This is my first go at an Alberich puzzle, I found it quite tricky.
Alberich seems to have more charades in his wordplay than other setters. These were cleverly disguised so I wasted quite a bit of time following dead-ends. I suppose next time I will be prepared and know what to expect! Thank you Alberich.
| Across | ||
| 1 | FAISALABAD | City in East Asia backs political party, overwhelmed by rage (10) |
| ASIA reversed (backs) LAB (political party) in (overwhelmed by) FAD (rage) – definition is ‘city in East’ | ||
| 7 | CONK | Blow your nose! (4) |
| double definition – to conk out is to fail, to blow | ||
| 9 | GOYA | Artist’s work always getting rejected (4) |
| GO (work) AY (always) reversed (rejected) | ||
| 10 | TOUCH AND GO | What healer may do when in a rush? That’s risky (5,3,2) |
| cryptic/double definition | ||
| 11 | IMPUTE | Place in Middle East will succeed I reckon (6) |
| PUT (place) in ME (Middle East) following (will succeed) I – definition is ‘reckon’ | ||
| 12 | STILETTO | Knife fight takes place around time I left (8) |
| T (time) I L (left) in SET TO (fight) – an Italian thin bladed knife | ||
| 13 | PARALLEL | Unable to meet standard, female’s sent back by lecturer at first (8) |
| PAR (standard) ELLA (female) reversed (sent back) by L (first of lecturer) | ||
| 15 | SPEW | Sick son needs a seat (4) |
| S (son) with PEW (a seat) | ||
| 17 | SEPT | Osteopath regularly visited clan (4) |
| oStEoPaTh (regulaly visited) – a division of a family, a Scottish or Irish clan | ||
| 19 | SYNDROME | Pattern of actions showing ecclesiastical council’s out of love with Catholic Church (8) |
| SYNoD (ecclesiastical council) missing O=love with ROME (Catholic Church) | ||
| 22 | BELABOUR | Beat black and blue, or get beaten around the head in assault? (8) |
| anagram (get beaten) of B BLUE OR containing (around) A (first letter of assault) – definition is ‘beat’ | ||
| 23 | RED-HOT | Somewhat flustered hotelier gets highly emotional (3-3) |
| part of (somewhat) flusteRED HOTelier | ||
| 25 | GOTHENBURG | Food and drink from the east is found around the Scandinavian city (10) |
| GRUB NOG (food and drink) reversed (from the east) around THE | ||
| 26 | BIAS | Scholar’s written about middle part of Pride and Prejudice (4) |
| BA’S (scholar is) about prIde (middle of) – definition is ‘predudice’ | ||
| 27 | JEAN | Woman in short trousers (4) |
| JEANs (trousers) shortened | ||
| 28 | EASY STREET | English eccentric, say, acquires second plane? To a T, this describe his financial situation (4,6) |
| E (English) SAY* (eccentric=anagram) with (aquires) S (second) TREE (plane tree, for example) with (to a) T | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | ANOSMIA | A bouquet not all there – am I suffering from this? (7) |
| A NOSe (bouquet, not all there) with (AM I)* anagram=suffering – the lack of a sense of smell | ||
| 3 | SNAFU | United supporters turned up in confusion (5) |
| U (united) FANS (supporters) reversed (turned up) – military slang, Situation Normal All F****ed Up | ||
| 4 | LATTERLY | Of late, Times cryptic really absorbs (8) |
| REALLY* (anagram=cryptic) contains (absorbs) TT (time, two of) | ||
| 5 | BRUSSELS SPROUTS | Chap wearing motley sports blues and greens (8,7) |
| RUSS (Russel, chap) in (wearing) (SPORTS BLUES)* anagram=motley | ||
| 6 | DAHLIA | One acre needed to support pea plant (6) |
| I (one) A (acre) below (supporting) DAHL (pea) – definition is ‘plant’ | ||
| 7 | CONDENSER | Deprecates monarch, getting month away in cooler? (9) |
| 8 | NIGHTIE | Close match for garment (7) |
| NIGH (close) TIE (match) | ||
| 14 | ASTRAKHAN | Academician shrank at raunchy material (9) |
| anagram (raunchy) of A (academician) SHRANK AT – a rough fabric imitating lamskin | ||
| 16 | INERT GAS | He perhaps has run away from arresting criminal (5,3) |
| ARrESTING* (anagram=criminal) missing R=run – definition is ‘He perhaps’ (Helium) | ||
| 18 | EYESORE | You will keep girl back after end of lecture? It’s not fair (7) |
| YE (you) containing (keeps) ROSE (girl) reversed (back) after lecturE (end of) – its not pretty (fair) | ||
| 20 | MOORAGE | Cost of anchoring boats creating anger in Cowes, we’re told? (7) |
| MOO RAGE, “Cowes” sounds (we are told) like “cows” | ||
| 21 | JOUNCE | Bump start for Jag (that’s a Jaguar) (6) |
| 24 | DEBAR | Pet bites bishop so gets shut out (5) |
| DEAR (pet) contains (bites) B (bishop) | ||
*anagram
Thanks for the blog & to Alberich for a fairly tricky puzzle.
In 7d CONDESCENDS doesn’t work (there’s an S in DEC & an extra D, too) – I wasn’t sure myself on that one – I had it as CONDEMNS minus M for month + ER – but I’m not really happy with deprecates = condemns.
Hi shikasta
“but I’m not really happy with deprecates = condemns”
Condemn is the first synonym for deprecate in Chambers Thesaurus
Shiksta you are correct, what I have written does not make sense. I will have another think!
Fixed now.
I found this one very tough-going but perfectly fair with a few misdirections (eg He for helium).
7a conk can also mean a blow to the head or to strike on the head.
Thanks to PeeDee and Alberich.
Thanks PeeDee for a comprehensive blog that explains it all, but probably not 21d.
“Bump start” meaning B is too imprecise for Alberich as I know him, so there must be something else going on here.
In fact, I think, it is: J[ag] + OUNCE (a Jaguar), with ‘jounce’ meaning ‘move up and down repeatedly’.
Good crossword (even if I didn’t like the definition of 18d).
Thanks, PeeDee and Alberich. This was quite tough. I tried WIND and WINTERIER for 7a/d, but that left me with I?E? for 15a (not to mention the fact that I couldn’t make WINTERIER work). I had 21d as Sil.
Thanks Sil & Keeper, today’s solution has JOUNCE, I will update the blog. I had never heard the word before.