It might surprise you to know that it unsettles me when solvers express their concerns over certain clues, especially when they feel they have the answer and can’t work out the wordplay. For me, that’s a failure, as no clue should be that difficult or convoluted that it can’t be worked out from the wordplay alone, so to have the answer and still not be able to reconcile, means a flaw in the clue. Such happened this week, apparently, with 14-across: Sour one with quirky behaviour (6) = ACE + TIC. Oddly enough I felt unsure about this clue, but went with it anyway. Sour as the definition wasn’t explicitly stated in all my references; one = ACE probably needed a context like golf or cards; and quirky behaviour = TIC worried me the most as I was playing on “quirk” = “individual peculiarity or mannerism” and stretching this to a TIC that can be “an involuntary habitual response” or “a personal quirk”, as well as a medical condition. I guess any one of these three components could cause an obstruction, and together they most definitely did. Lesson learnt. The second thing that came up was about words not in general use, specifically, BENGAL the material in 20-across. I’ll save talking about that one until next week.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | COWPAT | |
| Deposit of stock, word processor recorded in a peripheral application (6) | WP inside COAT | |
| 4 | PLATYPUS | |
| Australian swimmer’s sign of infection appearing after time in action (8) | PUS after (T inside PLAY) | |
| 9 | ELISION | |
| Lie is unravelled about omission (7) | Anagram of LIE IS + ON | |
| 11 | THEOREM | |
| The valuable rock associated with miner’s initial proposition (7) | THE + ORE + (M)INER | |
| 12 | INGROWN TOENAIL | |
| Cool regional town corrected pressing problem (7,7) | IN + anagram of REGIONAL TOWN | |
| 14 | ACETIC | |
| Sour one with quirky behaviour (6) | ACE + TIC | |
| 15 | LABELLUM | |
| Identify large piece of lump and lobe (8) | LABEL + (LUM)P | |
| 18 | LOBBYIST | |
| Court action is tense following through with person of influence (8) | LOB + (IS + T after BY) | |
| 20 | BENGAL | |
| Indian material being manufactured without iodine and aluminium (6) | BEING minus I + AL | |
| 23 | FOR THE MOST PART | |
| Generally those people pastor converted in secure building (3,3,4,4) | (THEM + anagram of PASTOR) inside FORT | |
| 26 | AVOCADO | |
| Fruit and eggs brought back cold before a function (7) | OVA reversed C + A + DO | |
| 27 | STADIUM | |
| Small amount one invested in problem sporting complex (7) | (TAD + I) inside SUM | |
| 28 | GOT READY | |
| Prepared to leave march before end of ceremony (3,5) | GO + TREAD + CEREMON(Y) | |
| 29 | UNFAIR | |
| Amusement park, after opening, is marked by deceptive dishonest practices (6) | F(UNFAIR) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CREDITABLE | |
| Right to make corrections in TV service is deserving (10) | (R + EDIT) inside CABLE | |
| 2 | WRIGGLE | |
| Doctor reset leg after finishing with fellow’s twist (7) | (RIG + anagram of LEG) after FELLO(W) | |
| 3 | ANIMOSITY | |
| Strong dislike, in my opinion, shown by model in a big US city (9) | (IMO + SIT) inside (A + NY) | |
| 5 | LITTORAL | |
| Long trail to battered strip of coastal land (8) | L + anagram of TRAIL TO | |
| 6 | TIE-IN | |
| Connection that is plated with metal (3-2) | TIN outside IE | |
| 7 | PARTIAL | |
| Incomplete creative work, one found in pocket of friend (7) | (ART = I) inside PAL | |
| 8 | SOME | |
| An unspecified number and amount used in conversation (4) | Sounds like SUM | |
| 10 | NINE | |
| Number derived from a division of ten in expression (4) | teN IN Expression | |
| 13 | SMALL-TIMER | |
| Senior outside shopping centre raised issue with petty operator (5-5) | SR outside [MALL + (EMIT reversed)] | |
| 16 | EYESTRAIN | |
| Viewer’s problem is definitely admitted by England’s head coach (9) | YES inside [(E)NGLAND + TRAIN] | |
| 17 | ASTEROID | |
| A drug used to build up a heavenly body (8) | A + STEROID | |
| 19 | BLOW-OUT | |
| Lavish entertainment not reaching a high level in engagement (4-3) | LOW inside BOUT | |
| 21 | GRANITA | |
| Family member getting on with it – a dessert from Italy (7) | GRAN + IT + A | |
| 22 | BOPS | |
| Dances to pop music hits (4) | Double Definition | |
| 24 | TRADE | |
| Part of contra deal? (5) | Hidden &lit | |
| 25 | TANG | |
| Climbing insect’s bite (4) | GNAT reversed |
Thank you very much – David. No need for major concern we solvers can’t know it all!!
I was unsure about BOTH of the above.
ACETIC – No probs. at all with ‘Tic’, it was ‘Ace’ that was the issue.
Look forward to BENGAL.
Posted somewhere recently –
what I love about your work there is always – – – reconciliation
make that always RESOLUTION.
I totally agree with Richard.
Why would you bother with a cryptic if you could solve it in 10 minutes?
Over the years, my knowledge of our language has expanded, and I tell my students that they will learn lots of new words and new meanings, so they must keep their minds open.
So keep up the challenges, and the explanations. It is great when we can say “Of course!”
Arthur
someone else has responded elsewhere on here – – -“What he said”
Love those light-bulb moments
FWIW, I had/have no problem with the clue for ACETIC.
Steve = : ^ )