Fear not! Blog will appear in the not too distant future!

Tim

I suspect jackkt's report may start with "had to buy the paper today" - when I tried to get the puzzle about half an hour ago, the site was down. It was up about 15 minutes ago, but is now down again.

We cross-posted - my prediction was wrong.

This was a very lively puzzle that gave me some real problems most of which were of my own making. In several places (1 dn second word for example) I thought of the right answer but lacked the confidence to write it in because I couldn't work out the reasoning so I wasted precious time trying to find an alternative. The standard of clues was generally very good indeed which made for an enjoyable solve and I was never bored for a moment. I don't think any specialist knowledge is required to get the answers though maybe a little to fully explain some of them. Possibly 21ac could give trouble to someone who has never heard the expression but the anagrist and the checking letters would surely lead one to it eventually.

Across
1	DEBAG - ABED (rev) + G
4	CLAW,BACKS
9	COL,CAN(N)ON - According to my dictionaries this is an Irish or Scottish dish of potato and cabbage mashed together. I wouldn’t have known this a few years ago but it now appears in most supermarkets as an alternative to ready-mashed potato. I think the version I tried had spring onion in it too.
11	THE WIZARD OF OZ - Charles Darwin, Australia and all that
14	(g)REEK - The final letter of "ping" is removed to give a pong
15	SNAKE-DANCE - Hidden
18	IDIOT-(PRO,0),F
19	CHI,C - CHI is X in the Greek alphabet + C, the third letter of factor". "Tony" = CHIC has come up many times before but not for a while, I think.
21	GROW LIKE TOPSY - Anagram of "silky pore got" around "w" for "with". Apparently this is a reference to Uncle Tom's Cabin in which Topsy was a slave girl who maintained she had neither father nor mother, her solution of her existence being "I 'spect I grow'd".
25	S(NOB, VAL)UE
27	NORWEGIAN - Anagram of "0" + "a winner" around "g" for "grand".
28	S(QU)AD
Down
1	DICK, TUR,PIN - TUR being "rut" (rev)
2	BEL - Sounds like "belle". This is some sort of measure of sound that's not the same as a decibel apparently. Hope Jimbo enjoyed this one.
3	GRAVID - A(nswer) + V(ery) inside GRID. The word means pregnant.
5	AWNED - DoEsN't WrAp (rev). "Awn" is the covering growth on ears of cereal etc
6	BONA FIDE - FAN + O(ld) B(oy) (all rev) + IDE the fish
8	SA(N)G - "Numbers" meaning "songs" here. "Cuts" is the insertion indicator to put "N" for "new" inside
12	EVENING STAR - I wondered about "at times" here but a little research informed me that an evening star need not necessarily be Venus.
13	BE(ACHY, HE)AD - The headland in East Sussex
16	KNOCK-DOWN - Whilst solving I wrongly assumed that Down was the "Irish Airport" referenced in the clue but I have since discovered that is KNOCK, and DOWN is clued by "drink".
17	A,(patien)T,R,OPINE - A type of Bella Donna obtained from deadly nightshade
20	ST (IV'E)'S - I'm sure we have had this clue or a very similar one before
23	STUN - NUT'S (rev)
26	LOU(d)

Solving time : could not do this in one session. After about 15 minutes, had to put it down, get a few other errands done, and came back a few hours later, saw one or two more and was off again to a finish. Oh boy was there a lot of guesswork, words from wordplay alone, and head-scratching moments. I may be having a dense moment, but this was a real challenge. A few had question marks, and needed a trip to the dictionary before blogging. Now there is greatness in this, and 13 down is one of my favorite clues in a daily in a long time.

A postscript after I wrote the analysis - the more I write, the more I like this crossword. I feel pretty thick and illiterate after looking up all the ones I didn't know from definition, but they were all obtainable from wordplay.

