Much easier than last week. As usual, some people, plants and birds I didn’t know, but all gettable from the wordplay. Not really any dolly deliveries, but a pleasant workout this week. I think my clue of the day is 6 across; it took me an age to parse the wordplay. I also liked how remote the surface of 15ac was from the answer.
My initial feeling was that this week would produce some fast times. At the time of posting, I see that on the leaderboard the 100th best time was over 22 minutes compared with the usual 15 minutes or so on an easy Saturday – so it does look like it was still a little harder than usual.
Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by [the parsing of the wordplay]. (ABC*) means 'anagram of ABC', {deletions are in curly brackets}.
Across
1. Cries, opening post: lucky win here? (10)
SWEEPSTAKE: WEEPS [cries] in STAKE [post].
6. Elegant fowl has no range (4)
CHIC: CHIC{ken} [chicken=fowl, minus ken=range]. Only got that while writing the blog! I was stuck trying to take a "K" off "CHICK" insted of taking off a whole word from the end.
9. Going into a Bible story, teacher is not to be condemned (10)
PARDONABLE: DON in PARABLE.
10. Hamburger perhaps almost a deception (4)
FRAU: FRAU{d} [deception, almost]. A German woman, from Hamburg or elsewhere.
12. Woman and others collect fuel for robbers’ sanctuary (8,6)
SHERWOOD FOREST: SHE [woman] and REST [others] collecting WOOD FOR. I’d have thought outlaws rather than robbers, but near enough.
14. Doctor breaks tool in tricky operation (6)
FIDDLE: DD in FILE.
15. Ham, for one, and egg — crazy about it (8)
PEGGOTTY: POTTY around EGG. Ham Peggotty, I may once have briefly known, was the nephew of Clara Peggotty. She was David Copperfield’s family housekeeper in the Dickens novel. Nicely deceptive definition!
17. In the long run, earl’s child follows revolutionary (8)
MARATHON: MARAT [revolutionary … not Che for once!] HON [earl’s child].
19. Conscious about daughter that’s liable to pop up (6)
ADWARE: D [daughter] in AWARE. That annoying stuff that pops up on your computer screen when you’re about to find what you were looking for.
22. Instinctive representation of feet as hot? (4-2-3-5)
SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS: One of those reverse thingies where the answer thinks it’s the clue. Looking that way round, “PANTS” is the anagram indicator, (SEAT OF THE*) is the fodder, giving a representation of “FEET AS HOT”.
24. Keen, suggesting a tanner? (4)
AVID: A VI [six] D [old penny]. I suppose tanner automatically means six old pence, not new pence, so the clue covers it all.
25. Donate books in attractive cover to intimate (4,6)
GIVE NOTICE: GIVE [donate] OT [books] in NICE [attractive].
26. Wetland plant has no small advantage (4)
EDGE: I didn’t know sedge was (often) a wetland plant, but obvious enough.
27. Man will wheel camera platform, getting hit on stage (5,5)
HELLO DOLLY: HE’LL [man will] O [wheel] DOLLY [camera platform]. 1964 Broadway musical, 1969 film.
Down
1. Bribes singers briefly (4)
SOPS: abbreviation for sopranos.
2. Hear the district nurses got to ground safely (7)
EARTHED: hidden word. The reference is to electrical wiring.
3. Dependant’s pathetic story? (4,8)
POOR RELATION: double definition.
4. Child hides each panic originally — it pours out (6)
TEAPOT: EA [each] P{anic} in TOT [child].
5. Shoot sweet-sounding plover (8)
KILLDEER: KILL [shoot] DEER [sounds like “dear”]. This one I’m pretty sure I never knew.
7. Crop top beneath fur? Not I! (7)
HARVEST: HA{i}R [fur] VEST [top].
8. Who comes after the Romans? Some rural types (10)
COUNTRYMEN: with the “C” at the top. I immediately thought CORINTHIANS, but of course that doesn’t fit.
Wikipedia: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" is the first line of that speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar. Act III, scene II.
11. Hoodlum, one in a suit, who may be better than he appears (5,7)
ROUGH DIAMOND: rough = hoodlum, one in a suit = diamond in this case.
13. Undisciplined, disliking untidiness? Grow up! (3-7)
OFF MESSAGE: OFF MESS [disliking untidiness] AGE [grow up].
16. One that kept leading Achilles by the ears was our master (8)
TORTOISE: Depending on the speaker, may or may not sound like [by the ears] TAUGHT US [“was our master”].
The reference is to Zeno’s paradox, in which Achilles, fleet of foot, supposedly never catches the lumbering tortoise because by the time Achilles has run to where the tortoise last was, the tortoise has run a bit further. In the expectation that some eyes are rolling and the mathematicians are nodding, ‘nuff said!
18. Very keen to assume English parents’ duties (7)
REARING: E [English] in RARING [ as in “raring to go”].
20. An excitement as queen leaves nest (7)
ANTHILL: AN THRILL [excitement] minus R [queen]. Always tricky when your subconscious automatically tries to change “an” in front of an E to “a” in front of a “T”.
21. Extremely coarse, proper grass (6)
CEREAL: C{oars}E [“extremely” coarse] REAL [proper].
