Through this in 12 minutes at 05:30 this morning, which kept my mind off the events of yesterday at least for a while. With about another million people, I was within half a mile of Westminster when I was alerted to the incident by the sirens and helicopters. I avoided the temptation to make a reference when looking at 5d, but taste prevailed, although I have now done it here. My thoughts and sympathy to anyone who has been affected.
Returning to this blog, I was lucky to get both the long down answers very early, which helped with a time comfortably within my target. Thanks Hawthorn, it wasn’t too thorny!
Across
1 Saucy letters delivered by the ladleful? (8,4)
ALPHABET SOUP– Not something with which I have personal experience, but a nice easy cryptic &lit clue to start
8 Tea in tsarina’s samovar (5)
ASSAM– Hidden answer in {tsarin}AS SAM{ovar}
9 Saw run completed, breaking personal best (7)
PROVERB– R{un} with OVER (completed) inside (breaking) P{ersonal} B{est}
10 Toboggan going around field was glittering (8)
SPARKLED– The toboggan is a SLED which surrounds (goes around) PARK (field)
10 Hot year grips area, creating dried grass (3)
HAY– Select first letters, or abbreviations of H{ot} and Y{ear} and put A{rea} between them
11 Left in Santiago, desperately yearning for the past (9)
NOSTALGIA– Anagram, indicated by ‘desperately’, of [SANTIAGO] and [L] for L{eft}
13 Rubbish doctor initially seems so retrogressive (5)
DROSS– DR for doctor followed by first letter (initially) of S{eems} and SO reversed (regressive) in the middle
14 Pleasant hosting European relative (5)
NIECE– Pleasant is NICE holding (hosting) E{uropean}
16 Disincentive to make mistake in almost complete detente (9)
DETERRENT– To ERR is to make a mistake, inside DETENT{e} (almost complete meaning missing last letter)
17 After word of refusal, daughter gets gesture of assent (3)
NOD– NO is the word of refusal, followed by D{aughter}, and a NOD’s as good as a wink to a blind bat in a thunderstorm – see the Monty Python blind bat sketch!
19 Discipline Conservative – and hurry up about it! (7)
CHASTEN– C{onservative} and HASTEN
21 Fashionable pet hopelessly clumsy (5)
INEPT– IN (fashionable) followed by an anagram (hopelessly) of [PET]
22 Injudicious legwear with eight artificial diamonds (5,7)
SHORT SIGHTED– Legwear is SHORTS with and anagram of [EIGHT] (indicated by artificial), and D{iamonds} for the final flourish
Down
1 A party gives cause to feel embarrassed (5)
ABASH– A (a) and BASH (party)
2 What moves a catto sit on the fence? (9)
PUSSYFOOT– A double definition, the first cryptic. To sit on the fence is to avoid making a decision, usually between two alternative choices, whilst to PUSSYFOOT is to act in a cautious or non-committal way, to move warily or stealthily. They are roughly synonymous, but I can’t really make my mind up about it.
3 Transmit radio plays for organiser (13)
ADMINISTRATOR– Anagram, where the anagrind is ‘plays’ and the anagrist is [TRANSMIT RADIO]. It was nice to see this virtually instantly, giving a good start to the solve – I usually look at the long ones first.
4 Reveal employees’s tips for grasping XP operating system (6)
EXPOSE– The tips are the first and last letters of E{mploye}E, which grasp (contain) XP and O{perating} S{ystem}. XP (also known as Whistler) was all the fashion in 2001 when released by Microsoft
5 Act unscrupulously and go through red lights, zebra crossings, etc? (4,2,7)
STOP AT NOTHING– Another double definition, this time with the second definition being the slightly cryptic one.
6 Employ some housemaids (3)
USE– Hidden answer in {ho}USE{maids}
7 A bishop with zeal for reform is extremely fiery (6)
ABLAZE– A (a) B{ishop} followed by an anagram of [ZEAL] where the anagrind is ‘for reform’
12 Judo grade that can’t be improved upon? (5,4)
GREEN BELT– Double definition, the second one referring to the current ban on developing GREEN BELT land in the UK
13 To work out, I’d bend muscles at regular intervals (6)
DEDUCE– Alternate letters (at regular intervals) of {i}D {b}E{n}D {m}U{s}C{l}E{s}.
