The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hi all. Filbert has gifted me a big laugh today: at 10a, my standout favourite clue. Its surface would have tickled me at any time, but I was actually solving while awaiting relatives. (Better not say relations, in case of ambiguity!) I decided not to share the clue with our guests, but did message a friend.
I liked the rest of the puzzle too, of course. Most of the solve progressed smoothly, but I was held up on a few to finish … got there in the end. Thanks Filbert!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Judge kept to station canteen’s clubby area (2,6) |
| ST JAMES’S — J (judge) inside (kept to) STA (station) + MESS (canteen). St James’s in London is known for its gentlemen’s clubs (as I learned from fellow fictional feline Bustopher Jones) | |
| 5a | From behind, all bottoms presumably perfect (4,2) |
| SPOT ON — Reversed (from behind), NO TOPS (all bottoms presumably) | |
| 10a | You shouldn’t have relations over, they’re a burden every year (5) |
| TAXES — TA (you shouldn’t have) + SEX (relations) backwards (over) | |
| 11a | Invented politician accepted by genuine political party (7-2) |
| TRUMPED-UP — MP (politician) in (accepted by) TRUE (genuine) + DUP (political party) | |
| 12a | Very plain and tough supermarket belt (7) |
| SPARTAN — SPAR (supermarket) + TAN (belt) | |
| 13a | Whip’s firm push on Reeves’s back (7) |
| SCOURGE — CO (firm) and URGE (push) by (on) ReeveS’s last letter (back) | |
| 14a | Two performing circus’s flying act wanting doctor (3) |
| DUO — DU[mb]O (circus’s flying act) lacking (wanting) MB (doctor) | |
| 15a | Small leaf peeled off school clown’s work passed round (4-2,4) |
| POST-IT NOTE — ETON (school), TIT’S (clown’s) and OP (work) reversed (passed round) | |
| 18a | Wimbledon champion on comeback nets key point in game (4,6) |
| REAL TENNIS — SINNER (Wimbledon champion Jannik) on reversal (on comeback) takes in (nets) ALT (key) and E (point) | |
| 21a | Some ripe avocado that could be eaten mushy (3) |
| PEA — Some riPE Avocado | |
| 23a | Relish learner driver taking good turn on the outside (7) |
| FLAVOUR — L (learner driver) going inside (taking … on the outside) FAVOUR (good turn) | |
| 25a | Bill on last in Augusta down in one (2,1,4) |
| AT A BLOW — TAB (bill) by (on) the last letter of (last in) AugustA + LOW (down) | |
| 26a | Posh actor played game of dice in US (9) |
| CRAPSHOOT — POSH ACTOR anagrammed (played) | |
| 27a | King at Christmas starts to get upset during service, missing son (5) |
| MAGUS — Initial letters of (starts to) Get Upset in (during) MAS[s] (service) missing S (son) | |
| 28a | Someone who posted on X dismissing Welsh rock (6) |
| TEETER — T[w]EETER (someone who posted on X) removing (dismissing) W (Welsh) | |
| 29a | Dark web protected by monster (8) |
| BRUNETTE — NET (web) inside (protected by) BRUTE (monster) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Reserve ultimate in opulent beach houses (3,5) |
| SET ASIDE — The last letter of (ultimate in) opulenT which SEASIDE (beach) contains (houses) | |
| 2d | Gravy with fresh bit of turkey and Paxo stuffing that European put together (9) |
| JUXTAPOSE — JUS (gravy) into which is inserted (with … stuffing that) an anagram of (fresh) the first letter of (bit of) Turkey and PAXO, all followed by E (European) | |
| 3d | Error from teacher upset special pupil (7) |
| MISSTEP — MISS (teacher) + upside-down (upset) PET (special pupil) | |
| 4d | Really fancy fleece secured by tenner bills on the counter? (3,4,5,2) |