Across
1	HALF-TRUTH: since VERA is half of VERACITY
6	WAKES: double definition (though I tried to turn it into a charade by writing WAKEN in at first). Didn't know of Wake's Week, but now I want to go well dressing.
9	SHIMMER: H in SIMMER
10	RATTLER: L in RATTER - got this from the definition, but there it is in chambers - a RATTER is a killer of rats, esp a dog
12	SHOPLIFTING: S(quad), then LIFT in HOPING
14	(b)ENT,RAP: took a while to get the first half of this
15	ESC,ARGOT: my second last in, and one of two groaners here - ESC is the escape key
17	CROATIAN: (RAINCOAT)* - tricky definition, split being between Serbia and Croatia - as pointed out in comments, the city of Split is in Croatia
19	DENARY: A,R(epublican) in DENY - got this from the wordplay, had to look it up to see that it means having the number 10 as a basis
22	LE CORBUSIER: (C,ROLE)* then BUSIER. Another one I didn't understand until coming to do the blog. I knew the name of the architect, but didn't get the definition, until I read a little that he saw houses as "Machines a habiter"
25	BITTER,N: don't know why I didn't write this straight in, as the little bird has been to visit before
27	BOHEMIA: HEM,I in BOA - from the wordplay. Feel a little embarrassed now to not realise it was a reference to "The Winter's Tale"
28	RANGY: ANGRY with the R moved to the front
29	MAN FRIDAY: I'D in FRAY after MAN(isle). OK I have read "Robinson Crusoe" or at least seen a film version.
Down
1	HOSE,A: another book I haven't read
2	LAID OUT: AID in LOUT
3	TAM(e)-O-SHANTER: last part is (NORTH SEA)*
4	UPROOT: more tricky wordplay - ROO(jumper) in (PUT)*
5	H,ARMLESS: In the online clue, I think there's a "be" missing, shouldn't it read: "To be like the Venus de Milo is hard"?
6	W(a)IT: Edited - in a bad blog brain moment I had WIT(h) here for some reason
7	KILLING: double definition - make a killing
8	SP,RIGHTLY: the first part is P.S. reversed
13	FLAT-EARTHER: TEAR in F,LATHER. Great clue!
14	EXCALIBUR: sounds like EX CALIBRE
16	LABURNUM: A BURN in LUM - LUM is Scots for chimney. Wasn't familiar with the tree.
18	OCCITAN: C in (ACTION)* - another one from wordplay, according to Chambers it's another name for the Langue d'Oc
21	GIBBON: NOB,BIG reversed. Another one from wordplay, Edward Gibbon.
24	SHADY: SHANDY without the N
26	(r)ELY

Sorry it took me a while to get some uninterrupted time to write up a blog , been travelling for work. But back home now, and two blogs to catch up on. Since I was travelling, I had Bradfords but not Chambers, I managed to get most of this without the opening of either, and just a little bit of Google to get my last answer (21 down).

I print the Mephisto online, and this time around it printed rather oddly, with a blank line between each of the clues, nearly filling two pages. The grid lines look a little odd on the one for this week, but the clues printed in a much tighter space.

Across
1	CTENOPHORAN: (CAPE,HORN,NOT)* - full being the anagram indicator. Found in Chambers under ctene
11	MAM,EE(l): a Caribbean fruit
12	SLOE: sounds like SLOW - can refer to black itself, not just the blackthorn fruit
13	ALBENIZ: BEN in A LIZ - never heard of him, but wordplay straightforward. Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz
14	PRIOR: I have heard of Matt Prior. Here's a hysterical video of him getting bowled.
16	MA,HOUND: found in Bradfords
17	EARLIER ON: EARL then I in IRON
18	FAG END: GEN(Genesis) in FAD
20	DREDGE: anagram of REG-DED, taking the middle out of REGARDED
22	ARISTO: hidden
24	ROSE,AL
26	CADENTIAL: anagram of A,N,DIALECT
28	TOMMIES: I'M reversed (preoposterously) in TOMES - I thought this may have been a term for smut, but it's a term for a British Army private (along with TOMMY ATKINS)
30	ORIEL: L after lOrRaInE
31	SOPRANO: OP,RAN in SO and a reference to Dame Joan Sutherland (about whom it may have been written that it isn't over until the fat lady signs, sorry Dame J).
32	REC,S
33	G,IRON
34	SKEDADDLING: I saw the answer before getting the wordplay - KED(wingless fly), ADD in SLING
Down
2	TALI: plural of talus - TAIL with the last two reversed
3	EMBAR: sounds like M BAR? Don't really get this
4	NEEDLES(s)
5	PRIME,D
6	OOPHORONS: HOON about R in OOPS
8	ALIUNDE: I,UND in ALE
9	NOONS: ON in NOS
10	PERDUELLION: an old term for treason. PER(a) LION about DUEL
11	MALEFACTORS: if you have no women on stage, there's male f actors
15	PINT,AILED
19	GIM,MICK: first part is MIG reversed
21	ESTORIL: ROTS(joke - confirmed by Chambers) in LIE all reversed. New one to me.
23	ODESSA: anagram of SEADOGS minus G
24	RESOLD: SOL in RED (as in red pencil)
25	MORE,S
27	IMARI: hidden
29	IN,ON: Edit - see comments, it's AN,ON. Tip to Peter and Jimbo, if you want more comments on your Mephisto blogs, get a few wrong!

