Good puzzle with some nice surfaces. I don’t have an accurate time, as I got up at 3:00 am to get this done before heading north on the M1, and wasn’t awake enough to remember to look at my watch, but it didn’t take long.
There is a nice mix of clue types, a little general knowledge required, but nothing too demanding. Thanks to Orpheus, who like his namesake, has charmed us with his art.
Across
1 Continue to bivouac, having secured right climbing aid (7)
CRAMPON– To continue to bivouac would be to ‘CAMP ON’, insert R{ight}. A CRAMPON is a traction device used by climbers during ice climbing, or when traversing snow fields, glaciers, etc.
5 Old bloke in Arabian territory (4)
OMAN– O{ld} and MAN
7 Teacher initially trying to stop retreating rabble (5)
TUTOR– The rabble is a ROUT, reversed (retreating) and containing (to stop) T{rying} (initially)
8 Convincingaction of informer? (7)
TELLING– Double definition, the first as in a ‘telling intervention’, the second what an informer is doing
10 Manageto compete in race (3)
RUN– Another double definition, as in to RUN a company, or to RUN in a race
11 Traveller given brandy and old game (5,4)
MARCO POLO– The Venetian merchant traveller whose story bought tales of the greatness and wealth of China and described other Asian wonders to Europeans, eventually resulting in Horryd setting up there (in China) amongst other things. On edit - sorry I forgot to parse - thanks to those below who were more on the ball than me. MARC is a type of brandy (made from grape skins and other grape refuse). O{ld} and POLO is the game.
13 Foot doctor in Iowa, America (6)
IAMBUS– I[ow}A with MB for doctor and US for America. Foot in this case is a division of a line of poetry, and IAMBUS is a particular foot of two syllables, a short followed by a long, or an unstressed followed by a stressed. I was vaguely aware of IAMBUS from iambic pentameter, and even vaguer about foot in this context, but managed to get it anyway.
14 Solvent officer originally occupying an apartment (6)
AFLOAT– A FLAT is the apartment, insert O{fficer} (originally)
17 Pet food and joint provided in moored vessel (9)
LIGHTSHIP– LIGHTS are offal often used to feed pets, and the joint is the HIP. A LIGHTSHIP is a ship serving the purpose of a lighthouse, and is necessarily moored in a fixed position when serving that purpose
19 Sailor gets deserter brought back (3)
TAR– The deserter is a RAT, reversed (brought back). A bit of an old chestnut this.
20 One who makes a whooshing soundstealing cattle (7)
RUSTLER– A RUSTLER steels cattle (other kinds of rustler are available), and makes a noise, although I wouldn’t necessarily equate it with a whooshing sound. They are usually seated behind me in the cinema.
22 Mixed paint is not suitable (5)
INAPT– Simple anagram of [PAINT] with ‘mixed’ as the indicator
23 Shout disapproval – and finally get sack (4)
BOOT– To BOO is to shout disapproval, with {ge}T (finally) added
24 Carry infection at the front? It’s a nightmare! (7)
BUGBEAR– To carry is to BEAR, preceded by (at the front) BUG (infection)
Down
1 Provide food and support for butterfly larva ()
CATERPILLAR– To CATER is to provide the food, and the support is a PILLAR
2 Not many at sea? It means the opposite (7)
ANTONYM– Anagram, clued by ‘at sea’ of [NOT MANY]
3 Most important soldier on horse, possibly? (9)
PARAMOUNT– The soldier is a PARA (abbreviation of paratrooper), and one type of MOUNT could be a horse, although other types exist, hence the question mark
4 Wildlife, etc, at old city in north-east (6)
NATURE– N{orth} E{ast} containing AT (at) and UR (ancient city). We often see UR in crosswords, and in case you wondered, it is an ancient city-state in southern Mesopotamia
5 Bird’s plaintive cry in East London (3)
OWL– The plaintive cry is a HOWL, but in East London where Setters imagine that everyone drops their aitches, it would be an ‘OWL
6 Friend has a turn crossing motorway (5)
AMIGO– The turn is A GO, which crosses (or contains) the infamous M1 motorway, which I shall be driving up later today
9 Does one contain the spirit of someone else’s words (5,6)
GHOST WRITER– The whole clue forms the definition in a question, with spirit giving a further hint to the first part of the answer
12 Children belonging to start of fruitful season? (9)
OFFSPRING– belonging gives OF (as in OF this world), followed by (start of) F{ruitful} and the season referred to is SPRING.
15 Not in fashion? It’s a scandal! (7)
OUTRAGE– If one isn’t ‘in’, one is OUT. Fashion is RAGE.
16 Youngster a woman’s adopted – an angelic being (6)
CHERUB– The youngster is a CUB, containing (adopting) HER (a woman’s)
18 Relish: some giving us toothache (5)
GUSTO– Hidden answer clued by ‘some’, {givin}G US TO{othache}
21 Abraham’s nephew’s destiny (3)
LOT– Double definition, this time the first being Uncle Abe’s nephew who famously fled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah whilst his wife turned to a pillar of salt (does anyone remember her name? – she seems always to be referred to as ‘Lot’s wife’), and the second meaning destiny – it was Lot’s wife’s LOT to end up as a table condiment.
