More occasionally boisterous fun from Slormgorm
I think there is a minor typo in 6D.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | TUBA |
One with brass in bar knocked back drop of Asti (4)
|
| BUT (bar) reversed (knocked back) + first letter of (drop of) A[STI] | ||
| 8 | ARCHIMEDES |
I screamed out on taking bath ultimately (10)
|
| &lit and anagram of (out) I SCREAMED around (taking) last letter of (ultimately) [BAT]H | ||
| 10 | BLIMEY |
Jesus is black Briton, according to a Yank… (6)
|
| B (black) + LIMEY (Briton, according to a Yank). The ellipsis refers to 11A, as an example of it. | ||
| 11 | SWEARING |
…highly critical about wife’s blasphemy (8)
|
| SEARING (highly critical) around (about) W (wife). The ellipsis refers back to 10A, a swear word. | ||
| 12 | GOURMAND |
Servant tucking into fruit is a greedy guts (8)
|
| MAN (servant) inside (tucking into) GOURD (fruit) | ||
| 13 | BOG OFF |
Promotional ploy by head of fell-walkers: “Take a hike!” (3,3)
|
| BOGOF (promotional ploy) + first letter of (head of) F[ELL-WALKERS] | ||
| 15 | ILL-CONSIDERED |
Sick and embarrassed about Tory Party being rash (3-10)
|
| {ILL (sick) + RED (embarrassed)} around (about) {CON. (Tory) + SIDE (party)} | ||
| 18 | NEPALI |
One after leaders to negotiate enfranchisement with China? (6)
|
| &lit and first letters of (leaders to) N[EGOTIATE] + E[NFRANCHISEMENT] + PAL (China) + I (one), with “after” indicating the order of the wordplay. As a definition, this is plausible, if rather indirect. | ||
| 20 | EXPOSURE |
Old work retrospective bound to get publicity (8)
|
| EX (old) + OP (work) reversed (retrospective) + SURE (bound to) | ||
| 22 | TRAIPSES |
Pair set off with son for lengthy perambulations (8)
|
| Anagram of (off) {PAIR SET} + S (son) | ||
| 24 | SHANTY |
Quiet worker first to yodel a salty tune? (6)
|
| SH (quiet) + ANT (worker) + first letter of (first to) Y[ODEL] | ||
| 25 | DISCOVERER |
You might say 8 records I’ve given a remix (10)
|
| Anagram of (given a remix) RECORDS I’VE, referring to ARCHIMEDES, the solution to 8A | ||
| 26 | LAOS |
State the Spanish invaded by Asia’s western tip (4)
|
| LOS (the [in] Spanish) around (invaded by) first letter of (western tip [of]) A[SIA] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GUILLOTINE |
Oil and gel unit supply for old chopper (10)
|
| Anagram of (supply) {OIL + GEL + UNIT} | ||
| 2 | BALMORAL |
A line to break open Black… just castle! (8)
|
| {A + L (line)} inside (to break open) {B (black) + MORAL (just)} | ||
| 3 | SATYRA |
Goat-like female some ordinary Tasmanian rejected (6)
|
| Hidden in (some) [ORDIN]ARY TAS[MANIAN] inverted (rejected) | ||
| 4 | RIVERBED |
Banker’s bottom contrary vicar grabbed by shocked bride (8)
|
| REV. (vicar) inverted (contrary) inside (grabbed by) anagram of (shocked) BRIDE. As noted by Martyn@1, Chambers, for example, enumerates this as (5,3), but other dictionaries also list this as one word. | ||
| 5 | RED RAG |
Infuriating item seen in left-wing paper (3,3)
|
| RED (left-wing) + RAG (paper). This could plausibly be “double definition,” too. | ||
| 6 | MEAN |
Unkind bloke filled with animosity at the front (4)
|
| MEN (bloke[s]–this must be a typo) around (filled with) first letter of (at the front) A[NIMOSITY] | ||
| 9 | CASH DISPENSER |
Bats chase spiders around new hole in the wall (4,9)
|
| Anagram of (bats) {CHASE SPIDERS} around N (new) | ||
| 14 | FEDERATION |
American agent helping to protect European alliance (10)
|
| {FED (American agent) + RATION (helping)} around (to protect) E (European) | ||
| 16 | OMISSIVE |
Old letter containing oversights? (8)
|
| O (old) + MISSIVE (letter) | ||
| 17 | RASCALLY |
When conservative in conference becomes roguish (8)
|
| {AS (when) + C (Conservative)} inside (in) RALLY (conference) | ||
| 19 | APIECE |
A cessation of war broadcast to every person (6)
|
| A + homophone of (broadcast) PEACE (cessation of war) | ||
| 21 | PASTRY |
Unhealthy-looking cakes close to butter tart? (6)
|
| PASTY (unhealthy-looking) around (cakes) last letter of (close to) [BUTTE]R | ||
| 23 | RAID |
Bust of king female attendant originally nicked (4)
|
| R (king) + [M]AID (female attendant) minus first letter (originally nicked) |
I agree with our blogger’s summary. Good fun and quite approachable
I ticked ILL CONSIDERED, ARCHIMEDES (clever), and PASTRY.
I could not parse RASCALLY, so thanks for the steer (it seems so obvious now!). I guessed BOG OFF but did not really understand it, knowing neither BOGOF nor the version of “take a hike”. And I read the blog’s note, but I feel NEPALI is missing a real definition.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria
Once again defeated by the dreaded rhyming slang, I couldn’t work out how China fitted into the wordplay for NEPALI. And the promotional ploy evaded me until I came here then googled BOGOF. I’ve never seen that reduced to its initials.
All else enjoyable and without problems.
GDU@2: BOGOF is in Chambers. In the US, I usually see just BOGO, or, less commonly, BOGOHO. BOGOF is so close to the rude phrase BOG OFF that I am kind of surprised that this would take hold commercially.
My faves: ARCHIMEDES, RIVERBED, CASH DISPENSER and PASTRY.
NEPALI: Not clear how the clue works as the definition.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria.
What KVa said.
I went for a traipse around town … I guess so, only ever saw it as a verb before. Nice puzzle, fun surface for the Eureka screamer, thanks S and C.
A pleasant enough solve. If ARCHIMEDES is an acceptable definition then so is NEPALI. We did notice the typo in 6dn, and our repetition radar bleeped for B = Black (in 10ac and 2dn) but none of that spoiled our enjoyment.
Thanks, Slormgorm and Cineraria.
Big Al@8 – trying to avoid being too critical, I@1 did not question the ARCHIMEDES definition. However, I agree that it is also very suspect. At least I can make some sense of the clue as an English sentence, unlike NEPALI
I took a while over NEPALI and APIECE despite being alive to the China device. Word salad clues don’t bother me because I force myself to look past surfaces, but 18a was one. I agree it’s better when they’re not.
I thought it was a decent challenge. TUBA was sneaky. I was OK with ARCHIMEDES, I once visited his museum in Siracusa.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria
Missed Nepali
Still don’t understand
Hmmm
Moly#10, could the whole clue be taken as an allusion to Nepal’s inclination to have closer relations with China while maintaining its independence from the neighbouring elephant?
As an aside, that’s how Canada viewed its relationship with the USA, until Trump showed us the concomitant danger. Rethinking that is going to be difficult and costly, but sadly necessary.