Solving time: 24:37

A real struggle this one, though maybe I was under the "blogger's curse". Apart from a pencilled-in VERB at the end of 17, 26A was my first answer. I then misunderstood the wordplay in 22D and invented an "IDIST" from a replacement of the E in "id est". This was only entered lightly, but overconfidence in it led me down the duff path of pondering what "grient" might mean from "these days = A.D." and decline =?= GRADIENT at 21. But all solved in the end, and there's some good deception in this one, little of which seems unfair. With PIPETTE and BARYON included, Jimbo should be in clover!

PS - just did Times 2 puzzle no. 5000 - a classic bit of fun from John Grimshaw and a good excuse to repeat my occasional advice not to ignore your paper's quick crossword.

Across
1	S(UP)PORT - two difficulties here for me - "further forward" being UP rather than ON, and "game" leading to a synonym rather than an example.
5	POT = lot of money, O.M. = order (of merit), A/C = (an) account. If you want to be really picky, the Potomac flows into Washington as well as out of it, but the deception in "capital outflow" is worth the slight inexactness.
10	DUE(t) - the key here being to see "one" in "song one can't sing" as a number, not a synonym for "you". And to see how to separate "not quite as expected" into truncation indicator, link word and def.
11	AT TEN = "when news is on",D - overseas solvers may not know that "The News at Ten" has been ITV's flagship bulletin for most of the last 42 years - here's a sample including the current opening sequence and "bongs".
12	COMB INES = "to tidy Spaniard's hair" - a classic "close the gap" trick
14	EMINENT DO = (mentioned)*, MAIN = "gas supplier" - very hard because I simply didn't know the phrase - essentially it's the legal principle behind compulsory purchase. And also because "government right or wrong" needs separating in the right way
17	IRREGULAR = partisan, VERB = "part of speech" - "part of speech" immediately suggested verb or noun, and "go" is more obviously verb than noun, but I coudn't see partisan = IRREGULAR = a soldier not belonging to an established army unit.
21	DEC(A.D.)ENT
23	SIESTA = "see Esther" - "when one's out in the heat" is a nice deceptive def., but replay my usual mutter about "good book" for a single book of the Bible.
25	AD(vertisement) = "one trying to sell",A=a - I wondered about AVA, with the false abbreviation V = vendor, before seeing the light
26	INVOLUNTARY - (to run, vainly)*, with "jogging" as the anagram indicator
27	DE(ME)TER - Demeter is a Greek goddess and hence "Olympian". Dimly remembered her after seeing the wordplay
28	BR(END)AN - bran is refuse from milling. Brendan was an Irish monk who possibly visited North America - used by former Times xwd editor Brian Greer for use as his Guardian xwd pseudonym - he's also "Virgilius", another Irish monk, and has worked in the US for a number of years. Whether this is his "signature", a nod from another setter, or simple coincidence is anybody's guess
Down
1	SALA(A)M(i) - "sliced" seemed a surprising truncation indicator, but when slicing a salami, you start at one end, so it's fine
2	PIPETTE = "Pip ate" - Pip is the main character in Great Expectations. I know some of you pronounce "ate" differently but you must have heard the "ett" version. If anyone needs explanation about pipettes, it's amazing what you can find on YouTube.
3	OFF = unsatisfactory, ENDING = conclusion - minor confusion possible because "unsatisfactory" could be the def.
4	T = temperature, OOT = reversal of too=excessively
5	PROM = esplanade = walk, ON = further, TORY = right
6	THROB = (both, R=run)*
7	MAD = crazy, ON = about, N.A. = not available = unavailable
8	C(R)EASING - R in ????ING was easy to guess, but the right verb took me a long time to find
13	WELL I NEVER - cryptic def ("Always sick, me?") and plain def
15	O(BED(I)E)NCE - the Venerable Bede was another monk, and monks take vows of obedience. Trouble for me from thinking of the "silence" also observed by some monks
16	WIN = "have success in",D(WAR = fight)D - "two died" = two instances of d. = died
18	R(E.C.,L.A. = "two cities")IM - had to be "re-something" but {RIM = limit} was difficult, as was the implication that reclaimed land is "rescued"
19	BUST = breast, 'ARD = "commonly not tender" - initial puzzlement because BUZZARD fits the def and some of the wordplay
20	BAR(Y)ON - a subatomic particle at least as heavy as a proton, which just happened to get a mention in a University Challenge question the other day. A good show for practice purposes - as well as general knowledge, it includes questions like "Which four letter word can mean all of the following ...."
22	DEIST - move the I at the beginning of "id est" (= that is, Lat.) to the middle
24	B(L)OB - a nice easy one to give me some encouragement just after getting 26.

