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Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.
Hints...
Some hints and tips:
- Sawbill assures me the apparent pub theme is not deliberate.
- In 3A spring is not the season.
- The American spelling in 10A is necessary for the clue to work
- Knowing your NATO phonetic alphabet helps with 7D.
And click on this label to get the solution.
Solution and explanation of the answers...
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other
indicators.
Across
1 Dad, say, turns over sheet of paper (4)
PAGE – PA (Dad) E.G. (say) [turns over] -> GE.
3 Towards spring, first bit of planting matures oddly (8)
UPSTREAM - ([first bit of] p{lanting} matures)* [oddly].
9 Row upset caterer (7)
TERRACE – (caterer)* [upset].
10 Weird jewelry item regularly stolen (5)
EERIE – Alternate letters, [regularly stolen] of jEwElRy ItEm
11 Piece of writing in the middle of desk, for example (5)
ESSAY – [middle of] dESk SAY (for example).
12 Natural to have dined behind pub ... (6)
INNATE – INN (pub) ATE (dined).
14 ... having ordered in time? (13)
CHRONOLOGICAL – Mildly cryptical definition when joined to the previous clue.
17 Left in charge after bar's open (6)
PUBLIC – PUB (bar) L (left) IC (in charge).
19 Run across dog (5)
ROVER – R (run) OVER (across).
22 Doctor provided treatment finally that's current (5)
DRIFT – DR (doctor) IF (provided) treatmenT [finally].
23 Bugs and nettles? (7)
NEEDLES – Double definition.
24 Ideas generated when he is accepted by Conservatives (8)
THEORIES – HE in TORIES (Conservatives).
25 Old soldier second character in local bar (4)
VETO – VET (old soldier) [second character in] lOcal.
Down
1 Understanding card game (8)
PATIENCE – Double definition.
2 Young women soldiers surrounded right and left (5)
GIRLS – GIS (soldiers) [surrounded] R (right) and L (left).
4 Corruptly entice police chief to start bending the rules (6,7)
POETIC LICENCE – [Corruptly] (entice police c{hief} [to start])*.
5 Cravat I need at first to coordinate (3,2)
TIE IN - TIE (cravat) I N{eed} [to start].
6 Unpredictable sailor back in Morecambe? (7)
ERRATIC – TAR (sailor) [back] -> RAT in ERIC (Morecambe).
7 Bump into Mike at event now and again (4)
MEET – M (Mike in the NATO phonetic alphabet) EvEnT [now and again].
8 Nancy is confused touring old gorge (6)
CANYON – (Nancy)* [confused] [about] O (old).
13 Travelling close and far in the open air (2,6)
AL FRESCO – (close far)* [travelling].
15 Customary defeat in England (7)
ROUTINE – ROUT (defeat) IN E (England).
16 From inside, regard enviously patch outside house (6)
GARDEN – Hidden in [from inside] reGARD ENviously,
18 Maybe alter in the future? (5)
LATER – (alter)* [maybe].
20 Beer around university after five, for what it's worth (5)
VALUE – V (five in roman numerals) ALE (beer), [around] U (university).
21 Check tide is flowing back (4)
EDIT – TIDE reversed [flowing back] -> EDIT.
1 Dad, say, turns over sheet of paper (4)
PAGE – PA (Dad) E.G. (say) [turns over] -> GE.
3 Towards spring, first bit of planting matures oddly (8)
UPSTREAM - ([first bit of] p{lanting} matures)* [oddly].
9 Row upset caterer (7)
TERRACE – (caterer)* [upset].
10 Weird jewelry item regularly stolen (5)
EERIE – Alternate letters, [regularly stolen] of jEwElRy ItEm
11 Piece of writing in the middle of desk, for example (5)
ESSAY – [middle of] dESk SAY (for example).
12 Natural to have dined behind pub ... (6)
INNATE – INN (pub) ATE (dined).
14 ... having ordered in time? (13)
CHRONOLOGICAL – Mildly cryptical definition when joined to the previous clue.
17 Left in charge after bar's open (6)
PUBLIC – PUB (bar) L (left) IC (in charge).
19 Run across dog (5)
ROVER – R (run) OVER (across).
