Enjoyable and straightforward with a broad range of devices but nothing too obscure.
Hold the mouse pointer over any clue number to read the clue.
| Across | ||
| 1 | TRIPPY | I (one, roman numeral) Popping Pills (initially) in TRY (hear, in court) |
| 4 | PAPHOS | PH (public house, pub) in SOAP (Eastenders perhaps) reversed – a district of Cyprus |
| 8 | PECKISH | PECK IS (Gregory’s)and Hot |
| 9 | BALLOON | ALL (everyone) in BOON (blessing) |
| 11 | DISTRESSED | shorn=dis-tressed, having tresses (hair) removed |
| 12 | CUTE | CUE (signal) about Time |
| 13 | STASI | STASIs (immobility) less than=not finished – former East German secret service |
| 14 | REBUTTAL | BUTT (posterior) in REAL (bona fide) |
| 16 | PASTORAL | PARASOL* (brandished=anagram) carrying (conducting) BeeThoven (fourth letter) – Beethoven’s sixth symphony |
| 18 | MAPLE | P (piano, quiet) in MALE (man) – definition is ‘tree’ |
| 20 | TOMB | aTOM Bomb |
| 21 | TABULA RASA | TAR (sailor) containing (adopting) AB (another sailor) Univeristy L (student) AS (when) given A – definition is ‘fresh start’ |
| 23 | ATACAMA | reversed inside ObAMA CATAlogue – a desert in South America, lots of empty space |
| 24 | ABIGAIL | anagram (concocted) of A Good ALIBI |
| 25 | YEOMEN | O (love, zero in tennis) in YEMEN (country) – definition is ‘country fellows’ |
| 26 | PEANUT | PE NUT (fanatical gym-user) containing (swollowing) A – definition is ‘bit of food’ |
| Down | ||
| 1 | TREVI | dIVERT (amuse) top missing and upside-down – a fountain in Rome |
| 2 | INKATHA | (KNIT A HAt)* anagram=moved, almost=not finished – definition is ‘political movement’ |
| 3 | POSTERIOR | RIO (South American city) in POSTER (blogger) |
| 5 | AWARD | A and DRAW (raffle) reversed (picked up) |
| 6 | HELL CAT | Left in CHALET* ruined=anagram |
| 7 | SHORTCAKE | TRACK* (anagram=off) in SHOE (sounds like choux) – definition is ‘pastry’ |
| 10 | ASTROLABE | A STROBE (disco feature) including LA (‘the’ in French) |
| 13 | SEAWORTHY | E (ecstasy, drug) A WORT (weed) in SHY (diffident) |
| 15 | BUMBLEBEE | BEELZEBUB* with Z (last) swapped for M (minute) anagram=turned into |
| 17 | TOBACCO | John or Sebastian CABOT (explorer) reversed (raised) CO (commanding officer) – definition is ‘weed’ |
| 19 | PARAGON | Portugal and ARAGON (part of Spain) |
| 21 | TEMPE | TEMPLE (house of God) missing L=left |
| 22 | SHIFT | double definition |
*anagram
Just right for solving while watching over a long photocopying job. Lots to smile at so thank you to Dogberry and PeeDee too.
Thanks PeeDee and Dogberry. The “last-minute” device in 15 was ace, I thought.
Thanks PeeDee and Dogberry.
This was most enjoyable. Some superb clueing with beautiful surfaces. However, I’m afraid 21 was far too obscure for us.
Yes, this was a lovely sparkling puzzle. Most enjoyable.
Re Sil’s query about so few commentators on Mudd’s puzzle yesterday, yes it was an outstanding puzzle. I wish I had said so.
And jmac, this one was also outstanding.
Two Biggles (or Johns, if you prefer) in a row, both high quality.
I agree with MikeC about the last-minute swop in 15d. My PinC called it ‘novel’, but ‘ace’ is probably a better qualification.
1d (TREVI) is almost an &Lit, very good surface.
7d (SHORTCAKE): another favourite.
Most enjoyable crossword.
Many thanks, PeeDee, for your blog and JY for your fine puzzle [even though we had some bums-in-disguise again – seems to be a favourite subject for setters called John …. 🙂 ]
Funny, I was expecting zero comemnts on this one, but it seems to have something that has really clicked with many people.
Sil – how is 1d almost &lit? ‘Trevi’ is the name of a fountain certainly, but it doesn’t have anything to do with going topless or standing on one’s head at all. Just standard wordplay really.
Lastly – I forgot to thank Dogberry in the preamble. Thank you Dogberry.
Well, PeeDee, I just had to think of that famous scene in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960). As Wikipedia puts it: “Anita Ekberg’s uninhibited cavorting in Rome’s Trevi Fountain remains one of the most celebrated images in film history”.
I don’t suppose anyone is reading this any more but thanks for all the kind remarks. And thanks to Sil at #7 for the ingenious reading of 1dn. I liked the image of someone cavorting topless in the Trevi fountain but was quite unaware Anita Ekberg had actually been filmed doing so.
In case I get into trouble for posting under different names, BTW, I am of course the same person as Shed, I’m just wearing a different hat here.
Thanks for dropping in Dogberry. Apparently in the original takes the full-bosomed Anita Ekberg was actually filmed cartwheeling upside down and topless in the Trevi fountain. Frederico Fellini had the scene re-shot upright and fully clothed when he realised that the cinema audience was not able to see her face.