15 Commit fault by net after returning – in this sport? (6)
TENNIS– To commit a fault is to SIN with NET and the whole thing reversed (returning)
18 Went out withold hat (5)
DATED– Straightforward double definition
20 Tree has nuts (3)
ASH– Anagram with anagrind ‘nuts’ and anagrist [HAS]
Returning to this blog, I was lucky to get both the long down answers very early, which helped with a time comfortably within my target. Thanks Hawthorn, it wasn’t too thorny!
Across
1 Saucy letters delivered by the ladleful? (8,4)
ALPHABET SOUP– Not something with which I have personal experience, but a nice easy cryptic &lit clue to start
8 Tea in tsarina’s samovar (5)
ASSAM– Hidden answer in {tsarin}AS SAM{ovar}
9 Saw run completed, breaking personal best (7)
PROVERB– R{un} with OVER (completed) inside (breaking) P{ersonal} B{est}
10 Toboggan going around field was glittering (8)
SPARKLED– The toboggan is a SLED which surrounds (goes around) PARK (field)
10 Hot year grips area, creating dried grass (3)
HAY– Select first letters, or abbreviations of H{ot} and Y{ear} and put A{rea} between them
11 Left in Santiago, desperately yearning for the past (9)
NOSTALGIA– Anagram, indicated by ‘desperately’, of [SANTIAGO] and [L] for L{eft}
13 Rubbish doctor initially seems so retrogressive (5)
DROSS– DR for doctor followed by first letter (initially) of S{eems} and SO reversed (regressive) in the middle
14 Pleasant hosting European relative (5)
NIECE– Pleasant is NICE holding (hosting) E{uropean}
16 Disincentive to make mistake in almost complete detente (9)
DETERRENT– To ERR is to make a mistake, inside DETENT{e} (almost complete meaning missing last letter)
17 After word of refusal, daughter gets gesture of assent (3)
NOD– NO is the word of refusal, followed by D{aughter}, and a NOD’s as good as a wink to a blind bat in a thunderstorm – see the Monty Python blind bat sketch!
19 Discipline Conservative – and hurry up about it! (7)
CHASTEN– C{onservative} and HASTEN
21 Fashionable pet hopelessly clumsy (5)
INEPT– IN (fashionable) followed by an anagram (hopelessly) of [PET]
22 Injudicious legwear with eight artificial diamonds (5,7)
SHORT SIGHTED– Legwear is SHORTS with and anagram of [EIGHT] (indicated by artificial), and D{iamonds} for the final flourish
Down
1 A party gives cause to feel embarrassed (5)
ABASH– A (a) and BASH (party)
2 What moves a catto sit on the fence? (9)
PUSSYFOOT– A double definition, the first cryptic. To sit on the fence is to avoid making a decision, usually between two alternative choices, whilst to PUSSYFOOT is to act in a cautious or non-committal way, to move warily or stealthily. They are roughly synonymous, but I can’t really make my mind up about it.
3 Transmit radio plays for organiser (13)
ADMINISTRATOR– Anagram, where the anagrind is ‘plays’ and the anagrist is [TRANSMIT RADIO]. It was nice to see this virtually instantly, giving a good start to the solve – I usually look at the long ones first.
4 Reveal employees’s tips for grasping XP operating system (6)
EXPOSE– The tips are the first and last letters of E{mploye}E, which grasp (contain) XP and O{perating} S{ystem}. XP (also known as Whistler) was all the fashion in 2001 when released by Microsoft
5 Act unscrupulously and go through red lights, zebra crossings, etc? (4,2,7)
STOP AT NOTHING– Another double definition, this time with the second definition being the slightly cryptic one.
6 Employ some housemaids (3)
USE– Hidden answer in {ho}USE{maids}
7 A bishop with zeal for reform is extremely fiery (6)
ABLAZE– A (a) B{ishop} followed by an anagram of [ZEAL] where the anagrind is ‘for reform’
12 Judo grade that can’t be improved upon? (5,4)
GREEN BELT– Double definition, the second one referring to the current ban on developing GREEN BELT land in the UK
13 To work out, I’d bend muscles at regular intervals (6)
DEDUCE– Alternate letters (at regular intervals) of {i}D {b}E{n}D {m}U{s}C{l}E{s}.
15 Commit fault by net after returning – in this sport? (6)
TENNIS– To commit a fault is to SIN with NET and the whole thing reversed (returning)
18 Went out withold hat (5)
DATED– Straightforward double definition
20 Tree has nuts (3)
ASH– Anagram with anagrind ‘nuts’ and anagrist [HAS]