| I've finally got round to using mohn's excellent script and instructions to post this blog - kudos to him for solving that puzzle! I'm very glad that I can now show clues in blue, as I've come to agree that it makes reading the blog that much easier (hopefully it publishes as I can see it now!). I thought I was on for a blinder today, but got slowed right down in the bottom half of the grid. 14dn and much of the SE corner took me as long again to solve and parse. DNF in the end as I had 'ower' for 'been in debt' - I remember feeling uneasy with my answer at the time and am now kicking myself for not having another good look. Hope you did better. |
Across | |
| 1 | Crazy last letter by no one in particular (4) |
| ZANY - Z (last letter) by ANY (no one in particular). | |
| 3 | Training birds of prey, disturbing a cornfly (8) |
| FALCONRY - anagram of (disturbed) A CORNFLY. | |
| 8 | Go with a f-firm? (9) |
| ACCOMPANY - A and C-COMPANY (firm, written with the same stammer as in the clue). | |
| 10 | Pop this way and that (3) |
| DAD - palindromic (this way and that) synonym for 'pop'. | |
| 11 | Bird trapped by enormous elephant (5) |
| OUSEL - hidden in (trapped by) enormOUS ELephant. | |
| 12 | A lot of straw perhaps making one unhappy (7) |
| BALEFUL - double definition, as in a bale full of straw. | |
| 13 | Wife I had been in debt to having lost her? (7) |
| WIDOWED - W (wife), I'D (I had), and OWED (been in debt). The slightly vague, self-referential definition gave me enough ropeto hang myself with 'widower'. | |
| 18 | Scent a person wandering around picked up? (5) |
| AROMA - homophone of (picked up) "a roamer" (a person wandering around). | |
| 19 | Girl getting nothing back, sorry for herself? (7) |
| MAUDLIN - MAUD (girl) and NIL (nothing) reversed (back). | |
| 20 | One’s a fool to obstruct chief (9) |
| BLOCKHEAD - BLOCK (to obstruct) and HEAD (chief). | |
| 22 | Get rid of E London journalists for speaking out (3) |
| AXE - homophone of (for speaking out) "(h)acks" (journalists, presumably pronounced without the initial 'h' in East London). | |
| 23 | Money from swindle — say nothing! (4) |
| DOSH - DO (swindle) and SH (say nothing). | |
| 24 | Equally dividesaccommodation (8) |
| QUARTERS - double definition. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fanatic taking centrepiece from gazebo often (6) |
| ZEALOT - middle letters (centrepeice) from gaZEbo, then A LOT (often). | |
| 2 | Most pleasant scent I sprayed (6) |
| NICEST - anagram of (sprayed) SCENT I. | |
| 4 | Pathway regularly chosen causing surprised reaction? (3) |
| AHA - alternate letters from (regularly chosen) pAtHwAy. | |
| 5 | Shout loudlyaccusing Mrs Peacock? (3,4,6) |
| CRY BLUE MURDER - Mrs. Peacock is the blue piece in the board game Cluedo (or Clue, in America). | |
| 6 | Consent of female to fall asleep (3,3) |
| NOD OFF - NOD (consent), OF, and F (feamle). | |
| 7 | Unknown poem Lowry perhaps sings (6) |
| YODELS - Y (unknown, in mathematics), ODE (poem) and L.S. (Lowry, perhaps). | |
| 9 | Suit at KLM ordered to do several things at once (9) |
| MULTITASK - anagram of (ordered) SUIT AT KLM. | |
| 12 | Left in period of prosperity to flourish (5) |
| BLOOM - L (left) inside BOOM (period of prosperity). | |
| 14 | Shift last of grime by pad that’s available in private hospital (3,3) |
| PAY BED - anagram of (shift) last letter of grimE, BY, and PAD. | |
| 15 | Ecstatic girl’s embracing you (6) |
| JOYOUS - JO'S (girl's) surrounding (embracing) YOU. | |
| 16 | Splitstick (6) |
| CLEAVE - double definition. | |
| 17 | If not in the shade, removing top (6) |
| UNLESS - sUNLESS (in the shade) without the first letter (removing top). | |
| 21 | English copper coin of old (3) |
| ECU - E (english) and CU (copper). | |