A good puzzle nearly as amusing as yesterday's, I thought, with no unknown words or poor clues. Around 25 minutes by the time I'd decided I could parse it all. I thought 17d had a couple of clever nuances to it, see below. But I may be reading too much into it given the Trumpery going on around us.
| Across | |
| 1 | REFUSAL - REF for judge, USUAL would be expected, remove the central U; D option, as in 'first refusal'. |
| 5 | RADIANT - Insert DIA = charity, aid, rejected, into RANT = series of complaints; D visibly happy. |
| 9 | GAR - Truncate GARB = dress; D swimmer. This fish does exist outside of crosswordland, I have caught them when fishing for mackerel off Chesil Beach in my youth. |
| 10 | CENTRE STAGE - (SECRET AGENT)*, D in the limelight. |
| 11 | MAHARAJA - Reverse all (keel over) AJAR = open, HAM = cut, insert A; D prince. |
| 12 | MULLET - Double definition, one being a silly haircut. |
| 15 | NINE - N last letter of ten, E first of eight, insert I, N = one number; D partial &lit i.e. between eight and ten. |
| 16 | IMPASSABLE - MI motorway reversed, PASSABLE for unexceptional, D blocked. |
| 18 | SIAMESE CAT - Insert ACE reversed (one that's flipped) into (MATISSE)*; D domesticated animal. |
| 19 | TANG - GNAT reversed, D smack, taste. |
| 22 | OREGON - ON (cricket side) bags R(uns) EGO (I in Latin); D state. |
| 23 | DUST BOWL - ST = good man, inside DUB for knight, verb, OWL for bird; D arid region. |
| 25 | GHOSTBUSTER - G (gin originally), HOST (army), BUSTER (American term for a chap); D one downing spirits? Amusing, but I'm still chuckling about yesterday's army octopus. |
| 27 | DUE - D outstanding, sounds like DEW. |
| 28 | RETIRED - Anagram of TERRIFIED without IF; D permanently off work. |
| 29 | DUDGEON - DUD for failure, GEN for info, insert O for old; D offence. Usually high. I am sometimes in it without knowing why. |
| Down | |
| 1 | REGIMEN - RE sappers, Royal Engineers, GI enisted American, MEN are soldiers; D course. |
| 2 | FARTHINGALE - FAR = some way off, THIN = slight, GALE = blow; D historically, support for women. No BRA involved, for once. A device with hoops for making ladies' dresses very wide. If you're interested, Wiki says: The Spanish verdugado, from which "farthingale" derives, was a hoop skirt originally stiffened with the subtropical Giant Cane; later designs in the temperate climate zone were stiffened with osiers (willow cuttings), rope, or (from about 1580) whalebone. The name verdugado comes from the Spanish verdugo, ("green wood", or the more modern meaning of "executioner").Executioner? |
| 3 | SECURE - SEC for dry, URE a river in Wensleydale, Yorkshire; D land. |
| 4 | LONG JUMPER - Self explanatory, I hope. |
| 5 | RARE - Hidden word in EXT(RA RE)D; D &lit. |
| 6 | DISGUISE - Anagram of (ISSUE I'D G), G being head of gelding; D front, as in 'that was just a front'. |
| 7 | AGA - Palindromic oven, well, great big iron stove thing. |
| 8 | TRESTLE - Insert REST (place), L, into TE being 'the empty'; D frame. |
| 13 | LABRADOODLE - L (close to cathedral), A, BRA (here's the supporter we expect), DOODLE (drawing, noun); D cross. A Standard poodle / labrador cross, as owned (before divorce) by Tiger Woods, and other celebs. |
| 14 | CATAPULTED - (TEACUP AT L D)*, D launched. |
| 17 | REPORTER - RE (on) PORTER (the drink); D storyteller. Well, yes, reporters have been known to be 'on the drink'. But does 'storyteller' here mean a stranger to the truth, as The Donald would have you believe most reporters are? |
| 18 | SPONGER - S (beginning to smell), PONGER (stinker); D parasite. I know a few. Golf fourball, then three rounds bought, and they're off. |
| 20 | GALLEON - E the middle of SEA goes into GALLON a measure of liquid; D ship. |
| 21 | STORED - STO(P), or STO(PPER), for cork cut, RED for wine; D kept. |
| 24 | QUID - Double definition, is all I can see, quid being a chunk of tobacco you can chew, and an amount of money, although 'little' seems a bit strange, when there are lots of 'more little' denominations. |
| 25 | OAT - Initial letters of On Another Thief; D grass. |