A Puzzle by Shabbo
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid
Shabbo’s turn to provide our Saturday lunchtime diversion
Across
1a &5. Father insistent he is leaving painter for flag designer (8)
PAVEMENT ARTIST: An informal father, a synonym for insistent without the HE (he is leaving) and a painter
10a Miss is keen to embrace love (5)
AVOID: Eagerly desirous (keen) ‘embraces’ the letter representing love
11a Reported working for papers showing composure (9)
SANGFROID: Reported or informed, an anagram (working) of FOR and some abbreviated identity papers
12a Suspect real malts are blended (5,1,3)
SMELL A RAT: An anagram (blended) of REAL MALTS
13a Farah's exercises back on track (5)
EPSOM: A reversal (back) of the diminutive form of Mr Farah’s forename plus the S (Farah’s) and some abbreviated school exercises
14a Constitutional street food (6)
STROLL: An abbreviated street and a food item
15a Church blocks green energy student (7)
SCHOLAR: The abbreviation for church ‘blocks’ a type of ‘green’ energy
18a Hidden vault is claustrophobic at first (7)
CRYPTIC: A vault and the first letters of Is and Claustrophobic
20a Secretive issue that may influence hearing (6)
EARWAX: Something hidden that might influence your ability to hear
22a It beats turning up at university (5)
PULSE: Reverse (turning) UP and the abbreviated way a London university is known
24a Outgoing former right back has done time (9)
EXTROVERT: The usual two-letter former, a reversed (back) of an abbreviation for right, done or finished and the abbreviation for Time
25a Swiss region with oddly easier language (9)
CANTONESE: A Swiss region and the odd letters of EaSiEr
26a Large bouncer? Crikey! (5)
ROOMY: An informal name for an Australian marsupial (bouncer) and an interjection of surprise (crikey!)
27a Religious groups announce the chances of wrongdoing? (6)
SYNODS: This sounds like the chances of wrong doing
28a Four-by-four back on the field (8)
DEFENDER: A type of four-by-four or a position at the back of a sports team
Down
1d Patient's record initially is in casualty for approval (6)
PRAISE: The initial letters of Patient and Record and IS (from the clue) inserted into the abbreviated casualty department of a hospital
2d Intensely vile sounding candidate changing political allegiance (9)
VIOLENTLY: A homophone (sounding) of vile and a candidate changing the abbreviation for one political allegiance to the other
3d Ordinary markings here? (6-2-3-4)
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD: Without the hyphens, this would be where street markings would go
4d Diseased right tonsil and part of nose (7)
NOSTRIL: An anagram (diseased) of R (right) TONSIL
6d Update amuse-bouche? (9,6)
REFRESHER COURSE: This further training could sound like part of a meal, often known as an amuse-bouche
7d Smoothes things out for Jeremy? (5)
IRONS: Smoothes things out or the actor’s surname
8d Dark item twisted on washing line (8)
TIDEMARK: An anagram (twisted) of DARK ITEM
9d Joins crowd rising in support of Cambridge? (6)
UNITES: A reversed (rising) crowd goes after (in support of in a Down solution) an abbreviated educational institution such as Cambridge
16d Rented field flogged over the phone (9)
LEASEHOLD: A field or meadow and a homophone (over the phone) of flogged in the informal sense of the verb
17d Glacier photos reportedly showing mountaineer's equipment (3,5)
ICE PICKS: Frozen water (glacier) and a homophone (reportedly) of some informal photos
19d Shrewd and heartless battle-axe (6)
CLEVER: A battle-axe without its middle letter (heartless)
20d Text remedy covering limit (7)
EXTREME: Hidden in the first two words of the clue
21d One unlikely to give up on lodger? (6)
STAYER: A person or animal with lasting qualities or someone who lodges with you
23d Tablecloths found in Row 14? (5)
LINEN: A synonym for row and the 14th letter of the alphabet
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Extremely enjoyable and pretty gentle with very smooth surfaces theoughout – many thanks to Shabbo.
From an excellent set of clues I’ll pick out 1/5a, 13a, 20a, 27a and 16d.
Highly entertaining and a joy to solve. Liked the amuse-bouche and the outgoing right back together with 11a amongst many others. Cotd though goes to 1/5a – genius. Thanks to Shabbo.
Thanks Shabbo for a most enjoyable start to my Saturday although the SE did slow down my completion.
Smiles for 1a/5a, 14a, 26a, 5d, 16d, and 21d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to CS.
Thoroughly enjoyable, thanks Shabbo
I found the SE corner considerably harder than the other three-quarters but the whole thing was really very enjoyable.
1a/5a provided a great start but it got eclipsed as my favourite when the 20a penny dropped.
Many thanks, Shabbo.
Thanks Shabbo. Plenty of ticks but 26a got two.
Thank you, Shabbo. Almost made it, but for 20a. Thoroughly enjoyable.
I enjoyed this puzzle over sunshine and coffee this Saturday morning, as the pineapple express has left us finally.
Favourites 12a, 14a, 18a, 28a, 3d & 17d
Thanks to Shabbo & CS
A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle that we found more challenging than others are reporting. Lots of ticks but we’ll go with 1a as favourite.
A real autumnal chill in the air here as we set out on our Sunday morning 14a.
Thanks Shabbo.
As ever very enjoyable. The biggest crumpet scratch/tardy penny drop was trying to figure out what was secretive about 20a so that has to be my pick of the bunch – 1/5&11a + 6&16d other particular likes.
Thanks Shabbo – keep ‘em coming.
1a was a favourite here. Even if it gave me Dick van Dyke’s cockney accent as an earworm to disturb my own “secretive issue”, The 3d earworm was only a fraction easier on the ear. 11a and 28a can fight it out with 1a for my podium today.
Thanks Shabbo
Most enjoyable. 1/5ac raised a smile when the penny dropped. 8dn put me in mind of being admonished as a youngster for perfuntory washing of hands and face – “you’ve left a 8dn round your neck.”
Thanks, Shabbo and CS.
I made a late night start on this puzzle with much of the East side left unsolved until Sunday morning, when PDMs on 11a and 28a duly initiated a domino-effect on the remainder. With the sole exception of 16d, all my ticks were awarded to Across clues, providing a double podium of 1/5, 18, 20, 24, 26 & 27 (I really enjoyed the homophone!).
My thanks to Shabbo for an entertaining puzzle, and to CS for her review.
Thank you all for your kind comments and thanks to CS for the blog.