23. Don’t accept fate: it’s about to be rejected (4)
DENY: DESTINY [fate] less STI [it’s, rejected].
My initial feeling was that this week would produce some fast times. At the time of posting, I see that on the leaderboard the 100th best time was over 22 minutes compared with the usual 15 minutes or so on an easy Saturday – so it does look like it was still a little harder than usual.
Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by [the parsing of the wordplay]. (ABC*) means 'anagram of ABC', {deletions are in curly brackets}.
Across
1. Cries, opening post: lucky win here? (10)
SWEEPSTAKE: WEEPS [cries] in STAKE [post].
6. Elegant fowl has no range (4)
CHIC: CHIC{ken} [chicken=fowl, minus ken=range]. Only got that while writing the blog! I was stuck trying to take a "K" off "CHICK" insted of taking off a whole word from the end.
9. Going into a Bible story, teacher is not to be condemned (10)
PARDONABLE: DON in PARABLE.
10. Hamburger perhaps almost a deception (4)
FRAU: FRAU{d} [deception, almost]. A German woman, from Hamburg or elsewhere.
12. Woman and others collect fuel for robbers’ sanctuary (8,6)
SHERWOOD FOREST: SHE [woman] and REST [others] collecting WOOD FOR. I’d have thought outlaws rather than robbers, but near enough.
14. Doctor breaks tool in tricky operation (6)
FIDDLE: DD in FILE.
15. Ham, for one, and egg — crazy about it (8)
PEGGOTTY: POTTY around EGG. Ham Peggotty, I may once have briefly known, was the nephew of Clara Peggotty. She was David Copperfield’s family housekeeper in the Dickens novel. Nicely deceptive definition!
17. In the long run, earl’s child follows revolutionary (8)
MARATHON: MARAT [revolutionary … not Che for once!] HON [earl’s child].
19. Conscious about daughter that’s liable to pop up (6)
ADWARE: D [daughter] in AWARE. That annoying stuff that pops up on your computer screen when you’re about to find what you were looking for.
22. Instinctive representation of feet as hot? (4-2-3-5)
SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS: One of those reverse thingies where the answer thinks it’s the clue. Looking that way round, “PANTS” is the anagram indicator, (SEAT OF THE*) is the fodder, giving a representation of “FEET AS HOT”.
24. Keen, suggesting a tanner? (4)
AVID: A VI [six] D [old penny]. I suppose tanner automatically means six old pence, not new pence, so the clue covers it all.
25. Donate books in attractive cover to intimate (4,6)
GIVE NOTICE: GIVE [donate] OT [books] in NICE [attractive].
26. Wetland plant has no small advantage (4)
EDGE: I didn’t know sedge was (often) a wetland plant, but obvious enough.
27. Man will wheel camera platform, getting hit on stage (5,5)
HELLO DOLLY: HE’LL [man will] O [wheel] DOLLY [camera platform]. 1964 Broadway musical, 1969 film.
Down
1. Bribes singers briefly (4)
SOPS: abbreviation for sopranos.
2. Hear the district nurses got to ground safely (7)
EARTHED: hidden word. The reference is to electrical wiring.
3. Dependant’s pathetic story? (4,8)
POOR RELATION: double definition.
4. Child hides each panic originally — it pours out (6)
TEAPOT: EA [each] P{anic} in TOT [child].
5. Shoot sweet-sounding plover (8)
KILLDEER: KILL [shoot] DEER [sounds like “dear”]. This one I’m pretty sure I never knew.
7. Crop top beneath fur? Not I! (7)
HARVEST: HA{i}R [fur] VEST [top].
8. Who comes after the Romans? Some rural types (10)
COUNTRYMEN: with the “C” at the top. I immediately thought CORINTHIANS, but of course that doesn’t fit.
Wikipedia: "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" is the first line of that speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar. Act III, scene II.
11. Hoodlum, one in a suit, who may be better than he appears (5,7)
ROUGH DIAMOND: rough = hoodlum, one in a suit = diamond in this case.
13. Undisciplined, disliking untidiness? Grow up! (3-7)
OFF MESSAGE: OFF MESS [disliking untidiness] AGE [grow up].
16. One that kept leading Achilles by the ears was our master (8)
TORTOISE: Depending on the speaker, may or may not sound like [by the ears] TAUGHT US [“was our master”].
The reference is to Zeno’s paradox, in which Achilles, fleet of foot, supposedly never catches the lumbering tortoise because by the time Achilles has run to where the tortoise last was, the tortoise has run a bit further. In the expectation that some eyes are rolling and the mathematicians are nodding, ‘nuff said!
18. Very keen to assume English parents’ duties (7)
REARING: E [English] in RARING [ as in “raring to go”].
20. An excitement as queen leaves nest (7)
ANTHILL: AN THRILL [excitement] minus R [queen]. Always tricky when your subconscious automatically tries to change “an” in front of an E to “a” in front of a “T”.
21. Extremely coarse, proper grass (6)
CEREAL: C{oars}E [“extremely” coarse] REAL [proper].
23. Don’t accept fate: it’s about to be rejected (4)
DENY: DESTINY [fate] less STI [it’s, rejected].