Toughie 1016

Toughie No 1016 by Beam

It must be too hot for anagrams

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****

This very pleasant puzzle provided a steady solve although I did have minor problems in the southeast corner especially with the parsing of 16 down. I blame the hot weather.

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Across

1a    Regarding round behind etc… (12)
{PREPOSITIONS} ‘Regarding’, ’round’ and ‘behind’ are three examples of such words

9a    Legion lacking man of rank? (9)
{COUNTLESS} This word for legion (multitudinous) could also be taken to mean ‘lacking man of rank’

10a    Canine, occasionally royal, growing intimate initially (5)
{CORGI} The initial letters of Canine Occasionally Royal Growing Intimate

11a    Give power to computer getting dangerous (6)
{LETHAL} ‘Give power to’ + the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey

12a    Getting on, around about, getting on (8)
{AGREEING} Getting on (in years) goes round ‘about’

13a    Infantile description of setter, perhaps (6)
{DOGGIE} What an infant might call a setter (of the English, Irish or Gordon variety)

15a    Large cat bearing single crease in paw? (8)
{LIFELINE} L (large) + any animal of the cat family around I (single) = something on the palm of your hand which is supposed to show how long you will live

18a    Fellow‘s a knave leading rodents tail first (8)
{ACADEMIC} A fellow (at a university) = A + knave + rodents with the last letter moved to the front (tail first)

19a    Odds on a dunderhead kind of betting (6)
{SPREAD} The odds (against a horse winning) + on + A + D (head of dunder)

21a    Cannon ball catching Navy men to begin (8)
{ORDNANCE} A ball (formal entertainment) goes round N (Navy) with men (soldiers) put at the beginning

23a    Fashionable? Put on donkey jacket! (6)
{JERKIN} Fashionable goes after (on) a donkey (stupid person)

26a    Knot found in fine violin (5)
{AMATI} A violin made by a family from Cremona = knot inside ‘fine’

27a    State of Spanish hero accepting Quixote’s second bolted (9)
{ELUCIDATE} ‘To state’ = a Spanish hero (2,3) round U (second letter of Quixote) + bolted (food)

28a    From pointers tell a relationship between stars (12)
{INTERSTELLAR} Hidden in poINTERS TELL A Relationship

Down

1d    Drunk went for lager top inside (7)
{PICKLED} ‘Went for (chose)’ goes round L (first letter of lager)

2d    River over point burst open (5)
{ERUPT} A reversal (over) of the river that flows through Wensleydale + an abbreviation for point

3d    Snub old Nazi perhaps, almost appearing in unfinished march (9)
{OSTRACISE} ‘To snub’ = O (old) + ‘Nazi, perhaps’ with the last letter removed (almost) inside ‘to march’ with the last letter removed (unfinished)

4d    Feature scrap with male going down (4)
{ITEM} A feature (e.g. in a newspaper) = a scrap (small amount) with the letter M (male) moved down from the beginning of the word to the end

5d    Certain GI sniper returned securing decoration (8)
{INSIGNIA} Hidden in reverse in CertAIN GI SNIper

6d    Opening hotel in French resort (5)
{NICHE} H (hotel) in a French resort on the Mediterranean Sea

7d    Company endlessly providing cool device… (8)
{ARTIFICE} I had to think about this one. ‘Company’ with both ends removed (endlessly) + ‘providing’ + ‘to cool’

8d    …Dell computer device, one for nothing (6)
{DINGLE} Take a device that is plugged into a computer and replace O (nothing) by I (one)

14d    New support with tabloid elevated including posh paper (8)
{GUARDIAN} A reversal (elevated) of N (new) + ‘support’ + an informal word for a newspaper round U (posh) = a daily newspaper

16d    It’s topless love. The compiler’s fifty — that’s taken in with curse! (9)
{EXPLETIVE} ‘It’ with the first letter removed + love (as a term of endearment) + ‘the compiler has’ round L (fifty)

17d    Individual‘s album oddly twee after return of Queen (8)
{DISCRETE} An album (record) + the odd letters of TwEe following a reversal of the Queen

18d    The French foreign capital turning sinful? (6)
{AMORAL} A reversal (turning) of ‘the’ in French and the local name of a European capital city

20d    French in street lifted Nureyev, say (7)
{DANSEUR} The French word for ‘in’ + a reversal (lifted) of the French word for ‘street’

22d    Advanced, useless with heart flipping like a bird… (5)
{AVIAN} A (Advanced) + ‘useless’ with the middle two letters (heart) reversed (flipping)

24d    …village bird flipped embracing adult (5)
{KRAAL} A South African village = a reversal of a bird round A (adult)

25d    Expressions of disapproval of short skirts, latterly not universal (4)
{TUTS} Remove the second U (universal) from skirts worn by ballerinas

The paper-hanging’s finished. Now I’m trying to work up enthusiasm to start the painting