This one took me a few minutes over the hour though I think I may have dozed off briefly at one point - no disrespect to the quality of the puzzle intended, just that I was very tired. I found generally a very good mix of clues, some of which were of the highest standard, but there were some easy ones to keep things moving along, and a couple of very loose definitions were made accessible by helpful wordplay. There are quite a lot of geographical references today, and two scientists so our Dorset correspondent will be pleased!
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 | Way to load part-emptied revolver? (6) |
| PLANET - LANE (way) is contained by [to load] P{ar}T [emptied]. The very loosest of definitions here, completely biff-proof, I'd suggest. The question mark lets the setter off the hook, perhaps? | |
| 5 | One at wheel sees rock looming in wet (8) |
| MOTORIST - TOR (rock) contained by [looming in] MOIST (wet) | |
| 9 | Russian ace after old soldier left in sickroom (8) |
| SVETLANA - VET (old soldier) + L (left) inside SAN (sickroom), A (ace). Not exclusively a Russian name perhaps but most of the famous ones were born there or in former USSR states. | |
| 10 | Spend colder months in Krakow in terror (6) |
| WINTER - Hidden in {Krako}W IN TER{ror}. Still in Eastern Europe. The answer has to be taken as a verb to fit the definition. | |
| 11 | Key ruling on British intelligence (10) |
| BRAINPOWER - BR (British), A (key - music), IN POWER (ruling) | |
| 13 | Elgar's initial piece in top musical setting (4) |
| LIED - E{lgar} [initial piece] in LID (top). To England for the composer but Germany or Austria for the musical form. | |
| 14 | Departing, upstanding character abandoned honour (4) |
| GONG - GO{i}NG (departing) [upstanding character abandoned - the perpendicular pronoun as Sir Humphrey would say]. Gong is slang for a medal. | |
| 15 | Room for experimentation in political choice? (10) |
| LABORATORY - LAB OR A TORY (political choice?) | |
| 18 | Spiteful ultra led in manoeuvres (3-7) |
| ILL-NATURED - Anagram [manoeuvres] of ULTRA LED IN | |
| 20 | Current measures start to annoy politicians (4) |
| AMPS - A{nnoy} [start], MPS (politicians) | |
| 21 | Chicken dish one devoured by man made homeless? (4) |
| KIEV - I (one) contained [devoured] by KEV{in} [made homeless]. Back to Eastern Europe. | |
| 23 | Scientist woman's cross with dull routine (10) |
| RUTHERFORD - RUT (dull routine), HER (woman's), FORD (cross). "Climb every mountain, ford every stream...". Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) is described as "the father of nuclear physics" | |
| 25 | Deliver gold in horse-drawn carriage (6) |
| LANDAU - LAND (deliver), AU (gold). Plenty of these were around in Austria and Germany in the days of The Sound of Music, though the horse-drawn carriages most usually seen in Salzburg today are Fiakers. | |
| 26 | Bully in trouble after fracas in B&B (8) |
| BROWBEAT - ROW (fracas) in B&B, EAT (trouble) | |
| 28 | Wander around quiet books launch (8) |
| MOONSHOT - MOON (wander around), SH (quiet!), OT (books). Another very loose definition as most launches aren't moonshots. | |
| 29 | Capable Conservative means to apply pressure? (6) |
| CLEVER - C (Conservative), LEVER (means to apply pressure) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Meat reserve supplies seaport (9) |
| LIVERPOOL - LIVER (meat), POOL (reserve). I'm not entirely sure whether "supplies" is part of the wordplay (with "reserve") or just a link to the definition. Firmly on British soil for this one. | |
| 3 | Love can mean this on flipping stormy night (7) |
| NOTHING - ON reversed [flipping] anagram [stormy] of NIGHT. My favourite clue so far. With reference to zero in tennis. | |
| 4 | Crew's unable to finish meal (3) |
| TEA - TEA{m} (crew) [unable to finish] | |
| 5 | Tom's comment perhaps sent up without end? (5) |
| MIAOW - WO (without) + AIM (end) reversed [sent up]. I like this one too - very inventive. | |
| 6 | Girder to be fixed outside with adjustable spanner (5,6) |
| TOWER BRIDGE - Anagram [fixed] of GIRDER TO BE containing [outside] W (with). Another excellent clue with a devious definition. Here we are in London. | |
| 7 | Butterfly / circling part of Barnet? (7) |
| RINGLET - Two meanings, the second being cryptic with reference to hair (Barnet Fair in CRS). I didn't know the butterfly. This is good too. Greater London now, though I still think of it as Hertfordshire. | |
| 8 | Linnaeus for one married in southeast (5) |
| SWEDE - WED (married) in SE (southeast). A new scientist on me, the Scandanavian Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was into botany, biology and zoology. | |
| 12 | Recover from muscle injury completely (4,7) |
| PULL THROUGH - PULL (muscle injury), THROUGH (completely) | |
| 16 | Counter for pressure unit (3) |
| BAR - Two meanings. With reference to a clue last week I was looking for b or B as an abbreviation for the pressure unit but couldn't find it anywhere. | |
| 17 | Technique used in documentary about transport (9) |
| REPORTAGE - RE (about), PORTAGE (transport) | |
| 19 | Northern girl meets boy from Western state (7) |
| NEVADAN - N (northern), EVA (girl), DAN (boy). Out of Europe and across the Atlantic at last! | |
| 20 | Warm female appears in a moral tale (7) |
| AFFABLE - A, F (female), FABLE (moral tale) | |
| 22 | Shakespeare's ensign holds maiden to be idealized figure (5) |
| IMAGO - IAGO (Shakespeare's ensign - Othello) contains [holds] M (maiden) | |
| 24 | Chinese region flyer has got to stay within (5) |
| TIBET - TIT (flyer) containing [has...within] BE (stay). And now across the Pacific too. | |
| 27 | Soldiers caught by fierce monster (3) |
| ORC - OR (soldiers), C (caught) | |