There is one clue that I cannot fathom. Any help appreciated. Thanks Hamilton.
| Across | ||
| 9 | PALAEONTOLOGIST |
One studies certain relics so potential goal needs reassessing (15)
(SO POTENTIAL GOAL)* anagram=needs reassessing – took me an age to get the spelling right on this one! |
| 10 | OTTER |
Stagger bare-headed to animal (5)
tOTTER (stagger) missing top (bare headed) |
| 11 | BASICALLY |
At heart, a simple friend (9)
BASIC (simple) ALLY (friend) |
| 12 | SON OF A GUN |
Close relative of Big Bertha? He’s a rogue! (3,2,1,3)
definition/cryptic definition |
| 14 | RENEW |
Transform Parisian and his wife (5)
RENE (French male name, someone from Paris) and W (his wife) – who would be M rather than W? |
| 16 | ELECTROANALYSIS |
Quantative chemical breakdown needs preparing a lot, necessarily (15)
(A LOT NECESSARILY)* anagram=needs preparing |
| 19 | YOUTH |
Teenager that half FT readers go before (5)
THat (half of) with YOU (FT readers) before |
| 21 | RHEUMATIC |
Said area has a spasm of muscular pain (9)
RHEUM sounds like (said) “room” (area) with A TIC (spasm) |
| 23 | GASTROPUB |
Chatter about temper tantrum at university eatery (9)
GAB (chatter) containing (about) STROP (temper tantrum) next to (at) U (university) |
| 25 | DELTA |
In the beginning, did Egyptians learn that Alexandria was built on it? (5)
first letters of (in the beginning) Did Egyptians Learn That Alexandria – thanks to Michael |
| 26 | BIOLOGICAL CLOCK |
It is supposed to keep watch on one’s progression in life (10,5)
cryptic definition |
| Down | ||
| 1 | UPHOLSTERY |
Universal policy cleared for adoption of case covering (10)
U (universal) PolicY (cleared, no middle) contains (for adoption of) HOLSTER (case) |
| 2 | GLUTEN |
Excess of European intervention finally in protein (6)
GLUT (excess of) then E (European) and interventioN (final letter of) |
| 3 | RETROFIT |
Update tif? (8)
|
| 4 | SNUB |
Cakes sent up and put down (4)
BUNS reversed (sent up) |
| 5 | CONSONANCE |
Agreement reached when girl is working instead of starting to tire (10)
CONStANCE (a girl) with ON (working) replacing Tire (starting letter of) |
| 6 | SOCCER |
Almost hit on shortened playing field being returned for sport (6)
SOCk (hit, almost) on REC (recreational area, playing field) shortened=abbrev reversed (being returned) |
| 7 | MIDLANDS |
Central England N (8)
N is the middle letter of lands |
| 8 | STAY |
Remain with guy for support (4)
double definition |
| 13 | GEOGRAPHIC |
Little man has vivid account of lands and peoples (10)
GEORGe (man, little=shortened) GRAPHIC (vivid account) – I’m not quite sure how to fit ‘account’ in |
| 15 | WISECRACKS |
A sick crew start spouting rubbish jokes! (10)
anagram (rubbish) of A SICK CREW and Spouting (starting letter of) |
| 17 | EMULSION |
Clergyman leaves type of 20, making way for a measure of paint (8)
revULSION (type of horror) with REV (clergyman) being replaced with EM (printer’s measure) |
| 18 | LAME DUCK |
Inefficient person lacked, um, organisation (4,4)
(LACKED UM)* anagram=organisation |
| 20 | HORROR |
Fear time is short to obtain glasses to accommodate bishop (6)
HR (hour, time, is short=abbrev) contains OO (resembles a pair of glasses) containing (to accomodate) RR (Right Reverend, bishop) |
| 22 | TALLOW |
Time to admit being fat (6)
T (time) to ALLOW (admit) – a great surface reading |
| 23 | GOBI |
Double-crossing scoundrels not found around here? (4)
stuck on this – the Gobi desert maybe? GOBI is an anagram (around) of DOUBLE CROSSING with SCOUNDRELS removed. Thanks to Gaufrid. |
| 24 | BEAT |
Round pound (4)
double definition – a policeman’s beat is his round |
definitions are underlined
25A does seem to be straighter than you think – the first letters of did Egyptians learn that Alexandria… It’s on the Nile delta.
Thanks PeeDee
23dn is GOBI, it’s an anagram (around) of ‘double-crossing’ minus (not found) ‘scoundrels’. A lot of letters involved to get a 4-letter solution!
Good work, Gaufrid. I was getting sidetracked by imagining the Gobi desert rat was involved!
I thought large subtractions like that were generally frowned on, ingenious though it is.
Thanks Michael and Gaufrid. I suspected that I was over complicating 25a but Alexandria being part of both the construction and the definition threw me.
As for 23dn – hats off to Gaufrid! I was not expecting for something like this in a standard daily puzzle.
Also I’m not sure whether the definition is ‘not found here’ (a desert being a place that lacks a certain feature) or whether it is a sort of &lit implying that there are no scoundrels in the Gobi desert. Any suggestions?
Thanks, PeeDee. I was flummoxed by 23d as well. Much too clever for me.
I’d take the def as just ‘here?’, I think, with ‘scoundrels not found’ being the indication to remove SCOUNDRELS from DOUBLE-CROSSING.
Thanks Hamilton and PeeDee
I think that 3D is even more straightforward than you indicate: TIF is simply FIT backwards (RETRO)
Excellent work Peedee and a nice fun puzzle from Hamilton.
Funny how when I read 24dn, I was convinced it was SLUG (without the benefit of any crossers!). It fit quite nicely before the other clues played spoilsport! 🙂
Cheeers
TL
Thanks Hamilton and PeeDee
Only looked at this one yesterday and although was able to get away to a flyer with the two long anagrams (also had trouble with the spelling of 9a), it all slowed down when I got to the bottom half.
Finally brought to a close with BEAT (took some time to click with the ‘policeman’s round’), GASTROPUB (a word that is not used down here) and GOBI (happy to find the compound anagram eventually – didn’t see anything amiss with extracting only 4 letters from 14 – the surface more than made up for it!)
A nice challenge, with the time to be able to do it.