Solving time : 25 minutes

Standard Times fare, neither easy nor difficult. A touch of the Edwardian in places but no real obscurities other than an old Roman. Overseas solvers may struggle with the acronym INSET from the world of education.

Across
1	RAIN,CATS,AND,DOGS - a minimum of 2 cats and 2 dogs gives 16 feet - geddit?;
9	DISPARATE - D(I-SPAR)ATE;
10	IMPEL - I(MP)E-L; ie=that is;
11	LATEST - LA-TEST;
12	ESOTERIC - E-SOT-ERIC; E=ecstasy; ERIC=man;
13	GODDAM - G(ODD)AM; GAM=school of whales; one of my granddad's swear words akin to "blooming";
15	CONFOUND - CON-FOUND; CON=prisoner;
18	COSMETIC - CO'S-METIC(ulous);
19	ORDEAL - OR-DEAL; OR=gold;
21	TRIPPING - T-RIPPING; T=time; RIPPING=Billy Bunter word for wonderful; TRIPPING (the light fantastic) is old fashioned description of dancing say the veleta;
23	MASCOT - MA-SCOT; the old woman=mother=MA; Jock=SCOT;
26	HOLST - HOLS-T; tons=T;
27	MERRIMENT - M(ERR)IME-NT; NT=National Theatre;
28	PARTHENOGENESIS - (eighteen parsons)*;
Down
1	RED,FLAG - weak cryptic definition;
2	INSET - IN-SET; IN=trendy; SET=class; INSET=In Service Education and Training for schoolteachers;
3	CLASSMATE - (came last + s=little son)*; form=class=set;
4	deliberately omitted - ask if puzzled;
5	AVERSION - AVER-SI(O)N; state=AVER; O=zero=love (tennis);
6	DRIFT - (erode)D-RIFT;
7	OPPORTUNE - OP-PORT-UNE; "a" female in French is UNE;
8	SPLICED - two meanings; 1=joined together as the blade of a bat is to the handle; 2=married=in a match;
14	DISTILLER - DI-STILLER; strong spirit=say whisky which is distilled;
16	FORMATION - (in)FORMATION;
17	CINNAMON - CINNA-MON; I think this is a reference to Lucius Cinna who conspired with Gaius Marius against Sulla in BC87 or possibly his son who was around but not involved when Caesar was assassinated in 44BC and one Helvius Cinna was killed by the mob in a case of mistaken identity - all a bit remote; CINNAMON is a tree;
18	deliberately omitted - ask if puzzled;
20	LITOTES - LI(TOT)ES;
22	deliberately omitted - ask if puzzled;
24	CRESS - C(a)RESS:
25	CRAG - C-RAG; C=about;

Solving time: 4:14, one mistake ('flitter' for GLITTER at 18dn).

Another reasonable puzzle - not totally accurate but mostly explainable to beginners without requiring too many apologies for 'crosswordese' or poor clues. Just a little general knowledge added to the difficulty slightly, and I thought the SCOWLING/CHOCTAW combination in the top left was probably the hardest bit. My silly error at 18dn was ironic given that a similar word, 'twitter', was my downfall at the recent Times Crossword Championship.

