Steerpike is this morning's setter.
I can safely say that this was not my fastest solve. My first pass yielded about a quarter of the answers, and I then trudged on until I was left with three clues that I couldn't work out, none of which turned out to be overly difficult and my LOI was JILTED. The parsing of REHEARSAL also held me up for a bit. Although there were a few references to drinking (DTs, caroused, etc), I don't think there was enough to constitute a theme.
Thanks, Steerpike.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | REMOTELY |
Dinsintegrating meteor initially looked yellow from afar (8)
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*(meteor) [anag:disintegrating] + [initially] L(ooked) Y(ellow) |
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| 5 | TEASED |
Utter ass tends, occasionally, to get ridiculed (6)
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(u)T(t)E(r) A(s)S (t)E(n)D(s) [occasionally] |
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| 9 | VESTIGES |
What’s left of undergarments worn by returning English soldier (8)
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VESTS ("undergarments") worn by [returning] <=(E (English) + GI (American "soldier")) |
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| 10 | COLUMN |
Scam involves exposing stout supporter (6)
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CON ("scam") involves [exposing] (p)LUM(p) |
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| 12 | GRAZE |
Minor injury renowned anatomist’s picked up (5)
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Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [picked up] of GRAY'S ("renowned anatomist's") |
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| 13 | BETHLEHEM |
Wager the French ultimately march into border town in Palestine (9)
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BET ("wager") + LE ("the" in "French") + [ultimately] (marc)H into HEM ("border") |
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| 14 | JILTED |
Rejected setter left heartless editor to pursue justice (6)
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I ("setter") L(ef)T [hearltess] + Ed. (editor) to pursue J (justice) |
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| 16 | DINGOES |
Crude design features ordinary animals (7)
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*(design) [anag:crude] features O (ordinary) |
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| 19 | STERNUM |
Discovered lump on back is bone (7)
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[discovered] (l)UM(p) on STERN ("back") |
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| 21 | CUTLET |
Attractive model devours large portion of meat (6)
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CUTE ("attractive") + (model) T (a vintage car) devours L (large) |
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| 23 | REHEARSAL |
Gossip mostly goes on about centre of village, in practice (9)
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HEARSA(y) ("gossip", mostly) goes on RE ("about") + [centre of] (vil)L(age) |
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| 25 | COLON |
Protocol only comprises two points? (5)
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Hidden in [comprises] "protoCOL ONly" |
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| 26 | ENTAIL |
Require westbound track to encompass outskirts of Tirana (6)
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[westbound] <=LINE ("track") to encompass [outskirts of] T(iran)A |
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| 27 | BEHEMOTH |
Giant sloth’s rear is covered in insects (8)
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(slot)H ['s rear] is covered in BEE + MOTH ("insects") |
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| 28 | SURFED |
Browsed web, essentially reporting on retired American agent (6)
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[essentially] (repo)R(ting) on [retired] <=US ("American") + FED (FBI "agent") |
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| 29 | CAROUSED |
Hosting wake, scoundrel partook in drunken celebrations (8)
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CAD ("scoundrel") housing ROUSE ("wake") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | RAVAGE |
Destroy vicious rottweiler originally brought in for son (6)
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(s)AVAGE ("vicious") with R(ottweiler) [originally] brought in for S (son) becomes (R)AVAGE |
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| 2 | MESCALINE |
Drug scene Liam represented (9)
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*(scene Liam) [anag:represented] |
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| 3 | TRIPE |
Following experience on 2, Earl shows guts (5)
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TRIP ("experience on 2") + E (earl) The 2 in the clue refers to the solution to 2 down (mescaline). |
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| 4 | LIE-ABED |
Sluggard told tall tales about European mariner (3-4)
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LIED ("told stories") about E (European) + AB (able-bodied sailor, so "mariner") |
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| 6 | EXOPLANET |
Erstwhile project to conserve oxygen on alien world (9)
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EX ("erstwhile") + PLAN ("project") to conserve O (oxygen) on ET (extraterrestrial, so "alien") |
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| 7 | SLUSH |
Alcoholic depressed by society’s sentimentality (5)
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LUSH ("alcoholic") depressed by S (society) |
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| 8 | DYNAMISM |
Many taken aback by detective’s masculine vigour (8)
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<=MANY [taken aback] by DI's ("detective" inspector's) M (masculine) |
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| 11 | STUD |
Shakes up stifling, upper-class poker game? (4)
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<=DTs ("shakes", up) stifling U (upper-class) DTs stands for delirium tremens, a trembling experienced by heavy drinkers. |
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| 15 | TANTALISE |
At least I managed to bear new torment (9)
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*(at least i) [anag:managed] to bear N (new) |
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| 17 | OVERLOOKS |
Excuses old clergyman lying about physical appearance (9)
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O (old) + <=Rev. (reverend, so "clergyman", lying about) + LOOKS ("physical appearance") |
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| 18 | USURPERS |
They take over from penny-pinching loan sharks (8)
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USURERS ("loan sharks") pinching P (penny) |
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| 20 | MUSE |
Inspiration taken from formidable Sumatran revolutionary (4)
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Hidden backwards in [taken from…revolutionary] "formidablE SUMatran" |
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| 21 | CALDERA |
Charlie led a struggling artist into deep depression (7)
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C (Charlie, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) + *(led a) [anag:struggling] + RA (member of the Royal Academy, so "artist") |
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| 22 | INCHED |
Made slow progress removing crest from stole (6)
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[removing crest from] (p)INCHED ("stole") |
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| 24 | HATER |
One who can’t stand that lady collects art on vacation (5)
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HER ("that lady") collects A(r)T [on vacation, i.e. vacated] |
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| 25 | CREDO |
Curse idiot regularly used, I believe (5)
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C(u)R(s)E (i)D(i)O(t) [regularly used] |