A sub 15 minute time on this, IMO the easiest of the three qualifiers this year. Plenty of scope for biffing, although some of the definitions are quite erudite, e.g. 10a, 21d. There is one plant which may be unfamiliar to those without green fingers, but quite gettable from the wordplay. 12d is a word found in crosswords but seldom elsewhere I suspect.
I did have the pleasure of being deafened by Led Zep at a Commem Ball in I think 1968 or '69; I hesitate to call myself a 1a, although I believe Led Zep fans were so described.
Not much more to say except, no more oldies on Wednesdays now for a while.
I did have the pleasure of being deafened by Led Zep at a Commem Ball in I think 1968 or '69; I hesitate to call myself a 1a, although I believe Led Zep fans were so described.
Not much more to say except, no more oldies on Wednesdays now for a while.
| Across | |
| 1 School principal wants to expel German music fan (4-6) | |
| HEAD-BANGER - HEAD = school principal, BAN = expel, GER(MAN). See comment above. | |
| 7Polish females attending British university (4) | |
| BUFF - No ladies from Warsaw, but F F for females, after B for British and U for university. | |
| 9Chill breeze no longer blowing? (4, 4) | |
| WIND DOWN - The wind has dropped. | |
| 10Gentleman abroadabandoned limo by side of road (6) | |
| MILORD - (LIMO)* then RD. British nobs travelling abroad in olden days were known as Milords. | |
| 11 Empty container inside larger one? (6) | |
| VACANT - CAN inside VAT. | |
| 13 Son and I twice spotted in US coastal location (3, 5) | |
| SAN DIEGO - S AND I, EGO = the second I. The nicest place in USA I've been, so far, or perhaps second nicest to Boston. | |
| 14 Travelling to UN, Remainer finds reward (12) | |
| REMUNERATION - (TO UN REMAINER)*. | |
| 17 Line one actor (Irish) gets in small part in play (6, 6) | |
| BLITHE SPIRIT - BIT = small part; insert L I (ine one), THESP (actor), IR (Irish). An amusing if silly play by Noel Coward, I remember it from childhood when my parents were Am Dram people and I found it embarrassing. | |
| 20 Phone a female about assistance with case (5, 3) | |
| LEGAL AID - All reversed, DIAL A GEL. | |
| 21 Take new view, perhaps, backing Guardian (6) | |
| KEEPER - Reverse RE-PEEK = take a new view. | |
| 22Mischievous girl at home in rugby or cricket, say. | |
| GAMINE - IN inside GAME. Feminine form of GAMIN. | |
| 23 End of treatment after surgery here in France by an eye specialist (8) | |
| OPTICIAN - OP (surgery), T (end of treatment), ICI (here in France), AN. | |
| 25 Record with loud beat (4) | |
| FLOG - F = loud, LOG = record. | |
| 26 Thora and Edith prepared to leave (3, 3, 4) | |
| HIT THE ROAD - (THORA EDITH)*. | |
| Down | |
| 2 Steamier parts in Middle Eastern region (8) | |
| EMIRATES - (STEAMIER)*. They don't come much easier than this. | |
| 3Turkey salad you served finally (3) | |
| DUD - Final letters of salaD yoU serveD. | |
| 4 In rear part of boat, look up (5) | |
| ALOFT - LO for look, inside AFT. | |
| 5Plant is potted by man before start of autumn (7) | |
| GENISTA - IS inside GENT then A. | |
| 6They love traveller's tricks? (9) | |
| ROMANTICS - Pretend portmanteau word from ROMA/ANTICS, the Roma being the travellers. | |
| 7Rich person's bitterness about cat show (11) | |
| BILLIONAIRE - BILE for bitterness, insert LION and AIR for cat and show. | |
| 8Hunt over a long period (6) | |
| FORAGE - FOR, AGE. | |
| 12Predicting a non-academic grade? (11) | |
| ADUMBRATING - A DUMB RATING being a poor grade academically. | |
| 15 Prophet briefly enlisting support for woman (9) | |
| ELISABETH - You fail to qualify for the TCC if you put ELIZABETH. ELISHA was a prophet, so it's ELISH with ABET = support inserted. I'm writing a book in which Elisabeth is a main character, so it sprang to mind faster than otherwise might have been the case. | |
| 16Presentation of certain films, American works (8) | |
| CINERAMA - Takes a mo to see this is an anagram of AMERICAN. | |
| 18 Great uncertainty discussed in secret location (7) | |
| HIDEOUT - Sounds like "High doubt". | |
| 19Complain about rise of Internet leading to trouble (6) | |
| BEWAIL - WEB is reversed then AIL for trouble. | |
| 21Executioner's craft (5) | |
| KETCH - Double definition; a boat and Jack Ketch who was King Charles II's head-chopper. Even if you didn't know Jack you might think of a boat with K*T*H. | |
| 24My business partner's last letter (3) | |
| COR - CO = business, R last letter of partner. MY! as in cor blimey guv or similar exclamations. | |