Mudd is today’s setter.
A comparatively straightforward puzzle from Mudd this morning, with a couple of clues taking longer than they should have for me to solve – ACRONYM (couldn’t work out why “condensation’ was in the clue at first) and TWEETER (my LOI) – even though there were few alternatives that could have fitted in, given the crossers. I didn’t have any quibbles, and overall this had a Monday Guardian feel with obvious anagrams and double definitions. A couple of US cities is not enough to be a theme and as long as you knew Sylvester Stallone’s nickname, no real general knowledge was required.
Thanks Mudd.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | JOYSTICK |
Girl’s flash director? (8)
|
| JOYS (“girl’s”) + TICK (“flash”) | ||
| 5 | ESPRIT |
Spirit shown by priest when dancing (6)
|
| *(priest) [anag:when dancing] | ||
| 9 | SQUABBLE |
Young bird qualified after losing head in fight (8)
|
| SQUAB (“young bird”) + (a)BLE (“qualified”, after losing head) | ||
| 10 | SUMMER |
Heyday for accountant, perhaps? (6)
|
| Double definition, the second referring to one who does sums. | ||
| 12 | LAGER |
Drink, glorious on reflection (5)
|
| <=REGAL (“glorious”, on reflection) | ||
| 13 | GRANDIOSE |
Majestic bubbly organised (9)
|
| *(organised) [anag: bubbly] | ||
| 14 | STAPLE |
Dropping back, a little help at school essential (6)
|
| Hidden backwards in [dropping back, a little] “hELP AT School” | ||
| 16 | CHICAGO |
US city, voguish earlier (7)
|
| CHIC (“voguish”) + AGO (“earlier”) | ||
| 19 | ACRONYM |
Comrade entering in the morning — condensation initially seen? (7)
|
| CRONY (“comrade”) entering AM (ante meridiem, so “in the morning”)
Groups of words condensed into their initials become acronyms, |
||
| 21 | TIERED |
Game and wine ranked (6)
|
| TIE (“game”) + RED (“wine”) | ||
| 23 | VINDICATE |
Originally valid point, free from suspicion (9)
|
| [originally] V(alid) + INDICATE (“point”) | ||
| 25 | STALL |
Pack up table at market, say (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | GOOGOL |
Extraordinary number try to get mark reversed (6)
|
| GO (“try”) + <=LOGO (“mark”, reversed) | ||
| 27 | AT RANDOM |
Foreign money invested in basic unit, arbitrarily (2,6)
|
| RAND (South African currency, so “foreign money”) invested in ATOM (“basic unit”) | ||
| 28 | SWEDEN |
Country where journalist has broken story after revolution (6)
|
| Ed.(editor, so “journalist”) has broken <=NEWS (“story”, after revolution) | ||
| 29 | CRITERIA |
Standards erratic, I suspect (8)
|
| *(erratic i) [anag:suspect] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | JUSTLY |
Way to break up month in legitimate manner (6)
|
| St, (street, so “way”) to break up JULY (“month”) | ||
| 2 | YOUNGSTER |
Youth… wrinkly… rusty… gone! (9)
|
| *(rusty gone) [anag:wrinkly] | ||
| 3 | TUBER |
Root, something with valves, we hear? (5)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [we hear] of TUBA (“something with valves”) | ||
| 4 | COLOGNE |
Scent record when in shape (7)
|
| LOG (“record”) when in CONE (“shape”) | ||
| 6 | SOUNDBITE |
Broadcast is done, but it’s a memorable clip (9)
|
| *(its done but) [anag:broadcast] | ||
| 7 | RAMBO |
Sly character in mob marched uphill (5)
|
| Hidden backwards in [in…uphill] “mOB MARched”
(John) RAMBO is a character in a series of five movies starring Sylvester Stallone, whose nickname is Sly. |
||
| 8 | TURNED ON |
Aroused, no? (6,2)
|
| [turned] <=ON becomes “no” | ||
| 11 | TALC |
Powder that’s also like chalk, on all surfaces (4)
|
| First letters of [on all surfaces] T(hat’s) A(lso) L(ike) C(halk) | ||
| 15 | PANTIHOSE |
Women’s tights: criticise one wearing the aforementioned items (9)
|
| PAN (“criticise”) + I (one) wearing THOSE (“the aforementioned items”) | ||
| 17 | ALEXANDER |
Law also entering new era for great leader? (9)
|
| LEX (“law”) + AND (“also”) entering *(era) [anag:new] | ||
| 18 | LAS VEGAS |
Star hugged by damsel in US city (3,5)
|
| VEGA (“star”) hugged by LASS (“damsel”) | ||
| 20 | MEAT |
In conference, come together for food (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [in conference] of MEET (“come together”) | ||
| 21 | TWEETER |
Pretty short period for speaker (7)
|
| TWEE (“pretty”) + [short] TER(m) (“period”) | ||
| 22 | ALUMNA |
Woman after graduation screwed up manual (6)
|
| *(manual) [anag:screwed up] | ||
| 24 | NOOSE |
Love gathered in by bouquet catcher (5)
|
| O (“love”, in tennis) gathered in by NOSE (“bouquet”) | ||
| 25 | SMART |
Sharp sting (5)
|
| Double definition |