There is a nice mix of clue types, a little general knowledge required, but nothing too demanding. Thanks to Orpheus, who like his namesake, has charmed us with his art.
Across
1 Continue to bivouac, having secured right climbing aid (7)
CRAMPON– To continue to bivouac would be to ‘CAMP ON’, insert R{ight}. A CRAMPON is a traction device used by climbers during ice climbing, or when traversing snow fields, glaciers, etc.
5 Old bloke in Arabian territory (4)
OMAN– O{ld} and MAN
7 Teacher initially trying to stop retreating rabble (5)
TUTOR– The rabble is a ROUT, reversed (retreating) and containing (to stop) T{rying} (initially)
8 Convincingaction of informer? (7)
TELLING– Double definition, the first as in a ‘telling intervention’, the second what an informer is doing
10 Manageto compete in race (3)
RUN– Another double definition, as in to RUN a company, or to RUN in a race
11 Traveller given brandy and old game (5,4)
MARCO POLO– The Venetian merchant traveller whose story bought tales of the greatness and wealth of China and described other Asian wonders to Europeans, eventually resulting in Horryd setting up there (in China) amongst other things. On edit - sorry I forgot to parse - thanks to those below who were more on the ball than me. MARC is a type of brandy (made from grape skins and other grape refuse). O{ld} and POLO is the game.
13 Foot doctor in Iowa, America (6)
IAMBUS– I[ow}A with MB for doctor and US for America. Foot in this case is a division of a line of poetry, and IAMBUS is a particular foot of two syllables, a short followed by a long, or an unstressed followed by a stressed. I was vaguely aware of IAMBUS from iambic pentameter, and even vaguer about foot in this context, but managed to get it anyway.
14 Solvent officer originally occupying an apartment (6)
AFLOAT– A FLAT is the apartment, insert O{fficer} (originally)
17 Pet food and joint provided in moored vessel (9)
LIGHTSHIP– LIGHTS are offal often used to feed pets, and the joint is the HIP. A LIGHTSHIP is a ship serving the purpose of a lighthouse, and is necessarily moored in a fixed position when serving that purpose
19 Sailor gets deserter brought back (3)
TAR– The deserter is a RAT, reversed (brought back). A bit of an old chestnut this.
20 One who makes a whooshing soundstealing cattle (7)
RUSTLER– A RUSTLER steels cattle (other kinds of rustler are available), and makes a noise, although I wouldn’t necessarily equate it with a whooshing sound. They are usually seated behind me in the cinema.
22 Mixed paint is not suitable (5)
INAPT– Simple anagram of [PAINT] with ‘mixed’ as the indicator
23 Shout disapproval – and finally get sack (4)
BOOT– To BOO is to shout disapproval, with {ge}T (finally) added
24 Carry infection at the front? It’s a nightmare! (7)
BUGBEAR– To carry is to BEAR, preceded by (at the front) BUG (infection)
Down
1 Provide food and support for butterfly larva ()
CATERPILLAR– To CATER is to provide the food, and the support is a PILLAR
2 Not many at sea? It means the opposite (7)
ANTONYM– Anagram, clued by ‘at sea’ of [NOT MANY]
3 Most important soldier on horse, possibly? (9)
PARAMOUNT– The soldier is a PARA (abbreviation of paratrooper), and one type of MOUNT could be a horse, although other types exist, hence the question mark
4 Wildlife, etc, at old city in north-east (6)
NATURE– N{orth} E{ast} containing AT (at) and UR (ancient city). We often see UR in crosswords, and in case you wondered, it is an ancient city-state in southern Mesopotamia
5 Bird’s plaintive cry in East London (3)
OWL– The plaintive cry is a HOWL, but in East London where Setters imagine that everyone drops their aitches, it would be an ‘OWL
6 Friend has a turn crossing motorway (5)
AMIGO– The turn is A GO, which crosses (or contains) the infamous M1 motorway, which I shall be driving up later today
9 Does one contain the spirit of someone else’s words (5,6)
GHOST WRITER– The whole clue forms the definition in a question, with spirit giving a further hint to the first part of the answer
12 Children belonging to start of fruitful season? (9)
OFFSPRING– belonging gives OF (as in OF this world), followed by (start of) F{ruitful} and the season referred to is SPRING.
15 Not in fashion? It’s a scandal! (7)
OUTRAGE– If one isn’t ‘in’, one is OUT. Fashion is RAGE.
16 Youngster a woman’s adopted – an angelic being (6)
CHERUB– The youngster is a CUB, containing (adopting) HER (a woman’s)
18 Relish: some giving us toothache (5)
GUSTO– Hidden answer clued by ‘some’, {givin}G US TO{othache}
21 Abraham’s nephew’s destiny (3)
LOT– Double definition, this time the first being Uncle Abe’s nephew who famously fled the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah whilst his wife turned to a pillar of salt (does anyone remember her name? – she seems always to be referred to as ‘Lot’s wife’), and the second meaning destiny – it was Lot’s wife’s LOT to end up as a table condiment.