Enjoyable without being too tricky, with a nice mini-theme. Favourite clues were 11ac, 18ac and 9dn.
Across
1 A sailor lacking refinement said to get some military training (7,6)
ASSAULT COURSE
=”some military training”. Sounds like ‘a salt, coarse’=”A sailor lacking refinement”
10 Wanderer repeatedly without home (9)
ITINERANT
=”Wanderer”. ITERANT=”repeatedly”, around IN=”home”
11 Over time does, for example, hold back (5)
DETER
=”hold back”. DEER=”does [plural of doe], for example”, around T[ime]
12 Contrasts seen in fine art works (5)
FOILS
=”Contrasts”. F[ine] plus OILS=”art works”.
13 Silly dons spar about nothing they’re used to cut and thrust (9)
SPADROONS
a sword used to cut and thrust. (dons spar)* around O=”nothing”
14 Frightened a learner with a gun, say (7)
ALARMED
=”Frightened”. A L[earner] plus ARMED=”with a gun, say”.
16 Some split hairs to modernise this Asian language (7)
SIAMESE
=”Asian language”. THAI, the modern name for Siamese, is hidden in “Some spliT HAIrs”
18 In which, people gamble and endlessly cash in? Not so (7)
CASINOS
=”In which people gamble”. CAS[h] I[n] NO[t] S[o]
20 Leads astray spies holding foreign nobleman (7)
SEDUCES
=”Leads astray”. SEES=”spies”, around DUC=”foreign nobleman”.
21 Thereby extracted from clips of actors (4,5)
IPSO FACTO
=”Thereby”. Hidden in “clIPS O/F ACTOrs”
23 Article from Spanish city that was historically used in fighting (5)
BILBO
A rapier. A=”Article”, removed from BILB[a]O=”Spanish city”
24 Fencers use them to ensure most of enclosure gets put back (5)
EPEES
used by fencers. SEE=”ensure” plus rev(PE[n])=”most of enclosure gets put back”
25 Fruit tree in a French garden area not explored in depth (9)
UNPLUMBED
=”not explored in depth”. PLUM=”Fruit tree” in UN=”a French” and BED=”garden area”.
26 Cares about large and diverse brood they are biologically related (5,8)
BLOOD BROTHERS
are biologically related. BOTHERS=”Cares” around L[arge] plus (brood)*
Down
2 They’re used by Turks fighting racism it’s wrong (9)
SCIMITARS
Turkish swords. (racism it’s)*
3 Mostly hostile states (5)
AVERS
=”states”. AVERS[e]=”Mostly hostile”
4 Had close relationships with ladies I mistreated (7)
LIAISED
=”Had close relationships”. (ladies I)*
5 Naval cutter in dock joined by young woman (7)
CUTLASS
A naval sword. CUT=”dock” plus LASS=”young woman”
6 Deceptive and unorthodox kind of service (9)
UNDERHAND
=”Deceptive”; =”unorthodox kind of service” in tennis
7 Fight in nocturnal creature’s home over nothing (3-2)
SET-TO
=”Fight”. SETT=”nocturnal creature’s home” over O=”nothing”
8 Without a vote, is candid and fresh, unusually so (13)
DISFRANCHISED
=”Without a vote”. (is candid fresh)*
9 Disputed editors cutting things like this, occurring four times here (7,6)
CROSSED SWORDS
=”Disputed”. ED[itor]S inside or “cutting” CROSSWORDS=”things like this”. CROSSED SWORDS occur four times in the grid – 12ac/2dn; 13ac/5dn; 24ac/22dn and 23ac/17dn.
At a bit of a stretch, an alternate parsing might have the wordplay as “Disputed”=’had CROSS WORDS about’ ED[itor]S, with a ‘definition’ of “cutting things [i.e. SWORDS] like this [i.e. CROSSED], occurring four times here”
15 Statement of policy, if not same, must be changed (9)
MANIFESTO
=”Statement of policy”. (if not same)*
17 Legendary brand’s former quality, as proclaimed? (9)
EXCALIBUR
Arthur’s legendary brand=sword. Sounds like ‘ex-calibre’=”former quality”
19 Yield small volume you aim, ultimately, to store in reserve (7)
SUCCUMB
=”Yield”. C[ubic] C[entimetre]=”small volume” plus [yo]U [ai]M inside SUB=”reserve”
20 As sign, dangerous creature rendered harmless? (7)
SCORPIO
the star sign. SCORPIO[n]=a de-tailed SCORPIOn=”dangerous creature rendered harmless”
22 Fish under stone, kind of blue or grey (5)
STEEL
=”kind of blue or grey”. EEL=”Fish” under ST[one]
23 Almost swallowed part of apple or pear, say (5)
BOUGH
=”part of apple or pear [tree], say”. BOUGH[t]=”Almost swallowed” as in falling for a tall tale
Thanks, manehi.
A pretty straightforward but very cleverly constructed crossword from Brendan – he’s a wizard at using the grid in ingenious ways.
Favourite clues: 11ac, 16ac and 9dn.
