Interesting puzzle today.
There were a few words I hadn’t encountered before MINNESINGER, MOGGY, WAT but all workable from the wordplay. Liked the clues for ZEALOUS, EN MASSE, EMOTION, KAMIKAZES, CHELSEA and SPA. Surely it is time that split of wordplay for THEFT is outlawed 🙂 ? Thank you Neo
It is entirely possible that something clever is lurking in the puzzle and like the last time I blogged a Neo puzzle, I’m completely oblivious to it. But if you see something, add a comment.
Definitions in clues marked like this.
* anagram, + charade, – deletion, H hidden, DD double definition, <= reversal
ACROSS
1 Important Viking one among best friends (5,4) GREAT DANE [important=GREAT + Viking=DANE]
6 Socialite with appeal makes leftside entry (5) DEBIT [socialite=DEB + appeal=IT]
9 Brazilian city as far as we’re concerned ungovernable (7) RIOTOUS [Brazilian city=RIO + as far as we’re concerned=TO US]
10 Obscure English knight against European rebuffed (7) ENVELOP [English + knight=N + against=V + European=POLE<=]
11 Poor nation’s little island in hot current (5) HAITI [little island=AIT inside Hot + current=I]
12 Caught flamboyant cardinal in Seventh Heaven? (5,4) CLOUD NINE [Caught + flamboyant=LOUD + cardinal=NINE]
14 Notice flock encircles houses (3) KEN [H]
15 Alarmist financier reversed into second vehicle bearing right (11) SCAREMONGER [financier=GNOME<= inside Second + vehicle=CAR + bearing=E + Right]
17 German poet’s the writer embracing pub vocalist (11) MINNESINGER [writer=ME outside pub=INN + vocalist=SINGER]
19 Moggy fur with hole concealed? (3) CAT [fur=CoAT]
20 Earl, King and Queen on Hampshire river’s banks (9) KITCHENER [King + ITCHEN + queen=ER]
22 Ambassador in temple finds grain (5) WHEAT [ambassador=HE inside temple=WAT]
24 Ardent Green must change leader (7) ZEALOUS [green=JEALOUS with Z for J]
26 As one’s despicably mean, small tips for servants materialise (2,5) EN MASSE [MEAN* + Small + Servants materialisE]
27 Sauce unfortunately knocked over contains sulphur (5) SALSA [unfortunately=ALAS<= outside Sulphur]
28 Related martial artist stops at Bedouin residence (9) ATTENDANT [martial artist=DAN inside AT + Bedouin residence=TENT]
DOWN
1 Hard maths topic written up to find circumference (5) GIRTH [Hard + maths topic=TRIG]<=
2 Love comes in no time, wildly, for passion (7) EMOTION [love=0 inside NO TIME*]
3 Disagreed also with a thousand children (4,5) TOOK ISSUE [also=TOO + thousand=K + children=ISSUE]
4 Bond gets to a casino and is beaten (11) ASSOCIATION [TO A CASINO IS]*
5 Beast summarising Tokyo-London-Tokyo trip? (3) EWE [East-West-East]
6 Painter died hungry (5) DAVID [Died + hungry=AVID]
7 Discount supermarket name in GB’s upturn with loss on top (7) BALDING [supermarket=ALDI + Name inside GB<=]
8 As 007 mission to Spectre might be? (3-6) TOP-SECRET [TO + SPECTRE*]
13 Dope sheathes weapon in open coat (11) OVERGARMENT [dope=GEN outside weapon=ARM inside open=OVERT]
14 Soul an unknown factor in some men? Fearless pilots? (9) KAMIKAZES [soul=KA + an unknown factor=A Z inside some men=MIKES]
16 Girl having paddle round saw manor demolished (9) OARSWOMAN [round=O + SAW MANOR*]
18 Mistress Gwynne about to be announced in sport (7) NETBALL [Gwynne=NELL outside to be announced=TBA]
19 Side // issue for Clintons (7) CHELSEA [DD]
21 Having ducks in horses area causes commotion (3-2) HOO-HA [ducks=00 inside horses=HH + Area]
23 Crime article Financial Times provides (5) THEFT [article=THE + Financial Times]
25 Sick at first, old man here for healthy holiday (3) SPA [Sick + old man=PA]
Thanks Bhavan for the blog. I needed it for the parsing of HAITI (I have seen and forgotten ait before) and for KAMIKAZES (I was nowhere near).
Thanks Neo for a very enjoyable puzzle – as Bhavan says, some odd words but fairly clued and lots of fun.
Hi Bhavan, thanks for the blog. Very accurate!
Cheers
Neo.
Thanks Urieka too.
Thanks Paul B/Neo and blogger, struggled to get going but I blame the wine. Loved it. Not as hard as pickers in the guardian. Hit the sweet spot.
Awww cheers Flash.
Thanks Neo and Bhavan
Not too many problems with this, completed in two very short sittings. Having said that, there were a few clues where the parsing took a lot more thought to work through – KITCHENER (not helped by not knowing the place in Hampshire), SCAREMONGER (with the backward GNOME) and BALDING (more the neat misdirection of ‘loss on top’).
Although EWE was the first in, thought that it was a clever idea. Liked GREAT DANE and CHELSEA as well.
I=current, howso?
A fun one overall, but I don’t know any royal concubines named Nell.
Peter @7: I is the standard symbol for current in physics. Apparently it comes from the French for “intensity of current”.
Peter @7 again: I should have read your whole post before answering the first half. Nell Gwyn/Gwynn/Gwynne was a mistress of Charles II.