22 Doctor provided treatment finally that's current (5)
DRIFT – DR (doctor) IF (provided) treatmenT [finally].
23 Bugs and nettles? (7)
NEEDLES – Double definition.
24 Ideas generated when he is accepted by Conservatives (8)
THEORIES – HE in TORIES (Conservatives).
25 Old soldier second character in local bar (4)
VETO – VET (old soldier) [second character in] lOcal.
1 Understanding card game (8)
PATIENCE – Double definition.
2 Young women soldiers surrounded right and left (5)
GIRLS – GIS (soldiers) [surrounded] R (right) and L (left).
4 Corruptly entice police chief to start bending the rules (6,7)
POETIC LICENCE – [Corruptly] (entice police c{hief} [to start])*.
5 Cravat I need at first to coordinate (3,2)
TIE IN - TIE (cravat) I N{eed} [to start].
6 Unpredictable sailor back in Morecambe? (7)
ERRATIC – TAR (sailor) [back] -> RAT in ERIC (Morecambe).
7 Bump into Mike at event now and again (4)
MEET – M (Mike in the NATO phonetic alphabet) EvEnT [now and again].
8 Nancy is confused touring old gorge (6)
CANYON – (Nancy)* [confused] [about] O (old).
13 Travelling close and far in the open air (2,6)
AL FRESCO – (close far)* [travelling].
15 Customary defeat in England (7)
ROUTINE – ROUT (defeat) IN E (England).
16 From inside, regard enviously patch outside house (6)
GARDEN – Hidden in [from inside] reGARD ENviously,
18 Maybe alter in the future? (5)
LATER – (alter)* [maybe].
20 Beer around university after five, for what it's worth (5)
VALUE – V (five in roman numerals) ALE (beer), [around] U (university).
21 Check tide is flowing back (4)
EDIT – TIDE reversed [flowing back] -> EDIT.
The definitions for UPSTREAM and VETO were very clever and threw me off for a while.Also really enjoyed POETIC LICENCE and ROUTINE among others. Thanks for fun workout!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I try to make the surfaces deceptive but I hope that I never use obscure words in the answers. I enjoyed setting UPSTREAM but I remember POETIC LICENCE was daunting at first.
ReplyDeleteAnother enjoyable Saturday outing. I agree with the above that there were some nicely deceptive definitions - 25ac “Veto” and 23ac “Needles” come to mind.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my personal favourite was 22ac “Drift” which I initially interpreted as “Draft” (a doctors treatment and the current version of something) until I finally resolved 15dn “Routine”. Very clever.
Thanks as usual!
JamesEd46
Thank you. I couldn't resist 'Bugs and nettles'.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed that, thanks. Like others mentioned, upstream and veto were the last to fall.
ReplyDeleteThat was me - no longer CroftCottageBnB, but I'm unable to delete the link as I don't know my old password.
ReplyDeleteAh .. seems I can still get in.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Glad you can log in.
DeleteOne of the best Weekend Puzzles I can remember. Congratulations! Lots of lovely surfaces
ReplyDeleteThank you … I think you know by now that the surface is paramount to me.
ReplyDeleteOut all weekend so only just got to this, but have been looking forward to it - and was not disappointed! An 11 minute finish, and much enjoyed. Mostly a good run through, though Needles/Nettles held me up at the end as it is a meaning of nettles I'm not that familiar with. But the checkers made the answer clear.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Sawbill for yet another high class puzzle. I am assuming 15D referred to the Italian rugby team, who lost yet again at Twickenham this afternoon ??
Ha ha. Glad you enjoyed it and pleased it was close to ten minutes for you.
DeleteThanks Sawbill. A enjoyable and well judged puzzle to round off the weekend. Started with PAGE and finished with a lovely PDM for UPSTREAM. Didn't time it but it felt around average for a weekday QC.
ReplyDeletePlett
Thank you. Glad it was an average time for you. An anticlockwise solve by the sound of it.
ReplyDeleteOur first weekend QC and most enjoyable. Beaten by VETO - knew hero was wrong. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It is always fascinating for me to know which clues were easy or hard.
Delete