Is it my imagination or have these puzzles become somewhat easier in recent weeks? It’s now taking me longer to write the blog than it did to solve the puzzle.
Across
1 Protected son mostly over pretence about name (10)
SACROSANCT – S (son) ACROS[s] (mostly over) ACT (pretence) around (about) N (name)
10 Conformity shown by two hundred soldiers in a sequence of steps (10)
ACCORDANCE – CC (two hundred) OR (soldiers) in A DANCE (a sequence of steps)
11 Small quantity derived from stipend regularly (4)
DREG – hidden in (derived from) ‘stipenD REGularly’
12 Apprentice wanting latitude for profitable activity (6)
EARNER – [l]EARNER (apprentice wanting latitude)
13 Art, ironic and terribly impractical (12)
DOCTRINARIAN – an anagram (terribly) of ART IRONIC AND
14 Bomb no longer exercises sailor (5)
PETAR – PE (exercises) TAR (sailor)
16 Grass for horses, endlessly hungry, around reserve (6)
EATAGE – EAGE[r] (endlessly hungry) around TA (reserve)
17 Craft from snake leading couple in story around (5)
BOATS – BOA (snake) ST[ory] (couple in story) reversed (around)
18 Ball behind spades in shed (5)
SPILL – S (spades) PILL (ball)
21 Oily substance in mass after start of seepage in lake (6)
BALSAM – S[eepage] (start of seepage) in BALA (lake) M (mass)
23 Gorgon’s slayer saving us, essentially (3,2)
PER SE – PERSE[us] (Gorgon’s slayer saving us)
25 Especially puritanical, trained by rule (2,10)
IN PARTICULAR – an anagram (trained) of PURITANICAL plus R (rule)
26 Worry in retirement about unfavourable tax (6)
TAILLE – EAT (worry) reversed (in retirement) around (about) ILL (unfavourable)
27 Sweet / strike (4)
MINT – double def.
28 Be silent in middle of cure so horribly chalky (10)
CRETACEOUS – TACE (be silent) in (in the middle of) an anagram (horribly) of CURE SO
29 Suave fellow detained by drunkards with humourless range (4-6)
SOFT-SPOKEN – F (fellow) in (detained by) SOTS (drunkards) PO (humourless) KEN (range)
Down
1 Needlework’s in case covered with dismal junk (6,6)
SADDLE STITCH – LEST (in case) in (covered by) SAD (dismal) DITCH (junk)
2 Charm about book identifying East Indian trees (6)
ABROMA – AROMA (charm) around (about) B (book)
3 Illicit drug up in penthouse is creating intestinal problem (8)
CAECITIS – ICE (illicit drug) reversed (up) in PET (penthouse) IS
4 Paint runs in groove (5)
OCHRE – R (runs) in OCHE (groove)
5 Exactly what’s desired in certain part of body (6)
SOMITE – IT (exactly what’s desired) in SOME (certain)
6 Rings scattered near Roman coin (6)
ARENAS – an anagram (scattered) of NEAR plus AS (Roman coin)
7 Cart watercolourist put in part under cloudy area (8)
CARRIOLE – C (cloudy) A (area) plus RI (watercolourist) in (put in) ROLE (part)
8 Anglo-Saxon coin’s ending in attic in bad state (6)
SCEATT – [atti]C (ending in attic) in an anagram (bad) of STATE
9 Forces during revolution coming up with metal covering (6,6)
VERNIS MARTIN – RAMS (forces) IN (during) REV (revolution) all reversed (coming up) plus TIN (metal)
14 Old man all too confused in Californian city (4,4)
PALO ALTO – PA (old man) plus an anagram (confused) of ALL TOO
15 Lizard beginning to slip, in trouble, into soup (8)
BASILISK – S[lip] (beginning to slip) in AIL (trouble) in BISK (soup)
19 Worked up, going into benefit of bread (6)
PANARY – RAN (worked) reversed (up) in (going into) PAY (benefit)
20 Discern, dead on time, whale rising (6)
DETECT – D (dead) plus T (time) CETE (whale) reversed (rising)
21 Dashes in bedroom with feelings, very abandoned (6)
BRIBES – BR (bedroom) [v]IBES (feelings, very abandoned)
22 Necessity to have fool upset with king, central feature of scene (6)
ANANKE – NANA (fool) reversed (upset) K (king) [sc]E[ne] (central feature of scene)
24 Bail out firm, receiving concession? On the contrary (5)
SCOOP – SOP (concession) around (receiving) CO (firm)
Actually, I found this tougher than the previous week. It was late Sunday night when I finished it.
I had forgotten that EATAGE turned up in this when I was doing Phi’s Friday puzzle in the Indie.
I’ve been reading VALIS by Philip K. Dick this week, about a paranoid schizophrenic who believes God is sending him messages in a pink laser beam. One of the words he uses is ANANKE, although again I’d forgotten it was in this puzzle by the time I was reading the book. Spooky.
Sadly Gaufrid, I don’t think it is your imagination. A comment from Those Who Know would be welcome.
Given that I finished this – with extensive use of reference materials – yesterday, I couldn’t say I found this one easy!