Rookie Corner 617

A Puzzle by Maitresse

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

As usual, the setter will be delighted to receive feedback from you, the solvers. We do ask that you remember that for most setters this is a new experience, so please only offer constructive criticism.

A delightful crossword from Maitresse this week.  With the exception of 20d where everything fell out of bed and a misplaced synonym in 2d, this was excellent.  The commentometer reads as 1.5/26 or 5.8%.

Across

8a  Quirky recoated lighter is smoker’s possession? (9,6)
CIGARETTE HOLDER: An anagram (quirkily) of RECOATED LIGHTER.

9a  Close to reef guarded by solitary sea creature (8)
MONKFISH: The final letter (close to) of reef inside a seven-letter word describing a solitary religious person.

10a  Lacking foresight, may mob prince periodically (6)
MYOPIC: The odd letters (periodically) in may mob prince.

11a  Just Disney’s ultimate LA set revamped for Cinderella etc (5,5)
FAIRY TALES: A four-letter word meaning just followed by the last letter (ultimate) of Disney and an anagram (revamped) of LA SET.

13a  Cheese selection from Breda manufacturer (4)
EDAM: The answer is hidden (selection from) the last two words of the clue.

14a  Follower catching half of Indy 500 after small brownie, exercising restraint (4-11)
SELF-DISCIPLINED: An eight-letter word for a disciple includes (catching) half of the work Indy and is followed by the Roman numeral for 500, all after the abbreviation for small and a three-letter word for a brownie or fairy.

17a  Head coach with no openings for work (4)
OPUS: A three-letter word for head and a three-letter word for a coach each without their first letters (with no openings).

18a  Valuing Hurt signature plugged by auctioneer at last (10)
TREASURING: An anagram (hurt) of SIGNATURE includes (plugged by) the final letter (at last) of auctioneer.

21a  Beau geste essentially, one interrupting rambling tour (6)
SUITOR: The middle letter (essentially) of geste followed by the letter representing one inside (interrupting) an anagram (rambling) of TOUR.

23a  Maybe Beryl‘s manuscript in bag on base (8)
GEMSTONE: The abbreviation for manuscript in a three-letter word meaning bag or obtain followed by the ON from the clue and the letter representing the natural base in logarithms.

24a  Biology etc of mutated Nile crustaceans (7,8)
NATURAL SCIENCES: An anagram (mutated) of NILE CRUSTACEANS.

Down

1d  Plant‘s first pairs of Minnie Mouse sandals (6)
MIMOSA: The first two letters (pairs) of each of the last three words of the clue.

2d  US checks origin of dinghies and boats following coastline (4,6)
BANK DRAFTS: The first letter(origin) of dinghies and a five-letter word for boats all after (following) a four-letter word for a coastline.  I don’t think that coastline is a good synonym for the first word of the clue.  Whilst the first word of the solution can describe the shore of a river, lake or canal, it is used for gentle slopes or boundaries for inland waters rather than a shoreline of the sea.

3d  Stop 40% of warships circling Iceland (6)
DESIST: 40% of the word destroyers (warships) around (circling) the IVR code for Iceland.

4d  Carve out centrepieces for pretty niches (4)
ETCH: The middle letters (centrepieces) of the final two words of the clue.

5d  Digital authorisation? (6-2)
THUMBS-UP: Cryptic definition.

6d  Salesrooms in prime locations too (4)
ALSO: The 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th and 7^th letters (in prime locations) of the first word of the clue.

7d  Left musical before tango dance’s final lift (8)
LEVITATE: The abbreviation for left followed by the five-letter name of a musical, the letter in the NATO phonetic alphabet for Tango and the final letter of dance.

12d  “Filthy gains“? Nice article about Universal Credit (5)
LUCRE: The French for the (Nice article) around (about) the abbreviations for universal and credit.

13d  Golf boring ruler – sporting giant leaving country (10)
EMIGRATING: The letter representing golf in the NATO phonetic alphabet inside (boring0 a four-letter word for an Arab ruler followed by an anagram (sporting) of GIANT.

15d  Embracing case for elections, voting mostly transfixes America (8)
ESPOUSAL: The outer letters (case for) of elections followed by a four-letter word for voting with the final letter removed (mostly) around (transfixes) the three-letter abbreviation for America.

16d  Break valve’s cap drilling broken latrine (8)
INTERVAL: The initial letter (cap) of valve inside an anagram (broken) of LATRINE.

19d  Meeting‘s high point (6)
SUMMIT: Double definition.

20d  Grandma gave back Britanny’s capital (6)
NANTES: A three-letter word for a grandma followed by a reversal (back) of a three-letter word meaning gave (as in he gave them some homework to do).  The French region is Brittany, not Britanny and the capital used to be solution but is now Rennes.

22d  Hooligan departs for good – sound! (4)
THUD: A four-letter word for a hooligan with the final D (departs) replaced by a G (good).

23d  Cut grass regularly before end of month (4)
GASH: The odd letters (regularly) of grass followed by the final letter (end) of month.

---