A thoroughly enjoyable start to the day from Lark.
I’m standing in for the regular blogger this morning, and am glad to have had this fun puzzle. We have the seasons circling the perimeter of the grid which was helpful once I clocked it. Many thanks to Lark.
T[o] U[nveil] L[ord] S[ugar’s] A[pprentice] (frontrunners)
OK = Oklahoma
EVIA[n] (mineral water, endless) to drink F (following) + FLU (illness)
GEN (information) + IT (appeal) before I’VE (writer’s)
‘It’ in the sense of sex appeal: as in an ‘It girl’
In grammar, the genitive case indicates possession
APE (imitate) + RC (church, Roman Catholic) with U (child-friendly)
U = film age rating
NICE (pleasant) + A (area) surrounding A
REINS (rider’s gear) + RT (right) after E[venting] (debut)
IS (lives) + L[if]E (hollow)
[b]OWING (displaying deference, B (baron) avoids)
“BOW” (play violin, “in recording”)
(SHE RA)* (*surprisingly) alongside SS (Nazis)
HAREM (group of lovers) touring L (large)
PLY (work) to maintain ENT (hospital department, Ear, Nose & Throat)
MAN (fellow) having BEGUN* (*unexpectedly) to eat
(HER PLANS)* (*disrupted)
A (amateur) + GREE[n] (lacking experience, falls short)
“STY” (farm building, “reportedly”)
TIME (occasion) in which A + T (model); U (university) + L (student, learner) comes first
XI (team) sports MA, MA (master, doubled)
[h]ERE (present, H (husband) exchanged for M (money))
AC (account) that spreads EFFING (offensive language)
RUBE (American country bumpkin) + N,S (polar opposites, North, South)
IN CAR (where driver might be) + N (new) + ATE (did worry)
I (one) + N (name) + SHALL (will) + A[rrest] (lead to) over H (heroin)
AIDS (helps), R (king) to pre-empt
ENO< (opera venue, <erected) + EBONY* (*sculpture)
ENO = English National Opera
BE (live) + [f]IREBIR[d]< (phoenix, <rising, with wings clipped)
(RAG (disreputable paper) + NAH (that’s wrong))< (<about)
HENAN (Chinese province) welcoming M (male)
Tim Henman, former professional British tennis player
ME (New England’s top state) + LT (officer, lieutenant)
ME = Maine
A (one) + [k]NEW (was aware, K (king) departed)
Tennis star once? But I agree with the blog. Enjoyable start to the day just as any singing Lark would do. Favourite is Harlem because it reminded me of the song by Ben E King. Muchas gracias.
Very neat puzzle and, as per, the ninas passed me by! Some very clever spots like the clipped rising phoenix, the disrupted lady’s plans and the non-deferential Baron.
Thanks both
Alas, completely missed the nina. Had difficulty remembering HENMAN, and needed some checks in the SE, but overall the puzzle was not too difficult. Thanks Lark and Oriel!
I missed the turning seasons too, but enjoyed the puzzle. I second PostMark’s choice of favourites.
I saw the seasons the moment I finished the puzzle, which I’m glad about as it would have been a shame to use the nina as a cheat for the final couple.
The phoenix was some spot. I considered the OK Corral for a while before realising it is in Arizona.
I never spot themes or Ninas. But there I was, with just 22d left to solve when I spotted that the letters in the bottom row of the grid were W I N _ E R reversed… ha!
That was a tough clue. A few others were also quite chewy but mostly found it just the right level for a Monday, and plenty of fun. In particular, 7a was a great opener!
A lark, an oriel, and a phoenix , 3 birds for the price of one, and yet, the Indy still can’t make money from the cryptic.
This is a very skilful and enjoyable puzzle, some really well-composed surfaces.
MUNG BEAN, not to my taste, but every crossword has to have one, these days.
Enjoyable stuff, wot larks, Pip.
Thumbs up, setter + blogger, and posters
Thanks Lark, that was fun. I spotted the Nina forming quite early and I filled in the perimeter with the four seasons. That certainly helped me with the remainder of the puzzle. My top picks included OWING, BEAU, HARLEM, EFFACING, RUBENS, and INCARNATE. My only miss was HENMAN, my guess ‘Hunman’ was obviously wrong. Thanks Oriel for the blog.
Very belated thanks to Lark for standing in for me on Monday – glad it was a fun puzzle!
me @9 – I meant Oriel, of course – apologies to both!