Some tricky clueing here, as one would expect, including a couple of rather unconventional structures. Thanks to Vlad for the challenge.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | SHOP TILL YOU DROP | Threat to informer? (4,4,3,4) A play on “shop” meaning to betray, inform one; there’s no definition of the phrase in its usual sense |
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| 9 | LOBSTER | Throw back nameless catch at sea (7) LOB (throw) + STERN (back) less N |
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| 10 | RESCIND | Withdraw having committed a further offence as reported (7) Sounds like “re-sinned” |
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| 11 | DOT | Newton going, ‘You shouldn’t point!’ (3) DON’T (you shouldn’t) less N (newton, SI unit of force) |
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| 12 | ON CLOUD NINE | Previously keeping flashy eroticist very happy (2,5,4) LOUD (flashy) + (Anaïs) NIN in ONCE (previously) |
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| 13 | ABLE SEAMAN | Mainly competent rating (4,6) Cryptic definition, with “mainly” alluding to the main or sea |
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| 15 | AGES | Knocked back the drink (over a gallon) for some considerable time (4) G[allon] in reverse of SEA (the drink) |
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| 18 | SNIP | Coming back discontented, negotiates very low price, a bargain (4) Reverse of N[egotiate]S + 1P (one penny, low price) |
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| 20 | DEGENERATE | US comedian put away for drugs in decline (10) (Ellen) DEGENERES with ES (drugs) replaced by ATE (put away) |
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| 23 | DESSERT WINE | Loudly complain after sailors originally aboard leave port? (7,4) S[ailors] in DESERT (leave) + WINE (sounds like “whine”) |
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| 25 | RIA | Take main road around valley (3) R (short for Latin Recipe, take) + A1 (main road) |
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| 26 | RONDEAU | Neither partner recalled mentioning bread lines (7) Reverse of NOR (partner of neither in “neither … nor …”) + DEAU (sounds like dough = money, bread) |
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| 27 | ANISEED | Flavouring from America is in demand (7) A[merica] + IS in NEED |
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| 28 | CARNAL KNOWLEDGE | What Telford had a lot of to attract Romeo – sex (6,9) R[omeo] in CANAL KNOWLEDGE |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | SALAD DAYS | Youth is speaking about another: ‘Dickhead!’ (5,4) A LAD + D[ick] in SAYS: the phrase comes from Antony and Cleopatra: “My salad days, When I was green in judgment” |
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| 2 | ORBITAL | B-list occasionally spoken about is going round (7) Alternate letters of B[L]I[S]T in ORAL (spoken) |
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| 3 | TITMOUSE | Singer Tom with suite trashed (8) (TOM SUITE)* |
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| 4 | LYRIC | I get emotional about returning to London’s original theatre (5) L[ondon] + I in reverse of CRY |
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| 5 | YARD OF ALE | Long for a drink? (4,2,3) Cryptic definition |
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| 6 | UPSIDE | Turn left, perhaps, after park entrance – positive? (6) U (turn) + P[ark] + SIDE (e.g. left) – “positive” is a noun for the definition |
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| 7 | RAILING | Complaining in bar (7) Double definition |
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| 8 | PADRE | Forces serviceman, might you say? (5) A padre is a military clergyman, who might take services for the forces |
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| 14 | AWESTRUCK | Hit wicket – AUS 1 down (spinner finally bowled over) (9) Anagram of WICKET AUS [spinne]R less I (1) |
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| 16 | SKEDADDLE | Synonyms to begin with: fly, go off, make a run for it (9) S[ynonyms] + KED (fly) + ADDLE (go off) |
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| 17 | REMEDIAL | Call service engineers initially for correction (8) REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) + DIAL (call, on a phone) |
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| 19 | INSANER | Less sensible son gets involved making little difference (7) It’s hard to pinpoint the definition here, but I think the idea is that INANER and IN[S]ANER are close in meaning |
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| 21 | AIRHEAD | Current Republican leading on the surface is a moron (7) I (electric current) + R[epublican) in AHEAD (leading) |
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| 22 | GENERA | A green revolution of sorts (6) (A GREEN)* |
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| 23 | DORIC | Make editor ultimately responsible for such columns (5) DO (make) + [edito]R + IC (in charge, responsible) |
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| 24 | IMAGO | Vlad’s past being ideal (5) I’M + AGO |
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Top marks for CA(R)NAL KNOWLEDGE. LOI was at the other end – the lack of definition for the ‘usual sense’ of SHOP TILL YOU DROP, confusing me. DOT solved very late in the day – cunning disguise for such a simple word. But that gave me SALAD DAYS and thereafter my final entry
There is an amusing anecdote on the G’s own site from someone who asked AI to help parse ON CLOUD NINE.
Thanks both
Thanks for these parsings, 12 especially. I also thought 1a was not a conventional clue. Still, it’s Friday and it’s Vlad, so I was just glad to finish it!
Quite a tough challenge from Vlad – a DNF for me, since I didn’t know the comedian. I, too, was initially confused by SHOP TILL YOU DROP but got there in the end.
Otherwise, all good – ticks for LOBSTER, ON CLOUD NINE, DESSERT WINE, RONDEAU, PADRE, SKEDADDLE (lovely word) and DORIC.
Top of the tree, the wonderful CARNAL KNOWLEDGE: I imagine Telford’s friend, the poet Robert Southey, who dubbed him ‘The Colossus of Roads’ would have appreciated that one.
Thanks, as ever, to Vlad and to Andrew.
I needed a couple of word searches to finish. I echo Eileen’s list of favourites and choice of CARNAL KNOWLEDGE as Cotd. Thanks to Eileen for the Colossus of Roads story.
How does ‘wine’ sound like ‘whine’? They rhyme but are they really homophones? This is another example, in my opinion, with the difficulty of using homophones. Homophones depend on accent etc.
SHOP TILL YOU DROP. took a while even with lots of crossers in place until, well, the penny dropped. Ridiculously wasn’t thinking about the Scottish inventor to begin with, but that town along the A5, so the other long crosser at 28ac took a while. But plenty of good clues to enjoy today. Whenever I see the word TITMOUSE, I’m thinking mouse rather than bird, strangely, and loi was DEGENERATE, all crossers in and definition said it had to be that, but have nho of DEGENERES. Many thanks Vlad and Andrew today…
Failed on RIA as had never heard of that. Otherwise made ok if workmanlike progress. Liked YARD OF ALE. One of the few to raise an actual smile.
Thank you Andrew for numerous parsings and Vlad for the challenge which was, as usual, above my pay grade, but one day…
Also, TIL that a titmouse is not, in fact, a kind of mouse.
A proper Friday puzzle which was quite the head scratcher but very enjoyable. Top marks for CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, SALAD DAYS, ABLE SEAMAN and a load more.
Tough but only needed the blog to understand RIA. Thankfully the R was checked.
I was going to make a corny comment about Ellen Degeneres and comedy but I shall refrain.
Thanks Vlad and Andrew.
diagacht @5 Therapy helped me cope with the Guardian homophones. I’ve learnt to embrace them.