It's always encouraging when you spot 1 across in a heartbeat - particularly when it gives you the entire top row - and sure enough I found this to be one of Harry's less demanding offerings, albeit there were a few tricky bits to sort out along the way.
One feature of this particular setter's puzzles seems to be the cunning use of innocuous looking small words which at first sight appear to be deployed simply to make the surface read better, but which then turn out to be the key to unlocking the clue. 11ac (with 'a' being the key to understanding the clue) and 1dn (with 'say' being critical) were both classic examples of this ploy, and both caused much head scratching on my part before I was finally able to parse the clues properly.
Thanks to our setter for an enjoyable puzzle.
Definitions underlined: DD = double definition: anagrams indicated by *(--): omitted letters indicated by {-}
One feature of this particular setter's puzzles seems to be the cunning use of innocuous looking small words which at first sight appear to be deployed simply to make the surface read better, but which then turn out to be the key to unlocking the clue. 11ac (with 'a' being the key to understanding the clue) and 1dn (with 'say' being critical) were both classic examples of this ploy, and both caused much head scratching on my part before I was finally able to parse the clues properly.
Thanks to our setter for an enjoyable puzzle.
Definitions underlined: DD = double definition: anagrams indicated by *(--): omitted letters indicated by {-}
| Across | |
| 1 | One in Wentworth hotel about to admit defeat (5,2,3,5) |
| THROW IN THE TOWEL - *(WENTWORTH HOTEL) - with "about" pointing to the anagram - and I (one) also added into the mix | |
| 9 | Two types of drink one used to give strength? (7) |
| SUPPORT - SUP + PORT - (two types of drink) | |
| 10 | Precious stone picked up, possibly blue, in Italian stream (7) |
| RUBICON - Sounds like RUBY (precious stone picked up) + CON (blue - as in the colour associated with the Tory party). I was initially somewhat thrown by "Italian stream" for what I'd always imagined to be a major river, but apparently these days it is indeed a modest, shallow waterway. | |
| 11 | On reflection, possibly a high-class school (4) |
| ETON - NOTE (possibly A) reversed (on reflection). Took me a while to twig what was going on here | |
| 12 | I’m a slob and in need of working on these (10) |
| ABDOMINALS - Cryptic definition with the wordplay being *(IM A SLOB AND) with "in need of working" signalling the anagram. | |
| 13 | Chatter aimlessly on second-rate Blackberry? (7) |
| BRAMBLE - RAMBLE (chatter aimlessly) following (on) B (second rate) | |
| 15 | Models old politician in drink upset (7) |
| EXEMPLA - EX (old) + MP (politician) in ALE reversed (drink upset) | |
| 17 | Go on too long about catching your vicar gyrating (7) |
| OVERRUN - ON (about) surrounding ('catching') UR REV (your vicar) reversed (gyrating). I was a bit baffled by UR for YOUR, but apparently this is standard "text-speak". At risk of going on 'too long', the surface brought back fond memories of a 50th birthday party held for one of Mrs. Novice's girlfriends who is married to a vicar: his spectacularly raunchy dance floor manoeuvres amazed and delighted the assembled throng. | |
| 19 | Decideto do the crossword again? (7) |
| RESOLVE - Gentle DD | |
| 20 | Lady’s chair is put out (10) |
| DISCOMMODE - DI'S (lady's) + COMMODE (chair) | |
| 22 | Hairdo the Queen gets in May, say (4) |
| PERM - ER (the Queen) 'gets in' PM (May, say - Theresa of that ilk) | |
| 25 | Complain about a heavenly fall in conversation (7) |
| ARRAIGN - Sounds like A RAIN (a heavenly fall in conversation) | |
| 26 | Have I finished making drug? (7) |
| AMIDONE - AM I DONE (have I finished), giving us a pain relieving drug similar to morphine, apparently. Fortunately I'd never come across this substance, but the rather neat wordplay got me there without too much trouble. | |
| 27 | Who she better tap for a change of position? (3,6,4,2) |
| THE POWERS THAT BE - Cryptic definition with the wordplay being *(WHO SHE BETTER TAP) with "for a change" signposting the anagram | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Savour putting down socialist leader, say (5) |
| TASTE - STATE (say) but with the S moved further down (put down Socialist leader). Tricky stuff - at least, it was for me... | |
| 2 | Agent with habit fed by volunteers turned rogue (9) |
| REPROBATE - REP (agent) with ROBE (habit) 'fed by' TA reversed (volunteers turned) | |
| 3 | Stop sending up old husband and wife on April 1st (4) |
| WHOA - OHW reversed (sending up old husband and wife) 'on' A (April 1st), giving the instruction generally used by riders to their steeds | |
| 4 | Worthy reason some might eat on their laps? (7) |
| NOTABLE - If there's NO TABLE, you might eat on your lap. Christmas cracker level of humour, but it made me chuckle. | |
| 5 | Compound found in hyacinth or moneywort (7) |
| HORMONE - Hidden in (found in) hyacintHORMONEywort | |
| 6 | Buns mixed up with other bites can lead to this (9) |
| TUBBINESS - *(BUNS BITES) - with "mixed up": and "other" signposting the anagrams of BUNS and BITES respectively | |
| 7 | Toilet one gets stuck in with accountant — magic (5) |
| WICCA - WC (toilet) with I (one) 'stuck in' + CA (accountant) | |
| 8 | Light head after drinking second variety of shot (9) |
| LANDSCAPE - LAND (light) + CAPE (head) have S inserted between them (after drinking second) | |
| 13 | Extensive batch of hams to be distributed by hand (9) |
| BROADCAST - BROAD (extensive) + CAST (batch of hams - i.e. actors). The definition refers to the pre-radio/TV usage of broadcast in the sense of sowing seeds by scattering them manually. | |
| 14 | Kind of red or grey ducks each soaring (9) |
| BARDOLINO - O NIL O ('ducks' - three of 'em) + DRAB (grey) all reversed (soaring), giving the very pleasant Italian red quaffer. | |
| 16 | Polluted ground university dons extracted from field (6,3) |
| PULLED OUT - *(POLLUTED) - with "ground" signalling the anagram - and U (university) also added to the mix | |
| 18 | One put up by colliery during Christmas mostly (7) |
| NOMINEE - MINE (colliery) inside (during) NOE{L} (Christmas mostly) | |
| 19 | MPs needing to better society led by Corbyn? (7) |
| REDCAPS - CAP (to better) + S (society) with RED in front (led by Corbyn), with the clue requiring us to recall that MPs can also stand for the Military Police (who are nicknamed the redcaps) | |
| 21 | Minister tocommence action in court before judges? (5) |
| SERVE - DD. The first (minister to in the sense of assist) is straightforward enough, but the second seems to me to lend itself to two possible interpretations. One is a tennis reference (i.e. starting the point by serving) with the "before judges" referring to the line judges: the other could be a legal reference, whereby litigation is kicked off by the "serving" of written pleadings before the case gets in front of the judge. In any event, all roads lead to Rome... | |
| 23 | Bit of me, you and the old nonsense! (2,3) |
| MY EYE - M (bit of M{e}) + YE and YE ('old' renditions of 'you' and 'the') | |
| 24 | In spite of horse, humorist gets up on it (4) |
| WITH - H (horse) preceded by WIT (humorist gets up on it). The definition perplexed me somewhat, but then I thought of phrases such as "With a broken wrist, Cowdrey nonetheless batted out the last over". | |