This one had a bit of an unusual feel to it for me, which I think was probably down to the relatively high number of cryptic definition type clues with no associated wordplay - four of them by my reckoning (11a, 15a, 20a and 4d). Such clues always alarm me (particularly when the setter is such a master of mental gymnastics as Dean), as you either get it or you don't - there's no alternative way into the clue. Fortunately (and with much relief!) I was able to spot what was going on with each of them; 20a in particular I thought was a beautifully crafted clue.
A couple of unknown references (which seems par for the course for me each Sunday), namely the Roman soldiers at 18d and the bit of wall at 14a. But, each came complete with generous wordplay so I managed to come through unscathed. Must admit I wasn't overly fond of the Spoonerism at 13d, but overall a very fine and enjoyable puzzle which kept me happily occupied on and off for a large chunk of Sunday, with 17a taking me an absolute age to spot.
As ever, grateful thanks to Dean.
Definitions underlined: anagrams indicated by *(--): DD = double definition: omitted letters indicated by {-}
A couple of unknown references (which seems par for the course for me each Sunday), namely the Roman soldiers at 18d and the bit of wall at 14a. But, each came complete with generous wordplay so I managed to come through unscathed. Must admit I wasn't overly fond of the Spoonerism at 13d, but overall a very fine and enjoyable puzzle which kept me happily occupied on and off for a large chunk of Sunday, with 17a taking me an absolute age to spot.
As ever, grateful thanks to Dean.
Definitions underlined: anagrams indicated by *(--): DD = double definition: omitted letters indicated by {-}
| Across | |
| 1 | Fight French arbitrators (6) |
| FRACAS - FR (French) + ACAS, the workplace dispute resolution service that has faded somewhat from the limelight in the new era of industrial relations (unless you happen to be a Southern Rail customer, I guess) | |
| 5 | Easy goal to catch stray reptile (8) |
| TERRAPIN - ERR (stray) is included in TAP IN (easy goal) | |
| 9 | Run, with another old chap, into jail (2-6) |
| CO-MANAGE - O MAN (old chap) goes into CAGE (jail) | |
| 10 | Spade placed on right of black debris on beach (6) |
| JETSAM - SAM (as in Sam Spade, private eye) is on the right of JET (black) | |
| 11 | Keep one of these and give nothing away (8,4) |
| STRAIGHT FACE - Cryptic definition | |
| 14 | Pop over low part of wall (4) |
| DADO - DAD (pop) + O (over - cricket abbrev.), being the lower part of a wall when it is decorated distinctly from the rest of the wall, apparently. Unknown word to me but fortunately the wordplay was generous. | |
| 15 | Trying to sit in them might seem odd (4,6) |
| EASY CHAIRS - Cryptic definition - I guess the point being that if they are "easy", you shouldn't have to "try". Or maybe I've missed a whole layer of subtlety here... | |
| 17 | Met worker, Scots kid, outside The Academy (10) |
| WEATHERMAN - WEAN (Scots kid) goes around (outside) THE RMA (the academy - as in 'Royal Military Academy', aka Sandhurst). Nicely misleading definition which had me rifling my way through every kind of character who might conceivably work at the Met opera house or the Met Police before the penny finally dropped. | |
| 19 | Fancy being given most of the story (4) |
| MYTH - MY (fancy - as in "my word/fancy that") + TH (most of TH{E}) | |
| 20 | The catching of butterflies (12) |
| APPREHENSION - Lovely concise cryptic clue, based on the idea that if you have butterflies in your stomach then you feel apprehension. | |
| 23 | Artist fights depression — doesn’t quite make it (6) |
| WARHOL - WAR (fights) + HOL{E} (depression - but not quite...) | |
| 25 | Goes ahead and does what killer does (8) |
| PREDATES - DD, the first being "pre-date" and the second on the basis that (somewhat whimsically) a predator presumably "predates" | |
| 26 | Spot almost perfect escape route from tunnel (8) |
| BLOWHOLE - BLO{T} (spot almost) + WHOLE (perfect) | |
| 27 | A sport, one that initially backed car maker (6) |
| TOYOTA - A TOY (a sport) + first two letters (initially) of One That all reversed (backed). 'Sport' giving us 'Toy' caused me some consternation whilst solving, but Chambers gives "to trifle with" as one of the meanings of sport. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Space dock found in ascent (4) |
| ROOM - MOOR (dock) reversed (or, in the context of a down clue, overturned - 'found in ascent') | |
| 3 | Corrupt corporate circles silence gambler (11) |
| CRAPSHOOTER - *(CORPORATE) - with "corrupt" signalling the anagram - going around SH (circles silence) | |
| 4 | A deep breath (3,6) |
| SEA BREEZE - Cryptic definition based on the sea being "the deep" | |
| 5 | Tango’s fashionable, and it’s awful (3,4) |
| THE PITS - T (tango - phonetic alphabet) + HEP + ITS (and it's) | |
| 6 | Hotel not to put up prince or king (5) |
| RAJAH - H (hotel - the phonetic alphabet strikes again) + AJAR (not to - as in "push the door to") reversed (or, as this is a down clue, upended - put up) | |
| 7 | One extremely fat behind (3) |
| AFT - A (one) + 'extremes' of FaT | |
| 8 | Might I turn minister out? (10) |
| INACCURATE - CAN I reversed (might I turn) + CURATE (minister) | |
| 12 | Scrappy fight involving FBI agents and sailor (11) |
| FRAGMENTARY - FRAY (fight) with GMEN (FBI agents) and TAR (sailor) included (involving) | |
| 13 | Notice coat near ceiling, as Spooner might say (4-2,4) |
| WAKE-UP CALL - CAKE UP WALL in the whacky world of the Reverend | |
| 16 | Landmasswhich is dry? (9) |
| CONTINENT - DD, the second referring to bladder control | |
| 18 | Laddish guards shot some soldiers once (7) |
| MANIPLE - MALE (laddish) goes around (guards) NIP (shot). I'd heard of maniple meaning an item of clerical garb, but the military meaning - a tactical unit of a Roman legion - was new to me. | |
| 21 | How doroyals dominate its pages? (5) |
| HELLO - DD. "How do" (or more usually "'ow do") is the terse north country greeting, which might be an unknown for our overseas friends, and the magazine Hello! is traditionally long on pictures of the royal family. | |
| 22 | Screen around November 26? (4) |
| VENT - VET (screen) 'around' N (November - our third phonetic alphabet reference), giving something that could be a blowhole (26 across) | |
| 24 | Fell into the well (3) |
| HEW - Hidden in tHEWell | |