Sad to see our world champion Elise crashing out of the speed skating yet again. There again, £32 million of taxpayers money in four years to chase a few medals in elite winter sports does seem a questionable use of the dosh.
Once I had my skates on I whizzed through this in quick time for a Wednesday, the smoothest run I've had for ages. Nevertheless, an enjoyable puzzle with neat wordplay and no especially silly words (like MANA from last week). Lots of insertion clues and only two and a half anagrams.
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Once I had my skates on I whizzed through this in quick time for a Wednesday, the smoothest run I've had for ages. Nevertheless, an enjoyable puzzle with neat wordplay and no especially silly words (like MANA from last week). Lots of insertion clues and only two and a half anagrams.
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| Across | |
| 1 | Smoked sausage the Spanish served in cabbage (7) |
| SAVELOY - Insert EL into SAVOY cabbage. | |
| 5 | Extravagantly publicise place in military band? (6) |
| SPLASH - Insert PL(ACE) into SASH = military band. | |
| 8 | Church worker priests in centre employ as singer (9) |
| CHANTEUSE - CH(URCH), ANT = worker, (PRI)E(STS), USE = employ. | |
| 9 | Cry about reviewer’s initial description of book (5) |
| BLURB - Insert R(eviewer) into BLUB. | |
| 11 | Provide for Parisian who has broken old record (5) |
| EQUIP - Insert QUI = French for 'who', into EP = old record. | |
| 12 | Eg Miss Prism’s turn for home in Scottish city (9) |
| GOVERNESS - INVERNESS is the Scottish city, swap IN = home for GO = turn. Miss Prism is Cecily's governess in The Importance of Being Earnest. | |
| 13 | Vocally opposed to tweet maybe describing form of betting? (4-4) |
| ANTE-POST - ANTE Sounds like ANTI and POST for tweet. | |
| 15 | Strip joint finally established by rich man (6) |
| DIVEST - Add T (joint finally) to DIVES, Latin for rich or a rich man. | |
| 17 | Yankee priest with right to rabbit on (6) |
| YABBER - Y for Yankee, ABBE = priest, R = right. | |
| 19 | Genuine doctor almost stops providing a cure (8) |
| REMEDIAL - Insert MEDI(C) | |
| 22 | Injected journalist next to where whisky is made (9) |
| INSTILLED - Whisky being made IN STILL, add ED. | |
| 23 | Cloud enveloping English female in spongy ground (5) |
| BEFOG - Insert E F into BOG. Cloud as a verb. | |
| 24 | Lived in part of Oxford, perhaps, with daughter (5) |
| DWELT - Daughter = D, WELT part of shoe. | |
| 25 | Notes male attorney’s written about return of capital (9) |
| MEMORANDA - Insert ROME reversed into MAN, DA. | |
| 26 | Actors in Greek drama about Egyptian god (6) |
| CHORUS - C = circa, about, HORUS = Egyptian god. | |
| 27 | Bear last of gifts to Austrian physicist (7) |
| STOMACH - (GIFT)S, TO, MACH, Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach d. 1916, Austrian chap who studied shock waves; in his honour is named the Mach number, the ratio of actual speed to the speed of sound in the medium e.g. air. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | PS, offer to secure run for African predator? (9,4) |
| SECRETARY BIRD - PS I think here is abbr. for Private Secretary or Parliamentary Secretary; then insert R into BID. On my best holiday ever (and there have been a lot) I was reluctantly persuaded to 'do' the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa and found myself enjoying it greatly; seeing one of these large, eccentric looking birds perched on top of a dead tree was a memorable highlight. | |
| 2 | By way of tube, reaching bridgelike structure (7) |
| VIADUCT - VIA = by way of, DUCT = tube. More incidental drivel. Pottering around Rutland last week checking out the best pubs and villages while house hunting, we stumbled across the WELLAND VIADUCT, the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in England, very impressive, 30 million bricks of Victorian engineering. | |
| 3 | Break allowed on way to London, perhaps (3-2) |
| LET-UP - LET = allowed, UP often used as in 'go UP to London'. | |
| 4 | The solver gets sent out with note, being most junior (8) |
| YOUNGEST - YOU = the solver, then (SENT G)* where G = a note. | |
| 5 | Change direction suddenly: work with forces protecting West (6) |
| SWERVE - Insert W into SERVE = work with forces. | |
| 6 | Row about French composer showing rakish tendencies (9) |
| LIBERTINE - Insert IBERT into LINE = row. Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert (15 August 1890 – 5 February 1962) was a French classical composer. | |
| 7 | Hug cat mostly unknown in Kent area? (7) |
| SQUEEZE - SE = South-east, Kent area; insert QUEE(N) = cat mostly and Z = unknown. | |
| 10 | The phrase Glubb endlessly misused in such communication (4,9) |
| BUSH TELEGRAPH - (THE PHRASE GLUB), deleting a B from GLUBB. The surface works, there was such a chap as Glubb, the setter hasn't made him up; Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb, known as Glubb Pasha, was a British soldier, scholar and author, In his picture on Wikipedia he looks rather like Jonesy from Dad's Army. | |
| 14 | One foresees image-promoting men accepting ruling (9) |
| PREDICTOR - PR = image promoting, OR = men, insert EDICT = ruli.g. | |
| 16 | Seems mad changing form of address in Lyon? (8) |
| MESDAMES - (SEEMS MAD)*. | |
| 18 | Beg directions to cut into tree (7) |
| BESEECH - Insert S, E into BEECH. | |
| 20 | Trendy supporter cheers European royal (7) |
| INFANTA - IN = trendy, FAN = supporter, TA = cheers. | |
| 21 | Scottish castle is very attractive to begin with (6) |
| GLAMIS - GLAM = very attractive, IS. Childhood home of QE the late Queen Mother. | |
| 23 | Pack animal’s underground home, with leaves (5) |
| BURRO - W = with leaves BURROW. Spanish / Mexican and Portuguese word for donkey. | |