Times 27173
Definitions in italics
ACROSS
1 Power line held in that? (5)
PYLON - P(ower) + L(ine) inside YON (that) - &lit
4 Great winger’s successful long shot? (9)
ALBATROSS - a score in golf (not one shot, so the clue is wrong) which is 3 below par (usually 2 on a par 5 hole) - double definition; a hole-in-one on a par 5 is called a 'condor', by the way: I know you wanted to know that - four have been recorded (see Verlaine's blog - link below - which will take you to comments in which a commenter called pipkirby claims to be the person who proposed the term 'condor')
9 Took off without reason, it's decided (9)
APPOINTED - APED (took off) outside POINT (reason)
10 Come to wreck (5)
TOTAL - double definition
11 Queen and king on head of tossed coin, once (6)
TANNER - ANNE (a queen) + R(ex) after T(ossed); a tanner is slang for a shilling
12 Shop requiring actual consignment (8)
DELIVERY - DELI (shop) + VERY (actual) - charade
14 New name in development of earliest indoor sport (4,6)
REAL TENNIS - N(ew N(ame) inside (earliest)* - first called 'royal tennis' - so it is a 'new name'
16 Push skiver, finally, into school (4)
PROD - last letter of (skive)R inside POD (school of whales)
19 Pull one in custody back (4)
DRAW - rev. of WARD (one in custody)
20 A payment put into use, so I'm told (10)
APPARENTLY - A RENT (payment) inside APPLY (put into use); good clue apparently offering a homophind ('told')
22 Perhaps beside a river, a vale to the East (8)
SAYONARA - the Japanese equivalent of Latin 'vale' - farewell; SAY + ON + A + R + A
23 Main fix (6)
STAPLE - dd
26 Young head-turner entering hotel, woman viewed from behind (5)
OWLET - incl. in hoTEL WOman rev.
27 Socrates translated with guidance only beginning to be understood (3,6)
GET ACROSS - (Socrates g)*
28 After water flooded by effluent, initially put off (9)
POSTPONED - POST (after) POND (water) with E(ffluent) inside it
29 Minions abandoning southern nation (5)
YEMEN - YE(s)men
DOWN
1 Drunk slept badly having quaffed a claret (9)
PLASTERED - (slept)* with A inside it + RED (claret)
2 Stick supporting middle of blue flower (5)
LUPIN - b(LU)e + PIN (stick)
3 Feeding see, l write crosswords for chocolate! (8)
NOISETTE - I SET (write crosswords) inside NOTE (see)
4 Drink having appeal in different forms, on reflection (4)
ASTI - two ways of suggesting sex appeal IT and SA - rev.; asti spumante is the setter's favourite drink
5 One moving to invest capital has billed companion?
BUDGERIGAR - BUDGER (one moving) with RIGA (capital of Latvia) inside
6 Scrap suit in the end, its pockets black? (6)
TITBIT - last letter of (sui)T + IT (twice) around B(lack)
7 Cook not happy at first with cake knocked over in a row (2,3,4)
ON THE TROT - 'cook' is the anagind re (not)* + H(appy) + TORTE rev.
8 Funny spin (5)
SALLY - &lit
13 Fury after game, seeing bloomer (10)
SNAPDRAGON - SNAP is a card game + DRAGON (someone [female?] who is a fury)
15 Flower a daft male pulled up (9)
AMARYLLIS - A + SILLY RAM rev.
17 Doctor says one needs treatment for a period in the tropics (3,6)
DRY SEASON + DR + (says one)*
18 Northern stuff embraced by central US state (8)
KENTUCKY - N(orthern) + TUCK (stuff) inside KEY (central)
21 Favourite partners, one doing a backflip, dancing together? (2,4)
IN STEP - INS and PETS (rev.) are both favourites, I guess; not very happy with this
22 Funds raised for boat (5)
SLOOP - POOLS (funds) rev.
24 Introduction to record in creative work — here? (5)
PROEM - R(ecord) inside POEM; and a proem is the first bit of a poem, so it's almost an &lit
25 Look at contracts for boss (4)
STUD - (STUD)y without its last letter, so it 'contracts'
KEY
to abbreviations 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
Verlaine's blog entry appeared at 0810 BST - 0710 UTC. I didn't note the exact time, but I had this up at about midday here - 0400 UTC. Verlaine doesn't give his solving time, but usually finishes under 15 minutes. However, he notes that it was a 'tough puzzle'. I took my usual hour, and confess I usually have recourse to an app called Anagram Crossword, because life is too short not to. Writing the annotations above took something approaching another hour, so I hope someone reads this. I know it's unlikely. Verlaine thinks that SALLY in 8d is a double definition; I prefer to see it, as noted above, as an &lit. I can't see 'sally' as meaning either ' funny' or 'spin'. I think it's a poor clue, either way.
Garry Gillard | New: 19 October, 2018 | Now:19 October, 2018