A relatively rare, but welcome, appearance by Pasquale in the prize slot this week.
Timon and I did not find this too challenging, although the American political leader and the Gambian currency were both fairly obscure, but completely gettable from the wordplay in both cases. We couldn’t detect a theme or see a Nina, but Pasquale is not a setter who normally includes such devices. But perhaps GOAT appearing in a puzzle published on the weekend of the World Cup Final, along with MESS I in the clue to 6 down is a subtle footballing reference?
Thanks to Pasquale.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GALANTINE |
Old-fashioned lass, social worker at home beginning to eat cold dish (9)
|
| A straightforward charade of GAL (old-fashioned lass) ANT (social worker) IN (at home) E(at). | ||
| 6 | GOAT |
Attack nanny? (4)
|
| GO AT (attack). | ||
| 8 | FOLDABLE |
Story about ancient newspaper should be this (8)
|
| OLD (ancient) in FABLE (story). | ||
| 9 | PUNKAH |
A husband trailing after sort of rock fan (6)
|
| PUNK (sort of rock) A H(usband). It’s an Anglo-Indian term. | ||
| 10 | MENIAL |
Maiden friendly, no good as servant? (6)
|
| M(aiden) (from cricket) (g)ENIAL (friendly). | ||
| 11 | TADPOLES |
Little creatures told apes to scatter (8)
|
| *(TOLD APES). | ||
| 12 | SACHEM |
Account penned by survivor of flood, political leader (6)
|
| AC (account) inside SHEM (Noah’s son, survivor of the Flood in the Bible). We were a little surprised not to see an indication that this is an American term for a political leader. | ||
| 15 | AVERMENT |
Chaps entering prevent allegation (8)
|
| MEN (chaps) in AVERT (prevent). This meaning is confined to legal pleadings, which as a former lawyer I should have known, but had forgotten. | ||
| 16 | PROPOSED |
Intended to give reminder about model (8)
|
| POSE (model) inside PROD (give a reminder). | ||
| 19 | TURING |
Mathematician on a round trip with nothing to lose (6)
|
| T(o)URING (on a round trip). | ||
| 21 | SPILLAGE |
Wise person swallowing tablet, water going all over the place? (8)
|
| PILL (tablet ) inside SAGE (wise person). | ||
| 22 | DALASI |
One green dish about to be served with bit of bread in Africa (6)
|
| 1 SALAD (rev) (one green dish). It’s the unit of currency in The Gambia, which again I should have known as I was there in 2018, but had also forgotten. | ||
| 24 | ZINNIA |
Plant I found at back of small hotel in South Africa (6)
|
| INN (small hotel) I, all inside ZA (International Vehicle Registration code for South Africa). | ||
| 25 | SEAMOUNT |
One must get excited about a large underwater feature (8)
|
| *(ONE MUST A). It’s defined as an underwater mountain of at least 3000ft. | ||
| 26 | TSAR |
Ruler using skills, cycling round (4)
|
| ARTS (skills) with the first two letters cycled to the rear. | ||
| 27 | EXPLOITER |
Old lover quietly to hang around for abusive boss? (9)
|
| EX (former lover) P (quietly) LOITER (hang around). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GROVE |
Good dog taken short in wood? (5)
|
| G(ood) ROVE(r) (dog). | ||
| 2 | LADDISH |
The French g-girl deemed attractive – rude boy may be this (7)
|
| LA (French for “the”) D DISH (g-girl deemed attractive). This device to indicate a duplicated letter is not now seen very often, but occasionally crops up in barred cryptics. | ||
| 3 | NOBEL |
European inventor not in the same league as American one, reportedly (5)
|
| (Alfred) NOBEL Presumably this is a reference to Alexander Graham Bell: “he’s no Bell”. Having said that, Bell was at least as much Scottish (he was born and educated in Scotland) as American. | ||
| 4 | INERTIA |
Trendy, endlessly tired, somehow having a disinclination to move (7)
|
| IN (trendy) *(TIRE) (endlessly tired) A. | ||
| 5 | EXPEDIENT |
No longer wanting inept cluing, engaging editor – that’s advantageous (9)
|
| EX (no longer), ED(itor) inside *INEPT. | ||
| 6 | GUNROOM |
Mess in which a Parisian male tucks into curry (7)
|
| UN (Parisian male) inside GROOM (to curry a horse is to groom it). On a Royal Navy ship, the gunroom is or was the dining-room or mess for the junior officers. | ||
| 7 | AGAMEMNON |
Greek king, one man troubled about leg (9)
|
| GAM (old term meaning a leg) inside *(ONE MAN). | ||
| 13 | ATROPHIES |
This opera, sadly, goes downhill (9)
|
| *(THIS OPERA). | ||
| 14 | MOSS AGATE |
Second entrance blocked by donkey flipping over stone (4,5)
|
| MO (second) ASS (donkey, rev) GATE (entrance). | ||
| 17 | PILSNER |
Drink passing through children’s lips the wrong way (7)
|
| Hidden and reversed (“the wrong way”) inside “childrens lips”. | ||
| 18 | DRESS UP |
Prepare to look smart in something with hem raised (5,2)
|
| Cryptic definition. | ||
| 20 | RULE OUT |
Reject what could be seen as lure (4,3)
|
| An anagram of “LURE” could be expressed as RULE OUT. | ||
| 22 | DRACO |
Stars in old club perhaps being upset (5)
|
| O(ld) CLUB (a card of the club suit) (rev). It’s a nothern constellation, presumably once considered to look like a dragon. | ||
| 23 | SONAR |
What enables one to hear what comes from some scratches on a record (5)
|
| Hidden in “scratches on a record”. |
Pleased to say I completed this in one sitting after being mauled in last week’s prize. Funnily enough, one of three I did solve, was the daughter of AGAMEMNON, so that prompted a rueful smile. I liked PUNKAH, FOLDABLE, ZINNIA, ATROPHIES and DRACO.
There is a NAVEL almost down the middle if you’re looking for a Nina.
Ta Brummie & bridgesong.
If there was a football theme, it was a game of two halves, the top half went in much easier than the bottom half.
DRACO and DALASI my LOI. PILSNER was beautifully hidden, which held me up also.
Enjoyable solve all round… Thanks Pasquale & Bridgesong
Oops, ta Pasquale.
Thanks bridgesong. More gentle than recent harrowing examples and welcome for that reason. I needed Google assistance to explain SACHEM and DALASI and never did completely come to terms with NOBEL, searching in vain for an American inventor named Noble. Not too sure that sonar enables one to hear, even if it does produce an echo.
Thought dalasi must be some sort of dip served with bread, d’oh! Other nhos were the tribal leader cum union boss, the underwater feature, and that particular type of agate. All gettable though. Enjoyed, thx to the Don and B&T.
Another who is relieved to have completed a Prize after the last few, albeit needing more than one session. [AlanC@1 you managed three last week? Well done; the only one I got was Agamemnon’s daughter!].
I had the same reaction to “American” in 6d as bridgesong; I assumed it was a reference to AGB, said ‘He’s Scottish, not American”, shrugged and passed on.
Thanks to Pasquale and bridgesong.