Garry Gillard > crosswords > solutions > 4823
I find two errors in the cluing of this easy puzzle. I think Jeff Pearce should clue less.
ACROSS
1 12 awkwardly holding cut beast (8) ANTE,LOP,E - LOP inside (EATEN)* - which is 12 across
5 Fixed cause of poor reception (6) STATIC - dd
10 Cutting ditch with worker (9) TRENCH,ANT
11 Father Brown finally married a temptress (5) SIRE,N - 'married' is there for the surface, and also indicates that the two parts of the clue are joined
12 lt’s said school for the rich scoffed (5) EATEN - homophone for 'Eton'
13 Engine put outside a drinking den (3,6) GIN P,A,LACE - GIN (engine - as in a cotton gin) + A inside PLACE
14 Athlete on mountain eating a vegetable (6,4) RUNNER BE(A)N - where a 'ben' is a Scottish mountain
17 Talk idly about rare clothes (4) GARB - 'brag' rev. - I suppose 'rare' is there to indicate that the word is archaic
19 Dog swallows large piece of tobacco (4) P(L)UG
20 Bug makes 1000 notepads run poorly (4-6) POND SKATER - (k notepads)* - incorrect clue as the letter K needs to be shown to be part of the anagram
22 If returning oarsman holds record it shows strength (4-5) FIRE POWER
24 Little container found in street (5) S(CAN)T
26 Henry meeting his rejected wife, which might have made him look red (5) HENNA
27 A campanologist might seem familiar (4,1,4) RING A BELL - dd
28 Tenor requested to be given something to do (6) T,ASKED
29 Having no idea what I want to do after retirement (8) CLUE,LESS
DOWN
1 How a race might have started, with all speed (2,3,4,2,1,3) AT THE DROP OF A HAT - dd
2 Care for something special (5) TREAT - dd
3 Pub owner, perhaps, seen distressed by horrible insects (8) LICENSEE - LICE + (seen)* - the 'horrible' is nugatory, and therefore surprising
4 Head of Property managed end of housing crash (5) P,RAN,G
6 Navigator takes volunteers to southern isle (6) TASMAN - COD for its &litness
7 Ruin a garment, beginning to tear in fury? (9) TERMAGANT - (a garment t)* - an offensive term we should no longer use
8 Edit extremely early Burt Lancaster work (10,5) CANTERBURY TALES - anagram, by the looks
9 The usual flag (8) STANDARD - the most banal of double definitions
15 They’re tiny and barely matter (9) NEUTRINOS - cd
16 Diligent student's grub (8) BOOKWORM - dd
18 Get painting from tall building right away! (8) SKYSC(r)APE(r) - unusual not to have the definition right at the beginning or end of the clue - also, two Rs need to be taken away, not one - so it's another error - it should read 'rights away' - but then the surface wdn't work
21 Old head swallows one drug to help rest (6) O,P(I)ATE - O + I (1) inside PATE
23 Official carries note to do with organs (5) RE(N)AL - where 'real' means 'official'
25 Ridge discovered by veteran returning after shelling (5) ARETE - incl. rev.
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
Garry Gillard | New: 4 November, 2018 | Now: 4 November, 2018