The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/30059.
I thought that the keystone clue 9A RACE was too obvious to be right, until the references confirmed it. Apart from that my only real problem was 7A CHARIOT, where I am not sure whether my stabs at the wordplay are anyway near the mark, or I am missing something.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | CHARIOT |
Hoot passing steamer in 9 (7)
|
| The wordplay baffles me: ‘hoot’ is RIOT in the sense of something extremely funny, but where does the CHA come from? It does not seem any help that ‘steamer’ contains ‘tea’, or that tea is normally served steaming hot or that steaming is a process in the preparation of green tea, but I can see nothing else. | ||
| 8 | PANCAKE |
17 across 9? (7)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 9 | RACE |
Run – and whizz! (4)
|
| I suppose this counts as a double definition, although they are pretty well the same. Perhaps there is a get-out that race can mean run as a noun, a channel. | ||
| 10 | GREYHOUND |
Track associated with 12 down 9 (9)
|
| A charade of GREY (’12 down’ – HORSE) plus HOUND (‘track’). | ||
| 12 | HUMAN |
I’m thinking to enter old ruling dynasty in 9 (5)
|
| An envelope (‘to enter’) of UM (‘I’m thinking’) in HAN (Chinese ‘old ruling dynasty’). | ||
| 13 | DUELLIST |
Challenger with gun anticipated getting shot still (8)
|
| A charade of DUE (‘anticipated’) plus LLIST, an anagram (‘shot’) of ‘still’. | ||
| 15 | IRON |
Fee, one third off – decrease? (4)
|
| ‘Fee’ ‘one third off’ is Fe, whuch is the chemical symbol for IRON (‘de-crease’). | ||
| 16, 19 | THREE-LEGGED |
9 on and on and on? (5-6)
|
| LEG is ‘on’ in cricket. | ||
| 17 | FLAT |
Boring 9 (4)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 18 | SEALSKIN |
Snake is swimming around lake – hide! (8)
|
| An envelope (‘around’) of L (‘lake’) in SEASKIN, an anagram (‘swimming’) of ‘snake is’. | ||
| 20 | PIECE |
Musical creation where harmony heard? (5)
|
| Sounds like (‘heard’) PEACE (‘harmony’). | ||
| 21 | SUGAR BEET |
Plant eater bugs cuckoo (5,4)
|
| An anagram (‘cuckoo’) of ‘eater bugs’. | ||
| 22 | DRAG |
Boring thing, 9 (4)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 24 | SCREW-ON |
Team welcomed by child able to be connected (5-2)
|
| An envelope (‘welcomed by’) of CREW (‘team’) in SON (‘child’). | ||
| 25 | STONE ME |
Partial recollection of theme, not so by George! (5,2)
|
| A hidden (‘partial’) reversed (‘recollection’) answer in ‘thEME NOT So’. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | WHOA |
Stop pain in the ear? (4)
|
| The answer is generally pronounced without the a, and is thus a sound-alike (‘in the ear’) of WOE (‘pain’). | ||
| 2 | FRIED MAN |
Economist, possible dish for cannibal? (8)
|
| The economist was Milton Friedman, and the wordplay is FRIED MAN. | ||
| 3 | NOGGIN |
Measure of alcohol in two alcoholic drinks (6)
|
| NOG and GIN. | ||
| 4 | CASHMERE |
Silver no better than fabric (8)
|
| A charade of CASH (‘silver’) plus MERE (‘no better than’). | ||
| 5 | ACTUAL |
Very true, origin forgotten (6)
|
| A subtraction: [f]ACTUAL (‘true’) minus its first letter (‘origin forgotten’). | ||
| 6 | SKID |
Vicious circles ending in deadlock, lose control (4)
|
| An envelope (‘circles’) of K (‘ending in deadlocK‘) in SID (‘Vicious’, punk rocker). | ||
| 11 | ENDURANCE |
9 run, ace played after finishing line (9)
|
| A charade of END (‘finishing line’) plus URANCE, an anagram (‘played’) of ‘run ace’. | ||
| 12 | HORSE |
Reportedly rough 9 (5)
|
| Sounds like (‘reportedly’) HOARSE (‘rough’). | ||
| 14 | SPACE |
9 (5)
|
| Double definition! | ||
| 16 | TAKE ROOT |
Youngster on tour of Korea working to become firmly established (4,4)
|
| An envelope (‘on tour of’) of AKERO, an anagram (‘working’) of ‘Korea’ in TOT (‘youngster’). | ||
| 17 | FIELDING |
Satirist square or deep, perhaps? (8)
|
| The wordplay is a reference to cricket. | ||
| 19 |
See 16 Across
|
|
| 20 | POTATO |
9 that’s eyed (6)
|
| Double definition. In a potato race, the contestants, on foot ot horse, must collect potatoes as quickly as possible. | ||
| 21 | SACK |
9 boot (4)
|
| Double definition; a sack race is one in which the participants must wear a sack up to their waists, and ‘boot’ as fire, dismiss. | ||
| 23 | ARMS |
9 heats won’t start (4)
|
| A subtraction: [w]ARMS (‘heats’) minus its first letter (‘won’t start’). |
I think 9 ac is r (run) and ace (whizz).
In RACE, I thought “run” was doing double duty — as definition, and part of the wordplay (R). I didn’t like it.
I thought whizz in 9ac meant race (go fast) as in my heart is racing or the train was whizzing along.
Thanks PeterO. On the CHA in 7, think that your observation that “tea is normally served steaming hot” must be what Paul is getting at. Also, I think ngaiolaurenson@1’s charade for RACE is on the mark. The bang (!) after the clue tells me this is an &Lit. For me this was a “doable” Paul and for that I thank the man.