Garry Gillard > crosswords > solutions > Guardian > 27657

Guardian 27657

The puzzle is here: https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27657.

Prize crossword No 27,657 set by Imogen
Special instructions: One historic figure and 10 possible compatriots are clued without further
definition

The historic figure is conveniently located right down the centre and conveniently indicated by a clearly indicated anagram. He was Russian, so we're looking another ten Russian names, which turn out to be Dmitry, Andrei, Nikita, Ivan, Oleg, Sergei, Igor, Leonid, Ilya, and Tamara, - only one woman.

This is a horrible puzzle, which wasted a great deal of my time.

Definitions in italics. Eleven clues have no definitions.

Across
1 A long time undercover (6) LEONID - EON inside LID (an example of a cover)
4 Gypsy chosen to take part in film (6) PSYCHO - incl.
9 Shakespeare's work initially making a comeback (4) ILYA - as you see, I wrote this in wrong because I had nfi; it's the initial letters of As You Like It - as anyone could have seen (not)
10 Athlete collapsed on narrow strip (4,6) FELL RUNNER - they run up and down hills
11 County boundary area (6) TAMARA - the river Tamar is the boundary between most of Devon and Cornwall + A(rea)
12 Cloth with pattern astrologer first worked out in secret (4-4) DEEP LAID - the cloth is PLAID, the astronomer John Dee (1527-1608) - as everyone knows (not)
13 A fight, not vicious - that's sweet (9) A,SPAR,TAME
15 Amputee‘s situation? (4) O,LEG - zero leg - ha ha (not)
16 As owned by tiny delivery company? (4) I,VAN - it might have just the one van - ha ha ha
17 Remarkably great pics that show extent of the damage (7) PRICE TAGS
21 Run indoors to grab good sort of seat (8) R,IN(G)SIDE
22 A word that links religious education with me, subjectively (6) AND,RE,I
24 Pupils I gave dinner to around one in secret (10) CLASS,I,F(I)ED
25 Tax collectors once full of energy (4) IGOR ?
26 Spies infiltrating very Liberal party (6) SOCIAL - SO + CIA + L(iberal)
27 Forbidding alcohol around US university (6) D(MIT)RY - MIT inside DRY
Down
1 Language completely covered by networks (7) LALLANS - ALL inside LANS - the Scottish term for 'lowlands' as in what's spoken there - as everyone knows (not)
2 Hence, perhaps, Japanese sailor: his other name is? (5) OSAKA - this clue would make sense to me if it started with 'whence' (meaning 'from that place' - instead of 'hence' - I think the Japanese sailor is from Osaka, a city there, and the clue has OS for Ordinary Seaman, followed by AKA to give rise to the last part of the wordplay: 'his other name is' - as AKA means 'also known as' - but even if it had 'whence' it would be a horrible clue
3 Actually accepting plaster at last for break (7) IN,F(R)ACT - relation to 'infraction' - breaking a law
5 Teacher - homosexual, say (6) SERGEI - homophone for 'sir' 'gay' - pathetic
6 Like a romantic dinner-dance till shattered (9) CANDLELIT - (dance till)*
7 Love writing, but missing a new opportunity (7) O,PEN(n)ING
8 In villa, minder murdered (8,5) VLADIMIR LENIN (in villa minder)*
14 It brings relief at one's rear, say, turning over (I mean it!) (9) ANAL,GE,SIC - where EG is rev. + SIC (thus)
16 Eavesdroppers with silent transport, we hear, heading off (5,4) (b)ICICLES - homophone for 'bicycles' - icicles may hang from eaves
18 Autocratic state unknown to interfere with eccentric order (7) CZARDOM - Z inside CARD (an eccentric) + OM
19 Pope's blood in short supply and in pale shade (7) GREGORY - GOR(e) inside GREY
20 In Scotland, own up pinching gear (6) NIKITA - KIT inside AIN (Scottish for 'own' as in 'my ain country') rev.
23 Stop: one son's missing, I believe (5) DE(s1)IST - but the one and son are round the wrong way

KEY to abbreviations/terms/symbols which may have been used
(raga man)* = anagram of 'anagram'
cd = cryptic definition
dd = double definition
incl. = inclusive (hidden word)
def. = definition (synonym, literal)
rev. = reversed
anagind = anagram indicator
homophind = homophone indicator
surface - the apparent meaning of the clue, disguising what's really going on
&lit. - a clue in which the whole clue is the 'definition'
COD = clue of the day (imo); FOI, LOI, first/last one written in

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