* = anagram, "X" = sounds like 'X'.

Across
4	NEGATIVE; E.G. in NATIVE - a 'native' can mean a native oyster.
8	SHELVE; (HE'S) + LV (= 55) + E (= 'note')
9	INSCRIBE; IN (= 'fashionable') + SCRIBE (= 'writer')
10	SCOWLING; SCOW (= 'boat') + LING (= 'fish')
11	AVOWAL; A VOW + AL[l]
12	CATACOMB; A COMB (= 'A thorough search') after CAT (= 'Tom')
13	OPERETTA; (A TREETOP)*
16	BACHELOR; (HOLE CRAB)* - a poor clue with no real definition.
19	LEADENLY; LELY around A DEN - Peter Lely was a 17th-century portrait painter.
21	[blue]BOTTLE
23	NUMERATE; (RUN TEAM)* around E (= '[compass] point') - 'without' meaning 'around'. The definition here is dubious ('can reckon' is not the same as 'able to reckon') and the 'to' necessary for the surface reading is superfluous to the cryptic reading.
24	NAVIGATE; (GAIT)* in NAVE
25	TANDEM (cryptic definition)
26	FOULNESS (2 defs) - the MOD-owned island off the coast of Essex; probably tricky for overseas solvers, but at least the first definition is straightforward.

Down
1	CHOCTAW; CHOW around (CAT)* - good clue, but not easy. I first came across this word as the ice-skating jump rather than the American tribe.
2	SLOW MARCH; MARCH (= 'several weeks') after (OWLS)*
3	MERINO (hidden) - nice surface.
4	NEIGHBOURLINESS; (HUGE BIN LINERS SO)*
5	GOSSAMER; (SOME RAGS)*
6	TORSO - I think this clue is just saying that the answer is a meaning of the word 'trunk' other than that sported by an elephant, but I may be missing something.
7	VIBRANT; rev. of TV around (BRAIN)*
14	ENDEARING; (GRENADE IN)*
15	ALIENATE; (IN TEA)* in ALE - 'beer's held' has to be read as 'beer has held' for this clue to make any sense. Even then the definition is clumsily worded, with the final 'it' being superfluous.
17	AVOCADO; [h]AVOC + ADO - I liked this breakdown which I can't recall seeing before.
18	G + LITTER - dunce's cap donned for this, where I entered 'flitter'. Using 'force' for G (as in G-force) is iffy, but I can't really complain because if I'd seen the answer I'd have known it was right (although thinking about it, can 'glare' and 'glitter' really mean quite the same thing?). Instead I spent a while looking for alternatives for 'progeny'.
20	ADMITS; (AMID)* + T.S.
22	TWILL; T (= 'time') + WILL (= 'is certain to') - another clue where the wording isn't quite right, with 'be' being there just to fit the surface reading.

Solving time: 24 minutes

Music: Sibelius, Symphony #2, SchIppers/NYP






This easy puzzle threatened to turn into the blogger's nightmare, where you simply don't know the last answers, and the cryptics are not particularly helpful. I had all but five after 18 minutes, but I had to think carefully for a bit before I put in what proved to be the correct answers, two of which were plants.

