The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hello again. I can’t gauge difficulty well because I was distracted during solving, but can tell you that the SW corner yielded more readily for me than much of the rest. As enjoyable as ever, my favourite – from, as usual, much choice – is the guide in 14d. Thanks Filbert!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | More and more entered for race, processed one by one (12) |
| INCREASINGLY — IN (entered for) + RACE anagrammed (processed) + SINGLY (one by one) | |
| 9a | Return of bad code trashes device (7) |
| GUBBINS — Reversal of (return of) BUG (bad code) + BINS (trashes) | |
| 10a | Hair thickener Cliff brought into male support group (7) |
| MASCARA — SCAR (cliff) brought into M (male) and AA (support group) | |
| 11a | Strong beat via bass (5) |
| THROB — THRO (via) + B (bass) | |
| 12a | European surprise about British making move towards China? (9) |
| EASTBOUND — E (European) + ASTOUND (surprise) around (about) B (British) | |
| 13a | Figure on banknote Washington designate a Republican king (9) |
| WATERMARK — WA (Washington), TERM (designate), A, R (Republican) and K (king) | |
| 15a | Indian’s cart excellent on Ganges’ bridges (5) |
| TONGA — ExcellenT ON GAnges’ spans (bridges) the answer | |
| 16a | Receding somewhat, Noah saw Ararat barely sticking out of the water (5) |
| AWASH — Going backwards (receding) part of (somewhat) NoaH SAW Ararat | |
| 18a | Ineffective therapist in work at hospital (9) |
| HOMEOPATH — HOME (in) + OP (work) + AT + H (hospital) | |
| 20a | Ways in which empty nester can’t see changes? (9) |
| ENTRANCES — Without internal letters (empty) NesteR CAN’T SEE is anagrammed (changes) | |
| 22a | American Tour de France winner mostly in yellow (5) |
| LEMON — LEMONd (Greg, American Tour de France winner) apart from the last letter (mostly) | |
| 24a | Fact that’s doubtful about river level (7) |
| STRATUM — STAT (fact) and UM (that’s doubtful) around (about) R (river) | |
| 25a | How cute crush squeezes, becoming friendlier (7) |
| THAWING — AW (how cute) which THING (crush) surrounds (squeezes) | |
| 26a | Donor putting lock on account after complaint about Nigel’s capital (12) |
| BENEFACTRESS — For the answer we are putting TRESS (lock) on AC (account), all after BEEF (complaint) around (about) Nigel’s first letter (capital) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Cast bar where Batman can be found scorning bad acting (5) |
| INGOT — IN GOT[ham] (where Batman can be found) dismissing (scorning) HAM (bad acting) | |
| 2d | Jazz fan bored by plain acts at club (7) |
| CABARET — CAT (jazz fan) with insertion of (bored by) BARE (plain) | |
| 3d | Scots keep Red Sea nightclub running … (9,6) |
| EDINBURGH CASTLE — An anagram of (… running) RED SEA NIGHTCLUB | |
| 4d | … Englishman there sticks around, entertained by band (9) |
| SASSENACH — CANES (sticks) backwards (around) inside (entertained by) SASH (band) | |
| 5d | Nearly all notice guy rolling big cheeses (5) |
| NAMES — Reversing (… rolling) most of (nearly all) SEe (notice) and MAN (guy) | |
| 6d | Mixture of table salt to nuts ultimately significant? (4,3,3,5) |
| LAST BUT NOT LEAST — An anagram of (mixture of) TABLE SALT TO NUTS | |
| 7d | Orbiting body like spinning wheel (6) |
| SATURN — AS (like) going backwards (spinning) + TURN (wheel) | |
| 8d | Plastic card in mess, ATM ejecting it? (4,4) |
| HARD CASH — An anagram of (plastic) CARD in HASH (mess) | |
| 13d | Women can’t stand university, that’s inevitable (4,4) |
| WHAT ELSE — W (women) + HATE (can’t stand) + LSE (university) | |
| 14d | Adult guide reviewed Amtrak when crossing northern America (4,5) |
| KAMA SUTRA — An anagram of (reviewed) AMTRAK when spanning (crossing) USA (America) going upwards in the grid (northern …) | |
| 17d | Clothes dry in breeze, barely wet (6) |
| ATTIRE — TT (teetotal, dry) in AIR (breeze) + wEt without outer letters (barely …) | |
| 19d | Sleeve Doris cut in odd places on wardrobe (7) |
| ARMOIRE — ARM (sleeve) dOrIs with odd letters removed (cut in odd places) + RE (on) | |
| 21d | Valley searched methodically but no diamonds (5) |
| COMBE — COMBE[d] (searched methodically) but no D (diamonds) | |
| 23d | Hot drink for example accepted by rising star (5) |
| NEGUS — EG (for example) taken into (accepted by) reversing (rising, in a down entry) SUN (star) | |
I always look forward to my weekly Filbert. He is such an exceptionally good setter. Having said that, I can’t account for the extra A in KAMA SUTRA. (Oh just seen it, it is USA, not US that’s reversed.)
There’s a typo in the blog for 18a. Although I may well agree with the definition for HOMEOPATH, I don’t think ‘ineffective’ should have been included in the clue.
Oops, thanks Hovis, I will amend the blog.
Actually, I was pleased to see the definition for HOMEOPATH, notwithstanding the amazing power of the placebo effect.
Super Sunday puzzle – which I found tricky to get into but everything teased out satisfactorily in the end. ARMOIRE was particularly awkward: I had the initial A and was wondering whether ‘Doris cut in odd places’ was going to turn out to be (d)A(y) … The intersecting WHAT ELSE (I so often fail to think of LSE when searching for a university) and STRATUM also held me up.
Two fabulous anagrams in EDINBURGH CASTLE and LAST BUT NOT LEAST join EASTBOUND, WATERMARK, BENEFACTRESS and HARD CASH as my faves.
Thanks both
Once again, I am bowled over by Filbert’s skill in producing such clever and apt, and yet cryptically precise, surfaces.
Re HOMEOPATH, 18(ac), I think “ineffective” is open to debate, but fair for cryptic purposes; may be “controversial” less objectionable?
New to me, TONGA and NEGUS ( apart from the wonderful Arthur ), but very doable.
Superb and thanks, Fil & Kitty