Solid workout from Bradman this Friday. Thanks Don.
FF: 9 DD: 9
| Across | ||
| 1 | GIGANTIC | Huge performance by one of two presenters in charge (8) |
| GIG (performance) ANT (one of two presenters) IC (in charge) | ||
| 6 | CHARMS | Attractive features of cleaner, modern miss (6) |
| CHAR (cleaner) MS (modern miss) | ||
| 9 | MERTON | College blokes penning awful rot (6) |
| ROT* in MEN (blokes) | ||
| 10 | AIRBORNE | Brought to life, submerged in river or up in the sky? (8) |
| BORN (brought to life) n AIRE (river) | ||
| 11 | OMAR | Order given by a king or caliph (4) |
| OM (order) A R (king) | ||
| 12 | ILLITERATE | I will repeat for one with language difficulties (10) |
| I’LL (i will) ITERATE (repeat) | ||
| 14 | MORAINES | Geographical features – some collapsing with infiltration of water (8) |
| RAIN (water) in SOME* | ||
| 16 | CAMP | Theatrical Conservative, a person in the House (4) |
| C (conservative) A MP (person in the house) | ||
| 18 | LEVI | Priest in little village (4) |
| hidden in “..littLE VIllage” | ||
| 19 | HEADLINE | Policy by principal is newspaper feature (8) |
| HEAD (principal) LINE (principal) | ||
| 21 | GRAND MUFTI | Great legal expert could give grunt if mad (5,5) |
| GRUNT IF MAD* | ||
| 22 | EAST | What’s the point of big meal without a starter? (4) |
| fEAST (big meal, without starter) | ||
| 24 | PATCHIER | Less consistent Greek character embraced by father (8) |
| CHI (greek character) in PATER (father) | ||
| 26 | MATURE | Victor behaving like an adult? (6) |
| double def; first part refers to an american actor, hero of my darling clementine | ||
| 27 | STRUTH | Canonised OT woman? Gosh! (6) |
| cryptic def, read as ST (saint) RUTH | ||
| 28 | TONE DOWN | Dull, like a very flat note? (4,4) |
| cryptic def | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | I-BEAM | Part of building’s framework making one smile (1-4) |
| I (one) BEAM (smile) | ||
| 3 | ALTERCATION | Change about to be introduced making for quarrel (11) |
| ALTERATION (change) containing C (about) | ||
| 4 | TENSIONS | Sonnet is about strained relationships (8) |
| SONNET IS* | ||
| 5 | CHARLES THE FIRST | Selfish tetrarch, awful ruler coming to bad end (7,3,5) |
| SELFISH TETRARCH* | ||
| 6 | CURATE | Minister had to trail after dog (6) |
| CUR (dog) ATE (had) | ||
| 7 | ADO | Notice nothing that would create fuss (3) |
| AD (notice) O (nothing) | ||
| 8 | MINUTEMAN | The little guy’s defence system (9) |
| MINUTE (little) MAN (guy) – referring to an icbm of the same name | ||
| 13 | RECOLLECTED | Lessons about faith and prayer boy remembered (11) |
| RE (lessons about faith, Religious Education) COLLECT (prayer) ED (boy) | ||
| 15 | OVERREACT | Maiden possibly about to perform and go over the top? (9) |
| OVER (maiden, possibly) RE (about) ACT (perform); would have preferred not to see ‘over’ again in the def | ||
| 17 | TALISMAN | Symbolic item brought out in Latin Mass mostly (8) |
| LATIN MASs* (mostly) | ||
| 20 | IMPISH | Warriors quiet and wicked (6) |
| IMPI (warriors) SH (wicked) | ||
| 23 | SCREW | Rob gets wages (5) |
| double def; new meaning for me | ||
| 25 | CRU | Vineyard gang reported (3) |
| sounds like CREW (gang) | ||
*anagram
An ‘a-beam’ for 2d did me for GIGANTIC (though I still don’t get ANT for ‘one of two presenters’) and SCREW for ‘wages’ was new to me too.
I liked the surface for ILLITERATE. ‘Victor’ MATURE took a bit of dredging – a bit of a square-jawed hunk as I remember.
Thanks to Bradman and Turbolegs
Nice one, thanks Don. I had the good fortune to spot 5dn immediately, and it was easy going after that. One query, however: how does 11ac OMAR come to be a Caliph? Thanks, Don and Turbolegs
Hornbeam
From Collins:
Omar or Umar
noun
Died 644 ad, the second caliph of Islam (634–44). During his reign Islamic armies conquered Syria and Mesopotamia: murdered
Thanks, Gaufrid. And I’m supposed to be a Middle East expert. Doh!
WordPlodder
Ant and Dec are a pair of cheeky-chappy television presenters.
Which dictionary has that spelling for “strewth”? Neither of mine. OED perhaps?
Hovis @6, yes, Oxford (SOED) has it as an alternative spelling.
Generally very satisfying but I did not get OMAR as I did not know OM as order. I hesitated to enter OVERREACT due to “over” in the clue but the answer fit; by the way, how is “maiden” over? Amused by 16a, 26a, and 6d in particular. Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs.
Tony Santucci @ 8
In cricket, a maiden over is one where all six balls are bowled but no runs are scored.
Simon S @10 Thanks. I guess I need to learn more about cricket — this isn’t the first time its terminology has been seen in these cryptics.
Thanks Bradman & Turbolegs.
As Charles the first was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and Prince of Wales, presumably 5 down could also be parsed as a double definition: Selfish tetrarch and awful ruler coming to a bad end.
Tony, here’s a bit of a primer on cricket for an audience of American solvers: https://thenationcryptic.blogspot.com/2015/03/cricket.html?m=1
Thanks Bradman and Turbolegs
A quicker solve than normal over lunch where I must have been right on his wavelength. This despite having to recover from initially writing in MIDGETMAN (which coincidently is also an ICBM) at 8d. My post solve run through of the parsing thankfully picked up that my dodgy EMIR should really be OMAR (an interesting ruler after reading his wiki biography).
There were none of the usual obscure words but quite a number of religious folk sprinkled throughout that had to be dredged out of that little used side of the brain.
Finished in the NE corner with AIRBORNE (that unearthed the error at 8), ILLITERATE (that confirmed it) and MINUTEMAN (which fixed it!).
Hi, Slight error in the solution for 19a. Should read “HEAD (principal) LINE (policy)” I think.