I had problems with this one solved over two sessions and probably need most of an hour in all. In particular I came to grief in the SW corner where the French word eluded me for ages. I don't quite understand why we need to import a 9-letter foreign word when there's a perfectly serviceable 3-letter English word meaning exactly the same thing but such are the mysteries of life, and it's in the English dictionary so I suppose we have to accept its validity and that the setter didn't feel the need to indicate its foreignness in the clue. This is all starting to sound a bit petulant so I'll shut up and get on with the blog...
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 | |
| 1 | The same artist's not in Radio Times cutting (5) |
| DITTO - {ra}DIO [artist's - RA- not in] containing TT (times) [cutting]. Some abroad may not know that Radio Times is the UK's leading TV & radio listings magazine, taking its title from before TV was invented. | |
| 4 | Wild uproar about Tory leader has America very happy (9) |
| RAPTUROUS - Anagram [wild] of UPROAR containing [about] T{ory} [leader], US (America) | |
| 9 | I’d take temperature in sea at Calais around solstice (9) |
| MIDWINTER - I'D + WIN (take) + T (temperature) in MER (sea, at Calais) | |
| 10 | Horse keeps dry round the bend (5) |
| BATTY - BAY (horse) contains [keeps] TT (dry - teetotal) | |
| 11 | Oil supplier spreading a mess close to drive (6) |
| SESAME - Anagram [spreading] of A MESS, {driv}E [close] | |
| 12 | City anger inspires good software (3,5) |
| BIG APPLE - BILE (anger) contains [inspires] G (good) + APP (software) | |
| 14 | Mean peacekeepers to gather round hospital (10) |
| UNPLEASANT - UN (peacekeepers), PLEAT (gather) contains [round] SAN (hospital) | |
| 16 | I leave to exercise joint (4) |
| WELD - W{i}ELD (exercise) [I leave] | |
| 19 | Obscure endless stuff on jacket? (4) |
| BLUR - BLUR{b} (stuff on jacket - of book) [endless] | |
| 20 | He pays for company guards trained to count yen (5,5) |
| SUGAR DADDY - Anagram [trained] of GUARDS, ADD (count), Y (yen) | |
| 22 | A doctor in church nurses European character (8) |
| AMBIENCE - A, MB (doctor), IN contains [nurses] E (European), CE (church - of England) | |
| 23 | Funny guy collects Sierra from space (6) |
| COSMIC - COMIC (funny guy) contains [collects] S (sierra - NATO alphabet) | |
| 26 | Hint of disgrace? It's not said commonly? (5) |
| TAINT - T'AINT ( "It's not", said commonly) | |
| 27 | Guide operates with northern language (9) |
| ESPERANTO - Anagram [guide] OPERATES N (northern) | |
| 28 | Green light in spare room (9) |
| CLEARANCE - Two meanings | |
| 29 | Gong duke going into dinner, say (5) |
| MEDAL - D (duke) in MEAL (dinner, say) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Dud politicians who in Paris stop poor tipping (4,5) |
| DAMP SQUIB - MPS (politicians) + QUI (who, in Paris) contained by BAD (poor) reversed [tipping] | |
| 2 | More than one current change, that is, ending on top (5) |
| TIDES - ID EST (that is) with its last letter changed by moving it to the front [ending on top] | |
| 3 | I run mad occasionally in public haunt in old Chinatown? (5,3) |
| OPIUM DEN - I + {r}U{n} M{a}D [occasionally] in OPEN (public) | |
| 4 | Service engineers set about computer systems (4) |
| RITE - RE (engineers) [set about] IT (computer systems) | |
| 5 | Hairy pet for each Welsh girl on boat (7,3) |
| PERSIAN CAT - PER (for each), SIAN (Welsh girl), CAT (boat) - not short for catamaran, but "a strong merchant sailing vessel with a narrow stern, projecting quarters, and a deep waist, formerly used esp. in the coal and timber trade on the NE coast of England". | |
| 6 | Cheerful, United lead Polish off (6) |
| UPBEAT - U (united), PB (lead), EAT (polish off) | |
| 7 | Reveals quiet study, fully extended (9) |
| OUTSPREAD - OUTS (reveals), P (quiet), READ (study) | |
| 8 | It bears a stigma, part of nasty lesion (5) |
| STYLE - Hidden in [part of] {na}STY LE{sion}. In botany " a narrowed frequently elongated projection of the ovary, bearing the stigma". | |
| 13 | Energy's reduced — check period and switch cover? (10) |
| ESCUTCHEON - E'S (energy's), CUT (reduced), CH (check), EON (period). I knew this word from heraldry but it's also a protective plate over an electric switch or a keyhole. | |
| 15 | Tip bucket one held in sink (9) |
| POURBOIRE - POUR (bucket - with rain, for example), then I contained by [held in] BORE (sink). Those without knowledge of French may be at a disadvantage here. | |
| 17 | No boarding here in cool shady ground (3,6) |
| DAY SCHOOL - Anagram [ground] of COOL SHADY | |
| 18 | I follow stuff about English or Chinese character maybe (8) |
| IDEOGRAM - I, DOG (follow) [about] E (English), RAM (stuff) | |
| 21 | Check cheese is picked up (6) |
| FETTER - Sounds like [is picked up] FETA (cheese) | |
| 22 | Old Greek version of 'Room at the Top'? (5) |
| ATTIC - It's an old Greek style of architecture and a top room so I've indicated two defintions but the whole thing comes together quite nicely as one cryptic | |
| 24 | Dug stuff up (5) |
| MINED - DENIM (stuff) reversed [up]. "Stuff" is a term used for any type of woven cloth. | |
| 25 | It’s used in fencing sheep, evenly erected (4) |
| EPEE - Hidden and reversed [erected] in {sh}EEP E{venly}. "In" and "fencing" can each be used as containment indicators but in this case I think they're both needed for the definition which leaves the containment unaccounted for unless something's doing double duty, but even allowing for that the clue doesn't seem quite right to me. | |