E (eastern), SPY (agent) | |