| SET ONES HEART ON — SHEAR (fleece) in (secured by) NOTE (tenner…?) and NOTES (bills) going backwards (on the counter) | |
| 6d | Hard-up network initially claims computer inflated fare (7) |
| POPCORN — POOR (hard-up) plus Network initially takes in (claims) PC (computer) | |
| 7d | In France you impersonate king from 16C (5) |
| TUDOR — TU (in France you) + DO (impersonate) + R (king) | |
| 8d | Relative quiet with fellow entertained by novel (6) |
| NEPHEW — P (quiet) with HE (fellow) inside (entertained by) NEW (novel) | |
| 9d | Examiner rearranged equation’s terms (8,6) |
| QUESTION MASTER — An anagram of (rearranged) EQUATION’S TERMS | |
| 16d | Highest quality fine grass turned pale (3-6) |
| TOP-FLIGHT — F (fine) and POT (grass) reversed (turned) + LIGHT (pale) | |
| 17d | We stay outside for awful quakes destroy everything (3,5) |
| LAY WASTE — WE STAY plus the outer letters of (outside for) AwfuL is anagrammed (quakes) | |
| 19d | Butcher’s search for cycles behind outhouse (4-3) |
| LOOK-SEE — SEEK (search for) has its letters cycled round (cycles) after (behind) LOO (outhouse) | |
| 20d | Itinerant Aussie in business meeting held by trumpeter? (7) |
| SWAGMAN — AGM (business meeting) inside (held by) SWAN (trumpeter?) | |
| 22d | Scrap cricketing tautology such as leg-pull? (6) |
| OFFCUT — This required some research: in cricket, to pull is to hit the ball to the legside and to cut is to hit it to the offside | |
| 24d | A former PM’s caught hit for six (5) |
| AMAZE — A + MAZE, which sounds like (… caught) MAY’S (former PM’s) | |
Another excellent puzzle. I agree with our blogger ref the delight that is TAXES and also loved TRUMPED UP. The def for POPCORN is fun and I enjoyed the surface for SET ONE’S HEART ON. TUDOR reminded me somewhat of this same setter’s excellent ‘Fly back from China in 747’
Thank Goodness for ‘Waltzing Matilda’ without which I would not have got SWAGMAN.
Thanks both
Some droll surfaces here. Agree with the blog re 10a. Probably the pick of them. Also liked 5a, 13a and 19d. Liked the reversal at 15a. Elsewhere, my favourite is BRUNETTE for the definition. Thanks.
Slow to remember the foodie’s term ‘jus’ to nail the NW. St James’s evokes not only White’s and gentlemen but also The Scotch of, where the young Hendrix played and the soon-to-be Rock Elite hung out [sadly the young ginf didn’t know this in ’67]. But yes a jolly job from Filbert, e.g. inflated fare — obliquely droll, and purr Kitty.
Surprised nobody has mentioned it’s a pangram.
Thanks both. This took hours! but I got there unaided. A long-time fan of cricket, but couldn’t see the tautology in leg-pull until Katy’s research enlightened me, though I can in OFFCUT. I’m London-averse so ST JAMES’S being ‘clubby’ was a well, it might be. LOOK SEE didn’t quite work for me, as despite my London aversion, ‘butcher’s hook’ in rhyming slang is just look, and more importantly we have 3 loos and one outhouse at TFO Towers, but I only spend a penny (inflation ignored) indoors.
Well, I am going to say, again, and get shot down in flames, that if 16(d), TOP-FLIGHT, deserves the – in the solution, numerator [ 3-6 ], why doesn’t ST.JAMES’S, (1 ac), get a bit of punctuation?
[2.5’1] ?
Look- see:- it’s a top-flight crossword, it’s SPOT-ON, nothing was TRUMPED-UP, so a POST-IT NOTE, to myself.
Stop moaning.
A very, very good puzzle, enjoyed it, great stuff from Fil & Kitty.
Great crossword, as usual.
It’s customary that enumerations don’t include apostrophes. See the enumeration for 4d.
Brilliant as ever.