Peto is the compiler today.
A slow burner not helped by my failure to parse a couple of clues (the first couple of comments put me right on these). There were also a few stray extra words in clues, such as the “of” in 1ac, 23ac, 9dn, which are essential to the surface of the clue, but not necessary for the definition or wordplay.
Thanks, Peto.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PIFFLE |
Fellows taken in by a great deal of nonsense (6)
|
| FF (fellows) taken In by PILE (“a great deal”) | ||
| 4 | WIND FARM |
Electricity supplier’s suggestion very much maligned at first (4,4)
|
| WIND (“suggestion”) + FAR (“very much”) + M(aligned) [at first] | ||
| 10 | ERRONEOUS |
Mistaken by roué sore about receiving note (9)
|
| *(roue sore) [anag:about] receiving N (note) | ||
| 11 | AIRER |
Look with dread essentially at back of washer-dryer (5)
|
| AIR (“look”) with (dr)E(ad) [essentially] at [back of] (wate)R | ||
| 12 | EMUS |
Apparent in the muscles of fast runners (4)
|
| Hidden in [apparent in] “thE MUScles” | ||
| 13 | COMPLACENT |
Extremely self-satisfied politician gripped by drink and money (10)
|
| MP (Member of Parliament, so “politician”) gripped by COLA (“drink”) + CENT (“money”) | ||
| 15 | TRAINER |
Coach hire brought back to carry soldiers at start of insurrection (7)
|
| <=RENT (“hire”, brought back) to carry RA (Royal Artillery, so “soldiers”) at [start of] I(nsurrection)) | ||
| 16 | DRUDGE |
Dickens originally gets Barnaby to do laborious work (6)
|
| D(ickens) [originally] gets (Barnaby) RUDGE (one of his books or its eponymous character) | ||
| 19 | RENOIR |
Artist’s refusal cutting on the subject of Ireland (6)
|
| NO (“refusal”) cutting RE (“on the subject of”) + Ir. (Ireland) | ||
| 21 | PRECISE |
Change recipe to include earliest of strawberries in particular (7)
|
| *(recipe) [anag:change] to include [earliest of] S(trawberries) | ||
| 23 | DONKEY WORK |
Socially inept person ringing about vital week of hard graft (6,4)
|
| DORK (“socially inept person”) ringing ON (“about”) + KEY (“vital”) + W (week) | ||
| 25 | BANK |
Prohibit taking Krona from reserve for future use (4)
|
| BAN (“prohibit”) taking K (Krona) | ||
| 27 | REEVE |
Returning in any case to collect last of furniture for bailiff (5)
|
| [returning] <=EVER (“in any case”) to collect [last of] (furnitur)E | ||
| 28 | IN THE SOUP |
Keen on admitting he’s over having difficulties (2,3,4)
|
| INTO (“keen on”) admitting HE’S + UP (over) | ||
| 29 | ORDINARY |
Familiar with Orwell’s opening lines about row upsetting artist (8)
|
| O(rwell) [‘s opening] + ry. (railway “lines”) about DIN (“row”) + [upsetting] <=RA (member of the Royal Academy, so “artist”) | ||
| 30 | AT REST |
Still essential to theatre staff (2,4)
|
| Hidden in [essential to] “theATRE STaff” | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PRESENTS |
Penny begrudges giving gifts (8)
|
| P (penny) + RESENTS (“grudges”) | ||
| 2 | FORMULATE |
You said, after class recently, to prepare methodically (9)
|
| U (“you”, said) after FORM (“class”) + LATE (“recently”) | ||
| 3 | LENT |
Contributed with a fast time (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | INSIPID |
Popular drink girl served up is tasteless (7)
|
| IN (“popular”) + SIP (“drink”) + <=DI (“girl”, served up) | ||
| 6 | DRAMA QUEEN |
A character likely to overreact is Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, for example (5,5)
|
| Shakespeare’s Cleopatra is the QUEEN in a DRAMA | ||
| 7 | AGREE |
Article on gluttony abridged by consent (5)
|
| A (article) on GREE(d) (“gluttony”, abridged) | ||
| 8 | MERITS |
Desert Rats finally showing superior qualities (6)
|
| MERIT (“desert”) + (rat)S [finally]
As in “to get one’s just deserts” |
||
| 9 | DOLOUR |
Determined to conceal look of anguish (6)
|
| DOUR (“determined”) to conceal LO (“look”) | ||
| 14 | UNFORESEEN |
Not expected by peacekeepers observed after warning shout (10)
|
| UN (United Nations, so “peacekeepers”) + SEEN (“observed”) after FORE (“warning shout” on a golf course) | ||
| 17 | GO IT ALONE |
Act without help in attempt to build lean-to by lunchtime (2,2,5)
|
| GO (“attempt”) + *(leanto) [anag:to build] by I (one, so “lunchtime”) | ||
| 18 | WEAK SPOT |
Flaw in one’s argument for watery jam (4,4)
|
| WEAK (“watery”) + SPOT (“jam”) | ||
| 20 | ROWDIER |
Pass after squabble over rule becomes more noisy and disorderly (7)
|
| DIE (“pass”) after ROW (“squabble”) over R (rule) | ||
| 21 | PIRATE |
Good value for illegal broadcaster (6)
|
| PI (“good”) + RATE (“value”) | ||
| 22 | ADORNO |
Fuss over exhausted women ignored by German philosopher (6)
|
| ADO (“fuss”) + [over] <=(w)ORN (“exhausted” with W (women) ignored) | ||
| 24 | NO END |
Gas about duke to a great extent (2,3)
|
| <=NEON (“gas”, about) + D (duke) | ||
| 26 | MEET |
Join in game reportedly (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [reportedly] of MEAT (“game”) |
IN THE SOUP
over=UP?
GO IT ALONE
Your parsing seems fine.
wait…
LEANTO* by I (one)
28A: “Keen on” = “into” admitting (surrounding) “hes” + “up” (“over”)
17D: “Attempt” = “go” + anagram of “lean to” (“to build”) by “I” (“one”, ie lunchtime as a numeral)
Many thanks Peto and loonapick
Thanks, both
I think you’re probably right – I couldn’t see either!
I most often find myself stumped when I find a partial parsing which is incorrect and cannot then backtrack to think of something else. You’d think that, recognising this, I’d learn to avoid the trap but I still miss a couple of parsings every week because of it. Human brains – so smart and so dumb simultaneously…
Thanks Peto and Loonapick
22dn: I did not see (w)ORN, and did not know ADORNO, so left that blank, but I think it has to be AD_O containing ORN, with “over” as the containment indicator.