| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RYDER CUP | |
| Equestrian reportedly caught up with international competition (5,3) | Sounds like RIDER + C + UP | |
| 5 | WRISTS | |
| Legal documents breached by opening of sleazy joints (6) | WRITS outside (S)LEAZY | |
| 9 | FUSES | |
| Fellow handles explosive attachments (5) | F + USES | |
| 10 | SELF-TIMER | |
| Term is coined involving brownie camera function (4-5) | ELF inside anagram of TERM IS | |
| 12 | INTERMIXED | |
| Changed index containing expression, one jumbled up (10) | Anagram of INDEX outside (TERM + I) | |
| 13 | RAKE | |
| A playboy leaves collector (4) | Double Definition | |
| 15 | GO PLACES | |
| New version of gospel plugged by a churchman primarily to succeed (2,6) | Anagram of GOSPEL outside [A + (C)HURCHMAN] | |
| 16 | OLD-HAT | |
| Antiquated, rickety hand tool not holding on (3-3) | Anagram of HAND TOOL minus ON | |
| 18 | GOOFED | |
| Professional holding iron made a mistake (6) | GOOD outside FE | |
| 19 | RHINITIS | |
| Nose infection’s resistance is documented after hospital accepted it (8) | R + [IS after (H + IN + IT)] | |
| 22 | TYPE | |
| Kind characters in authority, perhaps (4) | authoriTY PErhaps | |
| 23 | VINTAGE CAR | |
| VIN and docket reflected race vehicle of old (7,3) | VIN + TAG + (RACE reversed) | |
| 25 | POTPOURRI | |
| Pour drop of red into container with one fragrant mixture (9) | [POUR + (R)ED] inside (POT + I) | |
| 26 | TILDE | |
| Punctuation mark left in withdrawn rewrite (5) | L inside (EDIT reversed) | |
| 27 | THRIFT | |
| Most of the division is saving (6) | (TH)E + RIFT | |
| 28 | DEFRAYAL | |
| Conflict in trade settlement (8) | FRAY inside DEAL | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RAFTING | |
| Rapid negotiation behind breaking syndicate (7) | AFT inside RING | |
| 2 | DESKTOP COMPUTER | |
| Weird customer kept iPod disconnected from one electronic organiser (7,8) | Anagram of CUSTOMER KEPT IPOD minus I | |
| 3 | RESURFACED | |
| Surf star, wearing red, didn’t drown? (10) | (SURF + ACE) inside RED | |
| 4 | UNSOILED | |
| Oddly-shaped nodule is free of blemishes (8) | Anagram of NODULE IS | |
| 6 | RUTS | |
| Ingredients of moisturiser fixed up line markings (4) | moiSTURiser reversed | |
| 7 | SYMPATHETICALLY | |
| They’ll impact, say, broadcast with feeling (15) | Anagram of THEYLL IMPACT SAY | |
| 8 | SERPENT | |
| Malicious person is ready to drop around heart of alderman (7) | SPENT outside ALD(ER)MAN | |
| 11 | LIED | |
| Ran around island and told stories (4) | LED outside I | |
| 14 | ALLNIGHTER | |
| Convert keeping close once at the end of long, dark experience (10) | ALTER outside (NIGH after L) | |
| 17 | CHATLINE | |
| Client has cut off misused telephone service (8) | Anagram of (CLIENT HA)S | |
| 18 | GO TO POT | |
| Degenerate understood nothing on drugs (2,2,3) | GOT + O + POT | |
| 20 | SURREAL | |
| Bizarre right claimed by firm, a lawyer’s first (7) | R inside SURE + A + (L)AWYER | |
| 21 | TIER | |
| Level match heading for replay (4) | TIE + (R)EPLAY | |
| 24 | GOLF | |
| Use clubs, say, to strike back (4) | FLOG reversed |
David – in 14d, can you please clarify “at the end of long”?
When I was solving it, I assumed “at the end of” meant “behind”, and that L was an abbreviation for “long”. However, I haven’t found “L” meaning “long” in any dictionary.
Or does it mean the front end of “long”, as discussed by Arthur and Richard?
I can’t find it in an dictionary, either, but I know it from trouser sizes: 32L is 32″ waist and long(er than standard) leg.
Steve = : ^ )
Yes, I’m pretty sure that I was thinking along the same lines when I first solved it.
I think the L in 32L is Large. Mainly because I am XL. I opted for one end of long – in this case front because we often see s taken from small which I think may be a convention a la Westminster
So I also will be interested in the response.
I have a very vague, wistful memory of fitting into 32″ trousers…
Hi Greg,
Yes, your interpretation of the construction is correct, with “long” being abbreviated to “L”. As with Steve, I’ve always associated it with clothing measurements, but from my searches, it’s either no longer used or not common enough to warrant a dictionary entry. I found one instance on dictionary.com: L
1. lambert; lamberts.
2. language.
3. large.
4. Latin.
5. left.
6. length.
7. long: denoting a size longer than regular, especially for suits and coats made for tall men:40L.
This is not enough for me to be comfortable about using it again.
Stickler
This provides an explanation, but raises another issue for me.
My interpretation left me wondering why the clue for the clueing for “l” follows the clue for “nigh” (close once) when “l” precedes “nigh” in the solution. I should have looked further seeing we are dealing with David – a real stickler.
But I have issues with the other analysis. I have no issue with “l” is an abbreviation for “long”. The the clue says to put ”nigh” at the end of “l” so that is fine. BUT does a single letter have an end (or a beginning)?
Anyway it is all academic. I solved the puzzle and it would have been water under the bridge if I had not had my discussion with Richard.
And David has solid grounds for avoiding this construction in the future.
Again thank you David for taking us through the intricacies of setting clues in the blog for 200, and with your responses to issues raised in this forum.