[My only quibble is the use of ‘cut’ in both the clue and the solution in 5dn.]
Many thanks, Brendan, for an enjoyable puzzle.
All correct, but I failed to parse ‘Siamese’, worked out ‘spadroons’ (which I did not know) from the obvious anagram, and ‘bilbo’ from the wordplay, having only met the word as the name of a little character with hairy feet.
Enjoyable start to the day, so thanks to Brendan and manehi.
Always good to see Brendan.
It’s a clever device, one that he’s used before not so long ago, across the way.
http://www.fifteensquared.net/2010/04/13/independent-7329-by-virgilius/
Particularly liked ipso facto
Thanks Brendan and manehi.
In just two posts Eileen and George have covered most of what I was going to say. I was intrigued to find that a bilbo is a sword – I’m quite sure that Tolkien must have known it, although Bilbo the character is anything but a fighter.
13 and 24 alerted me to what might be going on without actually solving either during the first pass of the acrosses. On embarking on the downs 2 and 8 fell straight away, and the rest was a steady march to the finish. I would suggest that nine solutions make the swordplay a bit more than a “mini” theme, especially as they inhabit all four corners of the grid.
22d particularly enjoyable.
Good morning everyone, and many thanks Manehi.
Eileen & George have said everything I wanted to say, except how much I liked BOUGH – very neat surface I thought.
Always enjoy Brendan and this was no exception.
Nice week, all.
What William’s third sentence said in comment no 6.
Thanks to manehi and Brendan.
Excellent crossword with clever theme.
Thanks manehi; I agree with Eileen @1, including the selection of best clues. Mind you, I missed the spliT HAIrs, silly me.
I suppose the surface of 5 was so seductive with ‘naval cutter,’ but it would have been better to avoid ‘cutter’ in the clue.
I agree with Eileen and Robi about “cut”, but what about the bigger repetition — “scorpion” as the definition part of the clue for “scorpio”. They are Latin and English for each other.
Valentine
Matt @3.
I don’t really know why, but even though I had no knowledge of Virgilius’s puzzle from 2010 I now feel a little bit cheated. Probably silly of me.
Thanks all
Enjoyable although rather too easy for top marks!
‘Spadroons’ was new to me.I liked ‘Thai’ in 16ac and I thought 24 was approaching the point of unacceptable vagueness.
Thanks Brendan and manehi
Am I alone in finding the “say” at the end of 14a redundant?
It is very good, but a bit ‘same idea twice’. At least the clues aret different!! I likes the ‘brand’ for ‘sword ‘ idea.
Valentine @ 9
I don’t see any repetition in 20D. The term ‘dangerous creature’ is pretty wide-ranging
Thanks manehi and Brendan
Good fun, and not overly difficult after a hard morning, though I had to check two or three in Chambers.
26a ‘Blood brothers’ is interesting since it may refer both to close kin, as here, or to non-kin who decide to establish close friendship by an ‘exchange of blood’.
I read 9d as in manehi’s first stab at it.
I ticked several: 1a, 11a, 16a, 21a, 9d, 20d.
I’m surprised that the clue for 12a didn’t refer to the fact that a foil is a type of weapon used in competitive fencing.
Hi Ian H @16
The clue didn’t need to make a reference: FOILS is one of the 9dn ‘crossed swords’ references, as manehi explained in the blog.
STEEL at 22dn is another and it isn’t specified in the clue, either.
It was a bit deja vu, can you experience it for the first time? Because surely it’s the second. Deja vu…
An enjoyable puzzle but over rather quickly. SPADROONS went in as the most likely answer from the anagram fodder, I missed the hidden “Thai” but the answer was obvious enough when all the checkers were in place, and the BILBO/BOUGH crossers were my last ones in.
[25] threw me completely. Surely it ended in “tion” with “a French” being first & last and the garden area “patio”? But it didn’t and it wasn’t, and I had [17] as “excelsior” which was lazy of me.
[9] I knew was an anagram of “editors” and “things” – but it wasn’t 🙁 Ho hum.
Still, either I crack ’em without using a dictionary or not at all, and this was not at all.
16ac: split hairs = T H
Modernise = an anagrind
[ASIAN] + T H = ASHANTI
Heigh -ho. Try again tomorrow…
@21: Good try, Jovis, keep at it! Many’s the time I’ve tried something similar – better than leaving it blank, at least at first. 🙂 At 18ac I almost went with CASINNO, thinking it might be an alternate spelling.
“Bilbo” (my LOI) and “spadroons” were new to me, as was the “sett” in 7d. Also struggled somewhat with 8d, since the American equivalent is “disenfranchised.”
Many thanks to Brendan and manehi.
dagnabit @22
,…..since the American equivalent is disenfranchised.”‘
It’s also the more common English word to my knowledge!
@23: Good to know, Brendan, thank you!
Great puzzle. When I got the fifth sword I got confused, until I saw the eighth.
Minor quibble – BILBO crosses SWORDS. That’s five.
Great blog, thanks to everyone involved.