Bucko’s third outing in the Indy and first time for my shift.
An oddity this, some rare words but nothing in the final grid I can see for their inclusion – the grid suggests a NINA but I don’t get it if there is, maybe you can see something clever going on.
Across
6 I can be seen smothering Rod beside the motorway – that’ll stop the traffic! (7)
EMBARGO
Traffic = trade. EGO = I around (smothering) M(otorway) & BAR (rod)
7 Surplus old paintings sent back (5)
EXTRA
EX (old) & ART reversed
9 Egyptian city featured functional houses (4)
EDFU
City in Egypt hidden answer indicated by houses
10 Express doubt after nerd free to cast vote (10)
REFERENDUM
[NERD FREE]* is cast & UM (sound of doubt)
11 Initially cartographer reveals perfect place for London map to be put back on shelf (8)
CREDENZA
I thought it was a cupboard rather than shelf. C(artograpgher) R(eveals) & EDEN & A-Z reversed
13 He‘s a priest overwhelmed by a bad smell (6)
HELIUM
The old sneak in an element trick. ELI (old testament priest) in HUM (smell)
15 Yours truly cuddled by short bisexual tart (4)
ACID
I inside AC/D(c)
17 Something that should be filled in before beginning of employment in my opinion (3,2)
FOR ME
FORM & E(mployment)
18 Such a story is difficult to believe thanks to local extremists (4)
TALL
TA (thanks) & extremes of L(oca)L
19 In French, Den is being discussed (2,4)
EN LAIR
I assume it’s really EN L’AIR. EN (french for IN) & LAIR (a den).
20 The Queen’s autobiography: Our Essence (3,2,3)
WHO WE ARE
Double def, first whimsical relying on the Royal We.
23 Don’t jump first for a small time correction? (4,6)
LEAP SECOND
These get added every few years to get the clocks re-synced as the Earth’s rotation isn’t quite constant. If you don’t jump first, you might leap second
26 Hitch back to opening of Yak hide (4)
BURY
RUB (hitch, problem) reversed & Y(ak)
27 Turn weird, like an unsocial type (5)
SADDO
ODD & AS all reversed
28 Compiler’s beginning to limp after fine adjustment to clog (7)
TRAMMEL
TRAM (a fine mechanical adjustment – doesn’t everyone know that?!) & ME (compiler) & start of L(imp)
Down
1 Getting aide is really not a good plan? (6,4)
ABSURD IDEA
D.I.Y. clue, AIDE* absurdly = IDEA
2 TT race practice (3,3)
DRY RUN
TT (dry) & RUN (race)
3 Either end of chef’s trolley (4)
CORF
More rare-ish stuff, it’s a miner’s wagon. C(hef) OR (che)F
4 I’ve no idea what a customs officer may do (6,2)
SEARCH ME
Double def
5 Amaze trio before start of Vangelis number (4)
STUN
S, T, U. the three letters before V & N(umber)
6 Senior cricket player dropping first innings openers (5)
ELDER
F(irst) I(nnings) removed from (fi)ELDER
8 In Guinea – Susu, a language expressed in the normal way (2,5)
AS USUAL
Hidden answer.
12 One directs partner to bow (5)
ARROW
Double-ish def
14 The postman’s incendiary anagram indicator? (6,4)
LETTER BOMB
Cryptic def but I quite liked it
16 Discern reconstituted remains (7)
CINDERS
DISCERN* is reconstituted
17 It could be pubic hair is a superfluous ornament! (8)
FURBELOW
FUR BELOW. Err yes not sure what else to put here
21 Opposition leader heard rambling – whoops! (2,4)
OH DEAR
O(pposition’s leader) & HEARD* rambling. Nice one Bucko.
22 Two river country (5)
RURAL
R(iver) & (the river) URAL
24 Schools posh kids essentially avoided (4)
PODS
Middle removed avoided in PO(sh ki)DS
25 It’s a four-letter word! (4)
OATH
Well I swear I’ve got this right
I thought this was great entertainment!
The obscure words – Edfu and corf – were nicely hinted at. I thought “embargo’ was most unexpected, credenza a delight to unravel. I’ve been introduced to a new meaning for “tram”.
But, for the rest of the day, I’m sure my thoughts will be dominated by the short bisexual tart!
Lovely stuff, Bucko! Thanks! And flashling too, of course!
Nice to meet a new setter but I also needed the blog. I went astray rather on 20 with ‘One on One’!
Heather that did make me chuckle. Better than the real answer imho.
Thanks to both .. very enjoyable crossword.
My first thought for 20ac was similar to Heather’s – ‘One by one’ though I couldn’t see how ‘our essence’ came into it. Thought 17dn would have been worthy of Punk.
Thanks, Bucko and flashling.
Thanks Bucko and flashling.
This was fun, but help in some parsing was needed. CREDENZA was a new, or forgotten, word (but a credence is familiar).
EMBARGO and LEAP SECOND among others were good.
A mine CORF originally was a large basket, still used to keep fish alive in water (hence the ‘chef’ allusion?).
I found this trickier than many a Monday puzzle. TRAMMEL was only vaguely remembered and I didn’t know that meaning of “tram” either. EN LAIR was also only vaguely remembered and I had to trust the wordplay. FURBELOW was my LOI when I saw the wordplay and realised I had come across it before, and I have to admit it raised a smile. Thankfully CORF and EDFU were helpfully clued, and I think the clue for WHO WE ARE is excellent.
Less keen than some others here on this one, although I admit there is some clever clueing. I was rushed this morning, and when I’m in a hurry, I’m always going to struggle with words like CORF and EDFU, so I had to give in with a few to go. Wasn’t very keen on ABSURD IDEA either – it’s not really in very common currency.
But I liked FURBELOW. My kind of clue.
Thanks, both.
En lair was one of those annoying clues where you think of the answer straight away but don’t put it in because it seems so unlikely (also I’d have expected the enumeration to be more like 2,1,3). I did find the large number of obscure words made this quite tricky, but it was quite absorbing all the same.
Very late to the party due to being busy until late last night and again this morning! Just finished this over a cup of tea. Very enjoyable tricky solve – nothing else to add as it has already been said.
Thanks flashling and Bucko!