Apologies for the extreme lateness of this blog but our regular blogger faced technical problems.
Apologies also for the brevity and incompleteness. I was out all morning and, later, distracted by two disappointing tennis semi-finals.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | OASIS |
Band of Brothers is on HBO at last, cast discovered (5)
|
| [hb]O + [AS]t +IS | ||
| 4 | SUBMARINE |
Drive vehicle around Islington’s outskirts — electronic vehicle? (9)
|
| RAM (drive) + BUS (vehicle) (rev: around) around I[slingto]N followed by Electronic | ||
| 9 | CARAVAN |
Caviar I dropped ruined a new mobile home (7)
|
| CAV[i]AR anag: ruined + A New | ||
| 10 | LARGEST |
Greatest coastal resort outside East Timor’s capital (7)
|
| LARGS (coastal resort) around East + T[imor] (capital letter) | ||
| 11 | FEBRUARY |
Bear snarled with fury for four weeks or more (8)
|
| BEAR FURY (anag: snarled) | ||
| 12 | BALER |
One who makes a bundle filling empty bar with beer (5)
|
| B[a]R ( empty) around ALE (beer) | ||
| 14 | YODEL |
Sing part of melancholy ode, longingly (5)
|
| melancholY ODE Longingly (hidden: part of) | ||
| 15 | SPORTSCAR |
Sierra? Porsche overtaking Tesla he’s driven away? Alfa Romeo? (6,3)
|
| Sierra + PORSC[he] (minus HE) around Tesla + Alfa + Romeo (NATO letters)
&lit. |
||
| 17 | EZRAPOUND |
Drum alongside George the Poet (4,5)
|
| [george] EZRA + POUND (drum) | ||
| 19 | PROPS |
Scrum forward’s bits held by a diff erent player? (5)
|
| (double def) Rugby players intrinsic to a scrum, Actors (players) might hold props | ||
| 20 | RECAP |
Go over or about mountain-top? (5)
|
| RE (about) + CAP (mountain top) | ||
| 22 | RESERVED |
Deliver cracking type of wine specially set aside (8)
|
| RED (wine) around SERVE (deliver) | ||
| 25 | TEATIME |
Provider of warm milk one’s beginning to enjoy in the early evening? (7)
|
| TEAT (provider of warm milk) +I’M (one’s) + E[njoy] | ||
| 26 | EYEBALL |
Face yours truly and shout out loud (7)
|
| EYE sounds like I (Solomon – the setter) + BALL (sounds like BAWL – shout out loud) | ||
| 27 | REHEARSAL |
Drill tries to go through concrete (9)
|
| HEARS (tries) inside REAL (concrete) | ||
| 28 | SWEAR |
Schoolboys wearing trousers use rude words (5)
|
| schoolboyS WEARing (hidden: trousers) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ONCE |
Before and after (4)
|
| (double def) I think. I can’t quite get it straight in my mind | ||
| 2 | SURRENDER |
On WhatsApp, you’re right to stop one posting submission (9)
|
| SENDER (one posting) around UR (your: internet slang) + Right | ||
| 3 | SEVERAL |
Some silly verse on a lavatory’s lid (7)
|
| VERSE (anag: silly) + A + L[avatory’s] (first letter) | ||
| 4 | SANTA |
Put books in as a refined stocking-filler (5)
|
| AS A (anag: refined) around NT (books) | ||
| 5 | BOLLYWOOD |
Film industry bash coming up, with champagne and whiskey, close to Soho (9)
|
| Apart from LOB (rev) at the start, I’m struggling with this one | ||
| 6 | ACROBAT |
Circus performer with a pair of flyers, one of which is detailed (7)
|
| A + CRO[w] (detailed)+BAT | ||
| 7 | IDEAL |
Dream Solomon had — Enya ate langoustines for starters (5)
|
| I’D (Solomon again) + E[nya] + A[te] +L[angoustine] (starters | ||
| 8 | ENTERPRISE |
Is Snoopy broadcast after key Star Trek spinoff ? (10)
|
| ENTER (key) +PRISE sounds like pries (is snoopy) | ||
| 13 | TYPEWRITER |
One sending letters to the paper? (10)
|
| I think this is another &lit. Maybe I’ve missed something | ||
| 15 | SQUIRRELS |
Those gathering attendants holding hands, slightly apart from one another (9)
|
| SQUIRES (attendants) around Left and Right | ||
| 16 | COOPERATE |
Work alongside barrel-maker at the back of stable (9)
|
| COOPER (barrel maker) + AT + [stabl]E (back of) | ||
| 18 | PAPRIKA |
Spice drink raised then drunk by old man (7)
|
| KIR (drink; rev: raised) inside PAPA (old man) | ||
| 19 | PARCELS |
Packages from exotic places are unwrapped (7)
|
| PLACES + [a]R[e] (unwrapped) anag: exotic | ||
| 21 | CLASH |
Jar of money left inside (5)
|
| Left inside CASH (money). | ||
| 23 | SHELL |
Hull’s Grand Hotel replacing pillow, finally (5)
|
| S[w]ELL (grand) with Hotel replacing [pillo]W (finally) | ||
| 24 | BLUR |
Obscure nonsense cut from the end of promo texts (4)
|
| BLUR[bs] (promo texts) minus BS (nonsense) |
17a EZRA POUND… George Ezra + drum. Love a bit of George Ezra, haven’t introduced myself to Ezra Pound yet.
I’ve finished it, if you want the rest of the answers.
We finished it too. There seems to be a theme of bands – Oasis, Submarine, Caravan, (The) Clash, Blur, Enterprise (Earth). Anyone spotted any more?
Thanks, Solomon and especially Kenmac for stepping in.
Once upon a time (before), and once that’s done (after). Was how I parsed it.
I found the top half went in quickly – saw OASIS straightaway but the bottom half took longer.
13d TYPEWRITER
27ac REHEARSAL
25ac TEATIME
23 d SHELL
21d CLASH
18d PAPRIKA
15d SQUIRRELS
First time I’ve contributed to a blog
Did not notice the theme ….
Thanks Solomon and Kenmac
The drink in PAPRIKA is kir. CLASH is left in Cash. The Champagne in BOLLYWOOD is Bolly, with Do for bash coming up.
Thanks Solomon for a customarily excellent crossword. I thought there might be a theme when I spotted OASIS, CLASH, and BLUR; I later saw CARAVAN and subsequently learned that the SQUIRRELS and PARCELS are bands and ONCE is a song by the Parcels. I saw ‘rap’ and ‘opera’ hidden in other answers but that may be coincidence. Favourite clues included SPORTS CAR, REHEARSAL, SURRENDER, SEVERAL, ENTERPRISE, CLASH, and BLUR. Thanks kenmac for covering.
Big Al @2 – not down with the kids enough to have heard of Teatime Eyeball or the Bollywood Squirrels? XD
Just seen this after I sent the answers on site feedback . What a pity .
This was middling difficulty and a mix of really nice clues and, let’s say, not so nice.
I had a lot of ticks today, as I liked the surface of so many clues, including SEVERAL, SANTA, COOPERATE, PARCELS, SWEAR, BLUR, and REHEARSAL
I had no idea how to parse PAPRIKA aside from PA for old man and FEBRUARY.
I will not dwell on the complaints
Thanks Solomon and Kenmac
Tachi @7. Too funny