(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.) A slightly harder Phssthpok than usual, I thought, and a pleasure to solve. Thanks to Phssthpok. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Silence a number of laws (6)
SHARIA : SH(a call for silence) + ARIA(a musical number in an opera).
Defn: … derived from the Koran.
5 In church, pour out communion wine like some priests (8)
CELIBATE : CE(abbrev. for the Church of England) + LIBATE(to pour out a liquid eg. communion wine, in honour of a deity,)
9 Inside toilet is copper surface (8)
MENISCUS : MEN’S(toilet;the gents’) containing(Inside …) [IS + CU(chemical symbol for the element copper) ].
Defn: … of a liquid in a tube, curved as a result of surface tension.
10 Nobody finishes early after “capture the flag” (6)
PENNON : “none”(nobody) minus
the last letter of(finishes early) placed after(after, in an across clue) PEN(to capture;to confine).
11 Secret repositories of poison gas brought about anxiety (6)
CACHES : CS(common name for the main component in tear gas – the literature suggests that it is non-lethal) containing(brought about) ACHE(an anxiety;a mental anguish).
12 Treat with diamonds and cash (3-5)
ICE-LOLLY : ICE(slang for “diamonds”) + LOLLY(slang for “money”).
Defn: … in the form of an ice cream or water ice on a stick.
14 Going off message in crisis (7,5)
TURNING POINT : TURNING(going off, as with milk becoming rancid or sour) + POINT(the message;the significant part of a concept or narrative, as in “the medium is the message”).
Defn: …, the fork in the road, figuratively.
18 Whipping is, for a foal, telling off (12)
FLAGELLATION : Anagram of(… off) A FOAL, TELLING.
22 Districts with horrible atmosphere have hooligans (8)
BOROUGHS : B.O.(abbrev. for “body odour”;a horrible atmosphere, perhaps) plus(have) ROUGHS(hooligans).
25 Supernatural power to slow down vitality (6)
ESPRIT : ESP(abbrev. for “extrasensory perception”, the supposedly supernatural power) + RIT.(abbrev. for “ritardando”, the musical direction to slow down the tempo).
26 Tree found after top of altitude line? (6)
ALPINE : PINE(the coniferous tree) placed after(found after, in an across clue) [ the 1st letter of(top of) “altitude ” + L(abbrev. for “line “) ].
Defn: Descriptive of growth, usually plants, found above;after top of the timber line, the altitude above which there is no tree growth. A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.
27 Spoilt little child appeared on television (8)
IMPAIRED : IMP(a mischievous little child) + AIRED(appeared;broadcast on television).
28 Long ago, disgraces saint turned upside down by win (8)
ATTAINTS : Reversal of(… turned upside down) ST(abbrev. for “saint”) placed after(by, in an across clue) ATTAIN(to win;to get).
Defn: Dishonours;taints.
Answer: Not all dictionaries indicate it as obsolete;used long ago.
29 Country soundtrack for musical (6)
GREASE : Homophone of(… soundtrack) “Greece”(the somewhat strapped European country).
Down
2 Do they show desire to laugh briefly outside and start scavenging? (6)
HYENAS : YEN(a desire;aninclination towards something) contained in(… outside) “ha-ha”(representation of a laugh) minus its second part(briefly) plus(and) the 1st letter of(start) “scavenging “].
Answer: Scavenging animals whose calls are likened to laughter. Another WIWD clue.
3 Parliament charges it with disorderly conduct (9)
REICHSTAG : Anagram of(… with disorderly conduct) CHARGES IT.
Defn: … in Germany.
4 Beseiged by France, Stralsund is the property of an ancient family (9)
ANCESTRAL : Hidden in(Beseiged by) “France, Stralsund “.
Defn: Property of;relating to an ancient family.
5 Astronomer who is upset part of Turin is sacked (7)
CASSINI : Reversal of(upset) and hidden in(part of) “Turin is sacked “.
Answer: Giovanni Domenico.
6 It is a sin to take drug after drinks (5)
LAPSE : E(slang a. “Ecstasy”, the drug) placed below(after, in a down clue) LAPS(drinks liquid by scooping with the tongue).
7 Forbid little girl from making musical instrument (5)
BANJO : BAN(to forbid from) + JO(short for the feminine name, Josephine, or in Scottish, a sweetheart).
8 Maliciously posting some bread into metal opening of grate (8)
TROLLING : ROLL(a small rounded portion of bread) contained in(into) TIN(the metal) + the 1st letter of(opening of) “grate “.
Defn: … on the Internet.
13 Brass flange (3)
LIP : Double defn: 1st: Impudence; and 2nd: A protruding rim or collar around, say, a pipe.
15 I gauge pin development perhaps (6,3)
GUINEA PIG : Anagram of(… development) I GAUGE PIN.
Defn: Something that is used to test, say, a drug, under development, to gauge progress. Still another WIWD clue.
16 He likes to drink open oil? He is crazy! (9)
OENOPHILE : Anagram of(… is crazy) OPEN OIL? HE.
Defn: … wine.
17 Lots of water landed on sports field at night, perhaps (8)
FLOODLIT : FLOOD(lots of water, usually overflowing or inundating) + LIT(landed on, after a flight, especially with birds).
Answer: What a sports field would be if a game was being played there at night.
19 Bird eggs made unpalatable starters (3)
EMU : The 1st letter of(… starters) “eggs made unpalatable “.
20 Sailor steers ship east, not away, and goes down by rope (7)
ABSEILS : AB(abbrev. for “able-bodied seaman”;a sailor) + “sails”(steers a ship) with “e”(abbrev. for “east”) replacing(not) “a”(abbrev. for “away”, as in football league tables).
21 Points to former lover lifting petticoat up outside (6)
PIXELS : Reversal of(… lifting) EX(term for a former lover, spouse, partner) contained in(… outside) reversal of(… up, in a down clue) SLIP(a petticoat, a piece of underwear).
Defn: …, basic elements of an image on a visual display unit.
23 Board are agreed in France and Germany (5)
OUIJA : OUI, JA(agreed;yes, in French and German, respectively).
Defn: Trademark name for the board used to supposedly spell out telepathic or spiritual messages.
24 Bank on last of spring harvest (5)
GLEAN : LEAN(to bank;to tilt as with a craft making a turn) placed below(on, in a down clue – an indicator more suited to an across clue, though) the last letter of(last of) “spring “.
(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)
Thanks scchua for the blog. I did not know or guess ATTAINTS and needed your help to understand the parsing bits of libate, the CS gas and the sails-to-seils manoeuvre. Thanks also to Phssthpok, good fun and all clear once explained.
Thanks Phssthpok and scchua.
I found the WIWD clues rather confusing, but am getting more used to them now.
ANCESTRAL and CASSINI were super hidden clues, and I also liked CELIBATE, ESPRIT and ABSEILS.
Thanks Phssthpok and scchua
Finished this one last week but only got to check it off today. Found it pretty tough going for most of the solve, but very enjoyable. Coming here, I found that I had either not parsed or wrongly parsed CELIBATE, ATTAINTS and HYENAS – so thanks for setting me straight with them.
Initially had an unsatisfactory PATHOS entered in at 11a until I revisited and found CACHES – was looking for the CS gas but didn’t find it till here.
Like a $ for every time that I’ve seen OUIJA and with that clue :).
All good fun.