Across
1	BUTTERFINGERS, B[are] + UTTER + FINGERS. Entered without bothering with the cryptic.
9	ATLAS, AT LAS[t]. My first in.
11	DEPOSITION, DE + POSITION.
14	NUMERAL, anagram of MANURE + L
16	KATYDID, KATY + DID. Put in instictively, apparently one of two references to childrens' literature in this puzzle. It is a reference I did not know, but it didn't hold me up. Cal's wife was Grace, not Katy.
17	SAN REMO, anagram of RANSOME. I was wondering when the author of Swallows and Amazons would appear in some puzzle. As in the previous clue, he only supplies the surface, but some day a character or topic from the books may appear.
19	AGRIPPA, A + GRIP + PA. Fortunately Pompey didn't fit, or I might have put him in.
21	METHUSELAH, double definition, since he can also be 6-litre bottle of wine.
24	ORPHANAGE, cryptic definition. Fooled me for quite a while, I was expecting some sort of guardian or trustee.
Down
1	BOARDING SCHOOL, double cryptic defintion. I admit, I was expecting either a rifle or a cathedral, so this took me a while.
2	TULIIP T(U[nusua]L)IP.
4	FLOATEL, FLOAT + EL. I think 'float' = 'hang', in the sense of hang in the air, is a bit of a stretch, but the clue is nicely deceptive. The primary problem may be for those who have never encountered the word.
5	NETWORK. TEN backward + WORK. When I solved it, I saw the 'TWO' in the middle and couldn't figure out the cryptic, so I left it for the blog.
7	STARTED UP, S(urgeons) + TARTED UP.
8	FLOG A DEAD HORSE, anagram of FORGE A SHEDLOAD. Again, the cryptic is not really needed to solve.
13	STORKSBILL. STORKS + BILL, where 'bill' = 'account'. 'Storks' apparently sounds like 'stalks' to someone, maybe one of those Dickens characters who called the justice 'Your Washup'.
15	MONKEYPOT, MONKEY + POT, where 'pot' is jocular slang for a trophy in the form of a oversized cup. At least this plant can be easily gotten from the cryptic.
19	ATHLETE A +THE(LET)E, where definition by example is courteously indicated by 'maybe'.
22	LINEN, LINE + N.

Solving time - just under an hour I reckon, but it took three sessions to finish. I had 20 minutes or so last Saturday before going out and thought that would be plenty of time, but I had no more than a third of it finished. Came back and had another crack while tea was on, but had to abandon it again with maybe 6 still to get. Finally polished it off that evening. No tricky vocabulary was to blame, but I just couldn't get onto the setter's wavelength. I was slightly relieved when comments last week suggested others also had difficulties with it, as for a while I thought it was just me having an off day. There's nothing unfair here at all. In fact nearly every clue is a gem - as I was blogging this I was able to appreciate the puzzle more and more.

Across
1	PROHIBITED - HI (welcome) + BITE (meal) inside PROD (egg on).
6	HOST - HO(i)ST. Anchor meaning TV presenter.
8	RELIANCE - (real in)* + C.E.
9	CYBORG - BY rev inside CORG(i)
10	AFAR - A FAR(e).
11	ILL-ADVISED - I LED (took van) around LAD + (lo)VI(ng).
12	NUMBER TWO - R inside (women but)*
14	JEANS - J(ungl)E + N(itrogen) inside AS (when).
17	DOUSE - DO USE!
19	AVALANCHE - H(ot) in A VALANCE
22	NEOCLASSIC - (nice)* around O (round) + CLASS.
23	TAXI - TAX + 1. Easy clue, but I unthinkingly stuck in TIRE, seeing it as a double definition with an alternative spelling. Really held me up in that corner.
24	REFLAG - REF + LAG. I looked this up afterwards, as the definition didn't seem to fit. It has a specific meaning, to fly the flag of a more powerful nation on a ship for protection.
25	ARTERIAL - RT inside AERIAL.
26	STAY - T in SAY (for example). Normally we see this the other way round.
27	PLEASANTRY - PLEAS + A + N(ew) + TRY. A new meaning of sally for me. Chambers has "a witty remark or retort" as one of the definitions.

Down
1	PERTAINED - PERT (fresh) + DENIA(l) reversed.
2	OIL PALM - O(ld) + ILL (crook) around PA, + M(arried).
3	BANDITRY - BAN (sanction) + IT inside DRY (flat).
4	THE OLD WIVES' TALE - (he dealt + two lives)*. A novel by Arnold Bennett, published in 1908.
5	DECODE - COD (joke) inside DEE(d).
6	HEBRIDEAN - HE (the man) + BRIDE (she married) + AN(d)
7	SURGEON - SO around URGE, + N
13	BASICALLY - AS I CALL (when I ring number) inside BY (close).
15	SPECIALTY - (e[ver]y plastic)*, definition "bag in America", as in England it would be speciality.
16	PLACATES - PLACES around (r)A(n)T.
18	OVEREAT - EA inside OVERT.
20	CHARIOT - 1 + O (form of wheel) inside CHART.
21	BANG UP - PUG (small dog) + NAB (collar) reversed.